Good morning.

I will now call the City Council meeting of Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 to order.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn.

Here.

Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Von Wilpert.

Council President Pro Temli.

Councilmember Campillo.

Councilmember Moreno.

President.

Councilmember Elo Rivera.

And Council President Lacava.

Present.

Also attending the meeting, our city attorney Heather Ferber, Independent Budget Analyst, Charles Matica, Council Affairs Advisor and the Mayor's Office, Coda Zeiser, and myself, your city clerk, the NFUentes.

Thank you, Council President.

All right.

Thank you, City Clerk.

The quorum is now present.

We will begin this morning with the land acknowledgement and the pledge of allegiance led by Councilmember Moreno.

If I could ask everybody to please stand, please.

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

Despite enduring the horrors of genocide and colonization, the Kumia 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 in strength.

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

Please face the flag, put your hand over your heart and repeat after me.

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

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

With that, City Clerk, please go over how the public can offer their testimony.

Thank you, Council President.

I'll now highlight the slide on the screen that does review how the public can offer their public testimony during today's meeting.

Please note the time allocations for proclamations and consent items for meeting management purposes as one minute per item, three minutes max for three or more item for three or more items.

The order can be found on the agenda summary form 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 and place it in the clear box.

Council ambassadors are available near the entrance of chambers and can assist with questions and speaker slips.

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

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

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

City Clerk, please 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'd like to speak on three or more items, you will have a maximum of three minutes.

The proclamation items being approved are items 30, 31, and S508 through S511.

If I can have the following individuals, please come forward to the yellow reserve seats at the front.

Please proceed when ready.

Thank you very much, uh, Marty Emerald, former council member.

I'm here in honor of our uh retiring uh city clerk Liz Baylon, uh, who is uh quite literally the sunshine of San Diego, protecting our open meeting laws, uh protecting our process, making sure that the public has access to information and uh and has a seat at the table, quite literally.

Uh Liz has been an amazing public servant all of these years, and uh I just wanted to be here this morning to wish you well, and uh and and may you always have sunshine uh at your back and uh and uh all and and hopefully you'll uh you'll find uh great uh great satisfaction in what you do next.

Uh I'm so happy for you and your daughter uh up in Portland, my hometown.

Uh but uh quite literally uh we are at uh a crisis point in this country when it comes to open meetings and uh and uh here in San Diego.

We do need to my apologies your time and show leadership and concluding statement.

Thank you so much.

Next is George Biaghi.

George Biaghi, you have time seated to you by Jamie Bradford.

Jamie, if you can please raise your hand.

Thank you so much.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Thank you, uh City Clerk Fuentes.

I am George Biogi, a retired city employee of 26 years, who spent the last 13 years of my employment as the deputy director of legislative services, working for and alongside our incomparable city clerk, Elizabeth Malant.

To say that this was the most rewarding and satisfying job I've ever held would be a wild understatement.

Liz was the consummate public servant dedicated to public access and transparency, a fierce protector of taxpayer dollars, and the most nurturing and validating supervisor I've ever had the pleasure of working for.

And I worked for some really great supervisors here at the city of San Diego.

The thing that impressed me most about how Liz viewed our mission as public servants was the commitment she instilled in all of us on the staff to serve the public, our fellow city employees, and our elected officials and their staff members as thoroughly and completely as possible.

She urged us to always go the extra mile to make sure that everyone's interaction with our office and with the city was a positive one.

It actually made working for this department and for the city incredibly rewarding and fulfilling because who wouldn't want to be a part of a team whose mission it was to make people feel good about city government.

Honest, fair, wicked, smart, hardworking, compassionate, and empathic, Liz was a city clerk for the ages.

Thank you so very much for honoring her with this very fitting tribute to celebrate her retirement and her decades of service to the city and people of San Diego.

Congratulations, Liz, and thank you for everything you did for us.

Thank you.

It's Bob Kazuski.

Bob Kazuski, you'll be speaking on items 30, 31, and S508.

Which would you like to start with?

Uh 31.

Okay.

And I put together a video representing the uh the thanks that all the public speakers, the thousands of public speakers have to uh city clerk Liz.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Bob Kazuski.

Bob Kazuski, please come forward.

Item 109, which is adopting the 2010 update to San Diego County Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Item 124, which is adopting an amended conflict of interest code for the community and legislative services department.

Item 125, which is an adopting an amended conflict of interest code for the city attorney's office.

Item 127, which is adopting an amended conflict of interest code for the real estate assets department.

Item 130 would be the knowledge in the public comment now.

Thank you, City Council, for giving me an opportunity to speak.

You move assets from one column to the other.

100% funding, and immediately you declare a 401k for all employees.

The people want the services increased.

Congratulations, Tony, Council President.

And I'd like to welcome what is up and David Alvarez.

Bob Kuzeski.

Bob Kazuski is my name.

Um I've spoken here before about the Tory Pine Slider Port.

Today I want to share some of the photos from that beautiful glider court.

And uh these were taken on my four-hour and seven-minute flight uh last weekend.

My goodness, you're moving up, my brother.

Um, my name is David Ross.

And I uh I'm an advocate unofficially and have been for ten or twelve years for the displaced people on the streets of America's finest city.

Good morning, Phil Hart from Mission Valley.

Mr.

Jarvis Ross.

There's also a lack of oversight regarding staff who's paid to act as overseers on projects.

Hi, City Council, welcome.

I'm John Kitchen.

Good afternoon, Robert Matt in America District 2.

So you guys can make some money.

And item 135, which is a residential project block 2 S1 for N and A underground.

I have to end it there, so you can speak on your other items.

I'm done.

Thank you.

Oh thank you.

Next is Becky on item S509.

And then after that is Jude and Lily.

Okay.

I'll put two minutes on the clock, and you guys can manage your time since you're going to go back to back.

Thank you.

Please proceed.

Um, members of the city council.

Thank you for recognizing the San Carlos Farmers Market and our neighborhood.

The idea for the market started on a walk with our dog Bronny B.

We passed an open area and thought it would be a great place for neighbors to come together.

That walk inspired the idea for a market where people could connect, shop local, and feel a sense of belonging.

We have helped with the market from the beginning.

Our mom, along with many friends and neighbors, and even her dad worked together to make it happen.

What we love most is seeing people smile and meet neighbors from all different backgrounds, ages, and cultures.

Many can even walk to the market from their homes, which makes it feel truly local.

Kids get to play, families spend time together, and local vendors feel supported.

Thank you to the city of San Diego and everyone who helped turn a simple idea that started on a walk with our dog into something special for our diverse and welcoming community.

We are proud to be a part of Barney B San Carlos Farmers Market.

Thank you for those concluding comments.

I've set the five-minute timer on the clock going to those participating remotely.

Blair Beekman, you're currently our only speaker.

Please proceed.

Hi, uh Blair Beekman.

Uh I heard so much nice public comment about uh.

I'm sorry, can I get which item or items you wish to speak to?

Very sorry, item 31.

Okay.

Please proceed.

Yeah, sorry about that.

Uh Blair Beekman.

Uh, I heard so much good comment on uh city clerk uh public comment previously.

I had to chime in.

Umgratulations on uh what seems like a really well-liked uh city clerk.

Uh she's had a versatile career, it sounds like thank you for her service.

I'm always interested to figure out how the city clerk can be more talked about regularly and openly and all the good work they gave.

Uh we always how we can be doing that.

Uh always nice to be considering.

So uh thanks for this uh proclamation today, and good luck to the meeting today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That concludes public comment on the proclamations.

All right, thank you, City Clerk, and thank you for everybody that spoke.

I'm gonna take the liberty of kind of kicking the conversation off.

Uh thank you to my colleagues and congratulations to all the organizations that have been recognized uh in today's proclamations.

Uh I'm gonna speak to three of those.

Um, and my colleagues will notice that the clock has not been started because I'm gonna go way long.

Uh because we have a lot of love here in the audience.

We have a lot of special guests.

Thank you, Councilmember Emerald, uh, for gracing us with with your uh attendance here today.

So let me start out with item 31, Elizabeth Malin Day.

Uh there was already eloquent comments spoken, but I'll let me add a few.

Thank you, Liz, for all the work that you've done to make the city more accessible to not only the council, but more importantly to the public.

Being a key player in how the city records, rec organizes, and distributes thousands of documents on a daily basis.

Liz became instrumental in that role after becoming the first female city clerk in the city of San Diego in 2005.

She was transformative during her tenure.

Founding the Passport Acceptance Facility, the Archives Access and Preservation Program, she made accessibility a top priority to all.

This resulted in her well-deserved recognition from multiple organizations and leaders for her contributions to the city of San Diego.

After retiring in 2023, Miss Malin's impact to the office of the city clerk continues to endure throughout the systems that she improved.

Liz, thank you for your service.

And just to embarrass you, I have a very strong memory of council participating remotely during COVID.

It was a very, very long session.

We were going out hour after hour after hour, and this tiny voice spoke up saying, Can I please go to the bathroom?

We sometimes take for granted how long it takes or how dedicated city clerks are in those very, very long meetings.

Uh but with that, I am pleased to uh turn the mic over to City Clerk Fuentes first for a few brief comments.

I appreciate the time, Council President.

Today I have the honor to thank someone publicly whose impact cannot be measured in years alone, but in people, opportunity, and legacy.

For 32 years of service to the city, our former city clerk Elizabeth Liz Malin showed up every single day with grace, dedication, and an unwavering belief in the power of public service.

She didn't just do a job, she created a culture, a culture where members of the public felt invited into council chambers, informed, respected, and empowered to participate in their government.

And now, Liz, in the spirit of the many poems you gave, the verses you wrote to uplift and honor, to mark every milestone, each farewell, each start, to remind us our work matters, and so does the heart.

I'm not supposed to cry yet.

This one is for you.

Not as great as yours, but I tried.

Helped us all understand that service is sacred, that details still matter, that kindness and accuracy rise higher together.

You guarded our history, preserved every page, so the past could still speak to each new age.

Through archives protected, expanded and renewed, state award recognized for the access you pursued.

You brought passports to the people, a service long needed, award-winning, visionary, thoughtfully seated.

Not just programs or projects, but pathways and care, a reflection of how deeply you notice who was there.

You welcome the public, you welcome the staff, you balance precision with heart and even a laugh.

You showed us that leadership isn't about title or name, but lifting up others and strengthening the whole game.

And for me, oh for me, you did something profound.

You saw potential before I fully looked around.

You gave me a dream and the courage to believe that I too could serve and help others achieve.

You showed me what's possible when trust leads the way, when service and purpose to fine every day.

Because you believed I learned to believe too, and because of you, I try to lead true.

So today we say thank you with words not enough for 32 years of showing up, even when things got tough.

Your legacy lives on in systems and people in care in every voice welcomed and every seat made fair.

Liz, this poem, this moment, this gratitude so deep is one small return for the countless you keep the city, this office, San Diego's heart is better because of the role you played from the start.

Thank you, Liz, for all you did for the office and for the city, and thank you, Council President, for the time.

All right, thank you.

And now I invite Leah to come up and say a few words.

Wow.

I'm I'm overwhelmed, and I'm gonna keep it brief because I remember these mornings in Council Chambers, and I actually I really did not expect to speak, but thank you.

First, thank you to all of you.

Thank you so much for the love and support.

Thank you, Deanna.

Thank you so much.

Since I didn't prepare words, uh I'll use someone else's.

There's a quote by Maya Angelou, I think, that goes something like things that happen to you can change you, but I refuse to let them reduce me.

So the bottom line is I just appreciate all the love and support.

It's been a tough three years, but now I am so joyful and I'm so appreciative, and I'm so appreciative to all the people that have come out today.

Oh my gosh.

It just I'm very grateful.

Thank you!

Again, thank you, Liz, for all those years of service and how you led the city.

Item S508, Phyllis Minick Day.

Thank you, fellas, for your dedicated service to the community of La Jolla and its coastal beaches for over 25 years, excuse me, 24 years, giving a significant portion of your time to La Jolla Parks and Beaches.

Increasing accessibility to that area.

Miss Minnick's fondness of the Children's Pool Beach not only beautified the coastal beach, but made it more accessible to all visitors.

Aside from our public service to La Jolla, Miss Minnich also pushed boundaries for female scuba divers, becoming one of the first certified female divers in San Diego in 1996.

Congratulations, Phyllis, and your retirement, and thank you for your service to the city and to La Jolla.

So now I introduce Miss Merriweather and Miss Mennick to say a few words.

To just be part of this community is honor enough, but to be associated with people of your um volunteer efforts and great uh opportunity to serve the community.

We all deserve to ask you to keep on doing that and to continue serving us in the fine way you have for years.

I would just like to give you a little bit of information about myself.

Um community volunteering captured my attention when I wanted to scuba dive at La Jolla's Children's Pool.

Three years passed before I found a YMCA class that would certify me.

But I was determined, and I passed that class in February 1966.

Soon I was invited to do weekly research dives for Caltech professor, Dr.

Wheeler North.

On that day, the training led me to seek a shallow dive at children's pool, where ocean plants were plentiful, and friendly fish were abundant.

That was not to happen because a woman who was laying a line of kelp over the sand screamed insults and threats at me, saying I couldn't cross that line.

That was the first experience of many calling themselves protectors of seals at children's pool.

The pool has now been closed to human entry for five months a year, and threatened there's a threat to close it permanently.

All fish have been eaten or left our shore.

Tide pools no longer exist.

The seawater is dangerously contaminated.

The SEAL Society has taken over much of San Diego Park's input and decision making.

As a longtime member of La Jolla Parks and Beaches, I began a project to widen the sidewalk, running the lifeguard tower.

That happened over a period of many years.

But the city council, you folks at the time, or your counterparts, took over, provided the $750,000 cost of replacing the uh sidewalk.

Two years ago, I wrote a grant proposal to the California Coastal Commission asking for $3 million to repair the badly damaged seawall now near 100 years old.

I had in hand 160 50 page engineering report outlining the necessary repairs.

The City of San Diego and the state of California originally agreed to maintain that property donated by Ellen Browning Scripts in perpetuity.

