All the rolls.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Here.

Councilmember Whitburn?

Here.

Councilmember Foster.

Here.

Councilmember Von Wilper.

Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Here.

Councilmember Campillo.

Here.

Councilmember Moreno.

Councilmember Elo Rivera.

And Council President Lacava.

Present.

Also attending the meeting are City Attorney Heather Ferber, Independent Budget Analyst Charles Matica, and myself, your city clerk, Deanna Fuentes.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Quorum is now present.

We will begin this morning with the land acknowledgement and the pledge of allegiance led by Council President Pro Tem Lee.

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 Kumeayai 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 Kumei Nation, connected to our past and committed to a thriving future.

If you'll join me to face the flag, ready to begin.

All right, City Clerk, please go over how the public can offer their testimony.

Thank you.

I'd like to highlight the slide on the screen that does review how the public can offer their public testimony during today's meeting and the meeting management time allocations for proclamations and consent agenda items.

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 ambassadors are also available near the entrance and can assist with questions and speaker slips.

No further in-person testimony will be taken once the council begins virtual testimony.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

We will now dispense with the approval of the proclamation items.

Please introduce them and proceed with public comment.

Thank you.

The public comment period for the 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 600 through 602, 612, and 614.

Thank you, Council President.

Going to um public comment, we have several speakers.

If I can ask the speakers to please come up to the front of the room in the yellow reserve seats, starting with Fabienne Perlov.

You can come up to the microphone, and you will have one minute to speak on item 614.

After that, we have um human relations commission chair Nicole Murray Ramirez.

If you can please come up to the yellow reserve seats, and then Louise Gabriel and Fire Chief Farbert Logan, Tootie, Thomas, and Jason Shanley.

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

Hi, good morning, everyone.

Uh, my name is Fabien Polo, regional director of ADL.

Thank you, Councilmember Campbell, Whitburn, Campillo, and Elo Rivera, for uh bringing a proclamation to celebrate Hanukkah today.

The story of Hanukkah reminds us that the Jewish people have survived thousands of years and thrived despite attempts throughout history to extinguish our civilization.

Yet even as we celebrate the Jewish community worldwide is devastated by the anti-Semitic terror attack at the Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia.

However, this is not an isolated incident.

It is a tragic but predictable result of normalized escalating hateful anti-Semitic rhetoric.

While we have been heartened by the number of messages and statements in support of the Jewish community from leaders like you, we are asking for one meaningful gift this holiday.

We ask that the San Diego City Council adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of anti-Semitism.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nicole Murray Ramirez.

You have time ceded to you by Ricky Brown.

If you can please raise your hand.

Ricky Brown.

Thank you.

You'll have two minutes.

Please proceed.

Good morning, Wendy's Diaz.

I stand before you as the chair of the City Human Relations Commission, as also San Diego resident for over 60 years, and a proud Latino and gay man and as a Catholic.

Why the Human Relations Commission supports and appreciates this Hanukkah proclamation?

We believe now more than ever, a much stronger action must be taken in support and protection of the San Diego Jewish community.

As you all know, for almost a year, our commission has gone on record urging you to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.

Adopting this definition is the most critical and needed step now more than ever in ensuring the safety and protection of San Diego's Jewish students, families, and communities throughout our city.

The increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes and incidents as well as the extended threats continues to grow, including Nazi swells that spray painted incidents in our San Diego neighborhoods and our Jewish temples.

The HRC definition was originally developed in 2004 in response to research of anti-Jewish hate and incidents.

It is absolutely become necessary to describe aptinism in all forms and to divide it and enables government and others to identify it.

Well, over a hundred cities have adopted this HRA definition, including Chula Vista and Al Cahone.

While our commission commends Mayor Gloria in this council, as well as police chief wall that that's a favorite efforts to combat anti-Jewish hate, it is long overdue to adopt the HRC definition.

The Human Relations Commission is proud of our stand and support of the HRC definition.

In closing, I say this with all due respects.

Wai Hanukkah proclamations and city lights, lighting ceremonies are wonderful and appreciated.

The San Diego Human Relations Commission strongly believes the San Diego City Council must send a much stronger message to our Jewish community by finally joining other cities in dopination of the HRC definition.

We would we do want to most sincerely thank Mayor Gloria, Councilman Whitburn support and standing for bringing a resolution before this council.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Louise.

And that was also on item 614.

Louise Gabriel.

You're speaking on item 600.

I just wanted to say how proud I am that my son is here today.

He is the youngest of my four sons.

I wanted to make sure his dad was here today, even though he's up in heaven looking down.

Jim's goal has always been to make his dad proud, and he certainly has today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is uh Fire Chief Robert Logan speaking on item 601, Ben Holman.

Please come forward.

Morning.

I'd like to speak on the proclamation that's going to be given to Benny Holman this morning.

Benny Holman broke the color bearer in the fire department.

Up until 1951, you can only work at Station Fire Station 19, which is on Ocean View Boulevard.

Benny was our Jackie Robinson.

Binny paved the way not only for myself, but by breaking the color bearer, he helped many others who will never ever know that they were helped.

In conjunction, he was a part of Brothers United.

Brothers United came back to that same fire station that only African Americans can work until 1951 and hosted a free EMT class.

I'm a product of that EMT class.

As proof that when you invest in our communities, you can produce a fire chief.

If they never have would, if they never have done, if they never would have done that, I would not be here today.

So I would like to say thank you to Benny as I stand on his shoulders and protect the city.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

And then it'll be Jason after that.

Happy holidays, everyone.

Thank you for having us.

And as the secretary, we welcome these new appointments.

As one of them said in their bio, our goal is to bring community together.

Today, two of these appoint appointees, Edwin Lawr and Ricky Brown.

I have worked shoulder to shoulder with and know their commitment to community.

So thank you for taking this up, and we welcome them to our uh HRC Commission.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And that was my error.

It was uh mixed wrong, and so that was on the consent agenda.

My apologies to the council.

Um 601 is Jason.

Shall we morning?

I would be remiss if I didn't stand up and thank Benny Holman for the courage that it took in 1951 to do what many people would not do.

We're standing in a moment now in our history where we need more men like you to do what you did.

And I'm grateful that you're still around so that we can see you and see what happens when you stand in a moment where the moment needs you.

We're very, very grateful for what you did, Brother Holman.

Thank you so much for the courage that it took to be able to do that.

I was reminded recently of uh saying I said a courageous man never stumbles, though the path may be dark as light.

There's a star to guide the humble, trusting God to see the light.

Glad that you did that, brother.

We love you, and we're grateful for you.

Thank you, Mr.

Holman.

The five minute timer here in Council Chambers.

I'm going to uh those participating remotely, starting with the original.

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

Yes, um, I would like to speak to the Hanukkah one, the blood drive one, and the wave data one.

You'll have three minutes, please proceed.

All right.

Um, this is going to offend people, but um that's just what happens when you speak the truth.

Um, yeah, we should celebrate holidays, but we need to look at everybody's talking about the hate on the Jewish people, but nobody talks about the fact that we're occupied by Israel.

That Israel was created by the Rothschilds and America, and that they have been pushing this agenda for a long time, and everything that we know about the Holocaust isn't true either.

So I think it's important that people understand that I'm not talking against Jewish people, but I'm trying to help Jewish people see that they are being exploited just like every other human being in any other aspect of this life that um needs to push some kind of agenda, and it's unfortunate because it causes a lot of division.

And you know, I mean, Netanyahu has been very destructive to our nation.

I mean, look at 9 11.

Look at what happened to Charlie Kirk.

Because he was going and trying to that was a minute, please proceed to the next proclamation.

Okay.

And so again, speaking in truth, we need to really talk about what's happening with blood banks.

The fact that you guys go around and encourage injecting people with bioweapons, but also HIV and things like hepatitis and many other things that are going into the blood that people are then donating and giving to other people.

So they also use this blood when you go and donate to create medications with plasma.

So they have people that are donating that should not be donating blood because they're on drugs and whatever, but they're doing it because they make money, and then that goes into drugs that all you guys like to pop up because big pharma is so great, and you know, a lot of people don't know that they use those types of things, but I would not encourage people to go get blood because you won't know if it's vaccinated or not.

And that is something that is detrimental to somebody's life.

And if you look at all the turbo cancers, good job you guys are really helping people stay healthy, and then let's go to the wave data.

So if you guys would tell the truth to people instead of using data like this to claim that the you know climate is so horrific and that you know it's causing all of these things, because you guys love your data.

You need your data in order to, because data can be skewed at any point, but you need it in order to push whatever you're pushing.

And it's sad because it's all a bunch of lies much of the time, and you don't acknowledge the things that are actually causing things like climate change or the weather to be um you know as bad as it is.

This is man-made and not in the way that you guys claim by like driving a car.

I'm talking about weather modification, geoengineering, the things that would affect that wave data if you would acknowledge that it's even existing, but instead it fits into your nice little agenda from the United Nations so that you can enslave everyone.

So good job on you guys telling people the truth.

Happy holidays.

Next is Karen and Doug, if you can please unmute.

And please let me know which item or items you wish to speak to.

So instead, if you can please turn off your nation so that you can enslaver.

Next is Karen and Doug people the truth.

Yes, can you turn off the council meeting that you may have on in the background?

Oh my god, please item or items.

If you can please turn off your please, can you turn off the council meeting that you may have on in the background?

Yes, can you turn off the council meeting that you think?

You're having some technical difficulties.

We will need to move on.

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

Is it 605 time or no?

Uh not yet.

Okay, thanks.

That does conclude public comment on the proclamations.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Um I'll kick off the uh council conversation on the proclamations.

So, item 601, Alvin Benjamin Holman Day, as we've heard.

Please join me in wishing Mr.

Holman a 100th happy birthday.

Let's start with that.

And sir, thank you for your service to the city of San Diego with the San Diego Fire Department.

Uh, as we've heard from our chief and uh one of our illustrious captains.

Uh after serving with the San Diego Fire Department for over 30 years, your work marked an important milestone for the department and black firefighters, your efforts paved away for black San Diegans to pursue a career in the fire department and be able to serve their communities with pride and dignity.

Mr.

Holman proudly exemplifies compassion, public service, and equality through his work today in the city of San Diego.

We recognize the contributions that Mr.

Holman brought to those around him.

I think that deserves another round of applause, just in the God bless you, sir.

And today is a big day for fire rescue.

Uh item 600, Assistant Chief James Cabray Day.

To another notable San Diego Fire Department figure, I want to congratulate Assistant Chief Gabri for his well-earned retirement after a service-filled 35 years of the San Diego Fire Department.

The Chief uh fosters an environment of leadership, growth, and expertise to every role that he has stepped into, tasked with creating emergency response functions and strengthening operations, the contributions made to the department proactively ensure the safety of the city of San Diego.

I also appreciate the efforts you've made to ensuring that the topic of the Northern Pacific Beach Lifeguard Station remains a priority for the community and for District One.

Chief Gabriel, thank you for your dedicated service to the people of San Diego and congratulations on your retirement.

So I think multiple rounds of applause are going to be deserving here.

So for Chief Gabriel, let's all give him another round of applause.

So at this point, I'm going to invite Chief Logan to come up and say a few words and embarrass the heck out of the retirement chief.

This is gonna be interesting.

I didn't know I was gonna speak, but I have a lot to say about Chief Gabriel.

Chief Gabri stepped in a void when I really needed it as a brand new fire chief of this city.

And I spoke earlier in our ECS meeting.

I needed somebody with integrity, and I needed somebody that did not have fear to help me lead this fire department.

In the direction that I believe it needs to be taken.

And Chief Gabriel is that person.

He stepped up, he was already dropped, so retire.

And he still took the job.

And not only did he take the job, he took it and he gave me a hundred and ten percent every single day.

So for that alone, I thank you, Chief Gabriel and I wish you luck in your retirement.

And then if we could conjol the very shy, very timid Captain Shanley to say a few words as well.

Well, you know, I'm never at a loss for words.

So uh it's interesting.

My relationship with Chief Gabriel changed over the years.

We had a we had a um a moment in Chula Vista probably 20 some years ago on the training tower.

I couldn't say much though, because we were kind of high, and he was in charge of the ropes.

We're really high, and so we're repelling, so I couldn't, but we had a we had a moment where we disagreed on something.

And what I realized is just like Chief Logan said, uh, Chief, you're the type of person that knows what you believe, you know what you want, and you're gonna do the things that are right regardless.

Um, and that I think a lot of times in relationships, if we just would wait long enough to let it play out to and I had to humble myself and realize that what you were doing in that moment was the right thing for me.

I was new in the career, and I'm glad that I listened to you.

Yeah, I tell you all the time how much I appreciate you.

I do that all the time.

I want to make sure I give you your flowers every single day.

Um, and I just want to say publicly, I do have a gripe with him, and I'm gonna sit down, and is that he keeps bringing huge amounts of peanut MMs every day to the office.

And as you can see, I'm trying to lose weight, and I think you're trying to sabotage my career at this point.

Just because you're leaving doesn't mean I am, but man, we love you.

Thank you for everything that you've done for the department.

Standardize the fire rigs, all kinds of things that took 20 plus years.

I came out, we had four or five different engines at different stations, and now uh we have a standardized fleet, just things like that that the public may not understand is so very important to us in being consistent in the way that we provide service.

And so you've been around long enough to do that.

Your work uh speaks for itself, speaks volumes for the type of man that you are, and the city of San Diego is grateful to have had you for these years, and congratulations and good luck on your retirement, sir.

So awesome that your mom showed up to speak on behalf of you.

So okay, taking a pivot, uh 612 Coastal Data Information Program, 50th anniversary day.

We got the whole crew over there on uh the chamber's left side.

Congratulations uh on the program on your 50th anniversary, an impressive milestone that continues to support the city of San Diego and the state of California through its maritime data collection.

Aiding local and federal agencies, coastal data is crucial to keeping those on land and sea safe from unpredictable ocean conditions and injury.

Thank you to all the engineers, scientists, planners, and mariners that conduct the work that goes into the collection of the ocean's environmental data.

As a longtime supporter of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and environmentalism, I'm glad to be able to celebrate the continued efforts and longevity of this program.

Congratulations to the entire team, and we'll proclaim December 3rd as Coastal Data Information Program 50th Anniversary Day.

And I'm happy to call up Dr.

Eric Torell to say a few words.

Thank you, City of San Diego Council members and council president.

Uh, this is the first time I've spoken in a public forum with a uh call and introduction, so that was really great to the uh dial-in.

So I appreciate that.

Um I think it's really important.

It's first of all, it's very humbling for me to represent Scripps Institution of Oceanography and this team here with this legacy of applying science to greater good, and a lot of gratitude about how the scientists and the engineers and technicians here have been able to take a program that started in the city of San Diego.

Umitiated with four sites between Imperial Beach, Ocean Beach, La Jolla, and Oceanside, and it's really grown to become a national model for conducting science long-term observations of the waves, wave climate.

And with the advent of the internet and around the 90s, this data has become publicly available, and first responders are using it on a daily basis.

So without too much more to say, I just really want to thank the crew and the dedication here that it is alongside me.

This program wouldn't exist without their support.

Thank you.

Thank you for the good work.

And I'll close with item 614, Hanukkah 2025.

Thank you to my colleagues who brought this proclamation forward to honor and recognize this holiday in the city of San Diego and recognize the time-honored tradition.

Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate.

And with that, I will move the proclamation and turn it over next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you so much, Council President, and I will second the acceptance of the proclamations.

Congratulations to everyone who who received a proclamation.

Well deserved, well deserved, and thank you for everything you've done to help us.

I I'd like to tell you there's only four people on the agenda who put forward the proclamations.

However, the entire council loves you, and they just limit us to four on putting it forward.

Otherwise, all nine of us would be there.

So thank you so much for everything.

And all nine of us will sign it, as will the mayor.

So thank you so much.

I want to start with um item 602, Blood Donor Month.

I always want to join my colleagues in recognizing January coming up soon as National Blood Donor Month.

Donating blood is so important and really literally saves thousands and thousands of lives.

The San Diego Blood Bank provides more than 150,000 units of blood per year to hospitals not just in San Diego, but also across Southern California.

I'm proud to have two San Diego Blood Bank locations in District 2, located in Liberty Station and Claremont Town Square.

If you are eligible, I hope you will go and donate blood soon.

This year, the San Diego Blood Bank celebrates its 75th year anniversary, and that's why we wanted to mark the occasion.

If you're able to donate blood, you can find contact information on the online and also on the screen in front of you right now.

And I hope that uh you'll be able to go and donate.

Thank you to the Blood Bank, all the staff and volunteers for the life-saving work that you do, and thank you to our colleague, Council Mayor Stephen Whitburn, who for years was the executive director of that organization and did great job.

Secondly, I'd like to speak momentarily about item 614, and thank you to all of my colleagues on the council for their support on this, and happy Hanukkah to everyone.

Hanukkah is an ancient Jewish celebration from the times of the kingdom of Israel, which has existed for thousands and thousands of years, besides what that public speaker said.

It is an ancient celebration that commemorates the victory of the Jewish people in the very first fight that we know of for religious freedom.

In 164 BC, they rebelled against the Seleucid Empire, which ruled the Middle East then, and further all the way to India.

Israel reclaimed Jerusalem and the Holy Temple, keeping to their thousands of years' belief in one God, rather than accepting what was forced on them by the empire, the Greek and Roman gods.

And Hanukkah was celebrated because of a great miracle that happened for them.

They had only one day's worth of olive oil to hang the light above the Ark of the Covenant.

And so they went ahead and lit it, even though they knew it would take them a week to prepare holy oil for the future.

But miraculously, that one day light of oil burned for eight days.

And because of that miracle, Hanukkah is referred to as the Festival of Light.

The recent horrible violence and Hanukkah celebration in Australia is a terrible example of horrible anti-Semitism.

Our hearts go out to the victims and their families this year as we celebrate the enduring spirit of the Jewish people, even in the face of violence.

And in our country, that enduring spirit is shared by everyone.

And everyone who came here as an immigrant back from their ancestors or even now.

And everyone who was here as the First Nations.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Campbell, for your leadership and for making space for this moment.

Thank you to the City Council for recognizing Hanukkah and through this proclamation recognizing San Diego's Jewish community.

Hanukkah is often described as a holiday about light overcoming darkness as we increase the number of candles that we light each night.

But it's much more than that.

Hanukkah is about refusing to disappear.

The story commemorates, as you just mentioned, a moment more than 2,000 years ago when Jews were told they could survive only if they erased their public identity, their practices, and their values.

Jewish life could continue, but only quietly privately and conditionally.

Hanukkah marks the moment our ancestors rejected that bargain.

It commemorates the rededication of Jewish life in the public square and the reassertion of agency as a people.

In other words, Hanukkah exists to mark the choice to survive with identity rather than without it.

And that meaning feels especially present today, just days ago.

We witnessed another horrific anti-Semitic massacre this time in Sydney, Australia.

And these attacks are not isolated or random.

They are a tragic reminder of what happens when a worldview refuses to tolerate Jews living openly, visibly, and together.

When Jewish presence itself is treated as a provocation.

And in moments like these, there is often an unspoken pressure on Jews to shrink to keep our celebrations quieter, to blend in to be less visible for our own safety, which is why moments like this matter so deeply.

When local elected leaders publicly acknowledge the Jewish community and our holidays, you are doing more than offering symbolic recognition.

You are saying that Jews belong fully in civic life, that Jewish visibility is not something to apologize for or hide.

That our safety, dignity, and participation are not solely a Jewish concern, but a shared one.

That message carries particular weight when it comes from leaders entrusted with the well-being of the entire city.

At Jewish Federation of San Diego, our work is rooted in that same principle.

We strengthen Jewish life locally and globally so that Jews can show up fully so they can live proudly and loudly in their Jewish identity.

Unfortunately, today that means investing heavily in security.

In recent years, the San Diego Jewish community collectively has invested more than 10 million dollars annually into enhancing safety and security for our local Jewish institutions.

Federation does the meaningful and necessary work of coordinating, training, and fortifying Jewish institutions, but is also a sobering reminder that the Jewish community cannot assume others will always be willing or able to protect us.

And yet I want to be very clear here in San Diego, we have seen something better.

The partnerships and support we have experienced from local elected leaders and from law enforcement, especially over the past two years, have been tremendous.

They've been proactive and collaborative.

They've communicated not just concern but commitment, and they have sent a powerful message that Jewish safety and Jewish belonging are civic priorities.

We hope and we believe that these relationships will continue to grow and strengthen, not only in moments of crisis, but as an enduring expression of shared responsibility.

Hanukkah teaches that survival without identity is not enough.

It teaches that dignity requires visibility and that freedom requires allies.

When a city stands publicly with its Jewish community, it affirms something far bigger than one holiday.

It affirms that no community should be asked to disappear in order to belong.

Thank you for standing with us in happy Hanukkah.

Thank you so much for those good words.

And thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

So uh moving the proclamations forward, uh, motion by myself and a second by Councilmember Campbell.

We'll go next to Councilmember Von Wolbert.

Um, thank you very much, Council President, and congratulations to all of the proclamation.

Uh all the people we're celebrating today and the organizations we're celebrating today.

Thank you to my colleagues as always for bringing forth wonderful people and organizations to celebrate in the city.

Uh, with item 602 in Blood Donor Month.

I'm very proud to recognize National Blood Donor Month and the life-saving impact of blood donors in our community.

There are many folks who dutifully go every month to donate their own blood to save the lives of people who are complete strangers to them.

And it's a beautiful reminder of how much our community desperately cares about one another.

And we have many first responders here in the room who see people on their on their some of their most tragic days who know that lives can be saved by blood donation.

So very, very proud of the folks who do that here in San Diego.

Um, item 614, uh, happy Hanukkah to everyone.

