Check, check one, two.

Good morning.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn.

Here.

Councilmember Foster.

Here.

Councilmember Von Wolper.

Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Councilmember Campillo.

Councilmember Moreno.

Present.

Councilmember Elo Rivera.

And Council President Lacava.

Present.

Also attending the meeting our City Attorney Heather Ferber, independent budget analyst Charles Monica, and myself, your city clerk, the NFWs.

Thank you, Council President.

Followed with the land acknowledgement and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Campbell.

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

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

Please face the flag and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

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

The clerk will now go over how the public can offer the testimony.

Please proceed.

I'd like to highlight the slide on the screen that reviews how the public can offer their public testimony during today's meeting.

If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip.

Look at it at the entrance of chambers and bring it to the front of the room.

No further in-person testimony will be taken once the council begins virtual testimony for better meeting management purposes.

Each speaker will have one minute per item per person.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you for that.

Please read the closed session items into the record.

Conference of Legal Council existing litigation pursuant to California Government Code Section 54956.91 is CS1, January 22nd, 2024, flooding litigation.

CS2 is Daniel Patz versus City of San Diego.

All right, and with that, please proceed with public comment.

We have no public comment speakers here in Council Chambers, starting with those participating virtually.

And we have three speakers in the queue.

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

You sound so different, I'm not sure why.

Um both of them.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Thank you.

Yes.

The um first one with the flooding, all of these victims, you know, you guys need to do the right thing because you failed to keep up the infrastructure in the city to make sure this kind of stuff wouldn't happen.

In fact, you're even going as far as counter-suing people saying that they didn't, you know, have their drainage and stuff and their you know property uh well maintained.

So, you know, you guys are hypocrites.

You're also um it's unfortunate because that event was a cloud seeding event at the um Santa Anna watershed, um, was uh you know, cloud seeding and making sure that this happens.

So I mean, when you guys don't even acknowledge things like that, there's gonna be more times like this where the people are going to have to be paying for your negligence because you know, not only do you move money around here or there to, you know, do your little projects, um, and you know, things like this take place, and it's just sad that people would have to come after the city and that it's taken so long.

Um, but you need to, you know, course correct and make it right for these people.

And with this class action case alleging that the city violated Prop uh 218 by charging tiered water rates to single family residential log or customers and they want a refund, you know.

You guys continue to um you know engage in fraud waste and abuse.

So people do have to come and you know sue you guys to hold you accountable for things that aren't supposed to be happening.

So it's a little concerning that this kind of stuff is happening when you know now you're putting um trash tax on property tax.

So, you know, it could lead people to actually lose their homes because of the way that you guys do stuff.

So again, you need to make it right, even though it sucks it should be coming from your pockets, not from the people who work really hard and you're just trying to make ends meet, um, all while you guys sit here and and you know do negligent things with um the money that you are entrusted to have that you are supposed to be um you know really doing right by the people, so this is your opportunity to do so.

So time to course correct.

Thank you.

Next is Zoom user.

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

Oh, hi, this is so Henry.

I I was thinking about speaking on the ACE parking thing.

Is that on this one or the next one?

That will be in the afternoon.

That's not in the closed session.

Oh, the afternoon.

Well, uh, good luck, but only hey, do the people right now.

A lot of people live there for generations.

You guys all know that.

Just give the money to those guys.

And then uh have a good day, guys.

Goodbye.

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

Hi, Blair Beekman, CS2.

Please proceed.

Hi, thank you, Blair Beekman.

Um I wanted to wish everyone uh hope and good luck that we can be working together as local communities and as a nation, that we all could be working towards how to address the future of our immigration policy of this country.

Seems like we need to make some serious changes.

I hope we can be working together towards those changes.

Uh, thank you.

I wanted to comment um for CS2.

That it's my feeling.

Um it's personal.

Um the city is being sued for not practicing state water subsidy right uh subsidy issues that we're not supposed to be practicing subsidy for water issues anymore.

And I I just I I'm upset that people are being sued over it, and that the um I I think we have to acknowledge that subsidies can really help our bill pain at this time for different income levels.

And uh I I'm a bit worried about this approach of being sued over subsidy.

I'm very sorry, thank you.

Thank you.

That concludes public comment on the closed session.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh this morning we actually have a closed session under special uh housing authority.

So we will now adjourn as the city council to convene for a special housing authority meeting to take public comment on the housing authority closed session item.

Clerk, please read the housing authority closed session item into the record.

Thank you.

Conference with labor negotiators pursuing to California Government Code Section 54957.6 is special housing authority closed session item one.

Housing authority designated management team representative.

This closed session matter is to review the housing authority's position and interests and instruct its management team representatives related to labor negotiations with the recognized employee organization, service employees, international union, local two to one.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

With that, please take public comment on the housing authority item.

Thank you.

I'm sorry the five minute timer, nobody here in Council Chambers is here to speak on special housing authority item one closed session.

Going to those participating remotely, the original, if you can please unmute.

Yep, that's only one, so that's the one I'm gonna be speaking on.

Um yes, so this is interesting.

I actually didn't know you guys had, I wasn't paying attention close enough.

But um, when we're talking about labor negotiations and um, you know trying to give people raises and different things like that when people aren't getting into housing.

I mean, you guys know that more people have died at 10th city, like I told you, and they're waiting to get into housing.

Yet people that are hired actually keep them from being able to do that.

They actually would get raped or murdered um or have a fentanyl overdose because that's happening at 10th city as well.

So when we're talking about giving people more money for things like that, I would say hell no, not until actually our homeless brothers and sisters are taken care of and not exploited by people like downtown partnership.

We're also just shifting them around every day.

And they're sitting right outside your building, right?

In the morning, but as long as six o'clock comes along, and downtown partnership tells them to get out of there, nobody sees it.

So until stuff like that is fixed, nobody should be getting raises.

Have a good day.

Next is Blair Beekman.

If you can please unmute.

Hi, thank you.

Uh Blair Beekman.

Um for this item, uh, thank you that uh you're trying to address this CIU.

Um yeah, I I guess uh excuse me, for myself.

Um I like the SCIU a lot.

Uh it's interesting that that you can be working and having uh this sort of uh dialogue.

Uh you'll you'll need a closed session item to deal with housing issues.

It would be nice to make a report back that in exactly how you will be working with the SEIU on these issues.

It's my hope the SEIU can be a great help to the future of if as they are already assuming with police department activities and help and and you know their internal bureaucratic things, they can be a great help and service, I think.

So good luck in these sort of good efforts.

Uh I'm very sorry uh I lacked knowledge on the previous item.

It's about a tiered water system and how do we talk about that payment sort of system?

Uh good luck in that sort of practice in the future.

Thank you.

That concludes public comment on the special housing authority closed session.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

We will now adjourn as the Housing Authority and reconvene as a city council, and we will now recess into closed session and reconvene council today at 2 p.m.

or shortly thereafter.

All right, good afternoon.

I will now reconvene the city council meeting of Monday, January 26, 2026.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn.

Councilmember Foster.

My apologies.

Council Member Ron Wilbert.

Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Councilmember Campillo.

Councilmember Moreno.

President.

Councilmember Ila Rivera.

And Council President Lakava.

Present.

Also attending this meeting are Chief Deputy City Attorney Kathy Steinman, independent budget analyst, Charles Monica, Council Affairs Advisor in the Mayor's Office, Coda Zeiser, and myself, your city clerk, Deanna Fuentes.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, City Clerk.

This is the next on the agenda is an opportunity for comments from the mayor's office, council members, city attorney, independent budget analyst, or city clerk.

And I will kick it off before I turn it over to my colleagues or turn over the city clerk.

All right, with that, I want to take a moment to honor Deanna Jorado Says Fuentes for however you pronounce it.

For 20 years of dedicated service to the city of San Diego as our city clerk.

Deanna leads a department of 43 employees, overseeing council meetings, citywide records, elections, and campaign finance disclosure.

Her public service career spans nearly two decades, beginning in the office of Councilmember Ben Weslow in advancing through roles, including director of legislative affairs for four council presidents, deputy director of elections, deputy director of legislative services, and assistant city clerk, culminating in her historic appointment as the first Latina City Clerk in San Diego in 2023.

Deanna is a champion of community engagement, transparency, and continuous improvement, and her leadership strengthens both our institutions and our connection to the public.

Beyond her professional achievements, she is deeply committed to her family and her community.

Deanna, we thank you for your dedication, your leadership, and the lasting impact you've made on the city of San Diego, and here's to many more years of service.

And so with that.

So with that, 20 year pitch.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Council President, and thank you to the council for appointing me those years ago, and to just the city of San Diego and every boss I've had for allowing me to serve.

Um twenty years of service.