I received preliminary interest from the funding organization and requested a phone call.

They didn't fact call, but we're told by the city city's agent that money was insufficient.

So that effort ended abruptly.

I now expect to provide a new proposal to another national organization and from another group local group.

The cost will be six million dollars.

Thank you for your support and agreement to hear me today.

I'm very grateful.

This is the most wonderful city in the entire world, and I have visited many of them.

So thank you for all you do for us and for me.

Thank you.

And my last item, Gary Pence Day.

Congratulations, Gary, on your well-deserved retirement after being with the city's transportation department for an impressive 36 years.

Rising quickly within the department, Mr.

Pence mastered his technical knowledge and leadership abilities to the traffic operations division in the city.

And through Gary's contributions to safety and public service span farther than just the streets of San Diego.

He has also earned recognition from multiple San Diego leaders ranging from local to federal offices and received multiple departmental awards, whether supporting major projects and community groups, and I can remember lots of conversations in La Jolla to leading a crucial city division.

The work Gary has put in has impacted many and for the better.

Thank you for your work in leaving the San Diego in a better place than you found it.

Happy retirement, Gary, and I offer you a few minutes to talk as well.

And Maggie, too.

Go ahead.

Good morning, City Council members.

My name is Mag McCormick, Interim Assistant Director of the City's Transportation Department.

The Transportation Department is proud to honor the retirement of our longtime employee, Gary Pence, with the proclamation of Gary Pence Day on January 16, 2026.

Gary Pence has worked for the City of San Diego's transportation department for over 36 years, providing critical traffic engineering services and improving traffic safety throughout the entire city of San Diego.

Gary started his career with the city in 1989 as a junior engineer, where he gained experience in a variety of traffic engineering roles, including traffic operations, traffic signal design, and field engineering.

He was promoted to the role of senior traffic engineer over 17 years ago, where he has responded to thousands of requests for traffic control measures and helped deliver on critical traffic safety improvements.

Across more than three decades, Gary's provided continuity through changing policies, leadership, and technologies, ensuring the city's traffic engineering decisions remained grounded in experience, safety, and sound judgment.

For thousands of residents, Gary was the person who answered the phone, listened to concerns, and helped translate community needs into practical engineering solutions.

We are grateful for Gary's leadership of the traffic engineering team over the past few decades.

And although he will be sorely missed by all who he has worked with, his mentorship of our team has helped ensure the transportation department will continue to provide excellent traffic engineering service for all San Diegans.

By mentoring the next generations of engineers, Gary ensured that his commitment to safety, fairness, and technical excellence will continue well into the future.

We will miss you, Gary, and we're so grateful for your exceptional service to the city of San Diego and the commitment to our department.

Congratulations on a well-earned retirement.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Maggie.

I just want to say that I feel very honored and uh proud to be up here in front of you all, recognizing my career.

Um being a public servant for 35 years, 36 years has uh been a very fulfilling experience for me.

And um it's been uh challenging and uh and stressful at times, but um over the over the course of my career, I've been able to work with people across the entire organization.

I've developed um through all departments.

I've developed great connections and great friendships.

Some of those friendships will be lifetime friendships, and um I'm really gonna miss it.

Working for the city of San Diego has been a fantastic experience for me.

And uh, but for today I just want to um uh give my uh sincere thank you to all of you for um going out of your way to uh recognize me and appreciate the work that I've done in my career.

And um, so thank you all.

Um before I finish, though, I have some people here that are in support of me that I wanted to introduce and thank them as well.

First, I have my uh traffic operations team, my loyal traffic operations team back there.

Can you guys stand up just for a second?

These are the folks that uh these are the these are the folks that take the um the calls from from the citizens, and they go through about 2500 of those per year, and they evaluate each and every one of those requests, and they're the people that uh that put the stuff on the streets, put the traffic control improvements on the streets.

So they're hardworking, very loyal, and I'm very thankful for them.

So thank you guys.

And I also have my um beautiful family here.

I have my wife.

Can you guys stand up back there?

I have my beautiful wife, Stacia, and she's been with me throughout my just about my whole entire career, and she's been very supportive, and I love her.

And that's my son Anthony next to her, and uh, he's uh he's the best son I've ever had.

He's my only son.

And my daughter is um, she's her flight was delayed, and so she's supposed to be here.

Her main her name's Amanda, and so she may come running in at the last minute with a suitcase, but if not, uh I wanted to thank her and acknowledge her as well.

So thank you all.

Thank you, Gary.

I remember very many conversations back in the day.

Uh and I want to thank my colleagues for indulging me in these three particular proclamations, and with that, I will move the proclamations and turn it next to Councilmember Elo Rivera.

All right, thank you, Council President.

I'll uh begin by seconding your motion.

Um appreciate uh all the proclamations that are in front of us today.

Um I'm not sure if Liz is rejoining us, so I will hold off on comments about her because I want to make sure we can embarrass her as much as possible.

Um but I I did also want to make some comments about um Martin Luther King Jr.

Day in the city of San Diego.

Um feels incredibly important every year to to honor uh Dr.

King's legacy and this year, especially important.

Uh Dr.

King's been turned into a quote machine for people who would have condemned him uh in real time and attempt to teach us a version of Dr.

King that was polite, comfortable, and um not and someone who wanted harmony without disruption, unity without justice, um, and that is a lie.

Dr.

King in real time was deeply unpopular.

He was surveilled by the federal government, it was attacked by the press, denounced by political leaders, and rejected by so-called moderates who told him to slow down, be patient, and stop making people uncomfortable.

And he refused to do that, and everyone is better off because of that.

Particularly important in in this moment to me is the way that he spoke to us about the danger of valuing order over justice and the temptation of what I he referred to as a negative piece, the absence of tension instead of real peace that is rooted in fairness and freedom.

He rejected the lie that democracy can survive on autopilot.

He understood that there are moments when neutrality and silence become complicity and consent, and when patience becomes surrender.

So if we honor Dr.

King today, it cannot be with sanitized quotes and selective memory.

It should be by telling the truth, even when it costs us something, by naming injustice, even when it's in unpopular, and challenging power, even if there's risk in that.

One last thing on uh recognizing Dr.

King today, we can't take days like this for granted.

We've watched the federal regime attempt to erase and distort history of the civil rights movement in particular, to ban books, to sanitize curricula, criminalize honest teaching about racism, and recast struggles for freedom as sources of division rather than uh uh progress.

That erasure is not about just the past, it's about demonstrating power in the present.

And authoritarian movements understand that when people forget how rights were won, it is easier to convince people that it's not worth trying in the present.

If you can strict strip the struggle from the story, you can strip meaning from sacrifice and discourage folks from taking action in the present.

So uh I'm glad we're recognizing Dr.

King today and sincerely hope that we do so in such a way that doesn't just do so in a sanitized way, but actually calls upon us to think about the actions that we need to take to honor that legacy.

Um with that, I will turn back to Liz.

Hi, Liz.

Um thank you so much for coming back and allowing us to recognize you.

Um it was a true pleasure not just to be able to serve on the dais uh in the virtual dais uh when you were the clerk, but also to be one of those members of the public um who, as a um uh a young and um progressing advocate um and someone who brought uh young people into these chambers and uh community members who'd had their voices silenced in other places to have someone on that side of the dais who was welcoming and kind and uh and fair to everyone is was incredibly meaningful to me then uh and it it it it's it's been mentioned, but I I want you to make sure you you know um that creating that sort of space is so important to democracy, it's so important to creating a feeling where there is trust amongst the people that they can actually have their voice heard.

And I also want to speak to the legacy you left because I got to sit with that on a daily basis um when you when you depart of the city, and I I'm sure you are very proud of the team you left behind, but it is worth knowing uh noting that um, and then I think it's an one of the absolute best signs, if I may have my additional time, Council President.

Umsteps.

And you left things despite leaving um without as much time as I'm sure you would have liked, it was still incredibly smooth, all things considered.

And that is such a testament to the way that you led and the team that you built.

Um Diana has done an incredible job of following your footsteps.

Uh I I know that she takes the legacy you left and the the example you set extremely seriously, and she holds herself to a very, very high standard as a result of that.

Um, George, I think I came out of retirement, I don't know, like five times to help make sure that things stayed afloat.

And that's because one, he's a good person, but also because he was so committed to the project that you built.

And um I I just can't say enough about um the work that you did here, but also um the work that's being done here because of the way you led.

So thank you, Liz.

Um, also um your constituent, so I have to be extra nice.

Um all can decide.

Thank you so much for everything you did here.

Thank you for the legacy you left, and um, I very much appreciate you.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

So, with that, we have a motion by myself and the second by Councilmember Ela Rivera to approve the proclamations.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you, Council President.

I wish to speak on item 31 as well as S511.

First of all, the wonderful Liz Malin.

It is so good to have you back in chambers.

We miss you.

Uh Liz and I worked very closely together during COVID.

I was president of the council at the time, and boy, we kept things going, didn't we?

So I really appreciate and appreciate uh the other council members at the time who went through that.

It was it was difficult, but we managed.

So I just want to say you are an incredible person.

You were an incredible city employee of our former clerk, Elizabeth Malin.

Liz began her career with the city as an intern.

She worked very well through various departments, and finally in 2005, was appointed city clerk.

As the city clerk, she promoted transparency and historical preservation through her work, as you have as you have heard.

She had a lot to do with digitizing the way things go and getting things up online so that people have more access to information about the city.

She served our council and our city and its residents with such dedication and pride of our city.

I am so proud to call Liz my friend.

Liz, there are not enough words to thank you for your 32 years of service to the city of San Diego, or to thank you for being a friend.

Congratulations on your retirement.

God knows you deserve it.

And now I'd like to speak about Martin Luther King Day.

I don't have written comments.

But as many of you know, I am elderly.

I was a young woman at the time of the civil rights movement.

Actually, I started in it when I was in grade school.

I worked hard and did many activities to promote civil rights.

And I must say that it was a joyful, wonderful time.

It was a time when everyone worked together who believed in the rights of all human beings.

And it was a time that we had great love in the air in this country.

We were united, despite some of the things that historically have been brought forward about the horrible challenges that the civil rights movement went through, including Dr.

King himself personally.

But I can tell you that one of the very highlights of my life, besides all the events, all the activities, all the marches, was the March on Washington, August 28th, 1963, and God bless them, they put me and my sister right in front.

It was my sister's birthday.

And I can tell you every kind of person was there, every single kind.

It was the allies, the allies of many colors.

It was the nation, it was the diversity of America.

Standing up and saying, we're not gonna take this.

We are all equal.

We all deserve equal rights under the law.

And thank God for that.

We have to do it again today.

Unfortunately, you can never stop worrying about fascism.

You have to constantly fight it.

So let us remember Dr.

King teaching us peaceful protest and how well that works.

Let us remember we shall overcome.

Let us remember we are a peaceful, loving people.

Let us remember we are united as one democracy.

And I thank Dr.

King for that.

He's my hero.

Thank you for honoring him.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Campbell.

Uh, next up is Councilmember Von Wolpert.

Uh, thank you to my colleagues for the wonderful proclamations as always.

And to Liz Malin for being here in person today.

You know, I've come to really value the moments that we do proclamations because it feels that moments, especially in our government right now, can feel so tense and scary that celebration itself feels like an active resistance.

And feels like an active community.

And so I'm very excited about being here today.

And um thank you to former Councilmember Emerald, Marty Emerald for being here and your leadership.

Liz we also had George Biogre here and Mike Zouquette and George Schaefer and Lance Whitmott, who has been a chief of staff in the city for a very long time as well.

Many leaders came out today to respect and sing your praises because we appreciate all that you've done.

You know, I heard uh a quote that I really liked the other day.

Um actually I was at a Zach Brown band concert, and he said, instead of erring on the side of caution, why don't we start airing on the side of kindness?

And Liz, that encapsulates you.

Uh you always did.

Um you were always welcoming and wonderful and kind and you made moments in city government that can be hard, feel uh important and feel open and welcome.

So I just I'm so thrilled to see you here.

Uh you are just a hero to so many of us.

Um, and many people might not know.

She actually started as an intern in the police department.

Um, and became the very first uh female clerk for the city, and then uh led us into an incredible era of preserving our history, gaining greater access to the public, and I'm just very proud that you're here.

So thank you, Liz again, for your work.

And and Gary Penns thank you as well for all the incredible work you've done, and to the entire traffic division.

Uh and in Bethany Bizak, your leadership has been fantastic, and we're very happy that you were here too.

But thank you so much.

Uh, it's incredible.

Well, some of the most requests we get from our citizens are about uh the traffic division and roads, and so we appreciate you all very much for your service to the public.

Um and I want to thank uh council president or was the council president at the time, um, Shawnee La Rivera for your words as well, um, and Dr.

Campbell about uh Martin Luther King.

Um, because not only was he an incredible leader, uh, you're right, he was not respected at the time by uh by politicians, by our federal government, by other other people who are claimed to have the moral mantle of being righteous.

And he was told to wait all the time.

And uh I want to thank you for highlighting that.

That we need to remember that because our federal government is slowly sliding back into that, maybe quickly sliding back into demonizing uh people who do want to bring change and uh freedom of speech in our country.

So I am very proud to be celebrating Dr.

Martin Luther King Day, and um it's something we can no longer take for granted that we are able to celebrate our diversity in this country, and so uh really honored that Dr.

King's legacy has been celebrated in the city of San Diego uh for for many, many years and generations, and I'm excited to participate in all of the festivities to recognize the beloved community that he wanted to start in our nation, and we have to recommit to his values of equality and justice uh more than ever.

Um and finally, I also want to recognize Captain Vernon Peterson for his incredible service to the San Diego Police Department, more than 26 years of dedicated service, uh answering 911 calls, uh answering calls for help in the middle of the night and the weekends.

Uh unfortunately, the 911 phone never stops ringing, as we know.

Uh throughout his career, he has earned the respect of colleagues and community members alike for his professionalism, fairness, and commitment to building trust, for his leadership, which strengthened relationships between law enforcement and the communities that they serve, having a lasting and meaningful impact.