I'm very proud to be celebrating uh Hanukkah here at City Hall, and we're going to be lighting the menorah tomorrow.

Um, and thank you to the Jewish community for sharing this meaningful holiday with our city.

Hanukkah reminds us of the power of faith and perseverance in standing up for the right to live and worship freely, uh, including here in San Diego.

And I'm proud to be lighting the menorah tomorrow as a powerful symbol of hope and light, overcoming darkness even in challenging times.

My heart is completely broken for the Jewish members in Australia who were murdered by hate.

And as the public safety chair, I do want to tell everybody, please, if you see something, say something, you know, report it.

We have our chief of police here in the audience today who instantly affirmed his commitment to keeping everyone safe during the holidays.

So we will take threats seriously.

At the same time, we cannot let terror or fear stop us from celebrating together.

So please do remember to have joy as well and not let anyone take that away from us.

As we mark Hanukkah here in San Diego, I'm grateful for the joy, culture, and resilience of our Jewish community, and I'm very, very proud to be celebrating it here at City Hall.

Um item 600, Assistant Fire Chief James Gabriel.

We are going to miss you very much.

Uh, and we're very, very proud of your service to our city.

Uh for 35 years, you have dedicated um nights, days, weekends, blood, sweat, and tears, um, and to your family.

It public service truly is a family affair.

Your families are the ones who stay at home and um and have to sleep through the long nights without you and hope that you come back from the fire alarms safe and sound.

So we appreciate your family and your mom, especially coming in today.

Um, Chief Gabriel began his career in 1990 when he was 12 uh as a firefighter recruit and rose to the ranks, including fire fire engineer, captain, battalion chief, deputy fire chief, assistant fire chief, demonstrating leadership at every level.

Uh in 2024, he was appointed assistant fire chief of emergency and business operations, where he strengthened emergency response coordination, improved operational readiness, and helped ensure our city remains prepared to respond to emergencies.

And we saw that in action this January.

We had five fires in the city of San Diego in the first two weeks of this year.

And houses were saved, lives were saved, not a single structure was burned down because of the emergency prepar preparedness that Chief Gabriel helped put in place to get aerial operations up, get um everything into place.

So thank you for your work.

Uh we can see it every day.

Um, very, very proud of you.

Uh, Chief, would you like to say anything with any of my time?

Come on up, come on up.

Thank you, Councilmember Von Wolpert.

Um, I'm gonna lose it here, so um thank you, Council President and Council members for this tremendous honor.

Um, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the city council for their continued support of the fire rescue department as well as public safety.

It has truly been an honor to serve this community, and I'm deeply appreciative of the trust, resources, and leadership provided by the mayor and city council throughout my career.

To Chief Logan, executive command staff, and the rest of the fire rescue department.

Your patience, strength, and understanding made it possible for me to serve this department and the members with pride and dedication.

I'm extremely proud of what we've accomplished together and excited to where the department is headed.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to have served under your leadership, Chief Logan.

To my family, my mom's a big hit here, and my brothers here with me.

Um my wife and uh children are watching online because they're unable to make it, as long as some other family members.

Um I couldn't have done this and had such an amazing career without their unwavering love and support.

This career was never my own.

It belonged to all of us.

Thank you for your sacrifice, the encouragement, and the foundation you provided.

I will always be forever grateful.

Thank you all again for your continued dedication to our city and for allowing me the privilege for a long, fulfilling career with the San Diego Fire Rescue Department.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chief.

And you're gonna make me cry as well.

Um, my staff knows if anyone cries, I cry.

I don't even know why we're crying sometimes.

Uh, but uh I appreciate you very much.

And finally, I'd like to finish my comments with item 601.

Um, Mr.

Alwyn Benjamin Holman Day in the city of San Diego.

I am so honored to join Mayor Gloria and Council President Lacava in recognizing Alwyn Benjamin Holman, celebrating a life defined by service, leadership, and courage that has left a lasting impact on the city of San Diego.

Born in Alton, Illinois, at a time when segregation sought to limit his opportunity.

Mr.

Holman was raised by his mother with values of dignity, confidence, and purpose that guided him throughout his life.

In 1944, he answered the call to serve our nation by enlisting in the United States Navy and was stationed as in San Diego, a city that became his home and the place where he would then make history.

After his military service, Mr.

Holman continued serving in the public to the United States Postal Service before joining the San Diego Fire Department in 1951, during the earliest days of racial integration.

And it wasn't easy.

He broke long-standing barriers by becoming the first black firefighter assigned outside of Station 19, opening doors that had been closed for generations, and changing the culture of an entire department.

Throughout through his dedicated professionalism and steady leadership, he rose to the ranks, becoming the first black deputy fire chief in San Diego and setting a powerful example of what inclusive leadership looks like.

Over a 29-year career, Mr.

Holman served every community with integrity, fairness, and compassion, proving that service to others transcends race, background, and circumstance.

As we celebrate his 100th birthday, I am so proud to honor Alwyn Benjamin Holman for his extraordinary contributions to our city and for the legacy of opportunity leadership and service he leaves for future generations.

And Mr.

Alman, if you would like at all to use any of my remaining time to make any comments, or anyone from your family, you are more than welcome.

Good morning, Council President, uh Council.

My name's Ken Marlborough, and I'm here today as a member of Council District Four.

Um behalf of Chief Holman.

I know he's very proud of this moment.

He's a humble man.

He does not speak.

He does not like to talk about himself.

He doesn't even like to hear those things.

I so it's it's a good thing.

But you know, I I can't imagine being him.

He gets hired, and Chief Courser at that time says, I'm gonna use you.

You're gonna integrate this department.

I can imagine what he's thinking to himself, man.

I just wanted a job.

I didn't know I was gonna have to do that.

So I was thinking about this because sometimes I know I get pulled in when I don't want to, but uh if you can imagine a organizational chart, and you can see the eight to ten African American firefighters that are above him and in him, and then you look at today what that looks like, the people who stood on his shoulders, including myself.

It's amazing.

It's amazing what he's done.

And in fact, I think I'm gonna put that chart together so we can see that one of these days.

But on behalf of him, thank you very much for what he's doing, what you've done for him, and we thank you, sir, for what you've done for all of us.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Council Marvel.

We'll go next to Council Member Whitburn.

Thank you very much, Council President.

What a remarkable morning.

Uh, I am uh honored to join Councilmember Campbell and Campillo and Ilo Rivera in bringing forward the proclamation recognizing Hanukkah 2025.

Hanukkah is a celebration of light, resilience, and hope.

It reminds us that even in the darkest moments, a small flame can shine brightly enough to guide the way forward.

This season of reflection is also marked by heartbreak, as we all know as we stand with the victims of the anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Australia and condemn this hatred unequivocally.

Antisemitism has no place in our city, our country, or our world.

And we remain committed to standing with our Jewish community, protecting one another, and choosing courage, compassion, and humanity over fear.

And I want you to know that in conversations with members of the Jewish community and with Chair Murray Ramirez and the Human Relations Commission, I have heard your request that the city adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.

I too want to congratulate Chief Gabriel on your well-earned retirement from beginning your services as a firefighter 35 years ago to deploying for recovery efforts during Hurricane Katrina.

You truly have had a remarkable career.

Your dedication and leadership have had a lasting impact on our city.

And we very much thank you for your service.

I will echo you the chorus of happy 100th birthday wishes to Mr.

Albin Benjamin Holman.

Uh reaching such a milestone is really remarkable, and your legacy and your leadership of the city makes it even more so.

Uh and we are proudly celebrating you today.

And lastly, I am proud to bring forward a proclamation uh recognizing January 2026 as National Blood Donor Month in the City of San Diego.

For more than 50 years, the San Diego Blood Bank has made sure that hospitals have the blood they need for trauma care, surgeries, cancer treatment, and other emergencies, thanks to many, many generous donors in our city and around the region.

As some may know, following updated FDA guidance a couple of years ago, the San Diego Blood Bank now screens donors using an individual risk assessment rather than excluding people based solely on sexual orientation.

That means that more people, including many gay and bisexual men, may now be eligible to donate blood.

And I want to thank all of those donors, especially uh donors from District 3 and everybody who donates blood to help save another person's life.

I'd encourage all eligible residents to consider donating during National Blood Donor Month.

We're also very grateful to the dedicated staff at the San Diego Blood Bank for all they do to save lives.

It's a lot of work.

And I would like to invite Claudine Van Gonka, the director of the San Diego Blood Bank to join us uh up here in front and uh share a few words with us during the rest of our time.

Thank you very much for your service to our city and for being here with us this morning.

Thank you, Councilmember Whitburn, and thank you to everyone on City Council on behalf of everyone at San Diego Blood Bank and the hospital patients that rely on donated blood to survive and thrive.

Uh we appreciate the proclamation declaring January 2026 National Blood Donor Month.

Um National Blood Donor Month has been observed since January 1970 with the goal of increasing blood and platelet donations during winter, which is one of the most difficult times uh to collect enough blood to meet patient needs due to seasonal illnesses and travel and the holiday season itself.

Um right now there is a need for all blood types, and in some other world, I'll address that woman who called earlier.

Um but every two seconds in America, someone does need blood.

And one in seven patients entering the hospital requires a blood transfusion.

And these are people uh it you know, blood donation knows no barriers, there's no discrimination.

Um you have trauma victims, patients battling sickle cell, thalassemia, cancer patients, um, or those that need an organ or bone marrow transplant.

Blood is unique in our health care system because there is no substitute, it cannot be synthetically made.

So volunteer blood donations are the only way to provide blood to hospital patients in need.

So thank you again for this recognition and for helping to spread the word about the need for blood donations.

Thank you.

And it is truly remarkable uh uh how many ways that blood could be used to help save other people's lives.

So thank you again for all that you and uh the blood bank do to uh help people uh in San Diego to run the region.

And thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Whitburn.

Uh not seeing anybody else on the light.

Oops, Councilmember Yellow Rivera.

Sorry, Council President.

Uh uh thank you, my colleagues, um, for bringing these proclamations forward.

Thank you to everyone who's here today.

Um, um Mr.

Holman, what an incredible, incredible story uh you have, and thank you so much for uh everything you did, the path you paved for some incredible leaders here in the store in the city.

Um just an amazing story and happy birthday.

Um thank you for being here.

Um Chief Gabriel, thank thank you for your service to the city.

Um thank you for your patience with your colleague.

Um couldn't help myself.

Um I I know I truly appreciate everything you've done for the city um and and and the leadership you've shown.

Um I think that the reasons why uh Chief Logan thought you were so important to to have next to him speak volumes about not just your work as a professional, but who you are as a person.

Um and so uh just uh all the all the respect in the world uh to you for the work you've done and how you've done it.

Um and then um last but not least, um, thank you to my colleagues for joining and bringing forward our uh Hanukkah proclamation today, and um thank you to the members of the community who who are uh here um to support that proclamation.

Uh it goes without saying that Hanukkah arrives this year under a heavy shadow.

Uh we just saw Jewish people who were targeted in a horrific act of violence, lives lost, families shattered, and once again, fear creeping into spaces that should only be filled with warmth, safety, and celebration.

And as a Jew, this hits deeply.

It's painful and it's scary to watch our people and our community be targeted with increasing violence around the world.

So uh while we pause to grieve and honor victims and hold our loved ones close.

Um I also don't want the joy that Hanukkah is supposed to bring to be robbed from us through an act of hate and violence.

The the Holly is often described as as one of light and joy.

But that doesn't mean Hanukkah doesn't pretend that darkness doesn't exist, as we've heard um from Councilman Campbell and um some of the folks here in in in chambers, the the story begins in a time of repression, violence, and fear.

As we've heard from Councilmember Campbell and some of the folks here in chambers, the the story begins in a time of repression, violence, and fear.

And yet it teaches us something profound about how to respond to that.

Jewish tradition teaches that in dark times we do not pull back.

We literally add light.

We don't begin with everything at once.

We begin with a small flame and add more.

In that moment, he brought me light.

And not because everything's okay, but because he reminded me of what we all have a responsibility to protect and why this matters so much.

No parent anywhere except to fear that.

And no child should grow up believing they are a target.

And without going too far into it, I grew up in a community in Huntington Beach, which is known for white supremacy where that was a fear in the back of my head.

And we're reverting back to that world.

But that's why the lessons of the holiday matter so much right now.

Hanukkah teaches that joy is not denial, it's not ignorance, it's an act of courage, especially in times like this.

And it's a refusal to allow hate to steal traditions, celebrations, or hope.

So when we light the menorah tomorrow here in at City Hall, when we're lighting in our communities, that's a it's not just a symbol, it's a responsibility and a reminder that each of us has a role to play in rejecting anti-Semitism, confronting all hate in all forms, and standing up for everyone's humanity.

So thank you, Council President.

Um thank you for the recognition.

It it it does it means a lot to me as a person who grew up in the community that I did that we we take the time to have a proclamation recognizing Hanukkah that there is a menorah at the first in the first floor of this building.

Um I appreciate everyone for your allyship and support.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you, Councilmember Yular Rivera.

Okay, now not seeing anyone else in the lights.

Uh, for the record, sometimes uh when we do our paper.

Oh, Councilmember Foster.

Thank you.

Sorry about that, Council President.

Um just want to congratulate everyone in regards to the proclamations.

Um Chief, just congratulations on a tremendous career.

Um happy Hanukkah to everyone.

Um, even with the um tragedy, tragedies that we continue to see.

Um just kind of lets us know we still have um a tremendous amount of work um to do.

Um so um thank you.

Um Mr.

Holman, um happy birthday.

Um hundred years.

Um, you talk about a milestone.

That is one heck of a milestone.

Um just really want to thank you for everything that you have contributed to the city of San Diego and um quite frankly, our people.

Um I see we have um some folks here that I would like to also acknowledge, uh Mr.

Ken Marlborough, um, and we also have Mr.

Russell with us, um, along with our fire current fire chief um and also our captain, um Jason that we all know um very well.

Um but I think these gentlemen being here today, I think only um speaks volumes in regards to your efforts, your sacrifice that you have made.

Um as we look at your path and your journey, you know, we're in the year 2025.

Your journey was not too long ago.

Um I don't think there's too many people that can stand up in this room and say I worked in a fire station where only black folks could work.

I think we all need to pause and make sure we understand that.

Um, the significance of the occasion in this milestone.

Um I will tell you this.

Um I will tell you this, one of the first things that I took on when I was elected to office was the subject of our new fire chief.

And um, I'd like to say that the city of San Diego was truly blessed to have the fire chief that we have with the times that we are in.

Um but I will say those were not easy conversations.

Those were very difficult conversations.

And I think again, we all need to understand that.

Because we have a tremendous amount of work to do.

The one thing that I will say, Mr.

Holman, I see you, I appreciate you.

And um just with all the comments that came from the public today, and I think there was one um comment that kind of caught my ear.

And there was this there was a quick little phrase in reference to Hanukkah.

Refusing to disappear is what I noted down on my tablet.

And Mr.

Holman, I just want you to know.

That I refuse to disappear.

And no matter what criticism I may receive at any point in time, I will continue to bring the same passion, the same knowledge, and the same love to see my people given the opportunity that they deserve.

And so I just again want to say thank you.

Enjoy this milestone.

We love you.

We're here for you, and we appreciate all of your efforts in what you have done for the city of San Diego and opening the doors for African Americans, not only what I would say in the fire department, but I have to believe your efforts played a role in me having the ability to sit in this seat.

So I truly do thank you.

Um and uh again, uh congratulations to all the recipients on today, as they are all very worthy.

Um and that concludes my comments, sir.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Okay, there's no one else on the lights.

Um I want to apologize to Councilmember Foster in the rush of doing the paperwork.

We inadvertently omitted uh his name from the proclamation for Mr.

Holman.

Uh so for the record, uh, Mr.

Councilmember Foster is also one of the presenters of that proclamation.

So we did catch that, sir.

We'll get that printed up correctly.

Uh, with that, I've made the motion to approve the proclamations.

Uh, Councilmember Campbell seconded.

Uh clerk, please call the roll.

I started the voting system for clarification.

Councilmember Foster for the record is being added to the Holman proclamation, and that is part of the motion as well.

Yes, it is.

Thank you very much.

That passes unanimously eight to zero with Councilmember Moreno absent.

All right, thank you for that.

So now we will take group photos.

Uh Heidi will come down uh and uh we will start uh with Mr.

Holman, and we're gonna figure out a way at the lecture.

So

Chairman Nicole Murray Ramirez, if you can please come to the well.

Get back to the business of City Council.

We will now proceed with the approval of the consent items.

Are there any requests to pull an item by the council members?

Not hearing any.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

Please note each speaker will have one minute per person per item.

If you would like to speak on three or more items, you'll have a maximum of three minutes.

The consent agenda includes items six oh three to six oh eight, six thirteen, and six fifteen to six twenty-one.

Also let me know for the record the potential appointments and reappointments that are on the agenda this morning.

Item six oh six is a potential appointment of Casey Cheel to the Senior Affairs Advisory Board.

Item six oh seven is a potential appointment of David Bach to the municipal golf committee.

And item six oh eight is a potential appointment of Sabrina Bazo, Edwin Lore, and Abdi Fata Mali to the and the reappointment of Ricky Brown to the Human Relations Commission.

Starting with the original, if you can please unmute and let me know which item or items you wish to speak to.

Yes, I would like to do 613.

And 618, I believe.

Thank you.

You'll have three minutes, please proceed.

So with the Michi Park contribution agreement, it'll be interesting to see what this million dollars really does and how long the park is actually going to be out of commission during that time.

And I would like to request, and I know you guys aren't going to do it, but you should be putting with the consent agenda how much money you're spending, where it's coming from, so we could have like a tally, like if we saw our bank account, what that money is going to and where it's coming from and how much is left.

Um that would be beneficial to the people.

And then as far as this um uh you know, surplus land.

Um, you know, you guys have uh been engaging in some very nefarious things with the surplus land when the state deemed um 4902 Pacific Highway surplus land.

You guys could have used it for affordable housing and you chose not to, and then it was deemed in the best interest of the state to use it to harbor um aiding and abetting illegal aliens who at that point are criminals who have crossed the border illegally through Jewish family services, who was trafficking unaccompanied alien children, and we know that um our government has lost uh over 300,000 children that are still unaccounted for.

So um, you know, it's it's it doesn't seem good when that land could have actually been used for homeless.

Um, and it it wasn't, and homeless would go by there and try and figure out what was going on.

Um, and so it into the human relations commission.

I'm wondering what they do because there are human rights that are being violated on astronomical levels, um, you know, especially with the homeless.

I mean, Trump just declared fentanyl, a weapon of mass destruction and dreams for change at Tent City is harboring terrorists by allowing drug deals to be going on at Tent City and people are dying.

Uh, 24 people have died at Tent City that you guys still need to um figure out how you're gonna mitigate and make sure that this winter season more do not die.

Um, and when there is fentanyl being distributed in there, not only by employees, but it's I mean, there's drug deals going on, and when people who have never done fentanyl have been laced with it and then die in their tent um because dreams for change and Teresa Smith are unwilling to do anything, and Stephen Whitburn seems to think things like that are funny.

It makes you wonder how much money is coming into you guys for that fentanyl distribution, um, which is again a weapon of mass destruction now.

So the city needs to mitigate that because it's all over the city.

And then the um uh domestic violence shelter.

It's interesting that the funding is being cut.

It's actually good because that is they're not doing what they should be, although it's interesting that you would cut it knowing that it's supposed to help women and children.

But the district attorney's office and your safe place and all of those things actually do not help women who have been in domestic violence situations.

They take their children from them and put these women in jail instead of actually helping them as a domestic violence uh survivor.

Your time has ended, Francine Maxwell.

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

605, 608.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Thank you, Francine Maxwell, District 4.

I want to say to everybody, happy early Kwanzaa, since you'll be on legislative break.

Enjoy your Kwanzaa celebration.

605 has to do with Gregory.

Um, I'm hoping that you're reading the settlements since um SDPD was named and the reason why and what she wrote on the ticket.

Um, because an African American and a Caucasian, only one of them, both of them were jaywalking, but only one got the ticket.

And I'll leave it to your imagination to think about who got the ticket.

Again, we are in a BIPOC city, but we are not being treated equally and fair.

Um, excited about the Human Relations Commission reappointments.

Um, appreciate people taking time out of their busy schedules, their lives, and time away from their families.

But I would be remiss if I didn't ask the city council, why aren't you um requesting that these are videotaped so that we could have a record of how the other commissioners are being treated by the chair, how some of the staff of the city of San Diego is being treated by the chair of the HRC.

So these things continue to get swept under the carpet if we don't have a video.

So I'm hoping that we get some bold leadership on the council diocese where somebody's gonna say that it's very important for us to start taping and having video minutes.

Minutes do not do justice to what is occurring at the HRC.

We need the videos.

And again, please pay attention to the settlement.

Read the fine line.

250 may not be much, especially since we just paid 50 million last week on some things for San Diego Police Department.

But it's very important that you ask are the policies and procedure changing with each settlement.

Where's the proof?

Thanks again and again.

Enjoy your Kwanzaa celebrations.

The five-minute timer did conclude here in Council Chambers.

We have three speakers in the queue.

No additional speakers will be taken after that.

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

Blair Beekman, uh, just to item um uh I can't remember.

It's it's it's item 13 uh about the midi park issues.

Is it is that 2.13 or 3.13?

With your description, I understand which one it is.

Please proceed.

You'll have a minute.

Thank you.

Um3.

Okay, thank you.

Uh hi, Blair Beekman.

Um, good proclamation items today.

Uh thanks a lot for the words of uh DRA and Francine Maxwell.

It's nice to hear DRA is back, and uh I'm glad she's doing well.

I mean, it's I was worried for her actually.

Good to hear she's in good form as usual.