I started when I was 10 years old here at the city, so that's why I'm here.

But thank you.

And here's too hopefully many, many more years.

I am very, very humbled to continue to serve.

All right.

And did you also have more official comments?

Well, please do.

I did have official comment.

I did forget that it was my anniversary today.

After 20 years.

Obviously, on the national level, we've seen a lot of disturbing events.

This is not who we are as Americans.

This is not what our Constitution says.

Uh and uh I appreciate that we all remain unified.

I understand what side I'm on.

Uh I think many of my colleagues do as well.

Uh we need to do much, much better.

Uh there is ways to do things as previous presidents have figured out how to do that conforms to the constitution that conforms to the rule of law that protects uh citizen that protects everybody who is here uh in this country uh as others have said better than I would need to do better.

So I didn't think the moments uh sh should pass without making some sort of statement.

And then further on top of that, Friday uh we saw an example of free speech and rightful protest uh by occup folks that occupied the mayor's office.

Um that was done relatively quietly.

I think most of us didn't even know that that was happening.

Um they engaged in a form of protest that some people think are effective.

Uh, and then towards the end of the day, it got a little bit out of hand.

Things were damaged.

Uh, it has now caused the city to pivot because it provides a very hazardous workplace for employees, and we're now probably going to have to spend money to make this building more secure, which is the last thing that I want to see happen for several reasons.

This is a place where people be able to come uh meet with departments, meet with their elected officials in a place of safety.

And this is a place where people come to work, uh, where they want to have assurances so they will come and work and be able to be safe.

But we probably will be spending money in a year, as everybody has knows is a very tight budget scene uh going forward.

But I think in terms of respecting our employees in terms of any physical improvements we're gonna do uh to this building uh will be well taken, and I'm sure the operation side will keep us apprised of any activity in that regard.

So the last thing I'll say is now more than ever, we have to stand together.

San Diegans are not the problem.

Uh from the mayor and the chief police chief's commitment stated clearly and held to account every single day since then.

We know which side we're on, we know what our job is.

The last thing we want to do is to be able to start uh start a national-wide conversation that will actually bring unintended uh focus on San Diego.

We don't need that.

So San Diego stick together, work together going forward.

All right.

Not seeing anybody else in the lights, we'll get on with the uh rest of the agenda.

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

Thank you, Council President.

I'll highlight the slide on the screen that reviews how the public can offer their public testimony during this afternoon's meeting.

The order can be found on the agenda summary found online or at the table in the back of the room.

If you're in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and bring it to the front of the room.

Council ambassadors are 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.

Oops, sorry.

Thank you.

With that, please introduce item S400.

Item S400 is the appointment and compensation of Roger Smith as the executive director for the Commission on Police Practices.

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 or raise your hand by pressing star nine.

Thank you.

All right.

With that, Ms.

Jones, as you settle in, introduce yourself for the record and let us know how much time you need for the presentation.

Good afternoon, Chair Lakava and honorable council members.

My name is Vicky Joes, and approximately four minutes.

All right.

When you're ready.

As I said, I am Vicky Joe's chief of staff to Council President Lakava, and I will present today for your consideration the appointments and compensation of Mr.

Roger Smith as executive director of the Commission on Police Practices.

I'd like to provide a brief history of the recruitment efforts to date.

Per city charter and ad hoc committee was established comprising of members of the city council and of the commission on police practices to recruit the commission's executive director and to provide advisory recommendations to the city council on candidates for appointment.

July 9th, 2025, the ad hoc committee heard and unanimously approved a plan to recruit, select, and hire for the position.

84 applications were received, and as per the approved plan, the human resources department and three ad hoc members screened the applications and scheduled six candidates for interviews with the community panel.

The community panel interviewed and ranked the six candidates who were then scheduled for interviews with the ad hoc committee.

The ad hoc interviewed the rated ranked candidates who then met the council in closed session on November 17th.

As a result of this process, Council President Lacava and Councilmember Foster, co-chairs of the ad hoc recommended the appointment of Roger Smith with the other ad hoc commission members.

The recommended initial compensation for the commission's executive director is an annual salary of approximately 216,000, $8,301.69 cents biweekly, consistent with the salary of the former executive director upon appointment and payable from the general fund.

The commission's executive director is under managerial C of the approved salary ordinance for fiscal year 2026.

This concludes my presentation, and I'm available for questions.

Thank you.

All right, thank you for your presentation.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you.

We do have a speaker here in Council Chambers.

Emani Robinson, if you can please come forward, and then we'll go.

Currently, we only have one speaker, and we have five in the virtual queue.

Monty, you'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Good afternoon, City Council members.

As you know, I'm very passionate about CPP.

I'm very passionate about our independence.

And holding on to that.

I'm excited about these new appointment with Mr.

Smith.

Looking at his background, it seems that independence is just as important to him as it is to myself and other commissioners.

I just thank you for the time that you allow us to speak our minds here at the city council and understand that commissioners are dedicated to making the CPP move forward to our independence and making our cities safer and making our community with the police better.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Going to those participating remotely.

I'm sorry, the five-minute timer starting with Andrea Ebbing.

If you can please unmute.

Hi, this is Sandra Ebbing.

Um hi, this is Andrea Ebbing.

Uh Madam Clerk, congratulations on 20 years.

Thank you for helping to guide me every time, especially with a getting new at this.

Um, just wanted to say congratulations on 20 years and thank you.

Thank you.

Please focus on the item.

Thank you.

Okay.

So, yes, I would uh I'm kind of neutral on this.

I just have seen um, you know, people go in and out and investigations not be completed.

I'm glad that you've identified somebody that is uh seems like they're gonna work out.

That's good.

Um, I would just say, like, if there's a way to layer in to that role, it's like 200 something thousand dollars a year.

We can layer into that role like our just that they could have like access to audit argis um and changes and kind of like um maybe fold into that role some kind of like uh data management.

So maybe they do that in the investigation anyways, but um, yeah, if they can add in like data management looking for changes in records and that sort of thing, I think it'd be very helpful.

Um, and if they can have um the full scope of things, you know.

I think if he's gonna um come into this role and really roll his sleeves up and get get down on like the investigations that were never completed or are questionable, um, we desperately need it.

You know, San Diego desperately needs it, so I really hope that the commission can remain independent and do its work and finally have a chance to be staffed, ready uh, and complete an investigation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Francine Maxwell, if you can please unmute.

Good afternoon, Francine Maxwell, Southeastern San Diego resident.

Welcome to San Diego.

So looking forward to um meeting you and getting down to work.

Please know that San Diego likes to pretend some of the adults that they're still in high school, and they try to pick and choose who people can work to, talk to, and things like that.

Stay open.

Stay open to meeting everyone in San Diego, meeting them where they are, and you you get your own opinion of that person.

Don't pretend like you're in high school like some of our elected officials do.

Oh no, you can't talk to them because I don't talk to them, we don't eat lunch with them, we have to walk past them.

So looking forward to making sure that um the charter is implemented to the fullest.

Um looking forward to our attorney who needs to give advice because our CPP commissioners, we absolutely have some fabulous attorneys on board, but we still need to have our our independent attorney that's gonna help with the POA and to continue to push this meet and confer.

It's uh been a while, but I know that um things are definitely moving in the meet and confer with the POA.

So we're looking excited and just um need everybody to be reminded that the staff of the CPP are employees of the city of San Diego, they staff the CPP, and so we have to be mindful of how we treat and talk to them because again, they are city staff.

So there could actually be a town hall about that to educate the community and the commissioners if somebody um on the the diocese would like to lead that.

So again, welcome, looking forward to your leadership for our um independent body to make sure that everybody knows accountability is not the enemy.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next is phone number ending in 7499.

After that is the original, and then Blair Beekman, 7499.

If you can please unmute.

Joe Lacava and Todd Gloria do not seize upon excuses to use the police to further lock the public out of their rightful access to the city and the city's resources.

Thank you.

Next is the original.

If you can please unmute.

You know, of course, accountability is extremely important, but it seems like you know, this is a lot of money to be spent for you know, people to be gatekeepers of accountability.

And you know, when the city is working with these commissions, I mean, these commissions don't have any authority.

They make recommendations and different things like that to bring about policy change.

But when it really comes to accountability, I mean, you know, you guys don't want to talk to the public or allow you know the public to um really have their two cents, and they're the ones that are being abused by the police force.

So, you know, it's it's um it's just interesting, you know, when all of these things come forward, and there's so many different commissions or committees or different things that are supposed to be holding these entities accountable, and it's like we make so many of them, you should only need one for the accountability.

And you know, there should be checks and balances and and making sure that um they're doing their job to make sure that I mean the police sit there and watch you know, people on the street smoke fentanyl and don't do anything about it.