Beyond his professional duties, Captain Peterson demonstrated a deep commitment to community engagement, including 14 years of participation in the Susan G.

Coman walk supporting breast cancer survivors and their families.

He also provided dedicated leadership within the Black Police Officers Association and other organizations that promote mentorship, representation, and equity in law enforcement.

Raised by his grandmother in Baltimore, Captain Peterson's life has been guided by strong values and faith, dedication to uplifting others, qualities that he's reflected throughout his career.

As he enters retirement, we want to thank Captain Peterson for his extraordinary service, and I'm very proud to present this proclamation uh declaring January 2nd, 2026 as Captain Peterson Day in the city of San Diego.

And Captain, I'd invite you to come up if you'd like to speak.

Well, as you see with this facial hair, I'm already a retirement move.

You know, I'm truly honored and grateful to the city council uh for this proclamation.

You know, you mentioned my grandmother, and I just have to think back on uh where I came from and where I am today, and that knowing if my grandmother was alive today.

This would be a really proud moment for her.

Sorry.

God is good.

God is good.

You know what I'm gonna read this serving as the police captain of the Southeastern Division has always been about responsibility, commitment, and was doing what's right for the community that I served and the officers I had the privilege to lead.

I never sought out any type of recognition or any type of reward when taking this role as the police captain.

My focus has always been on service, integrity, and making a positive difference.

This acknowledgement is deeply appreciated, and I share with the dedicated men and women of my department and the community I proudly served.

And lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't thank my wife of 33 years sitting back there with my sons.

Thank you for being by my side for these 33 years and more.

Love you, appreciate you, and we got a lot more to do.

Thank you all.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Valmulbert.

We'll go next to Councilmember Foster.

Uh yes, thank you, um, Council President.

Um and just first and foremost, congratulations to all of the um individuals that are being recognized today.

I'm gonna try to keep my comments um brief as I work my way through here.

Um I'd like to provide some comments starting with item 30.

Um my staff gave me um some comments, but um I just really want to thank you for your years of service.

35 years.

Um, that's that's impressive.

And to um spend your time in transportation when it was said, those are the phone calls we get, those are the phone calls we get on just how important those streets are.

So um thank you for your service, your dedication um in um your work in making the city the um best city that it can be.

Um so thank you to you um and your team over the years, um, and thank you to your family for sharing you with the city over a 35-year span.

Um with that, I will move on.

Um like to thank Council President Um along with Councilmember Jennifer Campbell and Councilmember Sean Elo Rivera for bringing the proclamation to recognize our former city clerk, uh Liz.

Um just congratulations again, 30 years.

Um I don't know if the public really understands just how significant your role is into the business that we do here on this dais.

Um we could not do um what we do without the city clerk, and I must say um as you made your exit and um we received our madam uh clerk that we work with on a daily basis.

Um you can see your impact.

You can see how she's carrying your dedication and continuing to enhance, continuing to improve, continue to bring access, um, especially with our archives and our history.

For me, history is very important.

We don't understand our history, we'll continue to make the same mistakes that we that we find ourselves making.

Um, George, always good to see you.

As always, you are severe that you are missed as well.

Um so um again, congratulations um Liz for everything that you have done and and I'm sure we'll continue to do.

Item S510.

This one is personal to me.

I'd like to really just say thank you to Captain Vernon Peterson.

I first met you when you were in gangs.

And we were having our issues with no shots fired.

And I'll never forget the time we sat down and you looked at this program and said, man, I want to see this program work.

And with your help, we were able to make a significant change when it comes to violence in our community.

And I want to thank you for having that open mind, that willingness to bring change, and to what I say truly work with community.

And I must say I truly appreciate once you were given the command.

And when you said that you were going to be community-oriented, you did just that.

And I want to thank you for that.

Seeing that in District 4, for those of us that live in that community, that were born and raised in that community.

That's something that we need to continue to see, and we need to see continue to grow.

And so I want to thank you for coming in with that commitment.

Because certain things would not have happened if you were not there to stand up to shore up certain things and to say, hey, I want to see this be successful.

And that takes courage and that takes integrity.

And I thank you for that.

Moving on to item S511.

And also would like to thank Mayor Todd Gloria again and my colleagues for joining me in honoring Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

This marks the 55th anniversary of the first time the city of San Diego recognized Dr.

King with an official proclamation, a reminder of our city's long commitment to the values he stood for.

This year we also honor what would have been Dr.

King's 97th birthday on January 15th.

And I continue to commit to his call for justice, dignity, nonviolence, and service to one another.

Across San Diego communities, we will come together through celebrations, active service, and moments of reflection that keep Dr.

King's vision alive.

Right here in District 4, we are proud to continue that tradition with the annual Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

parade and the community celebration on January 24th at MOK Park, bringing neighbors together in the spirit of unity and shared purpose.

Today's proclamation honors Dr.

King's legacy and reminds us that the work he began continues for all of us.

As we continue to face the challenges of our current times and the presiding president of the United States of America, no more than ever, we must remember the words of Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

while he drafted a letter in a Birmingham in a Birmingham jail.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Simply put, justice is a birthright of every human being.

And that's something that I walk every day as I sit in this seat and do the work that I do.

With that, I am proud to say that we have a brother from Dr.

Martin Luther King's fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated here.

We have Brother Johnny Wellborn, and we also have Ms.

Tanisha Jean Martin.

If you would uh be willing to come to the mic to say a few words on Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Hey, good morning, City Council, good morning, everyone.

I'm humbly uh honored to be here this morning and uh represent my fraternity and uh Dr.

Martin Luther King and receiving this proclamation.

This is a big honor for us, not only because of the work that we've done here in the community to continue to honor Dr.

Martin Luther King's legacy, but it's also a huge honor because we know that there's still work to be done.

We know that there's still a goal to reach and there's still a mountain to be climbed.

So with the help of everyone here, we would like to uh invite everyone out to all of the MLK celebrations this weekend.

I would like to highlight the one January 24th, Southeast San Diego.

Uh come out, support, celebrate, bring your friends, bring your families, and then also Sunday, January 18th.

There'll be a 5K Harmony Health Festival, NMOK Parade, downtown San Diego.

So thank you all again, and once again I'm honored.

Thank you, Council Henry L.

Foster III.

Thank you so much for your time.

President uh Joe Locava, thank you so much, as well as everyone else.

My name is Tanisha Jean Martin.

I am a climate environmental justice consultant in our communities all over San Diego, and particularly southeastern San Diego.

Um, born and raised there.

Um, like someone's last name is Martin.

So when I was younger, I thought Martin Luther King Jr.

must be related to me because Martin was in it until I got older realized wait, it's King, not Martin.

And it came into play, right?

But from a young age, it already stuck to me that this was somebody great.

I was hoping and saw myself to be related to him in some type of way.

And now as we look into it, I know that there is.

I spent time at Martin Luther King Park many days of my life, like I said, being raised in Southeastern San Diego and Skyline in particular, Meadowbrook Apartments.

It's a space where we could go to actually find ourselves, whether it was with sports, with the community, to social gatherings, um, and so I appreciate the day.

Then we'll just recognize them for what he you know has already brought to us and liberations out in that.

And I also want to recognize that the values that he held, I feel like are in our city today and how full circles come for me.

So we have our Martin Luther King parade coming up, right, on the 24th.

Number one, please know you're all invited.

I'm the courning director for it this year.

Um, I've been working with it since its inception, and I want to thank you so much just for those that will be coming.

And if you have it on your calendars, thank you.

If you don't, please put it on there.

Um, we'd love to have you be there and be our guests.

Um and also to know that we're having meetings and in the sense that we're trying to make sure that it's a very successful parade, as much as we can be.

And obviously, with this is the community putting it together, our budget's not as high as we'd like it to be.

Um, so we'll just know please on the radar as we want to move forward to having sure that it's not only efficient, right, so that we're celebrating it, but actually doing it in a successful, thriving way.

Um, and then also to say that how recognizing those values allows me to be even more in the space.

So we have our climate action plan, climate implementation plan, all these things were on our climate change, right?

And we have a climate advisory board that I get to be the chair of.

And so I'm so appreciative of just the full space of having a voice of somebody who's Afro-Latina.

But the fact that I know when you look at me, you see somebody black, and the fact that I get to be in a space where I get to give a voice that gets to live out to everybody else, and hopefully they know that we want their voices heard too, especially from a red line community that in the beginning wasn't able to do any of that.

So please know that you are appreciated to allow us to be in the space, and particularly myself.

I thank you.

Um, and just to throw out two, there's flyers that we have in the back for anybody here.

Please know I'm talking to them, but this is to the community.

Please come.

We'd love to have you there.

Not if to be participants in it, to watch it, and then to follow into the festival that follows it because there's so much of our community that are also giving out in their booths to let you know that we're present, we're here, and we want your presence as well.

I thank you so much again for the time.

I don't want to go too much further on it, but um, you're more than welcome to reach out to me.

I brought flyers just so you have it on your calendars.

Um, and that for you and one for your staff.

So just keep on in your folder.

After February, I know it's over, throw it away.

Recycle it, not throw it away.

Um, but we appreciate you so much, and thank you again for the time.

Council President, that concludes my comments.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Foster.

We'll go next to Councilmember Moreno.

Thank you, and uh congratulations to all the pro uh proclamation recipients.

Um, I do have comments on item 30, 31 and S511.

Um, item 30 declares January 16th, 2026 to be Gary Penn State in the city of San Diego.

Um, as was stated, Mr.

Pence uh has been in the city for 36 years.

I've had the privilege of working with Mr.

Pence as both a community representative and also as a council member.

Um Mr.

Pence has always been a problem solver.

I think it was mentioned by uh the council president that um he spoke La Jolla, but he also spoke Otai May Sinester and San Isidro.

He served um with respect and urgency to all of our community members, just in my district alone, from traffic control measures in Otaymesa to tenant improvements in in Otai Mesa.

Um Mr.

Pence, you've been a great example, not only to staff, but you have been a dedicated public servant, and I thank you for the love, the dedication, and the patience that you served our city with.

Umgratulations also on a well-deserved retirement.

Uh, and I hope that um you understand that the work that you did left a great impact on the city of San Diego.

Um moving on to item number 31.

It declares January 13th, 2026 to be Elizabeth Malin Day in the city of San Diego.

And let me begin by saying how impactful Ms.

Malin was while serving as our city clerk for 18 years.

Uh during her tenure as city clerk, she was the epitome of professionalism and grace under pressure.

Uh, she left a legacy of giving the public more access and ways to participate in our council meetings than ever before.

In fact, it was Ms.

Malin who was city clerk during the COVID pandemic, which required innovation and out-of-box thinking to ensure that the city council meetings could not only be conducted, but that the members of the public could be engaged virtually.

You you and your team made it work successfully, which I think is a major accomplishment.

And in your 32 years uh as a city employee, you continuously serve the public and made San Diego a better place.

Um but also I want to convey that everybody that has worked with Miss Malin knows what a wonderful and warm person uh she is, and I'm very happy that in my time as a city council, uh, we overlapped services.

Um, you as city clerk.

And I'm also very happy to see this proclamation here today.

And um, it's an honor, I think well deserved, and I wish you the best on your continued retirement and congratulations.

Um, item S511 proclaims January 15th, 2026 to be Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Day.

And this day is a time to uplift community with dignity, respect, and compassion.

Dr.

King's legacy continues to shape our society and inspire us and inspires us to work together with courage, but also with compassion.

That concludes my uh comments, Council President.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilman Moreno.

We'll go next to Council President Pro Tam Lee.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh, first off, I'll wish a happy retirements to both Mr.

Pence and Captain Peterson.

Thank you for your long service to the city uh in both your capacities.

Uh I also do want to share congratulations to former clerk Mayland.

Um, and I know we didn't have much time to overlap.

Uh, I believe I am the very last new council member you had the honor of swearing in.

Um, and so uh even then I think just hearing from my colleagues, especially hearing from Clerk Fuentes, uh, there's a lot of which uh what we do and stand upon today uh is a thanks to your work um as the city clerk.

And so thank you for that many, the many years of service and dedication to the city.

Um on item S 511.

I'm honored to join my colleagues, Councilmembers Foster, Moreno, and Ilo Rivera, as well as Mayor Gloria to honor the life and legacy of Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Uh, with this proclamation, as Councilmember Foster noted, uh, will mark Thursday, January 15th, what would have been Dr.

King's 97th birthday.

I think many have spoken to Dr.

King's vision of a community uh rooted in dignity, compassion, and collective responsibility, um, all traits which we believe are as vital today as ever.

And I think at a moment when our country is experiencing division that we often like to note is unlike any other.

I think we must also recognize that the challenges our nation faces uh are not necessarily new, nor are they just repeats of the past.

Um I often believe they're a continuation of who we have always been as a country as we continue to seek to live up to the ideals of justice and equality that we believe are central to our democracy, uh and the same ideals that Dr.

King and those who stood alongside him fought for.

Um so I think this proclamation uh is not just a moment to reflect on his legacy and to consider what we can learn and build from that legacy as we face the challenges before us, uh but it's also a time for us to reflect um on the reality of the challenges that we face uh as a nation and that progress is a continual journey.

It will require participation from all of us.

Uh and sometimes that even means that we move backwards before we move forwards.

Um but knowing what our end goal always is.

So thank you to my colleagues for the honor of bringing that forward, and thank you to all those in the community who will be taking the opportunity to celebrate Dr.

King uh in the week ahead.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh thank you, Program Lee.

Uh, we'll go next to Councilmember Whitburn.

Thank you, Council President, and congratulations to all the recipients of proclamations today.

I certainly joined my colleagues and recognizing Gary Pence.

I could tell you, Mr.

Pence has been highly appreciated in District Three, where he's been known for his work on traffic safety and infrastructure.

His contributions have also been recognized by the Uptown Partnership and the Bankers Hill Community Association.

We all thank him for his service to our community.

I too would like to congratulate Captain Peterson on his retirement following his more than twenty-six year career with the police department, a career during which he was recognized broadly for not only his leadership skills, but also his community engagement and his compassion.