So uh thank you for her words, and thank you for the words of Francine Maxwell, who uh spoke yesterday on BIPOC issues.

Uh it really gave me courage.

Uh thank you.

Um to address uh six uh thirteen.

Um yeah, meety park issues.

Uh I'm I'm really uh I I think uh park people really worked a lot to make sure that we have good data uh tech practices going uh and how to address the Trump administration.

They really worked a lot on that.

Thank you immensely for doing that.

And I I just hope with our park systems, we take that care into the future, and we work together as a community towards good those good goals.

Thank you.

Thank you, Lori Saltania.

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

Uh yes, thank you.

I'd like to speak to items 604, 605, and 608.

You'll have three minutes, please proceed.

Uh, item 604, declaring multiple parcels of city-owned real property as surplus land.

There are no environmental reviews, no climate action plan impacts added to this, and yet uh clearly if you have plans for future development or other changes to the use of this property, those impacts will ultimately take place.

So you're starting the process now to make some type of change that could be a beneficial impact in terms of climate action.

It you could end up with something that is a better outcome for the use of that property.

So why not do the analysis as part of the declaration?

It seems like it would be more cost efficient when you already have people doing these determinations to consider those future impacts, uh, or at least the possibilities of them, rather than wait and start an entirely new process if and when some development is proposed on the surplus land parcels.

So it's more about cost savings uh as well as the ultimate impacts.

On item 605, I agree with Francine Maxwell.

Uh this fund is uh running out of money because the the cost of paying settlements to people in San Diego who have been mistreated, up to and including being shot and killed by police officers, is going through hundreds of millions of dollars, uh, well beyond what the city had allocated and budgeted for.

Some of these payments are structured over time, so you may have money remaining, but ultimately, I think it's time for a special hearing on why the city is being forged to pay this amount of money.

Many of the individuals and families who've received these payments because they've lost children or they've lost their jobs.

Um these are often families from our Latino and black communities.

So it's time for an analysis, whether it's the city auditor, the independent budget analyst, someone needs to take a look at why these hundreds of millions of dollars are being paid out and what can be done to avoid the circumstances that lead to those payments.

And finally, uh again agree with Francine Maxwell excuse me, Francine Maxwell's comments regarding item 608 on the Human Relations Commission.

These meetings are taking place inside City Hall.

The recording documentation, all that equipment is available, and yet it is not being done.

The meetings are not well managed because the proceedings are not well documented.

So if anyone wanted to go back and question an action of one of these boards and commissions, they would find out that uh many of the agendas are not posted online, the minutes are not being properly recorded, uh, they're selectively recorded, where some elements of a meeting are included and others are not.

Uh they're selectively recorded, where some elements of a meeting are included and others are not.

So the city is putting itself at risk of liability by not having documentation and then taking actions based on what they claim was done and approved by one of these ports or commissions.

So I encourage better meeting management and documentation.

Your time has concluded.

Our final speaker is Zoom user.

If you can please unmute Oh, Henry here, thanks for taking my call.

I want to talk on 604 and 605 and 608.

You'll have three minutes.

I think those things are just cash grabs.

The city's looking for money, and now they're gamming buildings or calling it this or that.

And in the final analysis, somebody gets the property for cheaper, and they're making all the money.

And the city, I know you guys are looking for money in all sorts of places.

The mayor is the king is looking for money in all different places.

Every property is up for grabs.

So I would say instead of selling them, just lease them out.

So we just don't lose them all together because any property here is worth a fortune.

Even now in Southeast San Diego, they're learning it's a gold mine there.

Big lots, people are scooping them up.

And so just we're everyone knows you're doing that too.

It's not like you can you're calling it one thing, but it ends up, you know.

Look, follow the money as usual.

Now on the 604 on 605.

I think it's just getting worse and worse, man.

Those the Jewish guys getting killed.

And it's just it's terrible, man.

And thank God for that old uh black guy who's the fire chief a long time ago.

Though, or the fireman first black guy.

That was like a gift from God.

You know, we got a great fire department now.

It's like honed, man.

We're like ready to go.

My neighborhood cut one of those one fires in Mission Valley that caught fire, and the and the fire department was on it, man.

The cops were there.

Everyone had to evacuate.

It was just wild, man.

They did a great job.

And but we got to stop playing calling the race car, too.

But one guy just said white supremacy, white supremacy.

Everybody loved Trump until he got elected, and then he was a white supremac.

You know, come on, man.

That's just that's aggravating the racial thing.

So okay.

Then 608, that com the committee thing.

Which is it's a good thing.

It'd be good to televise it so everybody would talk about it.

But um there's been a lot of injustice.

But growing up in San Diego, I never heard Tony Gwen play the race card.

Does anyone ever remember Tony Gwen playing the race card?

He was a black kid from LA.

He had a dream.

You know, look at Tiger Woods.

He couldn't play a white golf courses.

He did he he played a little, he didn't not that much of a race card.

But look what he accomplished because a racism, maybe.

Maybe racism was good for Tiger.

He said, screw you, I'm gonna beat all these white boys.

And look what we got.

We got one of the best golfers of all time, a great leader in our in our country.

So, and he's not even owned enough to be full black, he's like half black.

He I mean he's his mom was by the time has concluded.

And I'm sorry, those that raise their hand after the five-minute timer.

The five-minute timer has already concluded.

You can submit comments to City Clerk at Sandiego.gov.

That concludes public comment for the consent agenda.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh, we'll turn it over to my council colleagues for any comments and entertain a motion, and we'll start with council member Whitburn.

Thank you very much, Council President.

I will move approval of the consent agenda on item 608.

I want to thank Ricky Brown for her continued service.

Uh, the human relations commission.

You do so much for the community, and uh I very much appreciate you continuing to contribute your talents to our city.

Uh I also want to thank Sabrina Basso and Edwin Lore and Abdi Paramoyim for their service, and I congratulate them on their appointments as well.

On item 620, I'm glad we're moving forward with the police commander and deputy director positions.

We approved this unanimously at our public safety committee meeting.

And I want to thank Chris Gobez from the Little Lee uh Italy Association for being here today.

Uh item 613, the Amici Park Contribution Agreement has been more than four years of the making.

Uh, I also want to thank Brian Schoenfish uh from the city's urban division, who's also here for his work to execute that agreement.

Abici Park is a beloved space in the heart of Little Italy.

These improvements are going to enhance the park with updated landscaping and lighting and other abenities that'll make the space even more welcoming for residents, families, and visitors to Little Italy in our area.

So uh again, I move approval of the consent agenda and thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Whitburn to move the consent items, and we'll go next to Council President Pro Tam Lee.

Thank you, Council President.

I'll go ahead and second the consent agenda and speak to item 608.

I want to congratulate uh Sabrina Bazo on her appointment to the district sixth seat on the Human Relations Commission.

Uh many of us know Ms.

Bazo is a trustee uh who's currently serving as the board vice president for the San Diego Unified School District.

Um Trustee Bazo has served as a public health educator for over 30 years, uh, received her master's of arts uh in public health from San Diego State and currently serves as the executive director for the San Diego Academy of Family Physicians.

Um Sabrina has a long history of serving our community, and it started right at home in Mare Mesa, where she played countless roles supporting her local schools, um, served on the Mare Mesa Town Council.

Uh she and her late husband even volunteered in support of Mira Mesa High School Athletics.

Um I want to thank Sabrina for her willingness to support our city's efforts to protect basic human and civil rights while also fostering spaces of mutual respect and understanding within our communities.

Uh that concludes my comments.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you, Council President Pro Tem.

So we do have a motion by Councilmember Whitburn, a second by Council President Pro Tem Lee to move the consent items.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh I would like to speak on item 608.

I am so honored that Ricky Brown, a good friend, is willing to be reappointed to the Human Relations Commission.

Ricky is currently property manager for the Hollywood Palms Apartments in City Heights.

She also serves on the executive board for both Democrats for Equality Club and the Martin Luther King Junior Democratic Club.

And also she is a part of the Harvey Milk Breakfast Organizing Committee.

Also, I'd like to honor Sabrina Bazo, another good friend, being appointed to the Human Relations Commission.

Sabrina is elected member of the San Diego United School Board, the second largest school district in our state.

And she served as board president in 2023.

She's a dedicated uh public health educator as Councilmember Lee talked about.

But she also is currently executive director of the San Diego Academy of Family Physicians.

And as a member of that academy, I so appreciate her.

Sabrina earned a master of public health degree from San Diego State University.

Given their dedication and service to San Diego, I support the appointment and reappointment of Sabrina Bazo and Ricky Brown to the Human Relations Commission.

I so appreciate their willingness to serve.

Thank you.

Thanks, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Ila Rivera.

All right, thank you, Council President.

I I just wanted to say thank you to all the folks who are stepping up to serve in the variety of capacities that uh we have folks being appointed to on commission boards and commissions.

Uh thank you, Edwin, for your service to District 9, um, and everyone else who is serving.

Uh thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Elo Rivera.

We'll go next to Councilmember Foster.

Uh yes, thank you, um, Council President.

And um, just quickly, um, I would like to comment on uh item 608, the reappointment to the Human Relations Commission.

Just like to thank Um Ricky Brown for continuing to um serve.

Um, just thank you for all of your um work and dedication.

Um also would like to comment um we heard yesterday um I did attend a recent um gun violence prevention um event in which um you were there and um is personally um a victim of uh gun violence in your family.

So um just really want to thank you for all the work um that you're doing and also congratulations and thank you, um Sabrina, for continuing um your efforts.

Um also would like to comment just very quickly.

It looks like item 605, we have yet another settlement here regarding San Diego uh police department involvement.

Um I just can't say enough that we have some work to do and and uh looking to see what we can do to bring uh much needed change to our police force.

Um also um in regard to item I believe it is six twenty.

I would like to register um a no vote.

Um and uh just the reason being I saw this item at committee.

Um I do appreciate the IBA's um comments as we uh as I find ourselves in the same cycle um that we are trying to prevent um as we were dealing with the budget challenges.

Um just Coda, if you can help me to understand why are we finding ourselves in this situation where we are adding unbudgeted positions um to the budget as we have uh just went through a budget cycle, and this could not wait until FY27 and two as as we are clearly going to be entering that budget cycle.

Yeah, thank thank you, Councilmember.

Uh it is due to upcoming retirements and the necessity of these positions.

Um it is a budget neutral action, um, hence why it's being brought forward outside of the normal process.

We do have uh uh Commander Takeuchi here as well as Kyle Me from SDPD to um help me uh uh further clarify.

Um and I could appreciate the need, but the retirement issues that we are running into are not new issues, correct?

I think these are issues that we have been um well informed on, and what I think had the opportunity to uh make sure that we um handled this accordingly and in line with all the efforts that we have been trying to do in regards to our budget principles and our agreement with the mayor's office on how we conduct ourselves.

Um I'm just puzzled as we find ourselves in challenges.

If you would like to uh if you have any other further clarification that you can provide as to why we did not pick this up in the uh FY26 budget cycle process.

Yes, good morning, Council President.

Good morning, council members.

Uh, my name is Sean Takiuchi, assistant chief of the San Diego Police Department.

Um council member, you're absolutely correct.

Um, the the retirements were not a surprise.

We knew that they were coming.

What changed or the calculus that would that came into our mind was that Chief Wall took the helm last year, and so he wanted one year of an assessment of how the department's operations were going.

After that assessment, and with these upcoming um retirements, um, he sees this need to pivot and shift.

And that's the request that we're making, and that's why it's outside of the the budget constraints.

Um we are a police department that likes to pride ourselves on adaptability, and and when we need to change something that that we stay on it instead of waiting for a process to work.

I could understand that, but um, I hope that you can acknowledge the budget constraints that we are currently under, and it becomes difficult as we take things in pieces as we are dealing with the six billion dollar budget versus having a well thought out, well planned, comprehensive conversation, and that we all know um what what the intentions are and and what we are approving.

So um I'll leave that there, Coda.

I think this is just one thing that we need to continue to work on.

One last question with the IBA.

We're being told that this is cost neutral.

I think we I've seen some preliminary information where I'm not sure that's the case, but if you can clarify just so um everyone understands, is it cost neutral or is it not?

Yeah, so what's being presented to you is new supplemental and classified positions.

The police department has made a commitment to uh essentially reduce other positions, uh converting, I believe some captains and lieutenants into PO2 positions.

That is traditionally done during the city's annual restructuring process, so we will have to keep an eye on that to make sure that when the FY27 budget comes before you that those positions are actually reclassified down in order to obtain the actual budgetary savings that the department is projecting.

So with those budgetary savings, are they cost neutral or are they not cost neutral?

Will it be a net zero add to the budget or are we going to potentially see an increase?

At least today, right?

So I've got a CUPATEL online from my department.

Uh he may be able to provide some additional information.

If he does not have that, we will get that back to you, ASAP, Councilmember.

Thank you, Charles.

Um Patel from the IBA's office.

Uh as uh the numbers that that we have for these positions, including the restructures, the net increase of about $34,000.

Okay, so as it currently stands right now, it's a little about a $30,000 variance uh uptick, I guess I would say, right?

Correct.

That's correct.

Okay, thank you.

Um righty.

Um so with that, um Madam Clerk, I will be registering a no vote on item um, I believe it's 620, if I have it correctly.

Yeah.

Um and then um, of course, Charles, you you and your team, please keep us updated as we um head into this um budget cycle.

Um thank you so much, and that uh concludes my comments.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Foster.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campio.

Thank you, Council President.

I'll be brief.

I want to thank Casey Cheel and David Bach for stepping up to serve District 7 in the advisory roles with the senior affairs board as well as the municipal golf committee, uh, both of their years of experience will make them well suited to advise on technical matters.

Uh, both of their years of experience will make them well suited to advise on technical matters.

I look forward to working with them and thank them for their volunteering to be on those boards and commissions, and of course, to our four appointees to the Human Relations Commission, Sabrina Bazo, Edwin Lore, Abdi Fatah, Maulim, and of course, Ricky Brown.

Thank you very much for the good work you do to make sure all voices throughout San Diego and the city are heard.

And I'll just point out uh to uh Mr.

Malim and Miss Brown, your appointments are good until 2029.

How different the world can be in the next four years, but with your participation, much better.

So thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Campillo.

Um, and Councilmember Val Molberg.

Um I just want to thank my colleagues for the fantastic appointments to our boards and commissions, um, and thank you to Chaida for all your work on managing all of our many boards and commissions.

Um, and you know, we hear every day from many members of the public, and sometimes we hear things that are unkind.

And it is people's first amendment rights in this country, which are very important to be able to express themselves.

But I hope you know that your mission is equally important to combat hate that you may hear and to bring love.

And so know that we value you, we appreciate you.

Thank you for being here.

Um, thank you for being at the vigil as well and being brave enough to go up on the microphone and speak about the victims you've had in your life as well.

So uh we love you, we see you, uh, we appreciate you, and thank you, um, Commander Takiuji for your work as well, and thank you to the police department for being adaptable and flexible.

I am actually quite upset about the amount of uh good officers retiring.

Um, but you know, we do need to let people go into retirement.

It's just gonna be a lot to make sure the department has what it needs to backfill.

So I appreciate the work you're doing around this, and um, I'll support the consent agenda.

All right, and we'll go next to Councilmember Burano.

Thank you.

Um I'm gonna record a no vote on item 604 and 620 and support the balance of the consent agenda.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Yeah, I think actually everybody did speak.

So um I'll add two quick comments before we call the roll uh on item 613 of Michi Park.

Um I grumbled a little bit when this was first introduced way back when, but uh uh very happy to see a good cooperative and solid proposal put it in front of us.

So thank you to everybody that worked on that.

Also a great example of what private public partnerships can do to move infrastructure projects forward.

So thank you to everybody involved.

Uh for those that uh are uncomfortable with 604, especially constituents in my community.

This is a very early step in a long tedious process that we call the surplus lands.

Um, and uh to some of the comments that were made by the public.

Um, we don't know what's going to happen next with any of these properties.

Uh so it would be um premature to actually take any action.

And also the surplus lands act uh applies whether we sell or lease a piece of property.

So no one should presume anything, but uh this is one step, as I said, in a very bureaucratic process, uh it has yet to be determined what ultimately will happen with all of these properties, including the one in my district.

So with that, we have a motion by Councilmember Whippard and the second council by Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Clerk, please call the roll.

I'm sorry, the voting system, please cast your vote.

That passes unanimously nine to zero with council district eight voting no on six oh four and six twenty and council district four voting no on six twenty.

Thank you, council president.

Okay, not seeing any.

I think you got it right.

Thank you, City Clerk, for tracking.

Um, do we have any comments by the mayor's office, city council members, city attorney, IBA, or the city clerk.

Not seeing any.

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 public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, 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 to the front of the room in the clear box.

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

Sandy, if you can please come forward.

Sandy Docker.

Snake.

Snakenberg.

Your you your ends always look like use to me.

I will make it better.

Please proceed.

Okay, when is the time start?

Hi, everybody.

Um, this is number four on my series of five regarding busker's First Amendment rights and the enforcement of allocated express activity areas.

Some of the names affected by these uh tickets and citations Heather, Sarah, Robert, Tragero, Rogero, uh Kwayi, Anoitted, Brianna, Greg, Danielle, Fabiana, Chet, Brian, Pamela, William, Christina, and Mike.

Each of these people have received tickets and have been affected by it.

Those artists who had left San Diego because of this situation, Mel, Goldman, Jack, Jesse, Silverman, Keith, Jasmine, and Abe.

These are acrobats, sculptors, balloon artists, musicians, painters, magicians, singers, and bubble art, bubbleologists.

It creates an unwelcome environment for traveling artists who I know personally.

This also hurts truism.

Those who come to see local artists and locals who enjoy what but can't find us as many uh busking artists because of these rules.

This not only hurts buskers and artists, but the community.

And it doesn't make the city look as if it uh ran by individuals who do not appreciate art and contributions to the community that we make, but rather see us as an inconvenience and a nuisance.

When in fact we possibly contribute to the environment, provide entertainment and an escape.

None of us are getting rich by what we do as our livelihood is already.

Um if you if not already, I'd like to invite you all to come and see some of our performances and what we do.

I myself post on my bubble pirate Facebook or Instagram page when and where I do public shows.

Making it difficult for those who already have difficulty does not make it easier for anyone else.

I conclude this uh this uh performance, and uh hope you all have a happy holidays.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sorry, the five-minute timer going to those participating remotely.

We have six speakers in the queue, starting with Tasha Williamson.

If you can please unmute Tasha.

I can unmute for you.

I will have to move on if you are unable to.

There you go.

Can you hear me?

Yes, please proceed.

Thank you.

I just want to say thank you to City Council member uh Henry Foster for his statement.

Um, but I also want to let you know.

Um I'm here at the hospital with my daughter.

She's uh undergone some surgery uh for estabbing, and I really appreciate the officers who helped her at the time.

However, um I wholeheartedly agree with the statement that Henry Foster made, and I also want to inform you all and keep you updated um the issues uh that we are still having with the law enforcement officers.

Officer Xavier Herrera has allegations of beating his wife's boyfriend with felony assault charges.

Officer Ronaldo Reyes has uh allegedly been sleeping with uh women on duty.

Uh Lieutenant Eric Portnoy has a domestic violence uh dispute.

Sergeant Bacowski retired early, allegedly, um, after taking pictures of female officers' butts, and Sergeant John Safler did as well.

Sergeant, I'm sorry.

Um Sergeant Alan Dimartin cost this city 875,000, um, of which he has not had any accountability.

Sergeant Angela Bull, who lied on court records, and to a judge that she served me via email after putting a bogus restraining order against me.

Um I believe was the sergeant standing and did not intervene with Officer Phipps and MacLamore, who killed uh the young man and are part of the bike team.

These things continue to happen, and until you guys hold them accountable, until this mayor holds them accountable and what's the same.

My apologies, Karen.

If you can please unmute.

I can't unmute for you.

There you go.

Can you hear me now?

Yes, I can.

Okay.

Um, I had technical difficulties um and I couldn't speak uh before with the uh comments from the public.

And I just want to read something real quick, and this has to do with the uh surplus lot in La Jolla.

And this is from John Pierce, the president of La Jolla Shores Association.

I'm off sorry, but you can't speak to items that were on the agenda even after the effect.

If you want to come back tomorrow, and not tomorrow, but the next council meeting and read it into the record, that would be fine, or you can just submit it to the city clerk directly.

Thank you, next is the original.

If you can please unmute.

As you guys are going to be spending your holidays with your loved ones, I would like you guys to think about all of the children that are in the county who have been ripped apart from their families.

There's thousands of them that want to go home and spend time with their loved ones, and they're not able to, and it's all for profit.

And I want you guys to really just spend time with your loved ones and and you know, in despite the fact that these kids can't understand how lucky you guys are, how you know that you should be acknowledging when you're talking about children and how much you care about how they're treated and and how they're gonna grow up.

Think about how detrimental it is if your child was taken from you, especially during the holiday season and wanted to go home and they weren't able to, because it is a business to take children from their families under ASPA, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, it is a conveyor belt to get children through the system that is very lucrative through Title IV funding.

And it's sad because these children suffer more detriment in the system than they do when they're with their loving families.

And instead of you know, encouraging families to be together, you guys are have all of these different programs and in even throughout the county.

I mean, the district attorney and the city attorney are also complicit in this.

This is a child trafficking organization through juvenile court and family court.

And like I was saying with the domestic violence, women are being thrown in jail for just having their kids, saying that they have stolen their children, that they have abducted them.

So imagine what it would be like if someone came and through the uh child abduction unit with the district attorney's office, which goes and abducts children, if that was you, and you weren't able to spend your time with your loved ones, and all it was doing was making your child suffer.

Next is Lori Saldania, if you can please unmute the five-minute timer.