You guys give pipes and needles, and you know, instead of really hope helping the homeless or somebody who is having some kind of you know um you know mental health issue, you know, the police force winds up opening fire and and murdering people.

So it's like you know, at what point is this kind of stuff gonna stop and and people are gonna be held accountable.

I mean, the city shouldn't have to continually, or the people shouldn't have to continually pay money and exorbitance amounts of money for overtime for the police and all of this stuff when there's no accountability when they come after the public and do egregious things like that.

So, you know, hopefully one day, you know, things can change and there will actually be some kind of accountability and um making sure that you know the practices are actually something that are beneficial to the people and not harmful.

So I guess time will tell, but this is a lot of money that's gonna be spent that's really gonna go into someone's pocket and not really provide any accountability.

Your time has concluded, and so has the five-minute timer.

There are two people left in the queue.

No additional speakers will be taken.

Blair Beekman, if you can please unmute.

All right, thank you.

Uh Blair Beekman, thanks a lot for this item.

Item.

Thank you for the words of uh the previous public comment today on this item.

Uh Andrea, I mean very nicely noted that uh I try to work on the theme and ask the same thing.

How you know uh uh CPP and and police review boards, they can be more attuned to the importance of tech accountability practices.

The work of the PAB is really important.

Um they tend to handle, I think, more of these issues, but for CPP persons to have a really good knowledge and and to be a part of their thought process of how they make decisions with good tech accountability in mind, I think it's really important uh to work on, and we should be looking for that in our in our uh CPP people, actually.

And uh so thank you.

Uh and thank you for the words of Francine Maxwell, who has uh she always uh she's been working a lot on these issues, and uh it's nice to hear her words about accountability.

Um these things are important to me uh as well.

I'm learning uh understanding Oakland is going to uh kind of their own issues right now with their um uh police review board.

Um so take heart that uh you know, as we're trying to work towards our best in both Oakland and San Diego right now.

Uh good luck what we can come up with.

The uh a former city clerk uh retired a few weeks ago and was given a very nice send-off.

And I think we all said, man, it hurts what has happened in her situation.

Um's change, though.

And I I I hope that the the police review commission were uh it's possibly the same issue that's happened.

He just wasn't quite up to times changing, and it hurts when that happens.

Good luck how we can talk more about this openly and and make friendship and and better accountability for all of us in the future of San Diego.

Thank you.

Our final speaker is 1384.

If you can please unmute Star 6, 1384.

Hello, Ernie Casco, concerning the CPP, police practices.

I went straight to the CPP and your office, Joe Lakava concerning Tory Pine's glider port crimes.

The CPP recognized the crimes, sent me directly to the SDPD, which I did under their direction.

Their San Diego police sent me directly to the district attorney's office, the mayor's office, and your office concerning the crimes going on at Torre Pines Gladerport.

Why haven't you taken action?

And where are the police reports concerning violations going on coming out of your jurisdiction, out of your office?

I want an immediate answer, not another runaround rabbit hole reply from your office.

Thank you so much.

Ernie Casco, it's time to stop the illegal commercialization of Tory Pines Gladiport with this proposed San Diego recreational waiver that ends the dispute.

Thank you.

That does conclude public comment on this item.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, City Clerk.

Um I'm gonna make some opening comments and then I'm gonna turn it over to my colleague uh council member Foster.

So uh there are many deserved thanks in this recruitment process, and I'll take a moment to acknowledge them.

Thank you to uh the ad hoc co-chair Foster and the ad hoc and commission members, Bonnie Benitas, Darlan Momet, Armando Flores, and Dwayne Harvey.

Your dedication to this process beyond your prescribed duties as commissioners speaks to the importance of providing the CPP with the resources needed to succeed.

Thank you to Chair Rodriguez for voicing your support of this appointment and studying the helm during this process.

And thank you to all the CPP staff who navigated the past two months without leadership or internal legal counsel.

Thank you to the Human Resources Department and Florencia Acosta.

Florencia, your recruitment expertise and professionalism are seen and appreciated.

And thank you to Deputy City Attorney Joan Dawson for your assistance every step of the way.

Thank you to the 84 applicants who applied and the other five candidates who participated in two rounds of interviews.

This nationwide interest speaks volumes to the attractiveness of both police oversight and working at the city of San Diego.

The candidates were among the highest quality professionals, and you made our task gratifyingly difficult.

Thank you for your interest and time.

And Mr.

Smith, while many qualified candidates made this a difficult decision, you rose above.

And I thank you for choosing to serve San Diego and the Commission on police practices.

We all look forward to a long relationship that supports the will of the voters and promotes accountability, trust, independence, and safety.

I'll have a few more words, but for now I'll turn over to the ad hoc co-chair, Councilmember Foster.

Sir Yes.

Thank you, Council President.

And thank you to your office and your team, um, Vicky for all of the work um that went into this as we are hiring the next uh commission on police practices executive director.

I also want to thank um everyone who served on the selection committee through this uh process uh for your time and care.

Um, you know, just want to say thank you to the commission members.

Also want to thank the community panel and their efforts in working through this and of course the city staff in the various departments, uh the city attorney's office, um personnel department, and also HR.

Um I was honored to serve on the committee, and I believe we found the right person.

Mr.

Smith is a graduate of the USC uh law school and has served in senior leadership roles, overseeing police accountability and misconduct investigations in cities across the country.

He's a certified practitioner through the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement and brings experience, leading oversight agencies, managing complex investigations and building systems that strengthen transparency, independence, and community trust.

The Commission on Police Practices has been without a permanent uh executive director and has uh this has gone on for far too long.

And there is real work ahead to stabilize the commission, rebuild capacity and ensure it can fully carry out the mandate voters entrusted it to do.

Especially in light of recent concerns with the police department, including the 30 million dollar settlement to Konoa Wilson, uh the officer involved shooting, concerns for Marcus Evans, excessive force case, use of forest case, public reaction to the South Crest use of force incident, which is currently under investigation, and the more recent stolen car pursuit where a man was shot by San Diego police.

All these incidents underscore the need for a fully empowered commission on police practices to provide the accountability our community expects.

I look forward to working with uh you, Mr.

Smith, and the Commission as we move this important work forward and strengthen civilian oversight in our city.

And let's make sure we always remember that we are doing this to improve accountability, transparency, and to build trust amongst our first responders and the public.

So, with that, Council President, I move to appoint Roger Smith to the position of executive director of the Commission on Police Practices and to establish his initial salary at $8,301 and 69 cents biweekly, which is 216,000 annually, with other benefits established at the classification of Managerial C in the City Council, approved fiscal year 2026 salary ordinance.

And that concludes my comments.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Foster.

I'm more than happy to second uh your motion.

And at this time, I'm gonna invite Mr.

Smith if you'd like to come up and say a few words.

Many of you uh I have not had the opportunity to talk to before, so I just wanted to take this moment to greet all of you.

I also wanted to thank you for a process that has considered me, and I know of a number of other candidates from across the country who were part of this process, and I appreciate the careful and fair consideration that went into this choice.

And I just wanted to say to you that this conversation has taken on greater importance in light of recent events both locally and nationally, but that the conversation that needs to result from this will be one that is inclusive and fair to all parties involved, be it the police department, be it individual members of the community, and be it others who might have questions that they observe in the process and would like answers to.

And I look forward to furthering that conversation with the help of anyone in this community who will provide it.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, sir.

Well said.

Uh, we'll go next to Councilmember Ilo Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, start by thanking you, uh, Councilmember Foster, your your teams, and everyone else who worked on this.

I know a lot goes into this.

Uh, thank you for putting all that time and effort in and um giving this really important position the the um level of consideration and thoughtfulness that it deserves.

Um, Mr.

Smith, thank you for being willing to serve in this capacity.

Um very, very important, and I very much appreciate you acknowledging um that it's becoming more important by the day.

Um, as the national events certainly have an impact on the way local events are are seen and felt.

Um so thank you for for your interest in in serving this capacity.

Um looking forward to to seeing you do your work, and I will be supportive.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilman Rio Rebearer.

We'll go next to Councilmember Moreno.

Thank you, and I too would like to thank staff uh for their presentation as well.

And I too would like to thank staff uh for the presentation as well as the members who sit on the commission on police of on police practices.

Uh this item represents the culmination of a thorough, transparent and community informed recruitment process.

Uh the commission on police practices plays a critical role in building uh public trust and strong leadership is essential to that mission.

Uh Mr.

Smith was recommended after a competitive process that included community panel interviews, ad hoc committee committee reviews, and extensive vetting.

So approving this resolution allows the commission to move forward without disruption and provides continuity at a moment when effective oversight and accountability remains vital to the public's confidence of the city.