Today was no small feat to guide the council through the unprecedented challenges of the global pandemic, moving our meetings to a virtual format for a time and keeping them accessible to the public, which is so important.

And finally, I want to join Councilmember Campillo in congratulating our two youngest public commenters today on Brianny B's San Carlos Neighborhood Farmers Market Day and the City of San Diego.

I know that if uh Councilmember Campillo could be here today, he would thank them for making the neighborhood better and for being here today to tell us all about it.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Whitburn.

And seeing everybody has now spoken, I want to thank my colleagues for their comments.

I want to thank all of you in the audience for joining us in celebrating these various proclamations and recognizing individuals and moments that are so important to who we are as a city.

So with that, uh there is a motion by myself to approve the proclamations, a second by Councilmember Elohivera.

Clerk, please call the roll.

And that passes unanimously.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

With that, we're going to pause for a series of photos, and we will start with photos on Dr.

Martin Luther King Junior Day.

So those of you connected can come forward into the pit.

All right.

I know there's still a lot of love in the chambers, but if you could make your way out and continue your conversations in the lobby, and we'll get on with the rest of the uh council meeting.

So with that, we will now proceed with the approval of the consent items.

City clerk.

Please note each speaker.

We'll 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.

And I always forget.

Are there any requests to pull an item from the consent?

And I don't see any requests, so please proceed with public comments.

The consent agenda includes items 10, 50 through 66, 100 through 108, S500 through S505, S512, and S513.

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

Item 107 is a potential appointment of Tim Douglas to the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors.

Item S504 is the potential appointment of Evaristo Rafael Barra to the Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission.

And item S512 is the potential reappointments of Christopher Chalubsky, Abe Hughes, Rebecca Philpot, Dr.

Alberto Lopez Bolido, Kamal Martin, Keith Opstad, and Alessandro Montezuma to the Commission for Arts and Culture.

We do have some speakers here in Council Chambers, starting with Karina Pugh.

You're speaking on item 103.

If you can please come up to the microphone.

After that, we have Dana Givitt and then Tasha Williamson.

And then I do have one question for Robert Montana or Montana and Julie Hamilton.

You're each seating time to each other, but that's double dipping, so we need to figure out who's talking and who's seating.

We'll come back and having someone talk to you.

You'll have one minute, please proceed.

Good morning, Council members.

My name is Karina Pugh.

My pronouns are she her.

I am here today on behalf of the San Diego LGBT Community Center.

I want to thank the council for the CPPS program and the funds that have been allocated through the this program.

These funds are essential in supporting community serving organizations and the work that we do.

I would also like to directly thank Councilmember Campbell for her continued support of the center through the CPBS funds.

Each year, these funds are used to create safe affirming spaces for our community.

Now more than ever, we are grateful to our city council for continuing to invest in LGBTQ plus livelihood.

We could not do all that we do without your continued support.

Thank you.

Dana Givitt, you have time seated to you by Yvonne Jones.

Thank you so much.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Thank you.

The College Area Community Plan update starkly contradicts the equity principles the mayor and city council claim to champion.

And those who vote for it are defying affirmatively furthering fair housing laws by create concentrating housing in low resource communities that lack basic infrastructure.

The city has failed to provide a fire station for the college area, of which 82% is in the very high fire hazard severity zone.

Yet it was number three on the city's priority list for fire stations 15 years ago.

Our community has only the same 1.6 acre park it had when the plan was updated 37 years ago.

There is no recreation center for almost 30,000 people, nor is there sufficient parking for our library.

The addendum to the PEIR did not consider the community's preferred plan as the planning department promised in writing, nor did it consider the impacts of the density increase of 320% with 34,450 homes and almost 70,000 people on our community, making it an inadequate environmental impact study for the plan being voted upon.

The mayor's planning department and those voting for this plan update have not fulfilled their obligations to the residents of the college area under either CEQA or fair housing law.

Thank you.

Thank you, Tasha Williamson.

Thank you.

My name is Tasha Williamson.

Thank you for allowing me to speak today.

I believe that we continue to have Sean Jones, who was beaten downtown by bike team officers.

We continue to have the man that was beaten while on his knees with his hands behind his head by a patrol officer in Southeastern Division.

We continue to have this.

This does not mean that we need more police officers in higher ranks.

It does not mean that officers need more training.

This means that we need to be serious about accountability and public safety, even when those officers are criminals.

We need to start creating ordinances that force them to be charged.

Force our officers to be arrested when they are using excessive force on community members who voted for you.

Thank you.

Robert Montana.

And after that is Julie Hamilton.

Thank you, mm.

Thank you, members of the council, for your time.

We're petitioning the community planning board has voted to petition that the following items be placed on the capital improvement program for 2026.

First, we need uh 52 additional parking spaces at the College Relevant Lando Library.

Second, we need funding for a general development plan for design and construction of the Montezuma Lunar Park that was uh described in the recently adopted community plan.

Third, we need to establish funding for acquisition, planning, design, and construction of new parks and a recreation center in the college area in order to lessen the current 95% deficit in our parks points.

Um and finally, we have uh already a plan to improve the only existing park in our community, and we would like that to be fairly.

Thank you for that conclusion comment.

Julie Hamilton.

Good morning, Julie Hamilton.

And today I'm speaking as an individual.

I just want to reiterate to you that the College Area Community Plan update violates the Fair Housing Act and the Fair Employment and Housing Act and CEQA.

Uh the plan basically pushes all of the density into the college area and did not put density into all of the other communities that have been approved since then are put substantially less density in those communities.

Those communities are all higher resource areas than the college area and have better services and infrastructure.

The college area is 48% non-white.

Um more than half of the area is low resource, but yet we're absorbing more than our share of density with no services.

You also failed to comply with CECOA in adopting an addendum, as there are significant impacts that were not addressed in the blueprint, um blueprint San Diego EIR that need to be addressed.

Most importantly, the impacts on public services.

82% of the area is in the very high fire hazard severity zone and concluding comment.

That does conclude public comment here in Council Chambers going to those participating remotely.

We currently have two speakers in the queue.

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

Hi, uh Blair Beekman.

Uh, I'd like to speak to items 54 and 107 together.

You'll have two minutes to please.

Oh no, I got more.

Sorry, uh items uh 55 and then 64, 65, 66 together, then 102 and 108.

All right, you'll have three minutes, please proceed.

Thank you.

Uh item 54 and 57 and 107 to me are related about water board issues.

Uh there's a creation of a regional SOCAL water board and an appointment to 107 is an appointment to SS uh SD water board altogether.

Um it's with the items we talked about yesterday about rate increases.

A really good luck that we can be talking with the water board about uh working towards a more open public process.

Uh inviting the public to the future of water board and rate increase that use, I think it's incredibly important and can make some interesting changes.

And good luck in what the water board uh for Southern California can be talking about our future regional issues with water.

Um item 55 is public safety telecommunications with Nokia.

An interesting contract.

I haven't heard Nokia as part of public safety telecommunications before.

Uh it should be interesting, as always.

It's important that I think uh public safety telecommunications is not only for uh public safety personnel, but how the public can have access to good communication channels in times of emergency.

Working on that should always be a priority, and uh good luck in how we can be working on that with Nokia.

Uh item 64, where is that Verizon had had a little bit of problems with that when they got into the public safety telecommunications field, by the way.

Uh hopefully they're learning important lessons.

Item 64, 65, 66, at least in the Bay Area, that's what was the case.

Uh 646566 is Claremont area housing and college area housing issues.

Uh continued good luck that we are trying to address the future of housing.

And and what's not really being fully clearly talked about, I don't think is density issues and how to talk about density.

The college area may be a bit more experimental in how we can talk about density compared to the Claremont area.

Good luck in how we can differentiate between the two areas, and um maybe maybe we can try a little bit a few more things in the college area that we can't in Claremont.

Um, there's there's measures in the upcoming housing laws that you know that uh the Scott Weiner laws that are really important.

Um I hope we can provide some clarity, and there's variations on those measures that we can better talk about, and that should be more clear as part of the public conversation.

Um good look how we can be doing that with the future of this item.

Thank you that you're bringing it to council.

I hope it can continue to come to council.

Um and to conclude, uh items 102 and 108 is uh San Isidro uh uh building projects and declaring a state of emergency with Tijuana.

You're building uh there's battles being built for the Tijuana River, collecting a lot of garbage at this time.

It's doing an awesome job.

Thank you.

Good luck that we can have continued good relations with with Tijuana that I think we can be having, and with the help of Sandag, of course, and uh that uh totally defies what Trump is doing.

And we can be talking in nice guy piece instead of war.

And good luck how we can continue doing that.

Thank you.

Thank you, next is Ian Grooms.

If you can please unmute.

Thank you.

Uh good morning, City Clerk.

Um I am speaking on item 65 today.

You'll have one minute, please proceed.

Um good morning, council members.

My name is Ian Grooms.

I'm a Claremont resident.

I would encourage you all to adopt the Claremont Community Plan ordinances today.

Uh this ordinance, these ordinances will allow the community to build desperately needed affordable housing.

Um right now, the law restricts where we can build housing.

Um, it preserves abandoned parking lots as opposed to um turning those parking lots into housing.

This law will allow us to transform abandoned parking lots into affordable housing right near the trolley line.

And so I'd encourage you to adopt the ordinances so that we can for further fair housing and ensure that new homes are built in a high resource area.

I think it's really important to emphasize the importance of library renovation and reconstruction in Claremont.

As we update the community plan, we need to look at ways to rebuild our library infrastructure.

Our libraries in Claremont were built decades ago.

They remain in original condition.

Um they have many different deferred maintenance needs and they lack 21st century library amenities.

We need to renovate and rebuild libraries as part of this plan to accommodate the growth in the community.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

And sorry, somebody just lowered their hand.

Francine Maxwell, did you want to speak?

Your hand went up and down.

Okay, the hand is down.

That does conclude public comment for consent agenda.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh with that, I'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 want to congratulate all of those who are receiving appointments today, and I want to thank uh each and every one of you for your service to our city.

As this council's appointee to the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors, I want to congratulate Tim Douglas on his appointment to the board of directors.

Uh Mr.

Douglas is a public servant who has served the city of San Diego for many years.

He began his career with the city uh back in 1994 as a pool guard.

Uh he later served in the public utilities department as a ranger diver overseeing the city's reservoirs and utilizing his commercial diving skills.

After five years, he was promoted to reservoir management at Lake Hodges and later joined the board operator series in the Marine Biology Ocean Monitoring Program, which is one of the largest in the United States.

Uh more recently in his position as president of AFSC Me Local 127, Mr.

Douglas has been a leader in the fight for good, safe working conditions, fair wages, and the overall well-being of unionized workers, not only in this city, but throughout our region.

And I look forward to Mr.

Douglas joining us and advocating for San Diego rate payers on the San Diego County uh water authority board of directors.

And I will move approval of the consent agenda.

All right, thank you, sir.

So we have a motion by Council Member Whipburn to move the approval of the consent items.

We'll go next to Councilmember Moreno.

Thank you.

I have comments on items 63, 102, 105, and 107.

Um item 102 is to accept and expend affordable housing and sustainable communities program grant funding for transportation infrastructure improvements in the San Isidro community.

Um and I want to also highlight the work that is happening not only in San Isidro but also in Otaymesa, and also uh congratulate Casa Familiar and Hitski development for being awarded an affordable housing and sustainable communities grant.

Uh the city will use 120,000 for sidewalk repairs and construction of eight curb ramps.

Uh, one set um at the intersection of Marzo Street and um Peterland Drive, and another set at I Lexi Avenue and Marzo Street.

Uh the city's also going to use 200,000 for street resurfacing and slurry ceiling in the project area and overlay a portion of Smythe Avenue and Picador Boulevard and Slurry Ceiling Derymart Road from West San Isidro Boulevard to Bayer Boulevard.

Uh these improvements are very much needed in San Isidro and also in Ota Mesa.

And this is an example of how grants are able to cover and improve our communities uh during a budget deficit.

Um item 105 is the fiscal year 2026 community projects, programs and services funding, uh also known as CPPS from Council District 8 to 28 nonprofit organizations.

I'd like to begin by thanking Mary Ann Wallace and also the council administration team for administrating this year's CPPS funds.

These funds are crucial to our communities as they support nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and city departments addressing community social, environmental, cultural, and recreational needs.

Many of the organizations depend on city funding to continue providing high quality services to our residents.

And I will continue to advocate and support CPPS funding because District 8 relies on these resources to keep community events free and accessible to all our children and families.

And through CPPS funding, we're able to support programs such as Dia de los Muertos at Casa Familiar, Free Circus by Fern Street, Circus in our parks, Toys for Tots in Logan Heights, CDC, the Teddy Bear Drive with the San Isidro Women's Club, and much much more.

I also want to thank all the organizations that applied.

I know this year's selection process was especially difficult, and I'm grateful for each and every organization that applied and it that is also doing meaningful work in District 8.

I also have comments on item 107, which is the appointment of Mr.

Tim Douglas to the San Diego County Water Authority Board.

I thought I saw him here today.

Oh, you're always we all know Mr.

Douglas as the president of AFSME 127, which he does a wonderful job.

However, this appointment to the Water Authority is quite fitting.

Mr.

Douglas has a background in water infrastructure, having served as a ranger diver in the public utilities department, helping to oversee the city's reservoirs.

He served as reservoir management at Lake Hodges and later joined the boat operator series in the Marine Biology Ocean Monitoring Program.

If you ever have a chance, ask him about that, as it is quite interesting.

Mr.

Douglas is an incredibly hardworking and extremely intelligent individual who will serve the city well as the City 10 member of the County Water Authority Board, and also has added the value of having a professional background in water related infrastructure and activities.

So congratulations, Mr.

Douglas.

I know the city will greatly benefit from your service on this board.

And finally, um I will be casting, I will be recording a no vote on item 63 and support the balance of the consent agenda, and I'm happy to move the items.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

Uh so we do have a motion by Councilmember Whitburn, so we'll put that as a second from Council Member Moreno on the consent items.

And we'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Uh I would like to begin with S512.