Also concluded there were eight speakers in the queue.

No additional speakers will be taken after that.

Please proceed.

Uh yes, I'd like to ask if you keep or one of the council members who keep saying that San Diego is one of the safest big cities in the United States.

Have you ever tried to file a report if you are the victim of a violent crime?

Or anyone in your family or someone you know, because it is nearly impossible.

And I speak from experience, where on November 1st, a friend and I were injured by a drunken Dodger fan at the end of the world series game, and we were watching the game at a hotel on Ash Street, and we're both now dealing with whiplash injuries.

I tried to report this as an assault with great bodily injury and waited seven hours at my home for an officer to come and take my report because they wouldn't allow me to go submit it in person.

My friend went to the police headquarters and was turned away and waited hours at home, and no officer came at the time that she was able to meet with them.

She has a work, she works full-time.

We are now both dealing with physical therapy and other treatment related to our injuries, and yet I am the only one who has been able to file a report of this as an assault.

So if you really believe, much like sexual assault evidence kits not being tested, if you really believe the police are noting at each and every crime reported in San Diego, I would ask you to do a survey of your constituents.

How many have been involved in in this case of violent crime with bodily injury and tried to file a police report and were either turned away or never had a police officer respond?

I've had other friends who've been assaulted and waited hours with friends for the police to get there with more serious injuries than I have.

So the next time you claim San Diego is one of the safest big cities in the United States.

Next is Francine Maxwell, if you can please unmute.

It is does not go on notice the educational um opportunities that you constantly afford the residents of the city of San Diego.

Staff literally responds on the weekends, and that is their personal time the day off, and just want you guys to know that it is really noticed.

The constituents, we see you, we appreciate you because you were the ones that are helping educate us on the lobby and how the lobby is open to everybody.

The constituents may or may not feel that way, but it's the clerk's office that took the time to show people and walk people through how you can ask to make a display, how you can do this.

So it is an incumbent of all of the council members to teach, like the city clerk's office is teaching.

There should be a BIPOC celebration in that lobby every couple of weeks.

But if the community hasn't been educated on what to submit, what to do, then we can't have people walking into the lobby seeing different things.

So again, very appreciative.

I hope everyone, of course, has a wonderful legislative break, and we come back in 2026, God willing, ready to teach, because we know that education is the great equalizer in holding a hearing.

It is very important that we learn where our tax dollars are going, not just during the budget season, but all year.

You can be educating the constituents on the different accounts.

Yes, we are looking at what our SDPD officers are having to pay out because of things, but we appreciate our first responders.

We want all of them to make it home safely, and again, we are looking to celebrate everybody in 2026.

Thank you for allowing me to speak.

Next is Blair Beekman, if you can please unmute.

Hi, thank you, uh Blair Beekman.

Uh thanks for the meeting, last council meeting of the this year, actually.

Um, I think uh from the previous public speaker, um the housing authority committee is tomorrow, uh, non-agenda public comment time.

I think um, as a housing authority is issues of both uh sale and land.

Well, the item that Mooman was talking about was land sale issues of both uh uh residential and commercial homes.

I think the housing agenda items tomorrow, uh non-agenda public comment can be an okay time for the woman to speak.

Boy, that took a lot to say.

Thank you.

Um also a thank you to the uh first public speaker today who spoke on uh Balboa Park uh issues, uh our artist artisan issues.

I was a part of that artisan community community back in uh the late 80s in San Diego, and it's an awesome community.

And he was right.

I mean, people come from all over to be a part of that community, and some kinds sometimes kind of treated like dirt and uh not very respectfully when they do an incredibly important service for Balboa Park.

I mean, the creative energy and ideas that I went through during that time was incredible.

Uh, and and for you guys to want to work to deny that is uh it's sad.

Good luck that you can continue a good tradition in Balboa Park of uh artists and community life there.

Um I also wanted to comment a thank you to uh Francine Maxwell's words about BIPOC issues yesterday.

She gave me a lot of courage.

Um to and Laura Saldani's words today, too, about how to continue to talk about our issues.

Um even in this new Trump administration.

We can continue to work on BIPOC issues.

We actually can continue to work on tech accountability, and what are best practices with tech accountability, even as you know, we're having great public safety success with tech uh at this time.

We still should be considering best practices of tech.

And I hope we want to make those efforts uh in the coming months.

Um, good luck how we can be doing all of this good work in 2026.

And uh time has concluded.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

Terry Ann Skelly, if you can please unmute.

I can't unmute for you.

There you go.

Good morning, San Diego City Council.

My name is Terry Ann Scelly, and I'm a planning group member, a parent, and a public health educator.

As a youth advocate who is volunteered for youth mentor and tutoring programs, I understand the fragility of teens' lives.

I appreciate that San Diego has bands in areas that where youth congregate, like like parks and beaches and hiking trails.

As doctor and UCSD researcher Laura Crawdy Alexander wrote in a UT article on a quote every time tobacco companies addict a new generation of kids on nicotine, they put Californians, including non-smokers, on the hook for billions of dollars in health care related costs.

End quote.

Many cities within the county have additional laws such as bans on smoking in multi unit housing and public sidewalks and places.

These types of policies would go a long way in protecting people from secondhand smoke, the young, the old, the vulnerable, and those who experience disparities in access to health care.

They improve public health by reducing tobacco-related diseases like heart disease and cancer.

And research suggests smoke-free policies help smokers quit by reducing opportunities to smoke and making it less socially acceptable.

The CDC indicates that smoke-free policies prevent countless youth and youth adults from ever even trying them.

I stand with American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, Action Network, and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids in urging California communities to adopt smoke-free policies in all public areas and multi-unit housing complexes.

Thank you for hearing me this morning.

Next is Madison, if you can please unmute.

Hi, hi, Council members.

I'm here as a public health advocate and a parent to urge you to make smoke-free multi-unit housing a priority.

People living in poverty are more than twice as likely to smoke.

And those with less education are more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke, often because they live in multi-unit housing where smoke travels through walls, vents, and shared spaces.

Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in our country in our country and nationwide, claiming nearly 490,000 lives every year.

While we've made progress, secondhand smoke continues to harm people who did not choose to be exposed, especially children, seniors, and renters with no ability to control their indoor air.

At the same time, we are seeing a troubling rise in vaping and cannabis use among young people.

Nicotine and cannabis are increasingly consumed indoors through vaping, making smoke-free housing protections even more urgent.

As a parent, I'm deeply concerned about what our children are breathing in their own homes.

Smoke-free multi-unit housing is a proven equitable policy.

It protects health, reduces fire risk, lowers health care costs, and helps close health disparities without penalizing anyone.

Parents, educators, and public health advocates like myself are ready to support strong smoke-free housing and clean air policies.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Nexus phone number ending in the 7499.

7499, please unmute Bob Kazuski here.

Today I'm calling from Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles after thanking the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for their flight waiver that we've had since 2017.

You may have been wondering why I showed you that video yesterday about the 619-858 area code split.

You might think it was just to show off.

And to be fair, I was proud of my effort to stop the area code splits back in 1999 and 2000.

But that's not why I showed the video.

So in August of 1999, I filed my petition with the CPUC to stop the split, and I offered an alternative solution.

My effort appeared in the Union Tribune and Channel 10 News.

Then someone suggested that I might enlist the city of San Diego's health.

So I contacted them.

I can't say that I uh that the city immediately leapt to my aid, but what mattered is that the city did act.

I was in relatively close communication with Mayor Golding and City Attorney Casey Gwynn throughout several months effort.

The key point here is that the city should be open and welcoming to what I'll call citizen soldiers who step up to fix a problem where they have expertise the city doesn't have.

That's the way a people's government should work.

And to be honest, that's what I expected when I first came to this city council about the problems of Tory Pines glider port.

I was expecting to meet helpful people like Mayor Golding and Casey Gwynn.

I expected the problem to be resolved practically overnight.

After all, unlike the area code, the Tory Pines Glider port is completely under the city's control.

There was no CPU C or FCC to deal with.

So it seemed like it would be a slam dunk.

Unfortunately, it's been just the opposite.

It's been a stonewall of mayors and council members and city attorneys who are all very determined to ensure that one particular business.

Thank you, Zoom user.

If you can please unmute.

Well, thanks for taking my call again.

Recently, there's been another Black Lives Matter leader.

Got cut busted for fraud, taking all their money yourself.

So I just want to draw this.

I do believe Black Lives Matter, yes.

So if you're in favor of protecting black lives, where do you believe the most dangerous place in our country is right now for black children?

Probably at the hands of law enforcement.

I think that would be like the worst place for a lot of black children to be.

So according to the CDC, 17 million black babies have been aborted since Roe v.

Wade.

That's 35% of the current black population in America.

So if you really care about Black Lives Matter, wouldn't you want to protect the millions of babies that are being slaughtered by their parents?

You didn't think this one through.

I'm assuming you're a supporter of Black Lives Matter.

I do believe Black Lives Matter.

So if you're in favor of protecting black lives, where do you believe the most dangerous place in our country is right now for black children?

Probably at the hands of law enforcement.

I think that would be like the worst place for a lot of black children to be.

So according to the CDC, 17 million black babies have been aborted since Roe v.

Wade.

That's 35% of the current black population in America.

Unfortunately, wouldn't you want to protect the millions of babies that are being slaughtered by their parents?

I'm assuming you're a supporter of Black Lives Matter.

I do believe Black Lives Matter.

So if you're in favor of protecting black lives, where do you believe the most dangerous place in our country is right now for black children?

Probably at the hands of law enforcement.

I think that would be like the worst place for a lot of black children to be.

So according to the CDC, 17 million black babies have been aborted since Roe v.

Wade.

That's 35% of the current black population in America.

So if you really care about Black Lives Matter, wouldn't you want to protect the millions of babies that are being slaughtered by their parents?

She didn't think this one through.

I'm assuming you're a supporter of Black Lives Matter.

I do believe Black Lives Matter.

So if you're in favor of protecting the time is concluded.

Judy Strang, if you can please unmute your final speaker.

Good afternoon, San Diego City Council.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak from my workplace.

I don't take it lightly that I can do this via Zoom.

It would be very difficult to share some of the information that comes my way from the public health world.

We received from the uh California Department of Public Health a press release that I consider really important for those of us who have children, who have grandchildren of children within our circle of influence and purview.

It's titled Foods, Dietary Supplements and Medical Drugs Containing Kratum and 7-OH, which is a potent opioid product produced from the creative plant, are dangerous and illegal to sell or manufacture.

We as parents and those of us who work with teenagers and young people were pleased to see the city attorneys work to close some of these stores that carry these products, some of them blatantly with creating written across their windows or signage out front.

But we know that these stores are still selling and still advertising, and that young people are still buying.

So I would remind us, according to this press release from the California Department of Public Health, and they have underlined it.

Although illegal to sell or manufacture, we are still finding Kratom and 7-08 for sale in gas stations, smoke shops, online, and other retailers.

And although they might be marketed as natural remedies, there they are dangerous and result in fave fatal overdoses.

In fact, the county of LA started to tabulate them in April of this year and have found six.

So thank you for your work, City Council.

Thank you, City Attorney.

Let's continue it.

Let's get these products out of these stores and away from our young people.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That concludes non agenda public comment for today's meeting.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

We would now adjourn for the noon recess and reconvene open session at 1 p.m.

That's 1 p.m.

or shortly thereafter.

Please call the roll.

Thank you, Council President.

Council Member Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn.

Here.

Council Member Foster.

Councilmember Von Wilpert.

Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Here.

Council Member Campillo.

Here.

Councilmember Moreno.

Councilmember Elo Rivera.

Councilmember Elo Rivera.

Thank you.

And Council President Lacava.

Present.

Also attending the meeting are Assistant City Attorney Leslie Fitzgerald, independent budget analyst Charles Modica, Council Affairs Advisor in the Mayor's Office, Coda Zeiser, and myself, your city clerk, the NFWENTES.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

And I'll just kind of repeat.

The goal is for you to be able to indicate from the audience of things you agree with and don't agree with.

If you agree with that, thumbs up, uh, snapping fingers works.

You don't like something, thumbs down.

Uh that gets a very effective communication to the council members up here without disrupting the flow of the meetings.

So let's give this a go.

Clerk, please introduce item 609.

Thank you, Council President.

Item 609 is the college area community plan update and associated zoning actions.

If you'd like to speak to this item, please be sure to submit your speaker slip to the front of the room, or please raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

I see the staff has settled in.

Please introduce yourselves for the record and let us know how much time you need.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh, my name is Nathan Cosman.

I'm a senior planner with city planning, and I will need uh just about 15 minutes today.

All right, when you're ready.

Uh good afternoon, council.

Uh staff is here today to seek approval of the college area community plan update from the city council.

I'll provide a brief presentation that includes an overview of why the community plan is being updated, the process to update the plan thus far, uh, key feedback that we've heard along the way, and the main changes that are being proposed by the draft plan for your consideration today.

Uh so we will start with why the community plan is being updated.

Uh the college area community plan was last updated in 1989.

Since then, the city's experienced a growing housing crisis and a changing climate, requiring additional planning for more housing near transit to support the city's housing and climate goals.

The general plans village climate goal propensity map, which you can see here on the right, identifies in shades of purple and blue where additional homes and jobs best support transit, walking, and biking within the college area.

State law requires all cities to affirmatively further fair housing, meaning that the city needs to take proactive steps to expand access to opportunity and overcome historic patterns of segregation.

The goal is to ensure that people of all incomes and backgrounds have access to quality housing near jobs, schools, and services, and that poverty and wealth are not concentrated in separate parts of the city.

The state prepares and updates opportunity area map that uh measures access to schools, employment, transit, and environmental health.

Uh, and consistent with state requirements, each community plan update and citywide initiative contributes to distributing housing opportunities more equitably across San Diego, ensuring that every community plays a role in meeting our citywide housing goals.

Uh recent planning efforts are collectively increasing housing capacity in many areas across the city.

Uh the college area's plan housing capacity is consistent with other recently adopted plans citywide, roughly doubling its previous capacity, similar to university, mission valley, uptown, and Mira Mesa, which were in high and highest resource areas.

Uh, consistent with the general plan that was recently updated.

Uh the college area introduces a range of residential densities to expand housing choices, uh, including diverse home types, sizes, and price points across all opportunity areas with strong access to services, jobs, and transit.

Within the college area, the plan creates a campus town center in a high resource area and establishes transit-oriented corridors that accommodate mixed use and mixed income housing.

In developing the plan, we balance a range of factors, including fair housing, access to transit and services, and environmental constraints to ensure that growth occurs in the most suitable and sustainable locations.

Uh indeed, furthering fair housing also includes providing access to transit, which is abundant in the college area, and there are plans for more.

Uh and furthering fair housing also means providing opportunities for more homes near major employment and activity centers, uh such as in R1 Research University.

These efforts, both at the community and citywide level, support affirmatively furthering fair housing by enabling new homes for people of all income levels near essential services, schools, and transit.

So that's the background on why the city updates community plans.

In the college area, before city planning kicked off this initiative, community planning board and the community council worked with SDSU students on a report that included seven visions for the future of the community that they wanted us to consider for the update.

These visions include more housing on the corridors and activity centers, improve local mobility, a campus town at SDSU, and a linear park along Montezuma Road that facilitates better connections to the university and greater sense of community identity.

We've worked throughout the plan update process to incorporate these visions in the plan.

In fact, one of the first meetings that we had with the community was to establish vision and guiding principles for the community plan.

And you can see that the seven visions are reflected here.

In short, the plan seeks to promote vibrant mixed-use corridors, more housing, near jobs, transit and SDSU, safe and convenient, active mobility and transit, preserve and expanded parks and open spaces, and new public spaces that support cultural exchange.

So that's why we're updating the plan, and we developed a good framework for the plan with the guiding principles and the seven visions.

Now I'll talk a bit about the process.

The plan update has been underway for almost five years.

The process launched in 2020.

There have been several different milestones along the way.

To summarize some of the key points, the College Area Community Plan Update Committee has held over 20 public meetings.

Staff has conducted two non-scientific community surveys, and there have been three planning commission workshops and comments have been collected on the various drafts of the plan, including two from the community planning group.

We've also received a lot of good feedback on the first and second draft plan.

Feedback is primarily focused on a few key themes.

We've received a lot of mixed feedback on the proposed residential densities, some that support and some that oppose.

New public facility needs, including parks and public spaces, fire and police facilities and library parking needs were common themes.

There were also a lot of comments on public safety and evacuation planning.

The College Area Community Planning Board provided feedback that's consistent with these themes that we've heard at public meetings and received in public comments.

So now that we've discussed the reason for the plan update, the process, and the milestones so far, the following slides address the different community plan elements.

We've come up with an urban design framework that informed every variation of the proposed land use plan, and that was based upon community feedback and the plan guiding principles.

And so here is that framework.

Since the seven visions report was developed, and throughout the plan update process, we've consistently heard that the community's corridors should allow a mix of uses and more capacity for homes.

The community plan identifies the highest densities at the major activity centers and community gateways to further highlight the importance of these areas and help create that sense of community identity in place, which was one of the seven visions.

And because there's strong demand for student housing near STSU, the community plan also includes higher density mixed-use village that's intended to be a campus town center, which was one of the seven visions of the community.

Parks and public spaces are two priorities for the future of this community, reflected heavily in both the seven visions and the guiding principles.

So the framework for land use ensures that new parks and public spaces that will serve all residents are provided with new development.

The land use map and the community plan is based upon that framework and all of the feedback that we've heard throughout the process, and you can see that framework reflected in the land use pattern here.

The greatest opportunity for new homes is near SDSU along College Avenue and Montezuma Road.

This is that campus town that was one of those seven visions.

The plan also provides opportunities for homes at the important intersections and gateways and near transit, including the trolley station on Avarado Road and the bus routes on the main corridors in the community.

And then the plan provides moderate and lower density transitions away from the corridors to further encourage a variety of home types suitable for families, students, and seniors.

The yellow areas on this map are single family and are proposed to remain the same as the 1989 plan.

The updated land use plan creates capacity for almost 18,000 more homes in the community than what the currently adopted plan allows, primarily located along transit corridors.

This is just a bit more than double what the 1980 plan allows.

1989 plan allows, 104% more, 106% more, excuse me.

Currently, the college area has just over 8,000 homes built today, and the plan would allow for an additional 26,000 to be built over the horizon, but it is important to note that the plan does not mandate new construction.

For example, the 1989 plan has significant unrealized capacity.

Development occurs as economic conditions and demand allows.

So based upon the land use plan, the community plan also reimagined the mobility networks that connect everything together.

As the college area grows, the corridors can repurpose to support more users.

To do this, the mobility framework for the college area promotes this concept of complete streets, which is to say that all modes of transportation should feel dignified and safe.

However, accommodating more users also means accommodating varying needs, so the corridor should be multifunctional in that respect.

In addition to providing mobility connections, the corridors themselves must evolve to improve the pedestrian experience by integrating shade, landscaping, and places to gather that promote social exchange and sustainability into the community.

Looking at the pedestrian route types, the community plan focuses pedestrian activities along the main corridors with districts that are planned at major intersections and activity centers and quarter route types that connect the districts together.

Connector pedestrian route types serve lighter pedestrian traffic and provide additional pedestrian connections throughout the community.

After the land use and housing committee meeting, the pedestrian route type from 55th Street to Hardy Elementary School was updated to a district route type rather than connector, reflecting the importance of a strong pedestrian connections to schools.

The community plan also identifies new bicycle facilities throughout the community where streets can be repurposed.

The community plan proposes separated bikeways.

And in other places, the community plan proposes buffered bike lanes and low traffic stress bicycle routes to facilitate abundant bicycle connections into and throughout the community.

Sandag is a planning for additional transit to the community as well, including expanded bus service with 10 minute headways at peak times.

To complement those transit investments, the community plan proposes to repurpose some right of way for dedicated transit and additional transit priority measures and amenities to improve the transit experience.

After the land use and housing committee meeting, the central segment of Elkahome Boulevard between College Avenue and Montezima Road was updated to include a potential future bus route pending further discussion, analysis, and planning with MTS and Sandeg.

Combined, all of these networks work together to promote that concept of complete streets in the college area so that all road users, pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers feel safe and are treated with dignity.

So we know where we want future homes to go in the community.

We know how we want to connect these homes and businesses.

Of course, with new residents comes the needs for additional parks and public spaces as well.

The college area is largely built out.

New development in the college area will be infill development within existing neighborhoods, and the lack of parks in these neighborhoods today reflect previous growth and development patterns.

Providing new parks and existing neighborhoods will require purchasing private property and construction.

The community plan provides a framework for new parks and public spaces in the community.

The plan establishes a need and a community desire.

The capital improvements program works complementary with the community plan to provide new parks and public spaces as resources become available.

Community plans don't cannot mandate the priorities of the citywide capital improvements program budget, but they set future projects up for success by identifying the need or desire for them in the community plan.

So in other words, community plans provide the framework, and the capital improvements program implements that framework over time.

The framework for parks in the college area has five key strategies.

Of course, in addition to city-provided new parks through the capital improvements program, maintaining and improving the parks that already exists in the community is a key goal of the plan.

The plan also explores the possibility of new parks on land that the city already owns, as well as on excess rights of way in order to create opportunities for green networks and a new linear public space along Montezuma Road, which was one of the community's seven visions.

The community plan also supports new public spaces in the community by including regulations that will bring new recreation features like playgrounds and fitness stations and gathering spaces as part of new infill development.

And I'll talk more about how the community plan will implement that soon, and we have further discussion on that as item 611 on today's agenda.

As part of the strategy to look at possible parks on city-owned land, the community plan includes a concept for a new recreation center on College Avenue, and excess rights of way were also considered for public spaces, including this concept for an overlook park on Brockbank Place.