And so for these reasons, um I support the item and the appointment of Mr.

Smith as the executive director.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Von excuse me, Council Mr.

Moreno.

We'll go next to Councilmember Von Wilburt.

Um thank you, uh Council President.

Thank you for the work that you and Councilmember Foster did to uh search for candidates and find folks um and and make this election and welcome uh Mr.

Smith to San Diego.

Um I do have a question for you if that's okay.

Um the Commission on Police Practices, unfortunately, we face significant significant leadership turnover since we started, which I know is a an issue with many commissions around the country.

This is a hard uh hard thing to do.

But I'm just I know that our outside council, our general council has left, prior executive directors have left very suddenly.

So my question is could you commit to making sure you work with us and you tell us you know if problems are going to arise, we'd love to help you sort them out before they become such that you decide you can't lead here anymore.

And so how are you going to kind of steady the helm now we've had so much turnover in leadership?

Uh it's interesting.

I would actually make the same request.

Because basically, that is a two-way conversation that tends to happen.

Um of the challenges with these processes is that no one really has the ability to predict the crises that will swing events.

Uh the one thing I can offer in this process is that the communication that I will have with you and with others who share this work will include the real considerations going through my mind at any given time.

So this process done correctly and and with everyone doing it the same way, doesn't tend to produce those surprises.

If the events we have all kind of built into how we consider these things, but it's the communication that's gonna prevent those uh surprises and provide the stability, and that I can guarantee.

Um the timetables, unfortunately, I don't control them, but to the extent I do control them, you're not gonna be in for any surprises like that.

Fantastic.

Uh and you know our doors are always open, and so is the council presidents and you know, I think you were watching online a few weeks ago when we had to unfortunately remove a commissioner who was uh not uh conducting himself professionally and inappropriately.

And so I just want you to know that you can always come here uh if you have you know issues with morale or issues going on at the commission because we all want it to be successful, we want it to be fair and unbiased towards all, as you said earlier, and effective.

So please know that you're not alone.

Uh, this council wants to support you, and so and as you've seen that we will take action if we need to to help right the ship, but um we're we're glad you're here and uh let us know how we can continue to support the mission.

And I know that meet and confer is a long process, but we do also value you know workers' rights and union rights in this country and this city as well.

So we have to go through these processes.

So uh thank you and welcome.

We're excited you're here, and I'll be supporting the appointment today.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Von Wolpert.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you.

Um welcome to this position.

We're so glad that you are willing uh to help us out here, and I just want you to to know that we're uh a welcoming diverse city, and as you probably already know, and we will be even more united than ever with help from your leadership.

So thank you so much.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Campbell.

Not seeing anybody else on the lights.

We have a motion by Councilmember Foster and a second by myself to move the recommendation.

Clerk, please call the vote.

I've started the voting system, please cast your vote.

And that passes unanimously eight to zero with councilmember campillo absent.

All right.

Um because we don't want to waste any time.

Uh we're going to take a short pause for the clerk to administer your oath and get you on the job.

Councilmember Foster, you want to join me down there as they do though.

I made a dollar.

Nice to meet you.

Please raise your right hand and repeat after me.

I.

I.

State your name.

I, Roger Smith.

Do solemnly swear or affirm.

Do solemnly swear or affirm.

That I will support and defend the Constitution.

That I will support and defend the Constitution.

Of the United States.

Of the United States.

And the Constitution of the State of California.

And the Constitution of the State of California.

Against all enemies.

Against all enemies.

Foreign and domestic.

Foreign and domestic.

That I will bear true faith in allegiance.

That I will bear true faith in allegiance.

To the Constitution of the United States.

To the Constitution of the United States.

And the Constitution of the State of California.

And the Constitution of the State of California.

That I take this obligation freely.

That I take this obligation freely.

Without any mental reservation.

Without any mental reservation.

Or purpose of evasion.

Or purpose of evasion.

And that I will well and faithfully.

Discharge the duties.

Discharge the duties.

That I am about to enter.

Then I am about to enter.

Congratulations, Mr.

Smith on your appointment.

Thank you.

I'll just need your signature.

I'll just need your signature.

Thank you again, Roger, and welcome aboard.

You got a lot of work ahead of you.

So thank you, City Clerk, to get this going.

So with that, please introduce item 200.

Item 200 is the amendment to the Home Key Plus CDBG subrecipient agreement between the City of San Diego and the San Diego Housing Commission.

If you'd like to speak to this item, please submit your speakers up to the front of the room in the clear box or raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

With that, staff, as you settle in, introduce yourselves for the record and let us know how much time you need.

Good afternoon, Council President Lacava and Honorable Council members.

My name is Michelle Morano, Assistant Deputy Director with the Economic Development Department, and it's my pleasure to present an amendment to the Home Key Plus CDBG subrecipient agreement between the City of San Diego and the San Diego Housing Commission.

I'm joined by Christy Marcella, Deputy Director, and we'll need five minutes for this presentation.

When you're ready.

Today we're requesting the City Council take the following actions to approve a First Amendment to the Home Key Plus CDBG subrecipient agreement and related actions.

These include authorizing the mayor or designee to negotiate and enter into the First Amendment to the agreement, transferring just over $593,000 of CDBG funds from the Housing Commission's affordable housing notice of funding availability to the Home Keep Plus program and authorizing the chief financial officer to expend the $593,000 approximate amount for Starling Place.

First, we'd like to provide a summary of events leading up to these requested actions.

Concurrently, the housing commission was also evaluating sites, and Starling Place was on its short list of suitable properties for the Home Key Plus Program, which allows for underutilized hotels to be converted to residences.

In the spring of 2025, the Housing Commission applied to the State's Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD Home Key Plus Program funding for an affordable housing project on Starling Drive.

In May and June of 2025, City Council approved actions to allocate CDBG funds to the Housing Commission for both a local match for the Home Key Plus application and for an affordable housing NOFA.

In August of 2025, the Housing Commission released its affordable housing NOFA.

In October 2025, the Housing Commission was awarded 34.4 million dollars by HCD for the Starling Place project through the Home Key Plus program.

And in late 2025, the Housing Commission completed its NOFA evaluation and recommended two projects for acquisition funding using CDBG funds.

An acquisition closing date for the Starling Place project is anticipated in late February.

So next month.

As a refresher, the Starling Place Project is a partnership between the San Diego Housing Commission, the City of San Diego, and the County of San Diego to acquire and rehabilitate an existing property at 7798 Starling Drive in the Sarah Mesa community in Council District 7.

The project will create 80 affordable housing homes with supportive services to provide homes for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including our veteran community.

County funds will also be used to provide operational uh capital and wraparound social services to tenants.

This aligns with the goals of the community action plan on homelessness for the city of San Diego to increase access to permanent housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness and to increase access to services for people with behavioral health needs.

The top table here shows that based on the anticipated needs of the two recommended affordable housing notice of funding availability projects, there will be an unspent balance of the original city allocation to this program.

Since the recommended NOFA awards did not fully utilize all available CDBG funds, the Housing Commission requested support from the city to transfer the remaining balance to the Home Key Plus Agreement for acquisition costs.

This aligns with the original request to council to allow for flexibility between the NOFA and the Home Key Plus program.

This also permits the commission to reallocate more flexible funding sources such as county or HCD funds from acquisition to another project to other project costs.

This may include solar panels to reduce the original operational cost for the project and offer long-term financial stability.

Staff recommends approval of the requested actions summarized here, and representatives from the commission as well as city staff are available to respond to questions.

And this concludes my presentation.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you very much for the work to bring us forward and the presentation today.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

I see no public comment here in Council Chamber.

Starting the five-minute timer going to those participating remotely.

We have three speakers in the queue starting with the original.

It's interesting because you guys paint such a pretty picture, so people are just, you know, watching or listening in, that it seems like what you guys are doing is combating homelessness and really doing your due diligence to make sure that people can get into affordable housing.

However, you know, homelessness and affordable housing are both a racket, as we can see all of the fraud, waste and abuse that's being exposed across the nation with money that has been supposed to be going to help our homeless brothers and sisters and make sure that they're not suffering on the streets.

But we find that no matter how many millions and even billions of dollars that you guys get and throw towards this problem, the problem continues to get worse.

And here we are coming up on the point in time count that's going to be happening on Thursday.

And it's like that's pretty much a joke as well because the times that are these homeless people are going and being counted aren't really times that you'll see them around.

And when you guys are engaging in things like I continue to say of downtown partnership, just moving the people off the streets at 6 a.m.

You're not you're not solving the problem when you say that these tents are off the street.

It's like temporarily during the day when people are out and looking.