Um, and uh first of all, I want to thank Chida Warren for all her good work in being the director for us and helping us with appointments for our city boards and commissions as well as the uh council administration and the city administration.

Thank you so much, Chida.

You're great.

You do a great job.

Um, first of all, I want to honor Chris Chulopski.

Chris is a resident of Ocean Beach in District 2.

Chris was a senior manager for arts and community partnerships for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, developing programming with artists and arts organizations in San Diego, and he is being reappointed to the Commission of Arts and Culture.

Uh Chris led the creation of the new arts master plan and worked on the development of the arts programming and infrastructure for Terminal One, our new terminal.

Prior to working in the Airport Authority, Chris was cultural affairs coordinator for the City of Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, overseeing the programming of 80 music and dance concerts presented on behalf of the City of Chicago.

In addition, he sits on the San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition Steering Committee, the Ocean Beach Planning Board, and is a registered member of the American Association of Composers, authors, publishers, songwriters of North America.

Given his ample experience working in the Arts and Culture section for his entire career, I strongly support the reappointment of Chris Cholopski for the Arts and Culture Commission and thank you for your willingness to serve.

And now I'd like to speak about 103.

And first of all, I just want to congratulate everyone that's involved with proclamations and also consent notices, especially Tim.

Tim Douglas, hello, and thank you so much.

I'm so delighted you'll be on the San Diego County Water Department as part of our representatives from San Diego.

I know you will stand up for us and do the best for our ratepayers.

These funds help strengthen essential services.

I'm only going to mention a few.

First of all, the LGBTQ nonprofits like the San Diego Community Center, the Stepping Stone of San Diego, the Trans Family Support Services, and the Diversionary Theater.

All of these organizations provide life-saving services to the LGBT community and to the community as a whole.

In addition, we gave funds that support many district two community nonprofit organizations such as Claremont Town Council, Ocean Beach Community Foundation, Ocean Beach Main Street Association, Old Town Chamber of Commerce, and many, many more.

These groups and others are not meant all of them cannot be mentioned today as time is short.

But we thank you for supporting small business, civic engagement, and community resilience.

These are only a few of the organizations that are office supported, but I want everyone to know that all of them do incredible work in the community to improve the lives of all San Diegans.

And thank you so much, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Campbell.

We'll go next to Councilmember Von Wolbert.

Thank you very much, Council President.

And I'd like to start clerk by registering a no vote on item 50, please.

It is an expired contract that expired in December, and the contract should have been renewed before we were asked to vote on it and expend more money.

On item 107, I want to congratulate and thank our friend and colleague Tim Douglas for his service to the County Water Authority.

I'm on very confident, as Council Moreno has stated, that uh Tim will ensure affordability for San Diego ratepayers as a top priority.

Um, in addition to having the experience with our city reservoirs and waterways and dams.

And so thank you for taking this on.

Tim is also used to digging into large budgets since he is the leader of one of our most important unions here at the City of San Diego and had to deal with budget deficits over the past two years.

So very excited.

Thank you for taking this on.

We appreciate you.

And also, uh, since uh Ms.

Bradford is here too.

Thank you for being here as well from the County Water Authority.

Uh, Tim, you know, yesterday we had a hearing on water rates here at the City of San Diego, and I made a request that every time PUD comes in to discuss water rates, we need to have a representative from CWA in the room.

Because the largest portion of our city water rates is actually buying water from CWA.

So it's not helpful for us to have water rate discussions and silos.

I would like for someone to be here every time.

Um that's my request as we uh appoint um you to the board.

So thank you for your service.

And Jamie, thank you for being here.

Um also on item S502 for my office's community projects, programs, and services funding.

I am really thrilled to be able to um articulate uh award funding from our office to 21 nonprofit organizations that do critical work every day to strengthen our communities and improve the lives of San Diegans through cultural celebration, education, health and wellness, youth development, public safety, or support for our elderly or most vulnerable residents.

These organizations reflect the very best of our community leadership.

There are so many, um, but I'm very excited about counseling programs and the Byrne Institute and Jacana Federation and San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, um, the Elder Health San Diego, uh Jewish Family Services, Mama's Kitchen, uh, the Mount Carmel High School Music Foundation.

I was in high school band as well at Scripts Ranch, um, Off Sim Health, uh, performing arts centers, Ranch Penny Squidos Little League, Remember Us the Holocaust, LGBTQ Pride, and many, many others.

So thank you so much for everything everybody does in our community.

I'm very, very happy to support the wonderful work that you do.

And finally, on item S512 on reappointments to the Commission for Arts and Culture.

It is my pleasure to honor uh dear friend of mine, uh Becky Phil Pyot to appoint for her reappointment to the City of San Diego Arts and Culture Commission.

Uh Becky brings more than three decades of experience in education policy, public education advocacy, and program development to the board.

Throughout her career, she has focused on expanding opportunity, strengthening student engagement, and ensuring young people have the support they need to thrive.

She has led impactful initiatives such as the Check and Connect Pathways Opportunity Youth Program and High School Persistence Research Efforts, as well as local attendance and engagement work with San Diego Unified School District.

Her leadership in these spaces has helped connect students to resources, reduce barriers, and open doors for future success for thousands of students.

Becky is also partnered with organizations including the San Diego Workforce Partnership and Urban League of San Diego County to broaden access to education and workforce opportunities for youth across our region.

She holds a BA in political science from San Diego State University.

I know she's a huge Aztecs fan, uh, won't miss a basketball game.

And at the EC San Diego Extension, she also serves on the board of Harmonium, Youth Will, and the SDSU Alumni Association, which is fantastic because uh SDSU is now um an R1 school, and it's incredibly competitive in our in our region.

Um, as a current member on top of all of that, uh, to the Arts and Culture Commission, uh Becky has been a thoughtful and dedicated contributor.

I get to hear from Becky all the time about the wonderful work that the Arts and Culture Commission is doing, and I'm confident she will continue to provide strong leadership for District 5 and help advance equitable access to arts and culture throughout the city of San Diego.

So thank you for your work.

And thank you, Council President.

With that, I'd vote for the balance of the items.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Von Wolpert.

We'll go next to Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Thank you, Council President.

I'll start by um looking at item S 505 and want to share a brief message of gratitude to our director of policy, Madison Coleman, for her continued willingness to serve as my alternate on the North County Transit District Board.

Um and the next want to speak to item 107, um, which is to thank and congratulate uh Tim Douglas on his appointment to the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors, uh representing us here at the City of San Diego.

Um as has already been mentioned, I I think all of us know uh Tim as the current president of ASME APSME Local 127.

Uh, but I have the distinct pleasure of also knowing Tim as a resident constituent in University City, uh, where he grew up with a high school uh uh before serving as a pool guard um and now in his current role as a senior boat operator for the city.

Um and as uh we all know discussions around water are difficult discussions these days, and so really I'm just gonna share my gratitude uh to Mr.

Douglas for willing to step his put his feet in that uh pool and to handle those discussions um on behalf of the city moving forward, that it's not a simple challenge.

So uh with that said, uh be happy to support the consent agenda.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, sir.

We'll go next to Councilmember Foster.

Uh yes, thank you, um, Council President.

And I would like to just quickly comment on a few items.

Um 107.

Um just want to say congratulations to uh Mr.

Douglas, always willing to step into the heat of the fire in the trenches to um help us with the um water authority.

And so I know Mr.

Whitburn is really looking forward to you being there to to assist in our efforts to uh make sure we're addressing our rate payer concerns and and getting those in line.

So thank you.

Um also items uh 504.

Um just really want to congratulate um Raphael.

Um for those that don't know, this is someone that has been um in in the fight when we talk about um contracts when we talk about diversity when we talk about inclusion.

Um I've known him for it feels like 20 years now, um, and he has never um turned away and said um I'm done.

And so thank you so much for your willingness to um step up and um to serve on the Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission.

Um I will say that is where um I started uh my work with the city um in coordination with now Secretary of State Um Dr.

Shirley Weber.

So there's some good work that could be done there, um, and I just look forward to working with you as you continue um your efforts.

Um also in regards to um item um 63.

Um I'm going to well, first off, it uh I just a quick question, if I may, um council president.

Um I would like to understand, and I did not um uh uh look at this item as it went through the public safety committee, but I would like to to have a question answered.

Is this a cost neutral uh net zero um impact to the budget?

As is my understanding that this is a supplemental ad to the budget, uh, meaning that it is not included in the FY26 um budget that was approved by um council.

Yeah, I'll call up either Assistant Chief Takucchi or Kyle Mu from SDPD to help answer that.

Yeah, council member member Kyle Mukes, uh assistant director with the police department.

So you're correct in that this would be two new supplemental positions that would be created.

However, our proposal is to offset those costs with basically eliminating one captain position, reducing another captain position, and then um reducing a lieutenant position to essentially make a cost neutral.

It's not exactly cost neutral, but that's the intent.

So there is some additional costs that will have to be looked at and absorbed within the budget.

Correct.

Okay.

Can you let me know what the delay why was it not included in the FY26 um budget?

As is my understanding, this is related to trying to ensure that we have certain coverages and certain things with the um folks that would be um our anticipated folks that are retiring and and make sure that that we have the appropriate coverage.

Can you help me to understand?

Because that's not a new discussion why it was not including the FY26 um budget conversation and process.

Good morning, Council President, Council members.

Uh Sean Takichi Assistant Chief.

It was not included in the FY26 budget because at that time when we were drafting the budget and submitting proposals, it wasn't a consideration we had.

However, as time went on, uh the chief wants to be um flexible and and being able to ch change the department um to meet the needs of of the city.

And so that is why we have proposed it because now with retirements coming, we felt it necessary, and we just did not want to wait for the budget cycle because that wasn't gonna be best for the city.

Um understood.

Um I just want to make sure that we all understand and just especially with my colleagues as um my good friend council member Vivian Moreno has been talking about this issue I want to say almost a decade.

I don't want to aid you, but it is a very um point of uh concern for this body as we are now really um having the budget challenges that we have.

So um Coda, um I think um we need to make sure that if we are doing our budgeting that would again, I'm gonna go back to what I always say.

We need folks to understand our book of business and to make sure that they are projecting and and doing what they need to do in the best interest of their department in the city of San Diego.

So um I think it's something that we need to continue to discuss and and and uh work out.

And of course, as always, I will turn to our good friends with the IBA to keep us honest as we go through this process.

Um also um I just cannot say it enough.

Um as police department continues to bring items forward of this nature.

I'm looking for reform.

I'm looking to address our issues.

In the past few weeks, we have committed to paying out 40 million dollars.

I want to make sure everyone understands that.

And yet we are continuing to have conversations at this dais throughout the day, and I'm not hearing how we are going to resolve those issues.

And so I will put the call out now.

We need to look at those issues.

There's another video that was sent to me today.

There was an incident on Christmas in front of my mother's house.

In front of my mother's house on Christmas morning, where there was an issue.

I am going to look for things to be addressed.

We can no longer continue to have this happen.

If we are the finest city, we need to act like it.

And so I just want to make sure we all understand that we have issues that we need to address and continuing to come before this body without undressing those addressing those issues, in my mind is unacceptable.

It's time for us to do what's right.

So with that, um, council president, I would like to register a no vote for item 63.

Um, and that concludes my comments.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Foster.

We'll go next to Councilmember Elo Rivera.

All right.

Uh thank you, Council President.

Uh I want to begin by thanking Mr.

Douglas for his willingness to serve on the water authority.

Um, as has been mentioned, it's incredibly important to our residents.

Uh it's incredibly important to the city, to our city's workers.

Uh, and so I do very much appreciate you feeling willing to your willingness to step up and do that work with uh residents and workers front of mind.

Um so thank you for that.

Uh hopefully you don't um regret uh all the work and headaches that come with um with that because there's definitely a lot of of work to be done there.

Um I am going to join my colleagues, and I know this is a little bit uncommon uh as I voted um for item 63, the first time is in front of us, but I think that the the points made by council member Foster are incredibly important given what we've seen in recent weeks.

So I will be registering a no vote on item 63.

And I wanted to speak briefly about item S 503.

The Chicago Federation has stepped up to assist a number of other nonprofit organizations here in San Diego in addressing the many, many impacts that are being felt as a result of uh federal actions.

Uh a group began convening right around this time last year to figure out how to protect community from those impacts.

And by impacts, I mean those ranging from the slashing and burning of the federal uh uh agencies and funding from Elon Musk and Doge uh to the community attacks made by ICE to the people who did not have access to their food benefits, you name it, and there's been a variety of impacts felt in our community, and there's been a very, very good very, very strong and inspiring effort by a number of nonprofit organizations here in San Diego to uh do everything that they can to protect community from those impacts and continue demanding a better future for all uh for all San Diegans.

Chicago Federation has stepped up and offered to help uh uh try to continue that work, uh convening organizations, facilitating um organizations working uh better together to better serve the community.

And so um S503 our community uh our CPBS dollars this year are going to be um uh supporting those efforts, and I want to say thank you to the Chicago Federation for their willingness to step up and and serve in that role to help again leverage uh the incredible work that's done on a day-to-day basis uh by so many dedicated organizations and individuals.

Um they need all the help that they can get, and being able to do that work uh in conjunction with one with one another to be able to better collaborate and communicate uh will ensure that more residents receive access to the service, the services, the advocacy, and the support that these organizations provide.

Uh with that that concludes my comments.

Council President, thank you so much.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Ila Rivera.

Not seeing anybody else in the lights, I'll offer some very brief comments of my own.

Uh I want to join my colleagues in thanking Mary Ann and her incredible team that handled the CPPS uh funding process uh from the initial reviews to the selection and helping us guide.

Uh congratulations to the 21 nonprofit organizations uh that were recommended by me and are on the docket for the council's consideration.

Thank you for the very good work that you do every day.

Uh and to those who participated in this very competitive uh grant process.

Thank you for your willingness to make San Diego a better place.

Uh I will be registering a no vote on item 65.

Um, and then on the appointments and reappointments.

Thank you to everybody that is willing to continue to serve the city uh and its residents and businesses in this particularly important way as volunteers.