The community plan also envisions that linear public space with enhanced landscaping, shade trees, wider sod sidewalks, and recreational amenities on Montezima Road, which I'll talk about with implementation.

The open space and conservation element addresses the protection and enhancement of open space and sensitive species and habitat within the college area.

The conservation element identifies the multi-habitat planning area, which balances the preservation and protection of natural resources with the allowance of compatible public recreation.

And as part of the college area plan update, we are rezoning over 300 acres of land to be protected private open space.

Only limited development can occur within the multi-habitat plan area to ensure the long-term habitat conservation.

We're also planning for additional public facilities to serve the community.

A variety of city departments and partner agencies provide public facilities.

As the community grows, new opportunities could include construction of new fire stations and new schools, alongside associated staffing and operational strategies, depending on the amount of future development that occurs, which will require future technical analysis.

But we've been working with and will continue to coordinate with other city departments and outside agencies, including fire rescue, San Diego Unified School District, and San Diego State University to address the need for public facilities as development occurs over the life of this community plan.

Historic preservation is guided by the general plan for the preservation, protection, restoration, and rehabilitation of historical and cultural resources throughout the city.

And the historic preservation element of the college area plan provides a summary of the prehistory and history of the community and establishes policies to support the identification and preservation of its historical, archaeological, and tribal resources.

Onto implementation, community plans are implemented a few ways.

They are themselves implementation policy documents designed to be referenced whenever questions arise about the future of the community, including questions related to capital improvements.

Community plans also include land use designations with implementing base zones that regulate density, intensity, and allowed uses.

Community plans are also implemented through supplemental development regulations.

This is the draft rezone map that includes the base zones that implement the community plan land use designations, and the draft rezone map, if adopted, would comprehensively rezone the college area community plan area.

A new overlay zone is proposed for the municipal code with regulations to supplement those base zones and help implement the community's vision and ensure that new development brings broad community benefits, including uh new public spaces and improve connectivity.

And again, this will be discussed further as item 611 on today's agenda.

But in the college area, this new overlay zone, which we're uh calling the community enhancement overlay zone, will require new public spaces with recreational value as part of new development, uh, greenways along College Avenue, Alcahome Boulevard, and Montezuma Road to make walking a more pleasant experience, and additional parkway improvements along Montezuma Road to further implement the linear public space concept that was one of the community's seven visions.

The proposed update to the college area plan has received some recommendations.

On September 8th, the College Area Planning Board voted to provide comments to the city regarding the draft plan.

Uh the college area planning board set a letter with recommendations on the first draft as well in February of this year.

City planning has addressed those two letters as much as possible while still meeting the city's goals around climate action and affirmatively furthering fair housing.

This includes scaling back a significant portion of change area adjacent to canyons and reallocating that capacity for those homes at major community gateways and activity centers.

On September 25th, the Parks and Recreation Board voted to oppose the park settlement of the plan.

And on September 25th, the Historic Resources Board voted unanimously to recommend approval.

On October 1st, the Mobility Board recommended approval of the plan.

On October 9th, the planning commission voted to recommend approval of the plan, and on November 21st, the land use and housing committee also voted to recommend approval.

Following land use and housing committee, based upon council feedback, we made a range of policy policy edits and added some additional discussion, including policy language to strengthen affirmatively furthering fair housing, to support additional public spaces and parks, and to support additional library resources.

As I noted, the pedestrian route from 55th Street to Hardy Elementary School was also updated to a district route, and transit routes were updated to include possible bus service along all of Alcahome Boulevard.

We're also proposing an additional policy to support affordable housing and limit displacement as shown on the screen.

Staff recommends that the city council uh approve the community plan update and other associated actions listed on this slide.

This concludes staff presentation today.

We appreciate your time and would be happy to answer questions.

Right.

Excuse me.

Thank you very much for the presentation.

Uh oh.

The IBA would like to make some comments.

No.

Okay.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

There are over 50 speakers here in Council Chambers and some in the virtual queue.

So we will be going to a minute a piece.

If I can call the following individuals, the first individual, Stephanie Benvenuta, if you can please come up to the microphone, and if the following individuals can please come up to the yellow reserve seats at the front of the room, Saul Emmerling, Lady Thor, Guthrie Leonard, Stephen Greenwood, Wesley Morgan, even Evan Strong, and Josephine Vaux.

If you can all please come up to the first row.

Stephanie, you'll have one minute, please proceed when ready.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

I am here today speaking on behalf of the San Diego Building Industry Association.

We're pleased to offer our support of the College Area Community Plan and want to thank the staff and their community for their great work to create a landscape that will accommodate the housing that our city desperately needs.

These plan updates are an important tool to help housing come online and to chip away at our chronic housing deficit.

Equally of note, these homes will carry much of the burden of financing and infrastructure financing the infrastructure that we all recognize is important.

The sidewalks, street trees, and even affordable housing of the future is heavily reliant upon new home production and the fees that they've contributed they contribute.

We look forward to seeing these homes and the San Diegans able support, contribute positively to our city and urge your support.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nexus Saul.

Saul um Amerling, if you can uh please come up, and then you have people seeding you time, if they can please raise their hands.

Jose Reynoso.

Thank you.

Matthew Reynoso and Bob Higdon.

You'll have four minutes, please proceed.

Hi, I'm Saul Ammerling, a resident of the college area for 25 years.

I wanted to tell you that my neighborhood has almost nothing to make it stand out.

You council persons are probably completely unfamiliar with our small community, except perhaps for attending an event at SDSU.

We have no charm and attractiveness like Kensington with its Spanish style palm trees, community park, and library.

We do not have the village feel of La Mesa with restaurants that attract visitors throughout the week.

We do not have quaint tree-lined streets and bungalows like Rolando and Talmudge.

Those are our neighbors.

As you have heard or will hear, we're severely lacking in instrument in infrastructure.

We have no significant architecture to make a focus.

We have been identified as a low resource and underserved community by the city.

Our name, we're an area, college area, like Area 52.

And for heaven's sakes, we haven't been a college since 1974.

We're a university.

So we're feeling pretty neglected.

We have a library that the city built and forgot to provide parking.

We have an economic center split by old Highway 8.

We're lacking a financial base because our residents are outnumbered by 40,000 students who are gone half of the year.

What one asset we do that we do have is our median priced single family stock of homes.

They're priced well under the median San Diego price.

Yes.

It is preserved.

You will hear students say that they support the need for more housing.

We agree.

And we want as much mixed-use housing at affordable rates for students, the downsizing elderly, the working middle class, and the low-income residents.

We want it all.

We want the whole mix, which is what seeds a vibrant and attractive community.

Apartments, townhomes.

I like the general outline of the proposed plan.

It parallels a lot of what the community wants, but it doesn't go far enough.

Provide infrastructure to support the growth that you seek.

Build like new communities build, planning for growth, planning for many factors.

Preserve and protect our one and only asset, our single family housing stock.

Support efforts to include SDSU in the community to increase our attractiveness.

Make the one mile stretch of Montezuma a true park that unites the neighborhood and gives us identity.

Do not simply increase our increase our housing stock by hundreds of percent.

If you want our density, preserve our dignity.

Let's make all aspects of the plan happen, not just increasing the housing units, which is our fear.

We want to focus on the entire package and making it all happen for the benefit of the community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Lady Thor.

You have time ceded to you by Amy.

Earhart.

Yes.

Should you please raise your hand?

Thank you.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak before you and speak the truth today.

Thank you.

I'm a native San Diegan and college area resident.

It's confirmed the college area is density rich and resource poor.

College area is an established community in dated, inundated with density.

The complete communities is unrealistic for several reasons.

Included but not limited to one housing is urgently necessary.

But this plan is badly applied and reckless.

Sustainable growth is required.

Homeowners of District 9 should not be accommodating and being forced into accommodating student housing, fueling the need for greed of SDSU's overcapacity enrollments spilling into nearby neighborhoods.

Specific answers to important questions are not being provided, such as a timeline.

What is the timeline for all of these programs?

Also, it has too many uncertainties.

Again, we ask questions, we want details at infinite end, and we're getting indefinite answers.

Thirty years is a long time in which a lot can happen.

Ramroding these ram riding this because Sacramento demands unrealistic density quotas in areas which they don't live.

Vision of college area should come before your own political interests.

Now this is what's very important.

You don't know what you don't know.

Vote no until you do know.

Like Royal Campanillo did on November 21st.

God bless you, voting no.

Voting yes, however, approving complete communities has great potential to cause harm.

Will the city council accept responsibility when this harm happens?

We rely on your leadership.

Weight of your decision today sentence.

We'll have long lasting comment.

Gun three.

Uh hello.

Um, honorable council president, council members.

My name is Gathery Leonard.

I'm here on behalf of Right SD, a nonprofit dedicated to improving transportation in San Diego.

Yesterday we sent you our coalition letter with mobility, community, and environmental organizations in support of this plan.

I just want to say during my time at SDSU, I had too many friends telling me they were two to a room and eight to a house or more.

Um I experienced firsthand how unsafe the roads are for people walking, biking, or driving.

I had a driver almost right hook me as I was going through an intersection.

Uh I waited as my bus carrying 30 people was held up by cars carrying one person.

So I desperately urge you to approve this plan and clear the way for real solutions to these problems.

Thank you.

Next is uh Stephen.

Stephen Greenwood.

Uh hi, my name is Steven, and I'm a resident of the college area.

Uh I walk along Montezuma every single day, and I take the bus often, and I'm in favor of this uh plan update.

It was previously said that complete streets are a goal of the city where many different forms of transportation feel equal.

But right now, I feel like a second-class citizen behind drivers whenever I bike, walk, or take transit.

All of the transportation changes in the plan are a vast improvement.

I also appreciate the increase in housing density along the major corridors.

With the college area being so in demand, we desperately need more housing.

More housing would lower the cost of living and allow more people to live in this great community.

However, I do think that the residential neighborhoods aren't upzoned enough as we need all the housing that we can get.

And it's crazy to me that 55th Street from Montezuma to Remington, where thousands of students walk every day, is still planned to be a whole four lanes wide.

That said, I still strongly support the plan.

It has the opportunity to vastly improve the college area.

Thank you.

Next is Wesley Morgan.

Good afternoon.

Council, I'm here today to support a plan that invests in the future of the city.

Public input has been beyond extensive and it's produced a very meaningful result.

The plan fixes a long-standing failure.

Students deserve to live near where they live, I'm sorry, where they study and where they graduate.

We often forget about that part when they leave town.

For decades, SDSEU has been labeled a commuter school, and that label's been used to justify underbuilding housing nearby.

The result has been overcrowding.

People already exist in the neighborhood.

Spillover into single-family neighborhoods, and long commutes that never made sense.

College area is exactly where housing should go.

The plan creates thousands of new homes and walkable mixed use areas, strengthens the connections on campus in the community, and keeps most of the car-dependent single-family neighborhoods intact.

It is a stretch to suggest this plan violates fair housing.

Fair housing is about expanding access to opportunity, not using labels to block housing in places with jobs, transit, education, and shared public resources.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

Evan.

After Evan is Josephine Vaux, Manny Rodriguez, David Marty, Thomas Mullaney, and Dana Givitt, if you can all please come up to the front row.

Please proceed when ready.

Great, thank you.

Good afternoon, Council President Lacava and Council members.

My name is Evan Strawn, and I'm speaking on behalf of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, whose mission is to make the San Diego region the best place to live and work.

We encourage council to support the college area community plan update today.

Our member businesses know the acute need for additional housing to attract and retain talent here in San Diego, including the need to allow students and recent graduates to live and work in the city.

This update creates the capacity for thousands of new homes for this workforce, as well as mixed-use villages near the SDSU campus.

As this plan is implemented, we encourage the city to strategize about how to support current small businesses in the college area and how to create additional opportunity for new businesses to locate and grow in the neighborhood.

We ask you to support the plan today based on its overall land use goals.

Let's help our graduates and workforce remain in San Diego.

Thank you.

Next is Josephine Vaugh.

Hi, my name's Josephine.

Um I wanted to come up today to support the college area community plan update.

This plan allows more housing near transit and underused commercial areas near SDSU's trolley station and bus corridor.

Um these things are especially important to me because I don't drive.

Um I think this would make it a lot safer whenever I am traveling about the campus area.

And I think this is how we reduce traffic and address our housing shortage.

Um thank you so much.

Manny Good afternoon, Council President and City Council members.

My name is Manny Rodriguez, and I'm the president of the NB Democrats of San Diego County.

Um the cost of housing is hurting working families and pushing them out of the city.

We're just making it very hard to have a dignified lifestyle here in the city.

Our organization supports policies that bring down the cost of rent, and key to that is building more homes.

Cities that have built a lot of homes like Austin and Minneapolis have seen significant rent declines in their cities.

And so we support this plan update because this plan update will allow more homes to be to be built in the college area.

Both the state and our academic institutions have pointed out that we are in a dire housing shortage, and a solution is to legalize more homes.

So we have we hope to have your support for this community plan update, and we hope that you can agree that working people should have a future in this city.

Thank you very much.

David Modi.

You have a PowerPoint, I believe it is.

So we're gonna be putting that up.

If I can have the following individuals, please raise their hands, getting you time.

Rob Grant.

Thank you.

And then Jeffrey Huter.

Jeffrey Hudder.

Oh, sorry.

You'll have three minutes.

Thank you, Council members.

The college area is one of the most park deficient areas in the city.

And the city is relying on the CIAs to produce park amenities instead of the plan.

It's not going to work.

Slide.

On large lots, the CIAs requires public spaces.

That's your big hope.

But no less in authority than Mars.

Where's my slide?

My next slide.

Your time.

You just have to scroll.

Thank you.

On large lots, the SIAS requires public spaces.

That's your big hope.

But no less an authority than Marcella Escobar Eck has said that developers fear the liability of public space on their private property.

But with complete communities, the public space is always optional slide.

Both of these elements have in lieu fee options, more so for complete communities, but none of that money will help the college area.

Complete communities fees go into the neighborhood enhancement fund, which the college area isn't eligible for slide.

CAW's fees go into the park diff, but that will never get spent in the college area either.

They'll score plenty of need points, but that's not enough.

Even though they're horribly park deficient, they don't qualify for equal and equitable points.

And any park space would be too small to create many sustainability and conservation points.

They'll always come up short.

The debt has been stacked against them.

Next slide.

Slide.

Developers view commercial space as dead weight, so complete community lots that don't require commercial will always be grabbed up first.

Slide.

This plan won't produce parks unless you take out complete communities.

Thank you.

Next is Thomas Malaney.

You have time ceded to you by Carla Omar.

If you can please raise your hand.

Thank you.

Two minutes.

Thank you.

I'm Tom Mulaney, the leader of a volunteer group, uh Livable San Diego.

The proposed college area community plan is the worst plan in memory.

It would allow excessive densities without the public facilities needed for urban living.

It's not the city villages, it's becoming the city of mindless upzoning.

It's not urban planning, it's density cramming without the needed public facilities.

This project should be sent back to the planning department to create a more reasonable plan, such as based on the seven visions plan.

So why do I call this upzoning madness?

In the latest Sandig forecast, the city is expected to gain 66,000 people between now and 2050, an increase of only 4.7%.

Divided by 25 years, that's a growth rate of only one fifth percent per year.

So Sandegs acknowledged that that forecasting 30 years ago with a million new people is not happening.

This has been happening for 55 years.

We can compare the forecast with recent planned updates.

Mira Mesa added enough new units for 67,000 people.

Each of those four communities would have the capacity for the entire growth forecast for the city.

That's why I call it upzoning madness.

In percentage terms, it turns out to be 59 times what's needed to accommodate the fair share.

That's 270 7% divided by 4.7%.

It's not double, it's triple.

It's 59 times what's needed.

So in summary, I urge the council to send this back to the planning department.

Work with the community on Vision 7.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

Dana Givitt.

Dana, you have uh people seating you time 15.

Ellen Bever, please raise your hand.

Paul Krueger, Pat Valenta, Sandra Simon, Brian Britt.

A flaster.

Flaster.

I'm not seeing anybody raise their hand.

A flaster.

Martin Habel.

Betty Schumacher or Schmucker.

Yvonne Jones.

Susan Baldwin.

Susan Ward.

Kelly Tremling.

Um Dave Nicolay.

Thank you.

So that'll be 14 minutes.

Flaster did not raise hand.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

So then that will be 15 minutes.

Please proceed when ready.

Thank you very much.

Dana Givitt, uh College Area Resident and Vice Chair of Neighbors for Better San Diego.

Nathan, as always, nothing personal.

First slide, please.

Per this 2024 San Diego General Plan.

Community plans are to ensure that quality of life is maintained, essential community character is respected, and public fill facilities are provided.

Please keep these three goals in mind as you evaluate the college area community plan update.

Next, please.

Development potential matters.

The impact on our community and environment is based on the difference between today's housing and what can exist under the new plan.

SEQA calls it plan to ground.

The planning department's plan-to-plan comparison is deceptive.

The 1989 plan horizon was 8,750 dwelling units, not 16,700 dwelling units, which intentionally understates the housing increase our community will experience.

Next slide, please.

There are two college area community plans.

On the left is the community's recommended seven visions plan, which they worked on since 2017.

Its primary goals were to accommodate significant growth on transit corridors and nodes while maintaining the integrity of single-family neighborhoods, which already allow up to six ADUs and four Senate Bill 9 units on what are called single family lots.

It proposes a 137% increase in dwelling units.

The plan on the right is the city's proposal, which upzones for 320% increase in dwelling units over what exists today.

In this presentation, I will show you that this increase is out of line with other recent plan updates, and that it is unjustified and discriminatory.

Next, please.

To put things in perspective, note that the college area covers less than 1% of the city's acreage.

It is geographically the smallest of the recent community plan updates.

Next, please.

Of the six cycle community plan updates, which is most like the college area, not Hillcrest or Uptown, which are urban, already dense with many jobs, and next door to downtown.

But what about Kearney Mesa, Mira Mesa with Sorrento Mesa and University?

Nope.

They are sub regional job centers, and the college area is simply not.

Next slide, please.

The only recent commute uh plan update area comparable to the college area is Claremont.

It's primarily residential, has a small job center, and includes a college campus.

However, at four times the acreage of the college area, it is being upzoned by 59%, while the college area is supposed to add 320% more housing.

Next slide, please.

The city's proposed plan assigns a college area horizon density of 17.5 dwelling units per acre, yet the college area is primarily a single-family community with a university on a fifth of its acreage.

As noted, it's much like Claremont.

Still, the community's seven-vision plan voluntarily accepts a density of 10 dwelling units per acre, more than any other recent plan update.

The college area is being asked to absorb two to three times the horizon densities of similar recent plan updates.

Next, please.

The city's plan for the college area is out of line with other recent plan updates, with the 320% increase in dwelling units versus what exists today.

Only Kearney Mace is greater, and that's an aberration because it had less than 4,500 housing units as a base because it was almost exclusively a job center previously.

The Seven Visions plan voluntarily accepts a higher percentage increase in housing than other recent plan updates.

Versus those, the college area is being asked to absorb almost three times the percent increase in housing units, more than five times Claremont.

I ask you all why.

Next, please.

Because ADUs, complete communities, and affordable density bonus permits beyond the base zones aren't included in the build projections.

So any projects in those categories are on top of the 320 percent horizon projections.

The units and people living in them are never considered in the plan updates.

And the college area is in fact is affected at a higher rate than other communities by bonus development, 71 percent versus 61 percent.

And Sennibill 79 upzoning is going to come in on top of that, folks.

Next, please.

So what could justify the college area's excessive upzoning?

Could it be huge anticipated employment growth, exceptional transit access to job centers, ongoing demand for state student housing, or great local infrastructures?

Let's explore.

Next, please.

The college area is not a job center.

Mira Mesa and University account for 8% of regional jobs.

Kearney Mesa accounts for 6%, and the college area, including state, is less than 1%.

Next, please.

The college area has no plan to become a job center.

There is stagnant non-residential square footage in this plan.

Still, the city plans to quadruple density and increase population by almost 300 percent.

Jobs and housing should go hand in hand to minimize vehicle miles traveled, but that's not happening here.

What about transit?

Next, please.

The college area is neither an easy nor efficient transit commute to the region's biggest job centers.

Check out the arrows.

Next slide, please.

Neither existing nor planned college area transit justify this 320 percent upzoning and is only direct to downtown, where less than 5 percent of the region's jobs are.

Next, please.

What about students?

SDSU and the private sector have been on a building blitz in the college area since 2021, adding over 8200 beds.

Ultimately, state expects to have 50,000 students with 15,000 at the Mission Valley campus, where 4600 units will house 8,500 people.

Meanwhile, most upperclassmen are required, underclassmen, sorry, are required to live on campus, where state says they have ample space and are renting now to upperclassmen and grad students.

So is it phenomenal college area infrastructure that justifies the massive upzoning the city is planning for us?

Next slide, please.

You've had this in advance, so I understand you can't read it.

But there's not a chance that it is infrastructure because the college area is an infrastructure desert, lacking basic amenities to support its current residents.

We have a 1.6-acre park.

That's it.

One one-quarter mile sewer easement as a trail, and a library with 28 parking spaces that should have 80.

That's it.

No rec center for almost 30,000 people, no dedicated police or fire station.

And the residents who are not students can't use SDSU facilities, despite what others have said.

Compared to other communities with recent plan updates, the college area is infrastructure deficient with a plan that doesn't commit to solving that problem now or in the future.

We are an underserved community.

Next slide, please.

At Plan Horizon, we will be roughly comparable in housing units to Claremont today, but we will have triple their density at 7.3 dwelling units per acre on one quarter the acreage, and quite likely have the same 1.6 acre park we have now and had in 1989, 36 years ago.