But it's like, you know, I mean, you really should care more about these people because they're dying faster than getting housing because you were engaging with people or entities like Dreams for Change and Teresa Smith and again downtown partnership that aren't helping people get out into housing when they're in Tent City.

In fact, they're hiring people that are from halfway houses on parole, have ankle monitors, and so these aren't the people that are able to help our homeless brothers and sisters get off the streets.

In fact, they impede their ability because they'll continue to change caseworkers.

So, you know, whatever lists they're going to be put on, they got to continually be put on it.

So I mean, until you're willing to hold these entities accountable that are supposed to be helping you with these types of programs to get those people into this housing, then you're just stepping on your own feet and it's never going to get anywhere.

If you can please unmute 8813 star six.

Okay, Clinton Follow here.

Can you hear me?

Yes, please proceed.

Okay, thank you.

Okay, so home key, amen.

Uh let's see, home key is sold to the public as compassion, as help, as housing, but compassion without transparency is not compassion.

It's filled for mismanagement.

Billions of taxpayer dollars have been poured into homelessness programs across California, and yet homelessness continues to rise.

We now have documented cases of fraud, criminal charges, and developers misusing funds meant for vulnerable people.

That is not a theory that is public record.

So yeah, I guess uh my question is simple: where is the accountability?

And who is auditing outcomes?

Um residents are watching properties sit vacant, costs explode, and communities destabilize all by design.

Well, we're told to trust the process, trust must be earned.

And right now it hasn't been.

And we can't ignore the larger patterns across the city and across the state programs aimed at helping vulnerable populations, which are increasingly paired with data collection, tracking systems, and expanded surveillance, often with little public consent or clear limits.

Uh housing policies, behavioral health, public safety, surveillance technology, all expanding at the same time, all with reduced transparency, all justified by crisis.

This mirrors global trend where decisions are increasingly shaped by unelected bodies, public-private partnerships, and global policy frameworks that San Diego residents never voted on and cannot vote out.

I am not against helping people.

Um I am against unchecked power.

And um this council truly serves the people, which you don't, um, then has concluded.

Your time has concluded, Andrea Ebbing.

If you can please unmute, and then our final speaker will be Blair Beekman.

There's 20 seconds left on the queue.

Hi, this is Andrea Ebbing.

I'm looking at the um the 32.4 million dollars that was awarded by the state for this program.

Looks like the city was investing 11.5, which uh which can is consistent with what I just saw in that slideshow.

But it looks like the county's investing 12.5 million and 7 million in capital funds and 5.5 million ongoing operating expenses.

And then it looks like they requested uh 617,504 on September 4th.

Now we're gonna have another 500,000 dollars put towards this.

And I heard wraparound services, that was a gigantic red flag.

Um, wraparound services, really.

So just so like everybody, we need to really consider this as you guys make your vote and as we think about this.

I'm certainly hoping you're not uh menace to society and um understanding that this is the case and then voting it through.

But uh there is a scheme that's taking place in the um you know, homeless addiction behavioral health world that once a place is uh gets certification or is identified as um wraparound services, behavioral health, homeless and addiction, then there's a uh a sneaky way to profit by just like employing.

I guess it's like employing these quote unquote patients, which is what the rehabs are doing.

They they employ these unhoused people or these addicts, right?

And um, then they charge insurance for it.

So they're doubling down.

So we get money to pay them, but we don't use the money to pay them.

We actually charge insurance to pay them, and so there's like double dipping going on, and also they should be drug testing.

I'm so sorry, but like I I am definitely for helping the homeless, I'm definitely for helping people who are in need and in crisis, but I'm not for coddling addicts.

People who are making really serious decisions to end their own lives very slowly in front of us is not very cool, and it destroys property and community.

And I think their time has concluded.

Our final speaker is Blair Beekman.

All right, thank you.

A lot of information from Andrea Ebbing.

Thank you very much, Andrea.

Um yeah, just stuff to learn.

Um I try to be hopeful um and uh about what our housing can be about, and I tend to be forgiving.

That may be a weakness of my own.

I'm sorry if it is.

Um but uh information sharing is important and understanding the process.

Uh good luck how uh if our decisions are being made that they can be seen as clear and doing something hopeful and helpful and important.

Um my feeling uh meaningful and and not an above board in some form.

Uh, because I mean uh this uh we've been doing uh home key funding since this COVID area era, and um COVID has done some nice things for us uh in this way, and uh it's important that we have uh a good array of the tools and choices.

Um how to help unhoused people.

I know that um uh city city staff did an awesome job uh uh I last year.

I I can't remember what time it was maybe springtime and summer, early summer.

That they were talking about how I'm on a bark train right now in the Bay Area.

Sorry about this.

Okay, uh so uh the um the city government was talking about path services and finding homes for people, and they were having really good success at it.

And so it wasn't just a matter of just continuously pushing towards uh uh shelter issues.

It was CAT was really finding homes, and we can really talk on those terms.

I hope you could talk more about how the uh unhoused ordinance things are working out, and that can be clear as part of the process of building good housing for everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you, and that does conclude public comment on this item.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh with that, I'll turn it over to my council colleagues.

Questions, comments, and entertain a motion.

Who is first okay?

We'll get a motion by council member whippern, a second by council member Foster to move the recommendation.

Uh not seeing anybody on the lights.

Um, I'll just extend my thank you to you all and the department for the creativity in putting these financing packages together.

I know uh we still have to figure out a way how to provide these housings without complex capital stacks, but uh for today, this is the way to do it.

You're doing it very, very well.

So thank you for that.

So we have a motion by council member Whitburn and a second by Councilmember Foster to move the recommendation.

Clerk, please call the roll.

I 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.

With that, clerk, please introduce item S401.

Item S401 is the first amendment to contract from an invitation to bid between the city of San Diego and Ace Parking III or third LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

Subitem B does require six votes pursuant to charter section 99.

Thank you, Council President.

If you'd like to speak to this item in your hearing, Council Chambers, please submit a speaker sip to the front of the room in the clear box.

Participating remotely, star nine or the raise your hand icon.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Great staff.

I see yourselves uh settled in.

Introduce yourselves for the record and let us know how much time you need for the presentation.

Good afternoon, good afternoon, Council President Lacaba.

Honorable Council members.

My name is Terrell Brown.

I am the supervising property agent with economic development department, and joining with me is Karen Johnson, the asset manager with the Economic Development Department.

And I'll need three minutes.

All right.

Thank you very much.

I'm here to present today this uh afternoon the fourth First Amendment to the contract from an invitation to bid between the City of San Diego and Ace Parking 3 LLC.

The Evan V.

Jones Parkade is located at 1265 First Avenue downtown in Council District 3.

Just a brief background on this agreement.

On January 15th, 2021, the city issued an ITB, an invitation to bid to prospective bidders on goods to be provided to the city.

The city had determined that ACE parking had the expertise, experience, and personnel necessary to provide services.

Therefore, ACE parking was retained to provide these parking management services to the EVJ parquet.

The initial management agreement signed in 2021 was for five years and is set to expire on February 10th.

However, the intricacy of defining the scope of services to meet the city's long-term needs for the parquet and ensuring the most effective delivery model, additional time is required to complete the procurement process and select a pro uh service provider.

Approval of the First Amendment and extending the contract will provide staff the time needed to complete and advance the appropriate procurement process while ensuring the continued professional management of the parquet.

Just some First Amendment key terms.

The initial agreement here for the one amendment is going to be for additional one year expiring on February 10th, 2027.

The monthly contract amount is 21,685, and that is the current amount that would extend throughout this term.

What staff is asking is for city council to approve this item and order uh ordinance authorizing the mayor design to enter into the first amendment to the contract between the city of San Diego and Ace Parking 3 LLC and authorize the chief financial officer to appropriate and expend an amount not to exceed 260,220 over the first term amendment from the concourse and park garage operating funds.

This concludes my briefing, and we're here to answer any questions.

All right, thank you for the presentation.

Uh clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you.

There are no public comment speakers here in council chambers.

Going to those participating remotely.

Oh, sorry, the five-minute timer.

Currently have six people in the queue, starting with the original.

If you can please unmute, you'll have two minutes.

Yeah, this is interesting because it's like you're giving them money, but they're also paying money, and they're also charging people exorbitant amounts of money just to park in the city.

And so, you know, this seems like you know, just another racket that you guys engage in when you know why are they getting any money?

They, you know, with the amount of money they charge and are making off the people.

I mean, we should we should get free parking if we're we're giving them you know a couple hundred thousand dollars here and there.

Like it just, you know, but I'm sure the city, you know, all of your employees can probably, you know, park there.