We very much appreciate it.

Uh in particular on item 107.

I want to apologize uh to Tim's wife and his family for pulling them apart from uh his already busy schedule to serve on there.

Uh but as my colleagues highlighted, I think it's particularly uh relevant of your appointment.

Uh we have a great group of nine uh people that serve on that board already.

Uh, and I think your technical expertise and experience over the years will add a different layer to the conversation uh that is clearly uh will be helpful to not only the city 10 uh but to the water authority in general.

So thank you for your willingness to add one more thing to your to-do list uh going forward.

Uh item S 504, Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission.

Uh Rafael, thank you for your willingness to continue to serve in important ways in the kinds of conversations that really define who we are uh as a city and who we are as City Hall.

Uh thank you for highlighting that, Councilmember Foster of my very much appreciate your willingness to serve.

And then uh I'll make a quick shout out to Abe Hughes uh for your reappointment to the commission.

Thank you for your willingness to serve.

Um you all are the secret sauce of what makes us a great city and makes City Hall a more effective and more responsive to the residents and businesses of the city of San Diego.

So we're eternally grateful uh for your willingness to volunteer your personal times.

So with that, we have a motion by Councilmember Whipburn, and a second by Councilmember Moreno.

Clerk, please call the roll.

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

Okay.

That passes unanimously with council member councilmember Foster, Councilmember Moreno, and Councilmember Shawnee Rivera voting no on item 63, Councilmember Von Wilbur voting no on item 50, and Council President Lacava voting no on item 65 and Councilmember Campio absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

Uh City Clerk, and thank you for keeping track of all that.

Uh so take a moment.

Are there any comments from the mayor's office, city council members, city attorney, IBA or city clerk?

City Clerk, Quentis.

Thank you, Council President.

I'm pleased to announce our next two upcoming community listening sessions.

Part of my office's ongoing efforts to connect with residents and gather feedback in person and through our public engagement survey.

I invite the public to please join us on Tuesday, January 20th, 2026 at 5 30 p.m.

at the Pacific Highlands Ranch Library.

And on Thursday, February 19th, 2026 at 5 30 p.m.

at the Tierra Santa Recreation Center.

Our last two were held in Barrio Logan and San Isidro, and these upcoming sessions will be held in person and on Zoom at San Diego.gov slash listening.

The this clerk does travel, so if any community groups would like us to attend to give the same presentation, please reach out to our office at City Clerk at Sandieago.gov and I'd be happy to do so.

Otherwise, please visit Sandiego.gov backslash city clerk to take the survey and to stay informed.

Together, we can strengthen communication, expand access, and help shape the future of our city.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

Um so we will now take up our morning discussion agenda.

Clerk, please introduce item 330.

Item 330 is the recognized obligation payment schedule for fiscal year 2026 to 2027.

If you'd like to speak on this item, please submit a speaker slip now, or if you're participating remotely, star nine or the raise your hand icon.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

And with that, staff introduce yourselves for the record and let us know how much time you need for the presentation.

Good afternoon, uh Council President and Council members.

My name is Leonardo Alarcon, successor agency coordinator in the economic development department.

And the item we are presenting for your approval is the 20th recognition recognized obligation payment schedule or ROPS in the related admin budget for fiscal year 2027.

We will need approximately uh five minutes for the presentation.

All right, when you're ready.

A summary of our requested actions include improving the 20th ROPS in the agency's admin budget funded through the ROPs covering the period from July 2026 to June 2027.

Authorize the mayor, CFO, or designee to take all actions necessary to fulfill the agency's statutory obligation and the related admin budget, and to make any necessary adjustments and add factual information to the ROPs as needed.

Under the dissolution laws, a ROPS is not considered valid until it has been submitted and approved by the countywide oversight board.

ROPS is submitted to the county, the State Department of Finance, and the State Controller.

This year, ROPS 2627 will be presented to the Oversight Board on January 15th and must be submitted to the state DOF no later than February 2nd, 2026.

And the final approval occurs after the state DOF has approved the ROPs with any deletions or revisions on or before April 15th of this year.

In ROPS 2627, we are requesting funding of approximately 37 million with a majority of funding from the redevelopment property trust fund or RPTTF.

The column on the right shows the amounts for each funding source, and we will review each one of on the following slides.

For the reserve balances, there's approximately 29,000 of expenditures that will be paid from the reserve balance.

The reserve balances are unexpended RPTF funds from previous ROPs periods that can be used for subsequent ROPs along with any former tax increments the successor agency was allowed to keep during the due diligence period.

The next line item are other revenue sources, which are comprised of approximately 4.3 million of expenditures.

Other funds can be non-tax increment sources such as grants, sequim mitigation payments, and revenue generated from successor agency owned properties.

Examples include park and revenue bond debt service and downtown community parking plan implementation.

And approximately 32 million uh will come from the RPTTF with approximately one million for admin cost.

Of the 32 million requested, 25 million is to cover the payments of the agency's bond debt service, and three million is to cover payments to the community development block grant program.

With SB 107, the agency was able to reinstate loan agreement obligations that were enacted prior to dissolution.

Two of those agreements were the C D BG OIG audit payment agreement and the CDBG long-term miscellaneous debt.

Additionally, with the admin budget under the requirements of AB 26, an admin budget must be prepared for the successor agency.

Senate Bill 107 change the budget requirement to an annual submission to coincide with the annual submission of the ROPs.

The admin cost allowance is a calculated amount established by a formula created by the state DOF.

The amount is capped at 3% of the total RPTF dispersed by the county auditor controller in the prior fiscal year.

The city will coordinate all admin actions through the Office of the Mayor and successor agency staff functions will be carried out by either city staff or Civic San Diego through their consulting agreement.

The portion of the successor agency's admin budget that is funded through the ROPS is included as attachment B.

The fiscal impact to the agency will be dependent upon the review and potential challenge of ROPS 2627 by the county auditor controller, the state DOF, and the state controller.

The actual level of funds the city may utilize in fulfilling its role as the successor agency will not be known until the state's DOF review is complete and a final determination later has been issued by the Department of Finance in mid-May.

The purpose of the dissolution laws under AB 26 was the window of redevelopment across the state.

The City of San Diego had one of the largest redevelopment programs in the state, and the window of those operations have been an extensive process.

For example, at one of the last oversight board meetings, the City of National City submitted their final ROPs.

Fourteen years after the dissolution of redevelopment, the first jurisdiction in the county of San Diego was able to complete this extensive process.

Out of the 652 line items on the original ROPs for the City of San Diego, with the filing of ROPS 2627, the city as the successor agency will have completed and requested the retirement of 94% of the enforceable obligations, leaving 38 line items remaining.

A listening of all a listing of all line items retired in prior periods, or that we have requested be retired in ROPS 2627 are included as attachment C.

The requested actions are listed, and this concludes our presentation.

City staff and civic San Diego staff members are available to answer questions.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you very much for the good work and the presentation.

Clerk, please go to public comment.

There is no public comment here in Council Chambers for this item.

Going to those participating remotely, I see no hands raised.

That concludes public comment on this item.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

And with that, we'll turn it over to my council colleagues for questions, comments, and entertain a motion.

We'll start out with council member Whitburn.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you for all the work on this in the presentation today, and I'm happy to make the motion to approve the staff recommendation.

All right.

Uh and I'll be happy to second just to move things along with uh a singular question.

Uh, just because you described things a certain way in the presentation, a little bit different than the staff report.

The 4.3 million is money that is only eligible to be used in this way.

Is that correct?

Which funding the 4.3 million?

Which you identify as a separate line item for other funds.

So the other revenue sources.

Revenue sources.

Oh, Christine.

Oh.

Um, these are these are non-tax increment sources uh that have been left over and can be used uh in the ROPs.

And it can only be used for the ROPs.

Correct.

Okay.

Just wanted just wanted to confirm that I heard that correctly.

Okay.

Obviously, we're very sensitive about every dollar.

So just wanted to double check.

But but again, okay.

We have a motion by council member Whitburn, a second by myself to move the staff recommendation.

Uh clerk, please call the roll.

Start the voting system, please cast your vote.

That passes unanimously 7 to 0 with councilmember Moreno and Council Member Campio absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right.

Thank you.

And again, thank you for the presentation of the good work and tracking that.

That's a Herculean job.

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

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.

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

Each speaker will have two minutes if you're in chambers.

Please submit your speakership or raise your hand now.

Star 9 or the raise your hand icon, starting with Bob Kazuski.

I know you have a video, which we will get up.

Bob Kazuski here.

The council should know that in two and a half weeks, I have had over 5,000 responses.

I have also spoken at length with a uh citizen, a voter, uh consumer advocate in San Diego who is here today, uh Bob Kazuski, who I have a great deal of respect for, and you'll be hearing from him shortly.

I know that the mayor has had contact with Mr.

Kazowski and my staff has, um, and I look forward to hearing from him today.

He has also uh had uh petitions before uh the the uh utilities commission uh on this very issue.

In spite of um Mr.

Kazuski's and others' efforts to reverse course, the CPU C declined to do so.

We can thank Mr.

Kazuski that he he argued the position uh vociferously at the commission.

Unfortunately, they did they didn't uh decide to reverse course on the 858.

And the good news was they requested comments on deferring on 935.

I'm gonna call on uh um Bob Kazutsky.

Bob, I want to thank you for your tenacity and the fact that when you do write, I mean you it it's well well argued and uh you know informative and therefore you know got my attention and thank you.

Is this a two-minute okay?

It's a challenge.

I am Bob Kazuski from La Jolla.

Unfortunately, I cannot offer a complete argument on this complex topic in two minutes.

It is still possible to reverse the ill effects of the 858 split without harming anyone who have all has already switched to the new code.

On January 13th, I filed a petition with the CPUC to extend permissive dialing in 858.

Please amend our 200843 to include comments in support of that petition.

If the San Diego City Council won't speak for San Diego, then who will Mr.

Kazuski is right.

There are all kinds of arguments, but Mr.

May not.

Thank you.

Dana Givitt.

I'm here today to ask you to please give community planning groups and other city boards time to speak at City Council meetings.

Community planning groups are official elected bodies representing their planning areas.

When they speak to the planning commission, land use and housing committee, or the city council regarding community plan updates in their communities.

They deserve time to present their community's position on the plan.

These official representatives should not have to struggle to get the public to attend to cede time to them, usually 60 seconds apiece for the privilege of presenting the official community planning group position on their plan update.

The job they were elected to do.

This is simply wrong.

In the past, planning groups were given 15 minutes to present the official responses to community plan updates.

This would also free up the public and give them the luxury of speaking on their own behalf.

It is time to revert back to the respectful past norm of giving every community planning group 15 minutes to respond to community plan updates.

The same respect should be shown to commute community planners, committee members, and other board members, such as the Parks and Rec Board, who come before you to comment on community plan updates.

These boards were created and their members appointed to advise the city on projects within their areas of expertise.

Please consider amending city council and planning commission policy to respect the volunteer boards and their members and afford them time to speak and represent their boards and committees, which they are appointed and or elected to do.

Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

I'm sorry the five-minute timer going to those participating remotely.

Currently have three people in the queue.

Becky Rapp, if you can please unmute.

Good morning, Council President and members of the San Diego City Council.

My name is Becky Rapp.

I'm a public health educator, and like I'd like to bring to your attention important peer-reviewed scientific research recently highlighted in the American Journal of Psychiatry, one of the nation's leading medical journals.

The research reinforces that the human brain continues developing until approximately age 25.

During adolescence and young adulthood, the brain regions responsible for judgment, impulse, impulse control, and emotional regulation are still forming.

Exposure to psychoactive substances during this developmental period carries consequential consequential risk.

The American Journal of Psychiatry summarizes decades of clinical and neurobiological research, showing that marijuana exposure during brain development can alter brain structure and function.

Early and frequent use is associated with a higher risk of addiction, anxiety, depression, psychosis, and long-term cognitive effects.

These risks are compounded by today's high potency THC products, which are far stronger than those studied and studied in the past.

As marijuana becomes increasingly normalized, youth and young adults are often exposed to misleading or enticing messaging, including billboards and other forms of advertising that minimize risk while emphasizing appeal.

This creates a disconnect between what science shows and what young people are led to believe.

Thank you.

Next is Madison Madison, if you can please unmute.

All right, thank you.

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

As someone with three young kids who lives in a townhome, multi-unit housing.

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 county 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.

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

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

We will now adjourn for the noon recess and reconvene open session at 2 p.m.

or shortly thereafter.

All right, good afternoon.

All right, well, now reconvene the city council meeting of Tuesday, January 13th, 2026.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn.

Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Von Wolpert.

Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Here.

Councilmember Campillo.

Councilmember Moreno.

Present.

Councilmember Ela Rivera.

And Council President Lacava.

Present.

Also attending the meeting, your assistant city attorney Michelle Garland, independent budget analyst, Charles Modica, Council Affairs Advisor in the Mayor's Office, Coda Zeiser, and myself your city clerk, DNF Wentus.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

Quorum is now present.

We will now adjourn as the city council and convene as the housing authority.

And we will proceed with the approval of the housing authority minutes.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

The public comment period for the housing authority minutes is now open.

Please note each speaker will have one minute per item per person, the minutes being approved or for the meeting of Wednesday, December 17th, 2025, which was a special meeting.

I do not have any speaker slips here in Council Chambers, and nobody in the queue has their hand raised.

So that does conclude public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

With that, we will take agency member questions and comments and entertain a motion to approve the minutes.

Pro Tam Lee and a second by Council Member Campbell.

Not see anybody else in the lights.

Please uh so we have a motion by Council President Pro Tem Lee and a second by Councilmember Campbell to approve the minutes.

Clerk, please call the roll.

I started the voting system.

Please cast your vote.

That does pass unanimously with council member Foster, Councilmember Campillo, and Councilmember Ilo Rivera absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

We will now take up housing authority non-agenda public comment.

The Housing Authority members respect and appreciate the public's input and are fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech rights at the housing authority meetings.

Clerk, please proceed with non-agenda public comment.

Thank you.