Why is the college area the stepchild of San Diego getting the bulk of the density in an area with huge infrastructure deficits, far from job centers?

Where is the equity in that?

Perhaps the city thinks we are a high opportunity zone.

Next slide, please.

These are the 2025 CTAC opportunity zone maps for areas with recent plan updates.

Note the amount of green zones in the upper left college area map versus the Mira Mesa, Claremont, and university maps.

These indicate low resource neighborhoods.

Compared to the other communities with recent updates, the college area has significantly more low resource zones and less blue high and highest resource neighborhoods.

Concentrating almost three times more density in our neighborhoods violates affirmatively furthering fair housing.

More houser housing opportunities should be made available in the high and highest resource communities, not low resource zones like the college area.

And please note that CTAC adjusts their income data to avoid impacts from college students.

Yesterday I sent you all the methodology proving this.

Today I gave you the data for our five census tracks.

And the students impacted only one of nine factors considered in the CTAC opportunity zone scoring.

So that argument is a red herring.

Next slide, please.

The college area is slipping to be even lower resourced in 2026 because it absorbed 9% of the city's affordable housing permits in the last four years.

Over a quarter of the college area permits were for deed restricted units, and the community offers those residents minimal infrastructure, which I detailed earlier.

This decline is driven by absorbing affordable housing and cannot be discounted based on the increased presence of college students because CTAC adjusts for them.

Next slide, please.

In sum, the city's housing and population targets for the college area are not justified by economic development, efficient transit access to jobs, SDSU housing needs or existing or planned infrastructure.

The proposed concentration of density in our lower resource community violates fair housing law.

The city has made no firm commitment to resolve our current infrastructure deficit, let alone provide for the needs of 54,000 future residents.

Next slide, please.

We are respectfully requesting that we receive fair treatment as a lower opportunity area.

We would like to preserve our single family neighborhoods, which already allow up to six ADUs and four Senate Bill 9 units on most lots.

We would like the city to invest in infrastructure for our underserved community, the fire station we were told we needed 15 years ago, real parks with fields for kids to play in, a rec center that meets the 17,000 square foot standard, not a 4,000 square foot repurposed museum, and adequate parking for our library, our only public building.

We would also like a plan for jobs and businesses to support our residents.

Finally, please know that we are not advocating to increase density in Claremont, nor have we compared ourselves to Southeast San Diego.

We recommend that the land use and housing committee adopt of the City Council adopt the College Area Community Planning Board Seven Visions Plan, not the city's proposal.

We further recommend that you request the planning department prepare economic development and parks and rec plans for our community to serve existing and future residents.

If the college area infrastructure needs are met, and the seven visions plan capacity approaches build out, by all means, go ahead and consider more upzoning via community plan amendment.

Align growth with infrastructure capacity.

That was a goal of the Maryland Planning Department web webinar yesterday on designing adequate public facilities ordinance.

And could you please show that very last slide I sent yesterday?

This morning, actually, sorry, the very last slide.

This proves that the students have been taken out of the CTAC data, and that the college area is in fact a low resource neighborhood in three of the five in three of the five census tracks, and that whatever the planning department and council member Ilo Rivera say to the contrary, they have been adjusted for, and we are legitimately now low resource in the in three of the five areas according to CTEC.

The data speaks for itself.

You have to keep going.

It is the very last slide.

So anything said to the contrary is not consistent with the data provided by the people at CTAC and the Treasurer's Office who make the maps.

Thank you very much for your time.

I hope you will take this all into consideration that none of this should about affirmatively fair housing should be discounted based on students because it is all corrected for in the data, and that is confirmed by the people who conduct the research and make the maps.

Thank you very much for your time.

Gail Free.

Um Asian Chowdhury or Adian Chowdery, Robert Montana, and Julie Hamilton.

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

Please proceed.

The higher Alfred, resident of District 3 and chair of the Commission of the Status of Women, was speaking on my own behalf today.

Thank you, Council members and staff for your very hard work this year.

You've had to make some difficult decisions, but this shouldn't be one of them.

You're mostly going to hear from residents opposed to this plan.

I mean a majority of are my age, 60 and older, who have housing and who are mostly retired.

Vote yes today for those residents who aren't here because they're working two or three jobs or because they've had to move away due to lack of housing.

I walked here today from Eelcrest, mostly through Bankers Hill.

I saw high rises and midrises next to single family homes.

The character of the neighborhood looks just fine.

It has not been destroyed.

In fact, it is even more vibrant.

There are walkers and joggers, bike lists, and neighbors having lunch at sidewalk cafes.

Please vote yes today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Lindsay.

Lindsay, you have time seated too by Jessica Manning.

Jessica, thank you.

And Jamie Arpin.

Thank you.

Have three minutes, please proceed.

And then if I could ask um Robert Montana to please come forward, my staff is just going to speak to you quickly.

Thank you so much.

Please proceed.

Okay, thanks so much, and thanks for having me.

Um first I want to acknowledge the collaboration in recent weeks between the city and the college area community groups, and I appreciate the inclusion of some of the quality of life measures that we recommended.

Um I'm here today to be on the record that the broader community does expect follow-through should this plan be approved.

Uh I think it's important that we get a clear actionable implementation plan that shows how the city and the community will work together to identify locations and secure funding for a recre recreation center, a fire station, parks, and an elementary school, along with the basic public safety infrastructure required to meet baseline livability standards.

For those of us with kids in the area, the there's a lot to be desired, but we also don't plan on going anywhere, so we really want to work together on this.

The implementation plan should not remain at a high level.

It should clearly outline funding strategies, including the use of development impact fees, state and federal grants, public-private partnerships, land dedications, and phase financing tied to growth.

So these community facilities are delivered as density increases, not years after the fact.

And you guys may be thinking, well, that's not how we do it, or that's not how the government does it.

But I believe in you guys, and I think innovation is right for this um this uh area.

Please take my words as the community's expectation, action, and a clear forecast.

Help us understand what happens when and why, and how we can foresee the future for our families.

As implementation moves forward, we ask that progress not be mired in extended analysis.

The community wants to see near-term visible quick win actions, such as safety improvements, enforcement, and interim amenities paired with clear uh defined long-term goals, timelines, and funding pathways that ensure delivery.

Equally important is strong landlord accountability.

As density increases, the city must ensure that property owners are maintaining safe, clean, and well-managed properties.

This requires clear standards, regular inspections, and meaningful enforcement, so existing residents and new neighbors alike can live with dignity and security.

Residents of the college area deserve the same quality of life as other San Diego communities.

We've seen this in North Park, Little Italy as they've been turned over, and many others.

The Claremont plan, I think, will demonstrate this.

We're counting on the city to come together at the table as a true partner because zoning changes aren't where this stops.

We have to modernize this area, enforce standards, fund needed infrastructure, and deliver both immediate improvements and long-term quality of life outcomes.

Our community deserves.

If this plan is approved, we we are looking for follow-through.

And we ask the city to prove us uh wrong in any naysayers, and that we work together to make college area the vibrant place we want it to be.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Asian or good afternoon.

My name is Adian Chattery.

Um any students like me can't be here today because of finals.

I just got lucky.

I would love you've heard loud and clear today that the community wants more resources, more uh recreation centers, more parks, and such and such.

And that's why I want to ask the council to support this uh this plan.

Increasing density is is the is the best way to attract investment to entra to attract uh new tax revenue and to attract and to attract new activity that will provide the resources to make these make these parks and make these rec make these uh community resources.

I would also like to uh uh express support for the transit and uh bike improvements in this plan that will make uh uh non-car travel more viable.

Thank you.

Next is Robert Montana.

Robert, you have time seated to you by VC Groves.

Thank you.

Sarah Sweet, Jamie Barnett, and Karen Austin.

I'm not seeing a Karen Austin.

Oh, thank you so much.

You'll have five minutes, please proceed.

Thank you, members of the council, uh, council member Ilo Rivera and others uh and staff, very professional behavior uh with the community, and um we appreciate their efforts.

If we could have the next slide, please.

Uh as you've heard already, um the community met about three years before the planning update uh was initiated.

We knew that it was coming, and we knew that there was a housing crisis, and we put together a plan that increased the density of our uh area by 137 percent.

Basically, we we doubled it, and you've heard testimony already that um this was coincidentally in line, even greater than uh the recently adopted plan updates.

And um if we could have the next slide.

I guess I'd uh what I'd like you to concentrate on is is if you could toggle back.

I'm sorry, toggle back.

I'd like to address there.

We go.

What you'll notice the difference between our plan and the plan um by the second draft is that we don't have density going through bisecting the um single family units specifically on 63rd Street, and we also limit the number of uh increases in density along Montezuma.

That Montezuma is where we proposed to have uh the park.

And now if we could go to the next slide.

And the reason for this that we specifically uh put most of the density on Elkahome Boulevard and um at the nodes with uh Montezuma and El Cajon, and we had some density south of the college area.

We wanted the campus town that staff is talked about, but we wanted mostly to stay out of the very high fire hazard severity zone, and this is in keeping with land use planning.

The last thing you want to do is increase density in an area that is going to put more people at risk.

And the plan being proposed by the um second draft uh uh by the planning department does that.

It puts future residents, young families, children at risk.

And it does it before we have the implementation of a fire station.

And you have a letter from Chief Tosca saying that the number of calls is going to go up from 10,000 a year to 40,000 a year, which is indicative, indicative, excuse me, of the fact that the density is not being doubled, it's being quadrupled.

Um what we need, and what we recommend that your council do is to adopt the seven visions plan as it is proposed and as it is uh included as a I think an option in the staff report.

And when and if the city can um we can get a new fire station built uh and operational, then increase the density along the lines of what is being proposed uh here today.

Adopt the seven visions plan as it is proposed and as it is included as a I think an option in the staff report and when and if the city can um we can get a new fire station built uh and operational then increase the density along the lines of what is being proposed uh here today but it is irresponsible to create risk when we don't have to the doubling of the density per the seven visions plan answers the mail it answers the the need for new housing it and and it is sufficient as you've heard in testimony by prior speakers there is no need to quadruple the density in our neighborhood at this time when we are willing to take a doubling and um and stay out of the high fire uh hazard severity zone thank you very much thank you Julie Hamilton Julie you have people seating you time as well starting with Susan Richardson Adrian Prince so Breen Netta or Soubre thank you Gina Pearson and Marty Graham you'll have six minutes please proceed thank you Julie Hamilton I'm the president of the College Area Community Council and as Robert mentioned to you we began meeting three years with the community council, the planning group and anybody else in the community interested.

We began meeting three years prior to the update process beginning and as Robert mentioned our goal was to come into the city with a plan of or uh an idea of what we were looking for in a community plan update.

We got a lot of it.

We got a lot of the idea of a campus town and a bright, lively area and a diversification of incorporating college students and turning it into a real campus town.

Our problem is that, as you've heard repeatedly, we don't have the infrastructure to support the density levels that the city is proposing.

Right now we have somewhere between 20 and 30,000 residents.

The density that's being proposed is 76,000 residents.

As you know, we have 1.6 acres of park, of which 0.4 acres is unusable.

We have three joint use fields totaling 6.6.969 acres.

We have a library that only has 28 parking spaces when it needs 80.

Um we don't have a fire station.

82 percent of our community is in the very high fire hazard severity zone.

Chief Tosca has said that at this density level we need two fire stations.

We definitely need two fire stations.

City schools have said that at this density level we need a school.

That's 209 million dollars for the construction of a school under 2025 dollars, and that doesn't include land costs.

What we do know is that in the 80s in the 35 years since the 88 plan was adopted, when the plan adopted 29 uh when the plan called for 29 acres of park, we didn't get that in that 35 years.

So we're not sure why we have any hope that we're going to get the facilities that we need to support this density.

What we want is for the density to go down to the density levels that were presented in the seven visions plan until we get some facilities because what's being proposed is a land use plan and a zone change that allows development to 76,000 people by right, and a ministerial process which limits your ability to require any of those facilities to be built by developers.

And what we know through watching this process and watching the city's financial struggles, the city doesn't have the money to build the facilities that we need, and we don't know where the city is going to get that money.

So, and until the city gets the money and is able to provide a community that's safe so that when your wife has a heart attack, you can actually get a response because instead of 10,000 calls, there's 40,000 calls.

When there's a fire, you can get a full response.

When there's a fire, you can evacuate.

Um those are the things that are necessary for a safe community.

For a healthy community, you need more than 1.6 acres of park for 76,000 people.

You need substantially more.

We understand the need for housing.

We accept the need for housing.

We have done more for housing than most of the communities in the city in the last five years.

We're willing to accept more housing.

We have nothing against more housing and more density.

We want the housing to be safe and healthy.

We are asking that you treat us fairly and you treat us like other communities.

We are a low resource community.

We are a low resource community with no community services.

It's unfair to put this level of density into this community when you have no ability to support it or no proven ability to support it.

We welcome housing, we welcome students, we welcome density, but more so we want the community to be healthy.

We want it to be safe, and we want it to be provided for.

Thank you very much for your time.

And I do want to thank Nathan.

He has gone to extraordinary efforts to work with us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Jan Hensman.

Jan, you have several people seating you time as well.

Karen Collins.

Sandra Ciner.

Sage Gonzalez-Walden.

And Susan Grant.

Thank you so much.

You'll have five minutes, please proceed.

Good afternoon.

I'm Jan Hinzman, president of the Friends of the College Rolando Library, and I'm a community advocate.

I'm here to say thank you to all who have been working to produce this update.

I'm proud of our community's commitment to actively participate in the city's process to draft our future.

I also admire Nathan's patience and his determination to get the best outcome possible.

This has not been easy, and Sean has played an important role in bringing various perspectives to a point where we can hopefully work together for the future good of our community.

That's important.

I'm here today speaking for the library lobby.

We are heartened by the recent changes in this document that elevate the discussion of the library's parking loss.

Last October, when we first saw the second update, the library description was one long sentence, beginning with the College Rolando branch library provides community services.

The total library treatment was just 82 words.

There was no real meat there.

Today, the library section is now several sentences and begins with the important statement.

That's quite a jump, and we appreciate that.

The narrative continues.

Identifying that we need to fix our parking lot loss and that we are an essential service is huge.

The words in this document now give us the basis for including our library's access problems as a CIP item and thus a place in the line of city funding.

And it provides a foundation for outreach to private funding, looking at Jolakava, right.

And all that is very important, and we are appreciative of the assistance of our council member to accomplish those changes.

A couple of additional comments.

The first is a straight-up acknowledgement that this is a very that our library is a very valuable community asset, now worth 45 million to replace.

It will be unusable for many until the parking issue is addressed.

We have proof of that assertion because in 2017, when our residents were blocked from use of the parking that the city had built on private land, circulation dropped by two-thirds.

That means that instead of the 70,000 books and materials going out that were typical, only 23,000 went out in 2017.

That is a gigantic loss.

People coming through the doors of the library dropped by a half.

Our high demand community room was little used, all because of lack of parking.

There's a second omission in this document that we see, and it's a recognition that the communities south of the college area, which make up over half of this library's service area, are both economically compromised and also severely lacking in public services.

So we ask you to note that the many equity policies the city has established are of actual little benefit if existing inequities in communities of concern continue to be unacknowledged.

So I urge you to look at the library demographics in the attachment that we distributed today.

So there's one last point.

A comparison of this draft, 2025, with the 1989 plan that it's replacing is revealing.

In 1989, the city could boldly state the problem.

The City Heights Library on College Avenue, just north of Elkahome Boulevard was too small.

And its parking was inadequate.

And the and then options were presented on how the problem might be fixed.

And then in 2005, it was fixed.

We got a new library on Montezuma Road with lots of parking.

Parking, which has sadly slipped from city control.

So we ask you to understand that we are distressed today and not to worry.

We'll be back.

We won't let you forget about us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Troy Murphy.

Troy Murphy.

You are our last speaker here in Council Chambers, and then we'll go to those participating online.

Here.

Hi, I'm Troy Murfrey.

I live in the college community.

We began drafting the community plan update with our seven visions in uh 2015.

I believe our most important vision is to meet our future housing needs by adding residential and mixed use density along corridors and no's nodes.

We want these dismally developed areas improved by channeling density there.

We absolutely want housing and density.

Some speakers will support the current draft because we need more housing.

Clearly, we support more housing.

That's not what we're arguing.

We just don't want it where it is untenable and outside a walkable half mile from tier one transit.

This will consequently lead to the implementation of Vision 7, which is protecting the integrity of single family neighborhoods.

Well, local governments can thank you for that concluding.

Tailor the options of F7.

Thank you for that concluding sentence.

I'm sorry, the five-minute timer going to those participating remotely.

We currently have 10 speakers in the queue, starting with Arya Grossman, please unmute.

Good afternoon, Council members.

My name is Aria Grossman, and I am the policy manager at Circulate San Diego.

I am speaking in support of the college area community plan update.

This plan would go a long way towards making the college area and San Diego more broadly a cheaper and better place to live.

The proposed plan would enable significant new housing capacity.

Approving this capacity is simply necessary for making housing more affordable for students, recent grads, and all residents of the area.

The new capacity is smartly located near key transit stops, a fiscally wise approach as it leverages our infrastructure investments to enable more vibrant communities where people can live near where they eat, shop, and recreate.

Additionally, the update would allow for integration of pedestrian and cyclist facilities within these TOD areas, giving students and residents more freedom of mobility.

I strongly encourage the council to adopt this plan to create a more affordable and vibrant community for families, students, and all residents of the college area.

Thank you.

Thank you, and it says Carl, if you can please unmute Carl.

Hello, I support the college area community plan update to allow 17,775 additional homes near the three trolley stations over 30 years.

Concentrating most off-campus housing in college area near STSU, UCSD Health East Campus, and transit along Alcohol Boulevard in combination with STSU's ambitious on-campus student housing plans will help alleviate the burden of students renting housing in the less dense parts of the neighborhood, which drives up housing costs and makes it harder to find housing in those areas.

Permitting more supply of housing in all types of all types is crucial.

But a lot of student housing can be built in a smaller area than most other types of housing due to its limited and transient use.

Building that housing close to transit and close to the campus has an outsized effect on car usage in the area since so many trips for students revolve around campus.

The Green Line's connection to SDSU West has additional weight to the need to put as much student housing as possible needs near the trolley line.

Please vote yes on this community plan update.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is the original, if you can please unmute.

It's interesting to see you guys against gentrification, yet you're engaged in it.

And you are you should be listening to the elders of this community of what they are desiring and what they want because you're always going to get the college kids because they're not aware, they don't have enough life experience to really understand what this is going to do because it's significantly going to increase the cost of everything around and the way you guys want to densify everything and not bring in any kind of fire mitigation or to make sure that the people are safe is very dangerous, and you continue to do it on a daily basis.

And when you guys can't even provide housing, where's the funding going to come from this?

And how are you even going to provide those housing?

Because you count houses as houses that are permitted, but you guys don't ever produce them.

So will this ever come into play?

Because I mean, the way the city spends our money, it shows that you guys are very negligent and you can't provide the things that are provided.

But you definitely need to be listening to the elders of the community who have been there and have put stake in the game.

Your time is concluded, Doreen Diaz, if you can please unmute.

During this pesta, I just say, hell no, this college plan has got to go.

These people that are supporting this horrible plan are missing the point that the college area is not against new housing.

The college area agreed for 137% of new housing.

They are against irresponsible housing and they want vision seven.

This is not housing, yes or no question.

It's about risking the life and safety of the existing resident, and how many of these clueless college students that have been up here speaking will even qualify to buy a house at 500,000 if they want to live in a house the size of a garage.

I mean, get real.

Affordable is not 2300 rent.

And I don't think they have a clue of thank you.

Next is Sharon Gill.

I did.

Sharon Gill.

Hello.

My name's Sharon Gale.

And I think that the existing San Diego State University recreation center and aquatic facilities should count toward meeting the recreational needs of the college area residents who are eligible to use the facility, such as university students, faculty, and staff.

The campus public landscape areas that are designed to meet the needs of students for places to sit and study, or as a visual break between classes, should also count as meeting population-based park needs of the student portion of the population, who some say are half the college area residence.

And UCSD is obviously a major job center.

And it's a place for employees, and it accommodates some 40,000 students every day, most of whom commute to the school.

Your time has concluded.

Next is Maxwell, if you can please unmute the five-minute timer, also concluded.

There are six speakers in the queue.

No additional speakers will be taken after that.

Maxwell, please.

Hi, my name is Maxwell.

I am a resident of San Diego.

I grew up in the college area.

It's a place very deep in my heart.

But it desperately needs more housing.

The neighborhood has changed around Montezuma Boulevard, but nowhere near enough.

And there is a desperate need for more housing around the entirety of San Diego.

I I hope that the college area becomes a dense mixed-use hub, just like my neighborhood of Little Italy, where everybody can walk, take transit, and what have you to all of their needs.

It's an incredible neighborhood.

I wish that more of San Diego was like that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nexus.

If you can please unmute.

Hello, City Council.

I support the college area plan update.

Much to the chagrin of some commenters.

The college area is actually a great place to live.

Three grocery stores, including a Trader Joe's, which famously isn't really known for placing themselves in low resource areas.

They have a trolley station, a major hospital, a rapid bus corridor, access to jobs SDSU, a quick trolley ride to jobs in Mission Valley.

It's a great place to live and a great place to have more homes.

In fact, of the 47 census tracks identified as high poverty areas in San Diego County, the college area is not one of them.

With high costs bearing on students and with overcrowding, the neighborhood needs far more homes.

In fact, if we actually want to address exclusionary housing, the plan should go further by eliminating bans on apartments in much of the community.

So I urge this council to support the college area plan update.

It's a great place to live, and it's a great place to add more homes and reduce the housing costs that are burdening many people who live there.

Thank you.