It's just the people, you the peasants that are sitting there, you know, providing the money so that you can contract with these entities that really don't you know do anything great for the people.

It's like you just wanna, you know, charge everybody in anything.

I mean, at some point I feel like we're just gonna be charged to breathe, you know, and we're gonna only have so much air, you know, per day that we're gonna be allotted, and and there's gonna be a fee if we go over that, and you know, it's just like your climate stuff.

It's like it's just so sad to see the amounts of money that go through your hands and the lack of you know what you have to show for it.

I mean, it's not like people's lives get better.

That's what's so crazy is even on that last item, you're like, we're doing such a great job.

No, you're not.

You're actually not.

I mean, and it's you can tell by the world, look at just look at the city.

Look at the homeless people out there and how much it get worse.

Like, do you guys ever talk to them?

I feel like you guys pretend that you actually talk to the people that you represent people and you claim that, but then half the time people don't even know who you are.

So, how can you even claim to represent them and doing what's best for the people?

It's not.

It's just that you know, people are busy when you guys have your meetings and all of this stuff, so they don't get to sit here and you know hold you guys accountable like we should, because you know, it's unchecked power that is going running rampant across the nation.

And so it's just you know, it's ridiculous that they're gonna be getting any money.

If anything, we should be getting free parking for providing them any kind of funding.

Thank you.

Next is Blair Beekman, if you can please unmute.

All right, thank you.

Uh Blair Beekman.

Thanks a lot for this item.

Um this the same item was here uh back in like December or November.

And so uh it's kind of familiar to me.

I guess you're finalizing things at this time.

Um this was the group that I think is in charge of the parking uh around the Belbo Park uh, you know, the main uh attractions, you know, the the uh aerospace museum and natural history museum and and all the the things there.

Um is this a group that's in charge of the tram service also?

Uh how is the tram service working out with the with the parking?

Is it going to be a four-hour parking?

Is that the current uh situation?

I can't remember the exact number of hours, but hopefully that is working out well.

Tram is really vital to help uh people uh move around and get parking easier and get to their places easier and come back to their cars easier.

So uh good luck in those efforts.

Uh, this is part of two parking items.

You have uh a different uh council agenda item tomorrow on Sunday parking.

And boy, we're in the we're in the thick of it of how to deal with our future parking issues.

Really good luck to ourselves in working this out.

I still believe it should be two and five dollars charging for for uh parking rates overall instead of the five to ten.

Uh good luck what you can be working on.

Good luck on the monthly past situations and that uh uh making those prices low and sensible and that it's clear for people that they can have the choices and uh good luck how we can work on this.

Uh thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Andrea Ebbing, if you can please unmute.

And hi, this is Andrea Ebbing.

Um I just wanted to look at this to echo Blair Beekman.

It was it was uh I found an article published in September 25th, 2024.

It looks like everybody voted against it.

Um there was lapses in this contract, and supposedly like everybody just agreed that it was not you guys, but the uh the auditor found that these lapses are regular, but um one of the big things that stood out to me was number one that everybody voted against it, number two that it's back on the ballot, which means that nobody really cares what you vote by that I mean Todd Gloria.

And then it looks like the uh office um he wanted he wants to do business with the city for another 70 years.

70 years in San Diego.

I mean, I'd like to think we're um, and I mean it's not a bad thing, obviously, to be doing business, upright business for 70 years anywhere is a great thing.

But when we're in the climate, we're in like this unchecked, unbelievably corrupt, which you know, I think seven twenty-one members of the corruption Rico Enterprise Down is a good number, and people all kind of waking up and being aware and uh engaged in in exposing this corruption and standing up to it is a great thing.

But 70 years, talk about grandfathered in.

I'd say right off the top of the like I don't even have to look at the numbers.

I might think that maybe this is one of the most corrupt partnerships in the county and city.

Maybe.

I mean, 70 years in, I think that's like something to look at, and maybe re like looking at why you voted no before and how we are being vetoed and uh what's Gloria's motive, what's his agenda on this one?

I mean, obviously it's money, but like we need to find it.

So um hopefully we can do the right thing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is phone number ending in 8813.

8813, if you can please unmute after that is 7499, and then Kathleen Lippett.

Our five-minute timer has concluded, no additional speakers will be taken.

8813, please proceed.

Okay, wouldn't that be nice?

All right, so everything San Diego does increasingly penalizes driving, mobility, and owning a vehicle, more parking fees, fewer spaces, more tickets, more enforcement, and now another contract that turns the basic uh necessity into revenue stream.

Um people don't drive because they want to, they drive because San Diego is not a walkable, it's not walkable for most families.

Public transportation is unreliable.

And uh work, school, caregiving, and daily life require mobility.

Um parking is not a luxury, it's a need, it's a public need.

And residents already pay uh property taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes, registration fees, and endless assessments.

And yet every time we turn around, the city finds another way to charge us simply for existing in our own neighborhoods.

I mean, uh why can't we have free parking?

I mean, honestly, why is the solution always more enforcement, more contracts, more penalties, instead of actually serving the people who live here?

These parking contracts don't improve quality of life, they discourage local business, punish workers, families, and push residents out while catering to developers and corporate partners.

This council often speaks about equity, climate, and livability, but policies that restrict mobility without providing real alternatives, do the opposite.

They isolate people, limit access, and erode trust as usual.

Um so you guys, yeah, you you don't work for the residents, you don't work for the city of San Diego, you're working for the agenda, whether people like it or not, you all do not call the shots either.

You're just the puppets, and it's getting frustrating, and the people are not gonna take it anymore, quite frankly.

So um don't get too comfortable in your seats because the time is coming.

I'm done.

Thank you, Nexus 7499.

If you can please unmute 7499, Bob Kazuski here.

I agree with several previous speakers, especially the original, Ms.

Ebbing, and the last speaker.

I also feel that 70 years is an outrageous length of time for a contract.

And I also want to add a request that the city's contracts with any business, any business, to control public resources, such as the Evan Jones parking structure, ensure that citizens have a right to pay with cash.

For example, there has been an ongoing issue at the Evan Jones parking structure where the Ace Parking Company has been refusing to take cash from citizens.

Now, recently I I pushed the issue, and their manager has graciously accepted to take cash anyway.

But the contract should ensure that the public is able to pay with all forms of legal tender.

That includes cash.

Be sure that's into the contract because otherwise you are violating citizens' rights to privacy and forcing them to do business with what a credit card company or some other organization.

Citizens should be able to park in their city structure without having to belong to any other uh financial institution.

That includes uh making sure that people can pay with cash.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nexus Kathleen Lippett, if you can please unmute.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Kathleen Lippett.

And for the benefit of the public.

I hope that the excuse me.

I'm sorry, it was the ace party.

This item was heard at L UN H, but it would move straight to.

Oh my, I am so sorry.

Uh ACE parking is already exorbitant.

This is something the city should have some leverage over.

And it seems like this would might be a good place for the city to start and giving back to the residents.

And not every at every turn, sit residents seem to be charged maximum of whatever can be charged.

And it and even when you sign up for jury duty, you can't park in ACE parking.

The cost of it is just ridiculous.

And a 70-year contract, that is suspect.

No contract should extend beyond five less than five years is reasonable.

70 is outrageous.

And paying in cash should be allowed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude public comment on this item.

Uh thank you, City Clerk.

Um so now we're gonna turn it over to uh my council colleagues for questions and comments and take a motion about whether to do a one-year extension.

So with that, we'll go to Councilmember Moreno.

Wonderful.

Thank you for the presentation.

Um I originally voted no on this item during the budget committee.

Um, and I I want to state for the record again in no way does that reflect um is that is that no reflective of the company that actually runs this um this parquade or its employees.

I think Darnell is a fantastic human being and he does a wonderful job, so I wanted to put that for the record.

Uh what we have before us is a request uh to extend the term of of a contract that was originally made in 2021 that is set to expire next year, which is 2026.

So we've had this contract for five years.

The council is presented um with this extension for one year, a month before the contract is set to end.

Uh during the committee meeting, I requested information if staff was able to give us a firm release date for the RFP.

Staff was not able to give us a firm date, which we've I think this body has expressed its dismay with administration bringing forward uh contracts that are close to um ending and or expired.

Um and I wanted to make a point that we don't I don't like that, and therefore I voted no.

Um so with that, um, could staff please provide uh the date that this RFP will be issued.

Thank you for the question.

I'm not able to provide a firm date.

We have been working diligently with purchasing and contracting since land use meeting.

Uh we uh the RFP is substantially completed.

It will still need to go through the review process of the new assembly bill 339, which is about 45 days.

We hope to have this uh released uh within 90 days, but hopefully closer to 60.

Wonderful.

So we're hearing it here for the record within 90 days, hopefully before 60.