We have no speakers here in chambers for non-agenda public comment.

I see nobody in the queue with their hand raised.

That concludes on agenda public comment for the housing authority.

All right.

With that, uh clerk, please introduce housing authority item one.

Thank you, Council.

Thank you, Council President.

Item H81 is the Housing Authority designation and identification of the San Diego Housing Authority.

If you'd like to speak on this item, please raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

Or if you are if you are hearing council chambers, please submit a speaker sip to the high electorate in the clear box.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

And with that, uh staff, please introduce yourselves for the record and let us know how much time you need.

Uh good afternoon, Council members.

Uh we will need uh probably about five minutes.

All right, when you're ready.

I am Lisa Jones, uh CEO of the San Diego Housing Commission sitting in for Jeff Davis.

And with me today is Lizette Vargas, our director of special projects.

As required by state law, we are presenting to you this afternoon the proposed designation and identification of housing commission representatives for labor negotiations with service employees international union local 221 or SEIU.

Um as I have shared over the past several months with each of you, our board members, and our staff, we have been working hard to explore and thoughtfully consider options to contain costs in many areas of our agency.

This effort is necessary for us to continue to support the families who rely on us every day.

We're now entering into a phase of our efforts that will require formal discussions with SEIU.

Those discussions will occur through the process of reopening our current memorandum of understanding with SEIU to address costs we will incur in the third and final year of the previously agreed upon MOU.

This requires us to obtain your approval to designate housing commission management team representatives for those discussions.

We will be meeting with you in closed session in a couple of weeks to receive direction from you before we begin negotiations with SEIU.

And if the negotiations result in a new tentative agreement to amend the MOU, we will present that to you for consideration as the municipal code requires.

Our current MOU with SEIU is a three-year agreement.

Is the final year of the MOU.

Under the terms of the MOU, SDHC has provided notice to SCIU to reopen Articles 19, pay plan, 25 insurance, and 44 salary schedule to renegotiate these articles for the last year of the MOU.

If we reach a tentative agreement with SCIU, that agreement will be presented to the housing authority for consideration as the municipal code requires.

And that concludes our presentation.

We're available for any questions.

Thank you.

All right, thank you very much for the presentation.

Uh clerk, please proceed with public comment.

I see no public comment here in Council Chambers and nobody in the virtual queue with their hand raised, so that concludes public comment on this item.

Thank you.

All right, thank you for uh confirming that city clerk.

So we'll turn it over to agency members for any questions, comments, and entertain a motion.

I would like to move staff's recommendation, and I thank you so much for the presentation, all the information, and I wish you the best.

And I will second that motion.

Uh so we have a motion by council member Campbell and a second by myself to move the housing commission agency's rep recommendation.

Um one else wants to speak, so please call the vote.

That passes unanimously 7 to 0 with Councilmember Campio and Councilmember Ila Rivera absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right.

Again, thank you very much for bringing the item forward.

And with that, clerk, please introduce item 331.

Would you like to adjourn from the housing?

Oh, I'm my apologies.

Uh, we will now adjourn as the housing authority and reconvene as the city council.

Thank you, Council President.

Item 331 is clarifying ordinance for measure C approved by voters March 2020.

If you'd like to speak on this item, please be sure to submit a speaker slip to the front of the room in the clear box, or if you are participating remotely, now's the time to raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

Thank you, Council President.

All right.

And as staff has you said aloud, give yourselves your name for the record and let us know how much time you need.

Liz Correa and five minutes.

All right.

Begin when you're ready.

Good afternoon.

As I said, I'm Liz Correa City Treasurer, and I'm here today to introduce a clarifying ordinance to reset various dates and timelines as a result of the delay in the implementation of measure C.

First, starting with some background information.

In March of 2020, over 65% of San Diego voters supported Measure C, a citizens initiative measure to impose an increase to the transient occupancy tax.

Transient occupancy tax is a tax imposed on guests staying short term in lodging facilities located in the City of San Diego.

The tax increase ranges from 1.25% to 3.25%, depending on the proximity of the lodging facility in relation to the San Diego Convention Center, and is in addition to the existing 10.5%.

As provided in the ordinance, the additional tax revenue is allocated in specified percentages to support homelessness programs, street repairs, and the convention center purposes.

And also include some minor grammatical and clarifying edits.

Updating the date of imposition to the tax uh of the tax to May 1, 2025.

This reflects a delay of six years and four months from the original language of January 1, 2019.

Utilizing the actual date of imposition, the following areas will also require an update.

The initial allocation of revenue is established for the first five and a half years.

That allocation is 41% to support support homelessness programs and 59% for the convention center revenue account.

With the updated tax imposition date that will now run through October 31st, 2030.

On November 1, 2030, the allocation to support homelessness programs will be reduced to 31%, with the remaining 10% directed to support street repairs.

In addition, the requirement for annual budgets will begin in fiscal year 26, and the annual budget for support activities and business development using the convention center revenue account will would begin in fiscal year 27.

The initial dates for the five-year implementation plans will also reset.

For homelessness programs, the initial five-year plan will be for fiscal year 27 through fiscal year 31, prepared in fiscal year 26, and the initial year to consider amendments or updates to the plan will be fiscal year 28.

For street repairs, the initial five-year plan will be for fiscal years 2032 through 2036, prepared in fiscal year 2031.

And the initial year to consider amendments or updates to the plan will be 2033.

For the annual report of additional tax revenues, the initial report will be due in fiscal year 27 for fiscal year 26.

And the last substantive update is related to the requirement for performance audits performed by the Office of the City Auditor.

The requirement for the initial performance audit of the homelessness revenue account will update to commence in fiscal year 2029.

The initial performance audit of the street repair revenue account will commence in fiscal year 2034.

And lastly, the initial audit of the convention center revenue account will commence in fiscal year 2030.

In conclusion, I'm introducing a clarifying ordinance related to the implementation of Measure C to update the actual date of imposition of the additional tax, reset various dates and timelines to fulfill the expectations of voters, and make minor grammatical and clarifying updates.

And with that, I conclude my presentation and happy to take any questions.

All right, thank you very much, Liz, for the work to bring this forward and for the presentation.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you.

Evan Strong.

If you can please come forward, you'll have two minutes.

Please proceed when ready.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Council President Lacava and Council members.

My name is Evan Strawn.

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're gratified that the litigation on Measure C has finally come to an end, and we can spend measure C proceeds as voters intended to modernize and expand the convention center, address homelessness, and improve our streets.

The chamber was a strong proponent of Measure C and helped to lead the yes for a better San Diego committee alongside our partners in the tourism industry and labor, and we are encouraged to see this implementing ordinance come before the city today.

We stand ready to collaborate and partner with the city to ensure this funding makes a significant investment in improving our city's economy and competitiveness.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Going to those participating remotely, we have the million mile man.

If you can please unmute.

Well, I came in late, but I heard the end of it.

Of course, I heard it for 50 years.

Hey, the convention center, great idea.

The fellow, the young fellow that spoke from the chamber.

I agree the convention center and um the infrastructure, great idea.

Stop throwing bad money against bad money with the homeless issue.

We're finished.

It's done.

Find a different way.

It's no amount of cash is gonna solve the homeless issue.

None.

And a final word.

Call Jack Magrory back.

Redo the whole mayor, mayoral uh all the power to the mayor without a city manager.

We've got to have city manager.

You know, giving all that power to the current mayor is akin to a bull in a China shop.

I mean, the guy is wrecking the place.

I mean, all in the name of equity.

What the hell is equity?

I mean, what does that mean?

There's no equity for me.

I have no equity.

I'm I'm going under, man.

I need a lifeguard.

You got a lifeguard at the city that can help me because I'm not gonna make it with your policies.

You're trying to help people at the bottom of the barrel, but you're killing people who have worked their whole life for the love of God.

Anyway, that's it for now.

And uh, you can call me Danny.

I go by million mile man, but anyway, call me whatever you want.

I don't care.

Thank you.

Bye now.

Thank you.

That concludes public comment on this item.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

And with that, I'll turn it over to my council colleagues for questions, comments, and entertaining a motion.

And we'll start with council member Whitburn.

Thank you, Council President.

I just want to say thank you for uh your work in getting these uh clarifications together so that we are accurately reflecting the will of the voters, and I'm happy to make the motion to adopt a staff recommendation.

All right.

We have a motion by Councilmember Whitburn to move the staff recommendation.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you for the presentation.

Thank you for all the work.

Uh I'd tell you, I was for this thing in the beginning.

I'm still for it.

I am so sorry that litigation is so slow.

Uh maybe we can someday do something to speed it up, but in the meantime, I'm glad we're finally here, and I'm happy to second the motion.

All right, thank you.

So we do have a motion by Councilmember Whitburn, a second by Councilmember Campbell to move the recommendation.

And we'll go next to Councilmember Von Wilbert.

Uh yes, thank you.

Um, and thank you for the work on this and the all the many years of litigation in the courts, but I'm glad that we're finally implementing it.

I just want to note that finally we're going to get some taxpayer funding in for the convention center, uh, modernization, maintenance, all of that.

And we every year hear from our leaders at the convention center that it has significant needs for maintenance.

Uh and we as the City of San Diego budget cannot fill all those needs.

And so this revenue source could be a source in which a bond could be issued to finally provide long-term funding for the convention center, and I really want the convention center to think about that.

Um, they need an infrastructure bond because this is one of the biggest revenue generators in our region.

Uh, the Port of San Diego could also be helpful in that effort, as they have it in the past.

Uh, but we shouldn't let this chance go because I'm hearing every year more and more about the needs for maintenance in our convention center, and I hope we can use this money to really turn it into greater funding for those needs.

So thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Von Wolpert.

Not seeing anybody else on the lights.

Uh, I'll add my thanks for navigating this, uh, re-emphasize the point you made originally, which all these timelines were in the original ballot measure that was uh supported by the voters overwhelmingly, and all we're doing is the six-year or so reset, moving everything up and holding firm to what was in the ballot measures.

So thank you for tracking all those numbers uh and getting them all lined up and giving us a roadmap as to when we'll be intersecting with these conversations.

Um with that, we do have a motion by council member Whitburn, a second by Councilmember Campbell to move the staff recommendation.

Clerk, please call the roll.

I'm sorry, the voting system, please cast your vote that passes unanimously, eight to zero with council member Campio absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, again, thank you, Liz, for the good work.

And everybody else who helped.

With that, please introduce item S506.

Item S506 is amendments to the San Diego Municipal Code to establish the homelessness revenue account citizens oversight committee.

If you'd like to speak on this item, please be sure to raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise-your-hand icon, or if you're hearing council chambers, submit your speaker slip to the front of the room in the clear box.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

With that, uh staff, as you settle in, please introduce yourselves for the record and let us know how much time you need.

Sarah Jarman, we'll need about five minutes, please.

All right, when you're ready.

Good afternoon, Council President Lacava and City Council members.

My name is Sarah Jarman, and I'm the director of the homelessness strategies and solutions department.

With me today is Deputy Director Katie Keach.

Today we are here to request approval to establish the homelessness revenue account citizens oversight committee as required by Measure C.

Within the Measure C language approved by the voters was the requirement to establish the homelessness revenue account citizens oversight committee to provide guidance on expenditures of the portion of transient occupancy tax that is designated for homelessness programs.

That portion of funds is going to the homelessness revenue account.

Measure C included some specifics about the committee, including that it has seven members and B advisory.

We are proposing the majority of the members have expertise in one or more of the following areas: government, municipal or public finance, nonprofit management, business, lived experience, philanthropic funding, or a related field.

We believe these backgrounds would well represent the city's interest in making sure the long-term funding strategy for these funds, as well as the annual allocation plan, is effective, responsible, and financially prudent.

We want to note that people representing organizations and or companies that could receive funds from the homelessness revenue account would not be eligible to serve due to potential or likely conflicts in their guidance to the city council.

We are proposing three ex officio members: the IBA, CFO, the director of this department, or their designees.

The purpose of these is to ensure there's appropriate information available on overall city finances, priorities, and operations.

As written in the proposed ordinance, committee members will serve four-year terms to ensure some continuity and prevent potential complete turnover of the committee membership at any one time.

We are proposing the initial seven members serve different terms as noted here.

To help ensure immediate productivity, it is proposed that the mayor select the initial committee chair with the committee choosing its chair after the first two years.

The committee will be required to meet at least once annually and can, of course, meet more than that as necessary.

The key duties of the committee, as written in Measure C are to review the long-term strategy for the homelessness revenue account, which we see value in considering before HSSD submits its five-year financial outlook annually, and review the annual allocation plan for the homelessness revenue account, which we see value in considering as an outgrowth of HSSD's five-year financial outlook and part of our annual budget development process.

As stated in the proposed ordinance, the chair can add meetings as necessary.

In summary, this item would approve the establishment of the homelessness revenue account citizens oversight committee.

If approved, and after this ordinance takes effect, the mayor's office will make appointments to bring forward to the city council's consideration.

This concludes our presentation, and I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Thank you.

All right, thank you for the presentation and the work to bring this item forward.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

There's no speakers here in Council Chambers and nobody with their hand raised, so that doesn't include public comment on this item.

All right, thank you for confirming that.

We will now turn it over to council members for questions, comments, and ortain a motion.

We'll start with Council Member Campbell.

Thank you so much.

Uh this has been long in coming, and it's a wonderful thing that we'll be able to have some stream of budget toward homelessness that we can count on each year uh for the next five years, and then even beyond that, even though it goes down over time.

But it's um it couldn't come at a better moment when we're going to be missing in all likelihood some federal funds, and I hope not, but maybe even some state funds.

And so I am absolutely delighted that this is finally this long, long dream of helping uh provide enough money to help with our homeless uh is over.

I'm so happy that we have this office and that you are running it so well.

And I think you know, this time has given us a lot of space to learn what is working and what is not, and therefore the chip the oversized committee hopefully won't be too difficult that they'll be able to see uh from the auditing of the funding that things are going the right way in the right direction uh in terms of using the money to do the greatest good.

And um, I I really feel that we are definitely doing that now, and I appreciate all the hard work that goes into that.