Next is Lori Soldania, if you can please unmute.

The fire risk due to climate change and open spaces is real and an increasing hazard.

And as someone who graduated and taught at San Diego State, evacuation from that area, as I learned with the blackout in 2011, is already difficult.

Trying to evacuate people through public transit in the trolley is going to be impossible.

This morning we heard the public liability fund of the city has been depleted due to claims of lawsuits against the city for negligence.

And this council will be liable for putting lives at risk if you add housing density without adequate fire safety services and infrastructure to protect lives in case of an emergency, whether it's fire or some other natural disaster.

So the city of San Diego has a long history of building housing before other things like parks and libraries and firehouses.

You need to change that or you will be liable and you won't even have the public liability fund available to cover people's losses.

Thank you.

Next is Krishna, if you can please unmute.

Hi.

I'm speaking in favor of the college area plan item 609.

I'm a lifelong San Diegan, and I think it's critical that we build uh as much new housing as possible.

I think that this plan uh doesn't go as far as I would like to in terms of density, but I hope that we can use this as a starting point.

Uh keeping people in our city requires new housing because new housing lowers rents.

And I think it's really important for us to recognize that so much of this conversation is treating the existence of students who lack housing as an afterthought, as a red herring, that they lack life experience.

But these students recognize that they need new housing in order to live in this city.

And they have never lived in a community where they have had affordable housing, and that's why they are united in speaking in favor of affordable housing.

That's why young people are all saying and voting for candidates who support more housing.

So I urge you to support this plan.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Zach Sturgeon is our next speaker.

And then after that, we have a speaker 2525 as our final speaker.

Thank you.

I am a resident of San Diego, and I'm calling in to support the community plan update.

San Diego has a housing shortage.

San Diego has an affordability crisis, and San Diego faces an environmental crisis.

Increasing our housing stock will help address these three issues.

Mixed use and affordable housing will reduce the pressure on existing housing stock while creating a four more affordable places for people to live.

Mixed-use neighborhoods with adequate transit, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure is also important to reduce vehicle miles traveled.

And impact uh people's ability to afford to live in this city by not forcing people that cannot afford to purchase a car at the several the expense of several hundred dollars a month that they're currently forced to spend by the inadequate transit and pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in the city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And our final speaker is 3252.

Time for me to get my glasses.

Yep.

Yes, hi, City Council.

Uh, my name is Chris Margraff.

I'm a long-time resident of the city of San Diego, and I would like to voice my favor uh to support uh the uh new plan in the college area.

I think more density is a good thing.

It will allow for more people to live in the neighborhood in which they work and live and uh go to school.

Uh it will allow less people to be reliant on cars, therefore having less emissions, less traffic, and an overall better living experience for everybody in the area.

Like others have mentioned, increasing the housing supply will uh decrease demand, thus decreasing average prices, which is important for students who are just leaving uh their schooling and are looking to stay in the area.

Please vote in favor of the new plan.

Thank you again.

I will just note this item did receive 28 comments in favor and 147 comments in opposition via our e-comment forum, which have been distributed to the council, and that concludes public comment on this item.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

I appreciate how well you manage uh the big conversation by the public.

And I thank everyone from the public that showed up today to speak on one side or the other, and those who participated remotely.

But with that, we will now turn it over to our council colleagues.

Questions, comments, and entertain a motion.

And we'll go to the council member from District 9, Councilmember Elo Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, thank you, Heidi and your team for all your work on this.

Nathan, thank you.

Uh, and thank you all to all the community members who engaged uh in this process, uh, especially those of you who spent years working on this prior to becoming uh a formal process.

Um truly appreciate that effort.

And I know some of you are in this room who who were in rooms for years.

For for your community and for San Diego.

It is just so unlikely to have a full community agree on the specifics of any plan.

That's if like two people are working on a plan, let alone an entire community, let alone an entire city.

However, as we've heard at multiple parts in this conversation, and we see so often that when we attempt to unite around a vision, that is something that we can find significant agreement on.

And I think in almost everyone's comments, we heard a desire for the college area to be safe, for it to be a place with a high quality of life, where people of all ages should feel safe and have opportunity, that there should be a feeling of belonging, and that there should be infrastructure to support all of that.

And uh as I said at committee, and I want to reiterate because it's only increased since then.

Thank you to everyone who uh has really engaged in that vision conversation of the last um several months.

And in doing so, we've been able to have a more productive conversation, I believe, with more people in the community.

So thank you again to everyone who's been part of that, who's been part of that for years, who's been part of that for the last several months.

This update is badly needed, it's been needed for a long time.

The the consequence of not having a plan that is adequate for a community with a major university uh bears itself out on a daily basis.

The stories of students living in garages, multiple students living in garages, uh being double doubling, tripling, quadrupling up in rooms, and the impacts it has on their lives and their neighbors' lives is real.

The many frustrations that come from living where people have to, as opposed to where they should.

And I think that we are going to be able to take a major step forward with the plan that's in front of us.

And a huge part of that is because of the work that was done, the foundation that was laid by those who worked on the Seven Visions Plan.

I will continuously appreciate everyone who spent the time doing that.

I will also say that I think there's a lot to a lot to learn and a lot that has been learned from the failure to engage with the folks who worked on that earlier in the process to ensure that as much of their work as possible could be incorporated into this community plan.

I know we've made efforts to do that since, um, but I I think we we hit some unnecessary bumps in the road as a result of failing to do that earlier.

Some of the specific components that come from that seven visions plan include meeting the community's housing needs by adding residential and mixed use development on the major corridors, reducing traffic congestion and improving local mobility, encouraging the development of a campus town, converting Montezuma Boulevard east of College Avenue to a linear park, creating a sense of identity in place, creating a connection between the college area community and San Diego State University, and protecting the integrity of the single family neighborhoods that are in the college area.

When this item came to land use and housing, we'd already made some progress.

Uh and I want to share some highlights.

I think we've in uh we've made additional progress in the discussions about the need for a fire station, uh the expansion of class three and class class four bike lanes to make it easier for more people to move through the college area without a car.

Um, the advocacy within the Sandag Regional Transportation Plan for public transit improvements.

Um we also see parts one and three within the Seven Visions plan respected within this community plan with the node corridor focus.

The linear park on Montezuma, which has long been an ask from the community, and I think is a great example of vision.

Um will do an amazing job of giving the college area a sense of identity, slowing down vehicle speeds, and providing much needed green space and a tree canopy.

And what also can be found in the plan is the inclusion of pursuing land acquisition of 29 acres of park space and a 17,000 square foot rec center.

Since land use in housing, we've continued to work on revisions to ensure we can incorporate as many of my recommendations and the recommendations of community members as possible.

So I want to thank the planning department for working so hard with us on that.

Um seriously, Heidi, thank you thank you for the continued phone calls, uh emails and meetings with members of my team.

The policy edition 2.10 supporting the production and preservation of affordable housing as well as encouraging long-term residential investment language, 5.8, supporting initiatives that incentivize the activation of vacant and abandoned properties, extending the district classification on Montezuma to make it safer for families to walk their children to school.

5.8 supporting initiatives that incentivize the activation of vacant and abandoned properties, extending the district classification on Montezuma to make it safer for families to walk their children to school, inclusion of rapid bus routes along all of Elcohone Boulevard, revisions of revisions to 8.2 to include an analysis to determine location size and timing for a fire station, updated language to the library, updates the vision at the recommendation of the community, and addition 4.56 to include the potential for murals to beautify the community and create a strong sense of identity and community togetherness.

Taking a step back, as I mentioned, this has been a plan that's been in the works since in an official way since the big the early in my first term and in an unofficial way before my first term and seeing where we are now, I think shows an incredible uh the incredible value of community input, um the effort of the planning department and the folks on my team, especially Jeffrey and Maya to work with the community and advocate for the community uh here when you all cannot be here.

I also want to acknowledge why so many in the community have doubts.

I I feel positive about what is envisioned in this plan, and I recognize why there's frustration that promises made in the past have not been kept, and what is sorely needed in in order to improve the quality of life and provide fundamentals that every community is worthy of, and the college area should have had for some time now.

As I've said in multiple meetings with several of you, I don't want to make promises that I cannot keep.

So um I but I will continue to advocate for you.

That is that is the promise.

And we are working hard right now with the mayor's office to figure out how to put a plan together that you all can look at and see and believe in to fund what you deserve in your community.

So just so that the community can see the conversation happening, Chris, I'll ask you as the representative of the mayor's office right now, um, it's for a commitment from the mayor.

I just spoke to him immediately prior to this meeting as well about our offices working together with the community to identify a funding strategy to provide the key infrastructure needs to support the college area.

We're happy to commit to that, Councilmember.

I appreciate that.

And here's the reality.

I know that I fair number of you that means nothing to you.

I get it.

I I understand why, totally understand.

Uh we have to deliver.

Uh and that's on that's on me, that's on my that's my job every day.

Um, but what I want you to know is the conversation is happening.

Uh, we've been having it, we're going to continue to have it.

Uh, but rather than me just throw ideas out in the air right now, I want to make sure that we have a plan that can actually be executed.

You all deserve this.

Um you you've you've deserved it, and you do deserve it.

And the future residents of the college area deserve it as well.

The last thing I want to say is is this.

I'll end with this anecdote for my colleagues and as a for those in the community who haven't heard.

Um, obviously, San Diego State is a major institution in our city.

Um, it is the the Keystone University of San Diego.

And the students at San Diego State right now do not see a future for themselves in San Diego, even if they grew up here.

I've stood in classrooms with damn near 100 students and asked them, regardless of whether or not they grew up in San Diego or not, if they believe they would be able to afford to live in San Diego when they graduated.

A tiny fraction of the students said yes.

That is such a problem for this city.

And the students who are at San Diego State now, the students who will be in at San Diego State in the near future and in the long-term future, believe, deserve to believe that they will have a future here.

And they will only have a future here if there will be enough housing for them.

So I don't, while I completely appreciate the needs of the current residents, San Diego State students are also current residents.

They count, they count and they matter.

And we have to provide them a decent future, and they will not have that if they do not have housing.

And the stories we've heard of where students are living now because there is an adequate housing is completely unacceptable and not that something that any parent or person who cares about people would be okay with.

There are slumlords who are taking advantage of these students.

They are quite frankly taking advantage of the neighborhood.

This is going to help us address that.

But at the end of the day, we need the people growing up in San Diego to believe that they will have a future here.

And this plan will help us do that.

The residents of San Diego, the residents of the college area deserve to know that there will be the infrastructure needed to support that growth.

But I'm not okay looking at looking at these young people and thinking about the next generation of San Diego students and telling them that we are not planning for their future.

The failure to do that is why there are so many millennials and Gen Z folks with college educations who play by the rules that they were told, struggling to find a path to housing stability.

That is not okay.

So with a full commitment to pursue the resources necessary to provide the infrastructure the community deserves and the public services that the community deserves, but an unrelenting commitment to ensure that people have a ability to see a future where they can live sustainably in the community that they're going to school in.

I motion to approve the plan in front of us.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, sir.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Elo Rivera to move the staff recommendation.

I gave you some of my time so that you could have the full depth and breadth of your conversation with the community.

We'll go next to Councilmember Moreno.

Thank you for the presentation and also thank you to the community members who spoke today, and also uh to the staff from the city planning department for bringing this item forward.

Uh Otai Mesa Nestor is jealous, but we are patiently waiting with our new.

I think we just recently got a grant, right?

So we're looking forward to that.

Um I also want to recognize Councilmember Ilo Rivera for your leadership in seeing this community plan update come to fruition.

Um it is a very big deal for these community plan updates to get updated in the city of San Diego.

And this one um was long overdue.

The last plan, as was stated, was written over 36 years ago.

Um, and I would say that the city has changed dramatically in those 36 uh years.

Uh this update allows for more than 17,000 homes to be built in this area above what the old plan envisioned, which is absolutely vital.

Um we absolutely need to ensure that San Diegans have the housing options that they need.

Um, a new unit built in the college area doesn't just benefit the neighborhood.

Um, it its impact has a rig a ripple effect across the city, ensuring that there are enough homes throughout the whole city.

So you build a unit in this area, Otai Mesa and San Isidro in my district will absolutely feel the impact.

Um, also with SDSU uh continuing to grow, this plan is especially important.

Um I am a UCSD graduate, but there's no denying the impact that SDSU has uh throughout the whole city and especially in the South Bay.

Um, and with that, it enrollment will continue to rise, and we need to account for that.

Uh, this plan also provides a pathway to increasing public space via new plazas, greenways, parks, and recreation areas through the implementation of the community enhancement overlay zone.

Um, this does help support the climate action plan, as does the increase uh increased mobility choices for everyone.

Um, additionally, this plan update um addresses public safety by considering two potential fire stations.

Um, as a member who recently purchased fire station land in Otai May Sinester, it does take a whole village, it does take a community.

You do hold uh you do need to hold not only the council but also the mayor's feet to the fire when it comes to amenities in your community.

Um with that being said, um I do want to thank again the planning department staff for your work.

Um I said it in the in the committee um meeting uh the way that the residents um spoke about um City of San Diego staff's planning department uh members I think speaks just volumes to the hard work that you guys put into this work uh into this plan, I'm sorry, and I just want to thank you for all the work.

I know it's sometimes tough with our with residents, right?

Especially if we're proposing something that they don't necessarily agree with.

Um I'm happy to second the motion on the floor, and that concludes my comments.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Elo Rivera and a second by Council Member Moreno move the staff recommendation.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campillo.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Uh, thank you to staff, thank you to the members of the public for your participation today.

Uh I appreciate uh the discussion we had at committee.

I I made uh extensive remarks there, so I'll keep these far more brief.

Uh thank you to the members of the public for their analysis, especially Ms.

Hamilton's letter, which is extensive, and the supporting letter from the chair of the community planners committee uh and the letter critical uh of the plan from the Parks and Rec Board authored by Dr.

Marcella Bothwell.

A few sets of volunteers do more work than these groups, and I've read their recommendations carefully, noting the elements about the actual methodology behind determining the categories for resource areas and especially about fire safety.

Ultimately, with neither a strong sense that we are fulfilling our legal obligation from the Baker case nor our statutory obligations under affirmatively furthering fair housing laws, which is a nice to is not a nice to have, but a must have.

I have to vote no today.

Thank you, Council President.

All right.

Thank you, Councilmember Campio.

I'm not trapping myself anymore.

Okay.

I don't see anybody else on the lights.

Um I'll jump in here just a little bit.

Um I appreciate all the good work of the city planning department and all the departments that weigh in.

Uh I appreciate the public's uh participation in this process, especially uh community leaders that took an early stab at having this conversation, knowing a community plan update was uh coming forward.

Um, a couple of thoughts that I feel like I would be a remiss if I didn't put in there.

Um despite all the good work, I'm really concerned that our community plans updates are becoming housing plans and not fulfilling the original vision of how we're going to develop a community.

I think that was to me the thrust of what we were hearing for those who object to the current plan in front of us.

Um admittedly, the city doesn't have the resources.

Um we used to have development impact fees, which gave council members good talking points.

Didn't translate to anything, uh, but it made us feel good uh when we were up here.

Um this community for whatever reason has been under resourced in terms of public facilities, and whether people thought back in the day that you could go to the neighboring or the neighboring communities or figure out some other way uh remains uh maybe to me a little bit uncertain.

But it does concern me that somehow public facilities will somehow manifest itself in this area here.

So that that concerns me.

Um I'm also concerned about this representation that we're going to solve the problem of affordability by this plan.

Um, I I think it's time that we kind of stop talking about that from my personal opinion.

Um because what we're seeing is it doesn't make it any cheaper to build houses.

And until we figure out how to make it cheaper to build houses, we're not going to get to the affordability level going forward.

I've seen it.

I've actually been in the business.

You may not like what I say, but we see it uh manifest itself over and over again.

It's a continuing challenge that we have.

Um of you may be surprised at having said all that, that I'm likely a yes vote on this.

Why?

We saw what the the old community plan said.

We saw what actually got built.

It never realized its full capacity.

A community like this, when I look at it with my engineer eyes and I look at it with my land development consultant eyes, I see a plan that will really struggle to ever realize the density that we're actually putting into this plan.

Because of the number of lots, the location of those, um, it seems prudent to actually to try to encourage some new development or redevelopment in this area that you really have to offer two or three times more density than you think will actually uh be realized here.

Uh and that's why I can rationalize supporting this plan.

I don't think we're gonna get the numbers that people oppose this plan will actually be concerned about.

Um I'll ask one question in which I know the answer to uh probably to Heidi since you're the director of city planning.

Do we have any mechanism to actually trigger density based on the realization of public facilities such as parks, libraries, fire stations?

We don't have anything built into plans that prohibit development at any certain point in time.

Um we identify clear and certain regulations for development by parcel.

Um and as those development applications come in, um, we anticipate that they will be processed and ultimately achieved.

In terms of not having a hard trigger, what we do have is we have the ability to monitor development uh within the community.

We also have the ability, and we do coordinate with all of the asset managing departments, the Department of Finance and the Capital Improvement uh sorry, engineering capital improvements department as we look to identify capital needs.

Once the community plan is updated, we have involved each of these departments through the whole process of updating the community plan, but we certainly do after adoption touch back with all of the departments to make sure that everybody understands what those needs could look like.

It takes several years to realize, if ever, um, most of the development in those community plans.

So it is important that we monitor the development and continue to work with these asset managing departments to be able to deliver uh the infrastructure.

Does the city have all of the funding today to deliver that?

Absolutely, it does not.

Uh we do have certain frameworks set up that identify prioritization for improvements that do not just include underserved communities but also um factor in other factors such as availability of funding or um, for example, um uh there's a sustainability component to the prioritization, which does include areas that are accommodating more growth because those lower greenhouse gas emissions and it's consistent with climate action plan specifically strategy three.

All right, you get a good example of why I like working with her.

I was just looking for a simple no, we don't, but you go you go into the depth that's necessary to actually um talk about why we do things and how we do things uh and how the city looks at these community plan updates and going forward, and I do appreciate I do appreciate the answers.

So with that, um I think I'll close my comments here.

Um Councilmember Postor, no.

Yep, that's up to you.

Um Council President, um I guess thank you and thank you, Heidi, for your team and and your work on this.

Um I too have also um met with a few of the community um members that have um concerns on this.

Um I do appreciate the analysis you sent over to me on the community's um comments and staff's um responses.

Um so I do appreciate that.

Um I just simply wanted to um also convey council president, I do appreciate your comments as you put on your um engineering hat, which is um very helpful as we look at these um community plans.

Um I too share um in your concerns um but also I do understand as you said I can pull out several plans, several general development plans throughout my community where nothing has been done over a period of time.

Um and so I understand uh the alarm um, but I do think we do need to um monitor the progress as we do with any other uh plan that we develop.

Um but also um I cannot stress enough the importance of the Baker settlement and as I continue to um also have concerns on um how we are going to ensure that we uh meet the terms of that settlement.

I am still very um uncomfortable.

Um and I will say this, I do have a lot of confidence in our current fire chief and his team.

Um, and I will be working with the fire chief just to make sure as we are um you know taking care of these updates and um doing certain things that um you know his voice is heard and that he has what he needs to do his analysis and that we are moving um in our best way to make sure we are truly um safe as it uh relates to our fire concerns.

So um with that um I will be supporting um the item in front of us today.

So thank you.

All right.

Um and not seeing anybody else in lights, I will close.

Um I've known Councilmember Ila Rivera for quite a few years.

Um I'm extremely confident about his commitment of what he said he was going to be doing, working with the mayor's office and finding mechanisms to deliver the public facilities that we don't currently have a strategy for, um, and certainly be willing to um partner with that uh as well as go back to my alumni.

No, I'm the alumni, go back to my school uh and encourage them uh to figure out how to get a fire station, especially in light of some of the housing projects uh that they have on paper there.

Um not an easy ask, uh but I think that what we what is really ripe for this development is that college town core uh that we see there, though that to me I think is where we're really gonna see the most development.

Uh it has the most reasons for development.

So I'm gonna stop there.

I could ramble on for much too long.

Uh but I do appreciate Councilmember Elivera the work you've done, the outreach that you did with that.

So all right.

We have a motion by Councilmember Ilo Rivera and a second by Councilmember Moreno.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Sorry, the voting system, please cast your vote.

That passes 7 to 1 with Councilmember Campio voting no, and Councilmember Von Wilbert absent.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you.

And again, thank you, everybody that showed up.

Thank you for all the good work you've done over the years.

And with that, as a lot of folks exit, Clerk, please introduce item 610.

Item 610 is the Claremont Community Plan Update and Associated Zoning Active.

If you'd like to speak to this item, please be sure to submit your speaker slip to the front of the room in the clear box.

And if you are participating remotely, now is the time to raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

Thank you, Council President.

All right.

Thank you for that.

I saw what you did there.

You just switched places.

But please introduce yourselves for the record and let us know how much time you need for your presentation.

All right.

Good afternoon, everyone, Council President Lacava and members of the City Council.

I'm Sean McGee, Principal Planner and Project Manager for the Claremont Community Plan Update.

I'm joined today by several representatives of the City Planning Department.

Today we'll provide an overview of the hearings draft for the Claremont Community Plan Update.

My presentation will require 15 minutes.

All right.

When you're ready.

Today staff is seeking approval of the Claremont Community Plan Update.

I will provide a brief presentation that includes an overview of the draft community plan, why it is being updated, the process thus far, and key feedback received.

We will begin with why the community plan is being updated.

The Claremont Community Plan was last updated in 1989.

Since then, the city has experienced a growing housing crisis and a changing climate, requiring additional planning to increase housing opportunities and enhance access and use of transit to help meet city housing and climate goals.