Um, I just want to put a pin on this and state that moving forward, we especially for contracts that are five years old that are coming up.

We cannot have this situation occur.

Um, and I will be voting for this today because I do understand the need, uh, but moving forward, uh, you cannot count on my vote for requests like this.

I think it is unbecoming of the city of San Diego, um, second largest city in the state of California, eighth in the nation.

We could we need to be doing a better job, and it's these little things.

Um, but today I will be voting for this, and I will put a motion on the floor to move staff's recommendation to allow a one-year contract uh with ACE parking.

Thank you, Council President.

Yeah, we have a motion by Council Member Moreno to move the staff recommendation.

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

Thank you, Council President, and I'll thank Councilmember Moreno for um certainly diving in this um at committee as well.

I'll go ahead and second the motion.

All right.

With that, we have a motion by Councilmember Moreno and a second by Council President Pro Tem Lee to move the staff recommendation.

Next up, Councilmember Von Wilpert.

Um, thank you very much for the presentation.

I also wanted to second Councilman Moreno's um uh thanks for Darnell and his team.

Uh, they do such a great job uh at the parquade and also even for the Civic Center Theater events where people come to see the Broadway shows.

Just want to thank you very much for the work on this, and I'm glad we're getting you know RFP out like we should.

Um at the same time, I also want to thank the team for not letting this contract expire before we voted on extension, which is happening so often before.

So thanks to Claudia and everybody.

I don't know if Claudia had anything to do with it, but since she's purchasing contracting or anyone in real estate, thank you for getting it uh before us because it's gonna expire soon, and I'd rather be left without a contract.

So I appreciate you and I'll support the item.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Von Wilbert.

Um, not seeing anybody else on the lights.

Um I will thank you as well.

Um there seemed to be quite a bit of confusion from some of the public commenters.

Uh my understanding that 100% of the revenue that comes from the parkade goes to the city, uh, and that we are compensating the vendor in this case ACE parking directly for their services rather than a percentage or any of the more conventional ways that we do things.

Is that correct?

Correct.

Uh great.

Uh I appreciate that.

Um I do have to give a shout out to Mr.

Kaczynski.

It's not often that I agree with him, but this uh how we navigate cashless society with folks that do not have the capacity or do not want the capacity.

Um I can I'm old enough to remember the days when you could pay cash.

I assume it's a security issue, uh, not to have this individual that's out there in that booth all by themselves to accumulate large amounts of cash either during the course of the business day or during a special event, and so how we navigate that, I'll leave that to smarter people to do that.

Uh, but he makes a very good very good point.

So uh with that, not see again, not seeing anybody else in the lights.

Councilmember Moreno made the motion to support the staff recommendation.

Uh second by council president pro tem leave.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Sorry, the voting system, please cast your vote.

And that passes in unanimously eight to zero with council member campio absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, again, thank you very good very much, and good luck in getting that RFP out the door.

Okay, with that, we will now take up non-agenda public comment.

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

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

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

Each speaker will have two minutes.

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

Maximum time for the topic will be 16 minutes.

If you're in chambers, please submit your speakership to the front of the room in the clear box.

If you're joining us virtually, now's the time to raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

Hearing council chambers, we have Jacob Edwards.

If you can please come up to the podium and you'll have two minutes on the virtual queue, we currently have nine speakers with their hands raised.

Good afternoon.

What I have to say takes longer than two minutes, so I will be in correspondence with you all's offices.

Um thank you for your fine representation for the folk in the finest city in this country.

Um I'd like to say it's most unfortunate that uh protesters cause damage to our city hall to a place that you all represent us as a people that doesn't represent us as a people, so please uh it's very unfortunate.

Please understand that does not represent everybody.

I'm here today to provide information, important information.

Shed light on what is really going on in our country.

I have information that is very important.

Which I've been victimized for having and for standing up for us as a people.

There were situations on the East Coast, years back that involved my family.

My uncle Danny Toler was at the highest ranks of our government over our country's cybersecurity.

The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.

Very high ranked sensitive position.

Confronting things in my family years ago.

My dad's mob tie associates.

Call to assist, to squash, to prevent.

Along with that, my mother's brother was involved to squash and prevent any answers.

And in that hijacked his position.

And in doing so, they had control of our cyber networks, which they slowly chopped away, taking over our cyber, I mean our federal government and our federal agency.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

I have a lot more to share with you.

Thank you for that concluding comment, sir.

Next, we'll go to those participating remotely, starting with Adria Ebbing, if you can please unmute.

After that is Terri Ann Skelly and then Francine Maxwell.

Andrea, please proceed.

I I um I want to talk about the um Family Justice Center, I believe to be a shell company.

I think it is operating just like a Somali daycare fraud um situation where grants, government grants and funding are being um pumped through it just to launder money.

Um in fact, I encourage everybody to go on Sandiego.

Next request.com and do a search for uh responsive records for the terms Family Justice Center, FJC, uh Alliance for Hope.

Um and just look around at those records.

The Union Tribune has been after this story for like since like 2018, but as you know, luck would have it, or maybe karma, I don't know what happened, but um why the situation happened in my life that it did.

But I have a personal experience, and I know for sure they're definitely not helping victims.

Not only from my experience, the person closest to me works with um with a population of of crisis and victims and things like that, and over and over and over again, they do not help people.

And it's a city initiative that was launched by Casey Gwynn, our former city attorney.

He's confirmed via email and writing to me.

They do not follow best practices, standards, and should not call themselves a family justice center.

Um, it was run by city attorney uh Mara Elliott.

I know that I have a different feeling about Heather Ferbert.

She, I don't feel as though she's a mob boss like Mara Elliott and uh Summer Stefan.

But so Summer Stefan is now overseeing the Family Justice Center.

I was a county employee overseeing a family justice center that was formerly seen by the city attorney, formally seen by SDPD, and in these records, all the documentation they were supposed to keep had been deleted.

So it's like, you know, if you go through the audits and the checks and balances, everything has been deleted and removed.

I do believe this needs serious attention immediately.

I think it's a huge issue.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Terry Ann Skelly, if you can please unmute.

Good afternoon, City Council.

My name is Terry Ann Skelly.

I'm a planning group member, a parent, and a community volunteer with school programs that serve youth, especially those in need.

Since we've already completed the first semester of the school year, we have a good understanding of needs of our young people.

We recognize the indications of mental health struggles of our students and hopefully the most severe form of mental health struggles, student suicide.

Personal and mental health resources have been written more robustly into school districts' budgets.

Students need clear messages from all levels of city government regarding how best to handle problems that are not short-term solutions.

An example of such a message would be drugs are never the answer.

Not alcohol, not tobacco, not vaping, not marijuana or abuse of prescription drugs.

This would show your commitment to prevention to our use.

Perhaps an example of this commitment would be the removal of marijuana billboards.

Thank you for hearing my concerns this afternoon.

Thank you.

Francine Maxwell, if you can please unmute.

Francine Maxwell, Southeastern San Diego.

Council president talked about money.

Where's when's the last time we had a report on the KPIs within the city of San Diego?

When's the last time race and equity has done a presentation on community engagement?

You wonder why people that wanted to be respectfully received at City Hall when they flipped, when a council member, which all council members have the ability to utilize the mayor's staff and security, there was a reason for that.

So there's a reason why we need to invest in money so that every floor is secure and to make sure that it's still open.

So there is possibly a way that we can save money.

You move race inequity out of IBA.

So let's let's let's let's go intentional and let's go out of the box.

Look at your legislative calendar and how many adjournments that has occurred with this diocese right now, where you could have more than two night meetings on the budget to engage the community and really do some intensive education so that people understand the entire budget, not just SDPD that you regulate the education to.

Let's talk about all the other budget apparatuses that occur in the city of San Diego.

The people are upset because they're not being seen, they're not being heard, and it's on your dime in your time when it should be theirs.

Do it.

Hello.

Francine, we lost you here.

Hello?

You lost me?

Yes.

We'll add 10 seconds to the clock here in council chambers and let you proceed.

So you have 30 seconds still left.

Okay.

Open up the city council offices more than just till five o'clock.

When we are getting ready for the budget seating season, let's see less adjournments when there are teaching opportunities for the working class.

You know that they don't get off.

So give us more than just two night meetings.

Extend it.

Extend the teaching opportunity.

And again, the adjournments, your legislative calendar, it's atrocious.

We could be we could be learning a lot more.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next is 8813.

If you can please unmute 8813.

Okay.

Um follow here.

Uh, isn't it something that the people who genuinely want the best for humanity are labeled extreme or cuckoo while those behaving in truly extreme ways against humanity, against nature, against common sense are protected, funded, and praised.