And uh so I am very happy to make the motion to accept staff's recommendation.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

So we have a motion by council member Campbell to move the staff recommendation.

We'll go next to Councilmember Whitburn.

I'm happy to second the motion.

All right, so we have a motion by council member Campbell, second by council member Whitburn to move the staff recommendation.

Not seeing anybody else on the lights.

I'll just add thank you for the good work in identifying this and I'll look forward to it.

I do recognize that today we've given at least two new assignments to the office of the IBA.

So we appreciate your willingness to serve uh in these uh important conversations, Charles.

Do you so with that, Clerk please call the roll.

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

That passes unanimously eight to zero with council member campio absent.

Thank you.

All right.

Again, thank you to this good work.

So with that, uh clerk, please introduce item S514.

Item S514 is the resolution affirming the City of San Diego's opposition to proposed oil and gas leases in federal waters.

If you'd like to speak on this item, please be sure to submit a speaker slip to the front of the room in the clear box.

And if you are participating remotely, now's the time to raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

All right.

Uh Mr.

Elliott, please introduce yourself for the record and let us know how much time you need for the presentation.

I think you'll probably need no more than five minutes.

All right.

Oh, yeah.

Thank you.

Council President Lakava, members of the City Council.

I am Brian Elliott, policy director for Council President Lakava.

And we are here today to present and request council support under a resolution affirming the City Council City of San Diego's opposition to proposed oil and gas leases in federal waters.

In January of 2018, the Trump administration announced their intent to open oil and gas leases to all U.S.

waters, which includes federal waters on the outer continental shelf off the coast of San Diego.

Opposition to this proposal was widespread and included 17 states, 330 municipalities, and was the subject of a bill passed by the House of Representatives with bipartisan support.

The City of Sandy City of San Diego joined in this opposition and led by then Councilmember Chris Ward, introduced and approved a resolution in opposition to federal oil and gas leases in all United States waters and specifically off the coast of California.

Despite the widespread pushback and ultimate inability by that administration to move forward, the proposal to open federal waters to offshore drilling has resurfaced.

On November 20th, 2025, the current administration followed up on their announcement to pursue offshore drilling by opening a comment period for the 11th national outer continental shelf oil and gas lease leasing draft proposed program.

The initial phase of the first proposed regional sale includes a total of 34 sites spread across Alaska, California, and the Gulf Coast.

As you will see on the map in the bottom right of the screen, this proposal includes sites off the coast of Southern California in San Diego with lease states beginning as early as 2027.

We've all seen the devastating impacts from offshore oil and gas drilling.

The deep water horizon explosion of 2010 is still fresh in the minds of many as we consider the resulting loss of natural resources, recreation, and commercial activities, both in the Gulf and to cities along that coast.

Events like the Deepwater Horizon or even smaller leaks in wells would have the same effects here in San Diego.

Oil spills or even the presence of offshore platforms may impede national defense operations and commercial fishing.

And when the City of San Diego is looking to advance and implement our climate action plan by lessening our reliance on fossil fuels, we should oppose efforts to invest in and expand oil and gas development.

This brings us to today's requested action, which, similar to the action of the City Council in 2018, is to approve the resolution opposing new federal oil and gas leases in all U.S.

waters, including waters off the coast of Southern California.

And as the council did in 2018, the action request of the city clerk sent a copy of the approved resolution as an official comment from the city on the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management's proposed leases.

Thank you, and here to answer any questions.

All right.

Thank you for the uh presentation of the work and bringing this item forward.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

If I can have Sophia, please come forward, and then after that, Ann Middleton and Charles Reilly.

Sophia, you have time ceded to you by McGara Wilson.

Can you please raise your hand?

You'll have uh four minutes, please proceed.

This microphone.

Um good afternoon.

My name is Sophia.

I'm a senior in high school from the neighborhood of Tierra Santa within City Council District 7.

I'm speaking here today as a part of Youth V oil.

The federal administration's proposal to expand offshore oil and gas trailing puts Southern California's futures at risk just to prolong an industry that is already driving climate destruction.

As a young person, I've already accepted the fact that climate change is no longer some distant future problem.

Its impacts are here and they are real and they are worsening.

Wildfires, rising seas, and polluted air are the realities my generation has grown desensitized to.

That is why this resolution matters.

This resolution has the opportunity to stand up where Trump's leadership has failed, and it affirms that Southern California will fight to protect its coasts and its people.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Anne.

And then Charles, if I can ask you to please come forward to the front row.

Hi.

Um Thanks to San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava for proposing item 514 resolution affirming San Diego's opposition to offshore drilling.

My name is Ann Middleton.

I'm the associate director at Wild Coast.

We are a nonprofit organization whose mission is to conserve coastal and marine ecosystems and address climate change through natural solutions.

We strongly support the resolution to affirm opposition to offshore drilling in federal waters.

Offshore drilling has zero benefits to San Diego and poses many risks to our economy, our health, and our biodiversity.

The adoption of San Diego's precedent setting climate action plan confirms that San Diego cares about clean energy and sustainable, equitable development.

We don't need to go backwards.

We don't need catastrophic impacts on our beloved local wildlife such as whales and dolphins.

We want more ecotourism and more fishing revenue.

We do not want beach closures and spoiled sunsets.

All oil spills were deemed highly unlikely, and we know that they still happen.

We urge city council to vote in support of this resolution to oppose offshore drilling here in San Diego.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And then Charles.

Good afternoon.

My name is Charles Rayleigh, and I'm the deputy chapter director of the San Diego chapter of the Sierra Club, here on behalf of our 26,000 members and supporters here in San Diego County.

As evidence outside of the city hall before this meeting, Sierra Club joins a large coalition of organizations in support of this resolution.

I want to thank Council President Lacava and Councilmember Ilo Rivera for bringing forward this resolution to strongly oppose the Trump administration's proposal, one that threatens our ecology, endangers our economy, and represents a political attack on our communities and our way of life here in San Diego.

Our coastline is one of the most ecologically rich and climate sensitive regions in California.

Offshore drilling threatens entire marine ecosystems through chronic pollution, exploration, vessel traffic, and the ever present risk of catastrophic oil spills.

Even routine drilling operations releases toxic chemicals, degrades water quality, undermines the ecological integrity of our kelp forests, wetlands, and our coastal nurseries that countless species depend on for survival.

Today you will vote on this important resolution, and we urge you to vote yes on opposing offshore drilling.

We also ask you to commit to institutional policies here in the city that safeguard wetland and marine ecosystems, accelerate the transition to renewable energy, and honor our responsibility to protect the habitat, our air, our water, and the natural beauty that makes San Diego the best place to live in the country.

Thank you.

Thank you.

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

John Stump, if you can please unmute.

Article one, section 2.1 of the city charter is a prohibition on construction, operation, or maintenance of facilities related to offshore drilling.

Neither the city council nor any officer or employee of the city shall take any action or permit any action to be taken, which directly or indirectly authorize or permits the transmission of any crude oil or natural gas taken or removed from offshore crude oil.

Okay.

So what the council needs to do, I mean, it goes on.

Uh talking about the city including but necessarily limited to crude oil or natural gas storage facilities, which are operated directly or indirectly in support of any offshore crude oil or natural gas drilling or pumping and operations within 100 nautical miles of the coastline of the county of San Diego.

The council needs to make sure that the ordinance they adopt directs their employees not to be collaborators on this offshore oil and gas drilling.

They council needs to direct their representatives at Sandeg and every other body that the city participates in.

Not to be collaborators and assist offshore oil drilling.

The law is quite clear.

The people spoke when they amended the charter to include Article One, Section 2.1 prohibition of construction operation or maintenance of facilities related to offshore drilling.

Please enforce the charter.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Blair Beekman.

If you can please unmute.

Hi.

Thank you.

Blair Beakman.

I just wanted to quickly offer an uncomfortable item.

Good luck that you can be opposing it and it can be successful in opposition.

And from the opposition, uh good luck in how you can try to ask federal agencies to work more on Tijuana River Valley issues together with Mexico, uh working towards uh building better environmental uh concerns for our future should be uh first and foremost for the San Diego area and tier one at this time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And that concludes public comment for this item.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Um, I will kick this off.

So I want to thank the organizations that uh attended here in person uh this afternoon and spoke in testimony uh at the city council hearing.

I also want to thank all the organizations that showed up for our press conference earlier this afternoon.

Um Coast Keeper, Surf Rider Foundation, Youth V Oil, Sierra Claude, the San Diego Bird Alliance, Climate Action Campaign, Oceana, Environmental Health Coalition, and Wild Coast for your very, very visible support.

There's certainly a lot of ways to approach this issue, and regardless of which one, I always come to the same questions.

How do we protect marine life from oil spills?

How do we ensure uninterrupted commercial activity along our shore and off our coast?

How can San Diego as a proud Navy town allow proper training and transportation for our troops?

And how do we achieve our climate action plan goals and facilitate a meaningful reduction in fossil fuel use?

And most importantly, how do I leave San Diego for my granddaughter that she can enjoy and live safely?

I do not have to think long and hard to know the answer to any of these is not expanding offshore drilling.

This administration is attempting to disrupt our cities, take our neighbors, and if it adds another dollar to an oil executive's pocket, they'll leave our oceans burning.

As unfortunate as it is that we have to relive the threat of offshore drilling as we did in 2018.

We need to let the federal government know that San Diego is taking a firm stand in opposition.

Again, I want to thank all of our partners and so many others that have made this their daily fight.

We are standing by your side.

And with that, I will move the rec staff recommendation.

I will turn it now to Councilmember Elo Rivera, who has been a partner in this conversation.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you for your leadership in bringing this forward.

Uh, thank you, uh Brian, for your work on this, and definitely to the advocates for your your uh efforts as well.

Uh I'm very glad we're bringing this forward and hearing this.

Uh thinking about it during the presentation, and there's this kind of wild, it's almost like a wild example of so much within the federal administration, the retrograde actions and policies of the federal administration.

This is a conversation that was a debate 20, 30, 40 years ago, and is is coming up again.

Uh it's an example of him selling us out for his billionaire buddies.

It's an example of him not giving a damn about the future of our environment and our people, certainly not caring about San Diego.

So it's super important that we take this action.

Um it's for all the reasons mentioned, whether it's protecting the coastline so that we can swim and enjoy it, so um we can continue to be the tourist destination uh that we are or the broader implications around climate change.

This all seems very, very important.

Um so thank you again, Council President, for bringing this forward.

Uh certainly proud to partner with you on it and happy to provide a second.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, sir.

So we have a motion by myself and a second by Councilmember Elohivera to move the recommendation on the resolution.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you so much.

Thank you to all the speakers and and thank you to our council president, our former council president, uh, for bringing this forward.

It's so important that we do this.

Uh I agree that uh climate change has already arrived, and we need to do everything we can to uh get that going back in the proper direction.

In the meantime, I remember perhaps more than two decades ago or so that there was tar in our sands at our beaches, that you couldn't walk through the sand without getting your feet stuck in oil.

And it was from this kind of thing.

And I wonder if the federal uh government has given us any idea of how far off coast they're talking about.

Probably starting uh three miles outside of state lines.

Oh gosh, that's that's really ridiculous.

And even in our charter with the 100 nautical miles, I doubt that that's safe enough to protect us.

So I am very much in agreement with this, and I can't thank you enough for bringing it forward.

I'm definitely in favor.

Thank you so much.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Campbell.

And not seeing anybody else in lights.

We have a motion by myself and a second by Councilmember Elo Rivera to move the resolution.

Clerk, please call the roll.

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

That passes unanimously, seven to zero with Councilmember Campio and Councilmember Von Wilbert absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk, and thank you uh Brian of my staff for the good work on this.

With that, Clerk, please introduce item S507.

Item S 507 is a resolution establishing a temporary rule of council to amend Rule 6.1.3 of the Rules of Council.

This item is not subject to the mayor's veto.

If you'd like to speak on this item, please submit a speaker slip to the front of the room in the clear box.

And if you are participating remotely, please be sure to raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh, in lieu of a formal presentation on this item, I will make a few remarks.

The need for a temporary rule of council was mentioned in my closing comments and open session on December 17th, as it is my intention to bring forward amendments to the rules of council.

Some of these proposed changes will be cleanup language to align with our general council policies, practices, and procedures, and others will help us align with changes to state law.

And while these amendments are being developed and will eventually go through the rules committee and the full city council, I wanted to give the committee chairs, all who remain the same as 2025, flexibility in how they approach their respective work plans.

We have seen in years past that the demands of committee dockets do not always allow chairs to design the work plans by February 1st.

And given the lengthier timeline of adopting an ordinance to amend the municipal code, I'm bringing forward the temporary rule as an interim step.

I want to thank the city attorney's office for their assistance, and I look forward to working with my council colleagues and the city clerk on upcoming amendments to the rules of council.

And clerk, with that, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

There are no public comment speakers here in Council Chambers, and nobody in the queue has their hand raised, so that does conclude public comment on this item.

All right.

So with that, we'll turn over to my colleagues for questions, comments, and ortain a motion.

And we'll start with Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you so much, uh, Council President, for bringing this forward.

I think it's an excellent idea to make uh our ability to work with our committee system in a much more efficient manner.

And I would like to make the motion to pass this.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Campbell to move the recommendation next to Councilmember Eloh Rivera.

Yeah, I just uh thank you for the work on this for uh doing what you can to make sure each committee is positioned as well as possible to do the work the committees need to do.

Uh I am happy to second the motion.

All right, we have a motion by Councilmember Campbell, second by Councilmember Elo Rivera.

Not see anybody else in the lights.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Sorry, the voting system, please cast your vote.

That does pass unanimously, seven to zero with council member von Wolpert and Councilmember Campillo absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

We will now adjourn council to the special council meeting on Thursday, January 15th, 2026 at 1 p.m.

in the city council committee room for the purpose of receiving public comment on the mayor's 2026 state of the city address.

The special council meeting will reconvene at 3 p.m.

in council chambers for the mayor's 2026 annual state of the city address.

And with that, we are adjourned.