The community plan update is part of a citywide program to update community plans and locations served by high frequency transit, including the three trolley stations that serve Claremont, consistent with the general plan city of villages strategy.

The Claremont Community Plan Update aligns with the General Plan's Village Climate Goal Propensity Map, increasing residential density near the three trolley stations that serve Claremont and along transit corridors.

The strategy focuses new homes and jobs in mixed-use villages to encourage walking, biking, and transit use.

The goal is to reduce per capita vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions.

If adopted, the community plan will become a part of the updated 2024 general plan as adopted by council last year and will supplement its goals, plans, and policies within the Claremont community planning area.

State law requires all cities to affirmatively further fair housing, meaning that the city needs to take proactive steps to expand access to opportunity and overcome historic patterns of segregation.

Planning for fair housing is approached citywide where each community plan update contributes to a collective effort to distribute housing capacity equitably across all neighborhoods.

This ensures San Diego's long-range plans meet both state law and local goals for equitable and sustainable growth.

Each community plan update and citywide initiative contributes to distributing housing opportunities more equitably across San Diego.

Recent planning efforts are collectively increasing housing capacity in areas across the city and in all resource areas.

It's important to note that the existing 1989 community plan already includes about 6,000 homes of unrealized capacity.

The updated community plan takes a strategic approach by concentrating new capacity in areas that can support redevelopment near transit and services, which in Claremont is largely in high and highest resource areas.

The Claremont Community Plan Update aims to increase opportunities for homes for people of all incomes and family types, particularly within the community's high and highest resource areas.

Claremont includes a range of residential densities to expand housing choices, including diverse home types, sizes, and price points across all opportunity areas with strong access to services, jobs, and transit.

This approach aligns with the general plan's goals for sustainable and equitable growth.

According to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee's 2025 opportunity area map, approximately 73% of the Claremont plan area is considered high or highest resource compared to 62% citywide.

The updated land use plan provides for density and predominantly high and highest resource areas.

Now that we know why we are updating the plan, I will move on to the process.

The plan update has been underway for over nine years.

The process launched in 2016, and there have been several different milestones along the way.

More recently, the city planning department developed the second draft community plan, which was released this past July, and public feedback was received on the second draft plan until mid-September.

The second draft was also presented at a fourth planning commission workshop at the end of this past August.

Incorporating feedback received on the second draft, the hearings draft for the community plan was released and presented to the planning commission in October and was recommended to move forward to the full city council by the land use and housing committee last month.

I'd like to take a moment to express my sincerest thank you to the current and prior Claremont Community Planning Group members and all of their efforts on the draft community plan.

In particular, I'd like to thank Glenn, Matt, Susan, Nick, as well as the project review subcommittee for their thoughtful and very prompt insight on all of the drafts.

They have dedicated a significant amount of their time to this plan update, many meetings attended, hosted, and a lot of feedback provided.

Their effort is truly appreciated.

The draft plan focuses on protecting the community's natural setting while enhancing parks and infrastructure.

It guides development to complement neighborhood scale, improve safety, and boost multimodal connectivity, ultimately aiming for a sustainable community that celebrates its identity, history, and diversity.

Now that we know the process, what has the feedback been?

We've received a mix of positive comments and concerns, some of which conflicted with one another.

Regardless, several clear themes emerged.

The planning commission recommended significantly increasing the proposed density and raising height limits, noting how well connected Claremont is to regional transit.

We heard that the community generally supported the proposed land use pattern, but not the level of density increases that came with it in all areas.

There was also support for the targeted approach to increasing building heights in select areas and encouragement to expand where supplemental development regulations would apply.

There were concerns raised about wildfire risks, parks and recreation facilities, and the need to protect open space in canyon areas.

The updated plan works to respond to many of these concerns and reflects much of the feedback received.

Now that we've discussed the reason for the plan update, the process, milestones, and key themes of feedback received so far, the following slides address the different community plan elements.

We'll begin with land use.

The location of villages, corridors, and nodes illustrated on this figure are largely consistent with the prior drafts.

The draft community plan continues to strike a balance between feedback received and aligning with Blueprint SD's recommended framework for growth, planning for additional homes and jobs within villages and corridors.

The draft community plan focuses new home opportunities in village areas and along corridors.

The land use framework for the draft plan provides an opportunity for an additional 14,000 homes beyond the current adopted plan, primarily located within identified village areas and along transit corridors, largely outside of very high fire severity zones.

Currently, Claremont has approximately 33,300 300 homes, and the plan would allow for an additional 19,500 to be built over its horizon.

This update accommodates a variety of housing types to meet the diverse needs of the community.

By acknowledging the demand for housing, the plan provides a comprehensive framework for development in Claremont and across the city.

It's important to note that the plan does not mandate new construction.

Development will only occur as demand and economic conditions allow.

While villages and corridors remain the primary locations for new housing opportunities, ongoing initiatives by the city planning department, such as neighborhood homes for all of us will also address increasing home opportunities in single-family zone neighborhoods.

The Claremont Mesa Height Limit Overlay Zone currently limits building height to a maximum of 30 feet throughout most of the community.

As part of the Claremont Community Plan update, an amendment is proposed to increase these limits in designated village areas.

In response to feedback and to better align with the proposed density increases, the height limit has accordingly been increased and now aligns with the values shown here.

These height increases are necessary to achieve the plan's vision for new home opportunities and development.

Moving to urban design.

The proposed urban design framework provides a comprehensive vision for the community by establishing the design relationships among villages, nodes, and corridors through an integrated circulation system.

Key features include the identification of community gateways to enhance a sense of place and pride, and the consideration of the SDGE utility easement as a potential open space connection, requiring future coordination.

The framework aligns with the revised land use figure and incorporates policies for public viewshed, corridors, sensitive interfaces between neighborhoods and canyons, and sustainable building design.

Moving next to economic prosperity, the community plan establishes policies to support opportunities for retail, office, and commercial uses that contribute to the well being of the community, providing job opportunities as well as places to buy goods and services.

Moving to the mobility element.

The draft plan envisions an accessible, balanced and efficient mobility system that connects people to jobs, schools, shops, and homes.

By making the foundational street network safer and more inclusive for all users, walking, rolling, biking, transit, or driving.

The plan supports convenient and sustainable travel options.

The draft plan promotes a more walkable and connected Claremont through mixed-use villages and pedestrian-friendly corridors.

In response to input, the plan now identifies areas to evaluate shared use connections to better link Claremont with Pacific Beach and Mission Bay.

To support biking as a sustainable, healthy and affordable travel mode, the draft plan expands low stress bikeways that separate riders from traffic and connect to key destinations.

It also recommends traffic calming, bike signals, and painted conflict zones to enhance safety and comfort.

The draft plan aims to improve transit by building on regional investments.

Based on community feedback, it adds details on coordination with Sandag and MTS and explores options like a potential light rail station at Jutland Drive and Moranda Boulevard.

These investments, coupled with supporting multimodal infrastructure, expand transportation options and connectivity, strengthening Claremont's mobility vision.

Moving to recreation.

The updated community plan addresses resident needs with new planned parks and recreation facilities.

The new parks range from traditional neighborhood parks to trailhead pocket parks, improving access to open spaces and trails.

To meet parks master plan standards at full build out, the plan proposes approximately one additional aquatic complex and three additional recreation centers.

Next is open space.

The draft plan prioritizes sustainable development, climate resiliency, and GHG reduction while supporting smart growth.

It significantly contributes to the city's conservation goals by adding 78 acres of open space to the MHPA preserve.

It also identifies approximately 231 acres of privately designated open space to preserve Claremont's Finger Canyon Land system.

We are also planning for additional public facilities to serve the community.

City departments and partner agencies provide essential public facilities, including police and fire rescue services.

The plan addresses community growth by coordinating with the fire rescue department and the San Diego Unified School District on the need for new fire stations and schools, including staffing and operations based on future development.

Next is historic preservation.

The historic preservation element of the draft plan provides a summary of the prehistory and history of the community and establishes policies to support the identification and preservation of its historical, archaeological, and tribal cultural resources.

Moving to noise.

The noise element of the draft community plan identifies sources of noise in Claremont and includes policies related to noise attenuation measures and reducing noise generation.

Next is implementation.

Methods of implementation include the rezone map, which applies community-wide, the community enhancement overlay zone, and the Claremont Height Limit Overlay Zone.

The draft rezone map, if adopted, would comprehensively rezone the Claremont Community Planning Area.

The rezone map would align citywide base zones with the community plan land use designations.

The Claremont Community Plan Update will apply the new community enhancement overlay zone to village areas.

This new overlay zone adds supplemental regulations to ensure new mixed-use development, provides community enhancements like pedestrian access, public spaces, and improved connectivity.

More details on this overlay will be provided as part of the next item.

To realize the plan's vision, specific community requirements supplement the public space requirements, and these requirements include larger sidewalks and connections along Claremont Drive, Balboa Arms Drive, Mount Allophone Drive, Ingulf Street, and along Techlode Creek.

The provision of these public spaces count toward the overall development requirement.

Moving now to the recent timeline, the Claremont Community Planning Group sent a letter with recommendations on the second draft plan on October 9th.

City Planning Department has addressed the planning group letter and incorporated many of their recommendations while still meeting the city's goals around climate action and affirmatively furthering fair housing.

The following boards have also provided a recommendation on the draft plan.

On September 25th, the Parks and Recreation Board did not vote on the parks element of the plan.

Also on September 25th, the Historic Resources Board voted to recommend approval of the plan on the consent agenda.

On October 1st, the Mobility Board recommended approval of the plan.

On October 16th, the planning commission voted unanimously to recommend that the council approve the plan with the recommendation that the height limits within the Bayview and Techalode Gateway villages be increased to 65 feet.

On November 21st, the land use and housing committee moved the item for consideration by the full city council with a motion to recommend staff provide a written analysis on the issues and suggestions contained in the letters submitted by the Building Industry Association on November 20th and the Claremount Town Council on November 17th, and that have that information provided to the city council prior to the plan update being heard today.

This has been addressed in the staff report to City Council.

City staff recommends that the city council approve the community plan update and the associated actions listed on this slide.

This concludes staff's presentation and we're available for questions.

Thank you.

All right, thank you very much for the presentation.

Uh city clerk, let's go to public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

We also have several speakers on this item, not as many as the other, but about 25.

So still be a minute per person, starting with Stephanie Benav um Benuto.

If you can please come forward to the microphone.

And if the following individuals can please come forward to the front row, the yellow reserve seats.

Martin Habel, Tyler Sowell, Guthrie Leonard, Leslie Morgan, Evan Strawn, Josephine Vaux, Manny Rodriguez, and Tanja Croft.

If you can all please come forward to the front row.

Please proceed.

Hi again.

Here on here on behalf of the San Diego Building Industry Association.

Also in support of this plan and want to thank the planning team and the community that works so hard to get here.

Our support is obviously based on the need to bring more housing online and particularly in a high resource area.

But we do want to highlight one concern that we do have with the plan that was addressed in the staffing report.

We appreciate that from planning, but want to bring it up again here for you.

We believe that the retention of single family density along significant transit corridors, Claremont and Claremont Mesa Boulevard in particular, is a missed opportunity and sets a concerning precedent for future communities that may want to push back against otherwise appropriate densities.

But that said, we would still value your support in favor of this plan and hope that you'll reconsider those transit corridors.

Thank you.

Thank you, Martin.

Good afternoon.

My name is Martin Hable, and I live in the Bay Park area.

I've been there for 25 years.

Reason we moved there, one of the big reasons was the views.

I attended a lot of the meetings over the years, and unfortunately, it looked like the planning commission disregarded a lot of the comments that people were giving at those meetings.

I believe it's already a foregone conclusion that you're going to approve the plan, which really uh sucks.

Um I don't know why.

Our uh voices weren't heard, and I really please do not increase the 30-foot.

If anything else, do not increase the 30 foot.

Please, please, I beg you.

After that is Tyler.

Hi, my name is Tyler Suke.

I'm a resident of Claremont.

Um here to speak in support of the plan update, especially as focused on the transit-oriented development.

As I said, I think it needs to go a little bit further, but in general support of the plan.

Um I live across the street from Marston Middle with three of my closest friends that live in a house together with a short-term rental ADU.

It's very scary.

I know.

Uh, it still takes four grown adults with professional degrees to be able to afford to live in Claremont.

Now, I have friends all over San Diego, married, engaged, trying to figure out whether they can have kids that can stay in this city.

A lot of them are leaving.

A lot of them say they don't have a hope for the future.

I just lost two more friends this week.

They're moving out of state.

Um we need housing options that are between studios and a million dollar homes.

Now, I'm 35 years old.

Last time we did this update was before I was born.

Next time will be after I'm retired, hopefully.

Uh, this isn't a five-year plan, it's a generations long framework.

So we need to think uh in the long term and think about what society we want to be.

One that protects what some have, or one that protects.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

Guthrie.

Uh hello, council president, council members.

Again, this is Guthrie with Ride SD, a nonprofit working for better public transportation in San Diego.

We also sent you a coalition support letter for this plan, and we're really encouraged by what we have here.

This puts housing near transit and micro-mobility facilities, also leverages underutilized land like parking lots.

Uh, we especially appreciate the bus lanes on Genesee Avenue as well as transit signal priority mentioned in the plan and traffic calming throughout the neighborhood.

We especially appreciate the bus lanes on Genesee Avenue as well as transit signal priority mentioned in the plan and traffic calming throughout the neighborhood.

Furthermore, adding park space that is accessible by bike facilities and walking is really helpful for children and other people who can't use cars to get to nature space.

Yeah, we're just really encouraged by this plan, and thank you to city staff for all the outreach and the work you guys put into these plans.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comment.

Wesley Morgan.

Good afternoon again.

Has anyone seen the federal financial aid estimate for Mesa College?

If you have, you saw that the total cost of attendance for Mesa College is higher than San Diego State.

And that's driving up one thing.

It's driven by housing.

And I know this firsthand.

My daughter attends Mesa College, and there are very few housing options available throughout Claremont or the neighboring communities.

It has fewer housing options today, despite strong transit access, proximity to education, and excellent infrastructure.

After watching the uptown community plan move forward, I've seen how openness to new neighbors has created vibrancy and opportunity for all.

Claremont has the same potential.

Its infrastructure consistently produces strong economic, educational, and environmental outcomes for those who live there.

And more San Diegans deserve access to those resources in the Claremont area.

I strongly support this plan.

It should be the foundation for other high resource communities in San Diego, like Ocean Beach, Point Loma, and Pacific Beach to follow.

Thank you very much.

Evan Strong.

Good afternoon again, Council President Lacava and Council members.

Again, I'm Evan Strawn speaking on behalf of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and we're encouraging you to support the Claremont Community Plan update.

Again, similar to the college area update.

Our member businesses, one of the greatest challenges facing them is attracting and retaining talent.

And housing costs are a huge element of that, of course.

This plan is a great framework for increasing density and providing more housing options in the Claremont neighborhood while also utilizing some of the capacity from the current plan that was never built out.

We like to see the increased focus on housing near transit near the blue line.

That's a corridor that's a perfect location, is located near several job centers.

So overall, we ask you to support the plan today and move forward thousands of new homes for San Diegans.

Thank you.

Josephine Vowe.

Hi, um, I just wanted to also put in my support for the Claremont Community Plan updates.

Um these plans allow for more housing near transit and underused commercial areas.

Um the new housing through taxes and fees will help pay for community infrastructure, such as the fire stations and parks as growth happens.

I saw in the plan of plans for infrastructure and community spaces and community safety.

Um I also wanted to point out that um before any developments are approved, they are reviewed by the San Diego County Fire Protection District.

So I have confidence in our fire department in being able to plan for our safety.

Um we're facing a housing crisis in San Diego, and I find arguments against these plan updates extremely harmful and short-sighted in the face of the ongoing and worsening affordability crisis.

This is a golden opportunity to safeguard housing for our collective future.

San Diego will continue to grow.

Any housing we choose to restrict is housing we deny to our neighbors.

Uh we cannot claim to care about them and then pass up the opportunity to build.

Manny Rodriguez.

After Manny is Tanja Croft, Jeffrey Schuter, um, AdN Chowhury, Ian Grooms, and Nicole Crosby, if you can all come up to the front row, as well as Glenn Schmidt.

Thank you.

Please proceed.

Good afternoon, Council members.

I would like to address the council president's uh requests during his earlier speech to not cite affordability and supporting these community plan updates.

I would like to uh you know acknowledge that yes, new builds are expensive, they are new.

However, when we don't build new housing, people have to compete for the existing housing stock, especially like this region, which has added many more jobs than it has built housing.

What is a result of that?

Higher income earners outbid everyone else.

Communities that used to be a working class are now full of, you know, young high income earners.

How do we avoid that?

Well, if we had built enough housing for those new housing that those high-income earners could have moved into, we wouldn't have many neighborhoods facing higher levels of displacement.

Um appreciate the comment, but I do want to make point that out as well.

So I respectfully request, and a YME Democrats of San Diego County respectfully request that you approve this plan update to make more homes so we can keep working people in San Diego.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Tanja Croft.

You have time ceded to you by Kelly Tremling.

Thank you.

Susan Richardson.

Thank you.

You'll have three minutes, please proceed.

Hi, my name is Tanya Croft.

I live in Claremont.

Um I'm opposed to the Claremont Community Plan update.

This plan is part of a broader pattern across San Diego, and the numbers don't align.

San Diego's population is projected to grow only about four to five percent through 2050, yet the city is planning for nearly 20 percent growth in housing units.

That same mismatch is being repeated across multiple community plan updates, including Claremont, where this plan allows roughly 20,000 additional units beyond current zoning.

These changes are not modest when viewed cumulatively.

Fire safety is not being addressed at a scale that matches the proposed growth.

The city's own documents acknowledge that fire rescue struggles to meet response time goals due to insufficient number of geographically distributed distributed resources.

Yet this plan adds significant residential capacity without committing to adequate new stations, staffing, or response time modeling.

Increasing density without guaranteeing emergency response is irresponsible.

Environmental framing is incomplete.

Removing height limits and promoting higher rise concrete development increases heat retention and urban heat island effects.

Claremont benefits from coastal breezes, yet the city provided no has provided no wind or microclimate analysis showing that increased height and continuous development will not reduce natural cooling.

This plan assumes that reducing traffic lanes and parking will significantly reduce car use, but that assumption is not grounded in reality.

Nationally, about one percent of trips are made by bicycle.

Even bike-friendly cities rarely exceed single-digit percentages.

In Atlanta, comparative to us in sprawl and density, only 3% commute using its 50-year-old transit system.

Finally, this plan repeats a familiar pattern expanding entitlements without guardrails.

We already saw this with ministerial ADU approvals.

Now developers can meet affordability requirements by building units off-site and later while profiting from high-end development locally.

This plan increases capacity without requiring affordability infrastructure or green space to be to be delivered locally, concurrently, and proportionally.

Thank you, Gil.

Freed.

Gail Freed.

Sorry, I didn't call you early.

It was paper clip to the other one.

Hi, again, Gil Freed, Chair Commission on the Status of Women, and also a resident and advocate of District 3.

I'm speaking on my own behalf today.

I'm a boomer for more housing, multimodal mobility options, and community connections.

Let's welcome more neighbors and build and create a more vibrant community in every part of San Diego.

Vote yes on the community plan update.

Thank you.

Jeffrey Huder.

You have time ceded to you by Dana Givitt.

I saw there you are.

David Motty, thank you.

And Yvonne Jones.

You'll have four minutes, please proceed.

Great.

Thank you, Council members.

So overall, I think this is a good plan.

We're in support of it.

One of the things that Claremont has that a lot of other communities doesn't have is wide big spaces that are available for redevelopment rather than trying to do it, you know, one 50-foot storefront at a time, and we'll interest in seeing where those evolve.

What I would like to talk about though is first of all, as we go through these communities, these community plan updates, we're encouraging the council to reconsider what to do with the complete communities housing solutions, density threshold, because wherever you intend to put density in a community plan update, complete communities encourages actually development to go somewhere else, and it's high time that we started to think about those unintended consequences and do something.

I've sent materials to all the council members.

Hopefully, we'll find time in the next coming weeks to talk through some of those bigger issues.

The other thing I'll I'll just bring up is the this is a right-sized plan.

We didn't try and put all of the city's RENA goal in one community planning area.

It's the right amount.

But at the same time, the city has this 70% goal for housing to be put in high, highest and moderate areas.

And uh the staff report makes note of that.

And the question is how are we really going to get there?

We just saw that that we're we put more housing in the college area, which actually no longer qualifies in the 2026 CTEC map because of the low low areas.

And one of the things that that's unfortunate is in the city of San Diego, moderate tends to be not yet low, not going up to high.

And that's just the reality of how we plan things.

And one of the reasons this is happening, and it has to do with we keep referencing this village climate propensity map.

And this village climate propensity map is almost a decade out of date at this point.

It was put together in the early days of doing the uh update to Blueprint San Diego.

At this point, it has population projections from 2016.

It has uh transit plans that are now two or three iterations old, and we are no longer anticipating the level of uh new transit that are projected in Sandy's plan.

And so it's time we really looked at that.

The other part of it is um the village climate propensity map ultimately is supposed to be about limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and what we've missed in this 10 years that we've been developing that as we pivot to electric cars, that's really how we're gonna get greenhouse gas reduction, not by getting somebody in Southeast San Diego to a job in Serrano Mesa by taking a bus through some security route that'll get them there.

And so it it's it's time we really sort of sort of updated our maps to make sure that they're reflecting the most valid, most up-to-date data that really is about addressing our climate goals and our climate action plan.

And then um the final thing I'll just say is um and it kind of relates to the same thing.

We see it over and over in the news planned.

This plan at least had a spent time on an economic prosperity uh plan.

We don't see that, and we didn't see that in the college area.