Government agencies like the county, and egg, you guys are filled with board members who have become the real extremists, entirely out of touch with what it means to be human.

Many of you have lost your connection to reality, the community to consequence.

It's like just that last that last vote with Mareno and Marnie.

You both were like, well, I'm not gonna vote for this again, but I'll vote for it now.

Like things don't make any sense.

Well, you do because you don't work for the people, you just act like you do.

Everything that happens here is not for the benefit of San Diego, county or city.

It serves a much bigger agenda, and I will continue to name that agenda meeting after meeting for as long as it takes in every agency I can until you wake up to what you are actually participating in.

Some of you already know exactly what you're doing, Lakava.

Many of you have sold yourselves to the highest bidder.

But understand this, you are not exempt.

You are disposable to the very system you serve.

You too will face consequences.

You too will suffer through what you have the power to prevent others from suffering through.

You've helped create unnecessary wasteful things like stupid bike lanes and parking meters.

While families struggle to survive, uh that money could have gone to homeless veterans, people who fought for this country, only to come home to sleep in their cars, trying to make sense of what they sacrificed for.

Uh agencies like your guys' agency, Sanday, the county continue to take advantage of the city.

Our next speaker's medicine wrap, but the five-minute timer has concluded.

There were eight people in the queue when the five when the five-minute timer concluded.

If you raise your hand after that, you will no longer be taken.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

I want to draw your attention to new research from Massachusetts General Hospital that raises serious concerns about the impact of marijuana commercialization on adolescent mental health.

The study examined more than 7,000 psychiatric emergency room visits before and after recreational cannabis sales began in Massachusetts.

The findings were striking.

Teens aged 12 to 17 experienced the largest increase in cannabis use and cannabis-related disorders after commercialization, larger than any other age group.

These were not from survey responses, they were young people showing up in psychiatric crisis.

They attribute this rise to several factors tied to commercialization.

Increased availability, easier access, youth-friendly products, social normalization, and advertising that minimizes risk.

Despite age restrictions, teens are obtaining cannabis through friends, social media, online sellers, unlicensed stores, and poorly regulated channels.

Hospitals are also seeing more cases of accidental ingestion, especially from edibles that resemble candy or gummies.

This matters because adolescence is a critical period for brain development.

The study highlights that early and frequent use of today's high potency cannabis, often 15 to 30% THC, and sometimes much higher, raises the risk of psychiatric illnesses, including psychosis and schizophrenia.

For some teens, cannabis-induced psychosis resolves when use stops.

For others, especially those with family history of mental illness, cannabis can trigger lifelong psychiatric conditions.

Please help us protect our young people with their developing brains and vulnerable mental health through thoughtful regulation, honest public education, and safeguards for youth.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Kathleen Lippett.

If you can please unmute.

Thank you again for the opportunity to speak.

Along the lines of common sense public policies that the public would overwhelmingly support, but it is often not supported by our public officials, which really defies our sense of whether or not we are being represented according to what the public wants.

One of the legislative bills recently that was not supported was AB 256.

We need the data on how cannabis is affecting young people on criminal behaviors on violence.

And the only way to get that is to do blood testing and make sure that it's done.

But AB 556 bill would have required toxicology testing when a criminal commits a gun-related felony, ensuring prosecutors the complete toxicology reports so that the public can learn whether illegal drugs or pharmaceutical substances played a role in these acts.

And yet it was it was voted down.

It just defies our public expectations of what we should um be how we should be represented.

And also it brings to light the city's ballot proposals and the need for the city to make sure that the what that they avoid a replay of the city's shabby compliance with proposition 218 that blocked proposed fees from being collected, if they are objected to, that should have blocked them, that should have blocked them, if they're being objected to by a majority of of the public.

However, the way that the city wrote the sent out the notices, they were vague and unclear.

And instead of the 23 to 29 dollars that they were set in your time has concluded.

Next is 1384.

If you can please unmute 1384.

Hello, Ernie Castro, senior pilot, Tory Pines Glide report.

It's the 26th of January.

Your leaseholder has me currently blocked out of Tory Pines Gliderport, completely under threat of violence, forcing residents to sign an illegal contract to use Tory Pines glide report.

It is illegal to turn our freedom into a privilege for a license and a fee under any terms, circumstances, or conditions.

This needs to stop today.

Your leaseholder came's claims to be doing his job that nobody has complained or stopped him when it's your job, Todd Gloria and Joe Lakava, to protect our constitutional rights and freedoms.

You swore me in as a La Jolla trustee, knowing these issues, failing to stop for crime is a violation of your oath of office.

Automatic forfeiture of your chair.

So it's time to stop the crime or step out of office.

City leaseholder, Bob uh had Bob Kaczynski arrested multiple times, sued for 1.8 million dollars.

Tory hawks hang gliding club.

Instructors are currently at or fighting Tory Hawks, uh Tory Pines management, terrorizing me personally, and free pilots with their conflict fighting over employment, money, power, profit, and control of Tory Pines glide report.

I want to stop immediately.

Your leaseholder has proven to be dangerous.

I reported serious allegations directly to your office and the San Diego police department.

You have I have been paying your leaseholder under third of violence, and your leaseholder refuses to provide a copy of the access pass and waiver and questions that we're forced to sign.

Where are the police reports from the victims having been damaged?

Why haven't you taken action?

I expect immediate reply from your office.

Do I need to call the police again, Joe Lakava?

It's time to stop the crime.

Implement the proposed San Diego recreational waiver.

That is the proven solution that ends the dispute.

It's a win-win for the city, liability, and a recreational freedom.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is the original.

If you can please unmute.

Yeah, it's Thursday is coming up.

I implore you guys to um, you know, when the point in time count is coming that when many of you are going to be going and um engaging with our homeless brothers and sisters, that you don't do that as a politician, but you really go and you talk to them, don't gaslight them and act like you know they have everything under the sun waiting for them.

Many of these people really want help and they're not getting help.

And so I encourage you to actually have real conversations with the people that you encounter and really listen to them.

And don't dismiss the things that they say.

Don't look at them as some kind of drug addict and some you know waste like person that doesn't deserve a better life.

You know, these people are discarded, they're they're treated with such little respect, it's very, very sad.

And they see all of these, you know, homes going up around them, and and they're wondering when it is that they're gonna be able to go and have something like that of their own.

And so I just ask that you would really have compassion for these people and really listen to to their you know complaints about the things that aren't taking place or the things that are that shouldn't be, and just really, you know, take note of it and understand why I talk about Tent City the way I do until you guys go and actually encounter these people and have one-on-one conversations and really listen to them and not just treat them like a number and a dollar sign, then you guys would understand the suffering that they go through on a regular basis, just hoping that the money that's being spent on homelessness will somehow come and be something that will make their life better, not make you know some NGO and nonprofits' life better because they're bringing in millions of dollars without anything to show for these people's you know, getting into housing.

So please on Thursday, don't act as a politician, but act as a human being with compassion and really listen to these people.

Next is 7499.

After that, Becky Rap in there, Blair Beekman's our final speaker.

Bob Kazuski here.

Let me quote Mayor Todd Gloria's recent state of the city speech.

Todd Gloria said, quote, public land should serve the public, end quote.

That sounds very nice, doesn't it?

I think everyone would agree with that.

But what Todd Gloria says and what Todd Gloria does are two very different things.

I'm going to read to you from the Tory Pines Glide Report lease dated April 18th, 2022, under Todd Gloria's mayorship.

Quote, exhibit H, personal conduct rules.

Item one.

Does that sound like public land should serve the public?

It sounds more like public land should serve a business.

The lease goes on.

Item five, photography and videography are not allowed if you are photographing or videoing any individual who has notified you that they do not consent to you doing so.

The glider port is a public park.

There is no expectation of privacy at a public park.

That's true in all public parks except now the glider port.

That item goes on.

The Tory Pines glider port management reserves the right at its sole discretion to withhold and or withdraw permission to photograph or video film on its premises.

At the business's sole discretion, really?

Does that sound like public land should serve the public?

Todd Glory essentially allowed the business to write their own contract with whatever they wanted.

We all know why that's in the lease.

It's in there because that business doesn't want any photos or videos of their misconduct.

They don't want any photos or videos showing them smoking.

They don't want any photos or videos of them giving the finger to the public and saying, go show that to the city council.

They don't want anyone documenting their flagrant safety violations of their lease and flagrant violations of their insurance policy.

That lease was approved by Todd Glory's administration in 2022, yet Todd Gloria has the nerve to stand in front of the city and say public land should serve the public.

Todd Gloria is a liar.

Shame on you, Todd Gloria.

Next is Becky Rapp.

And our final speaker after that is Blair Beekman.

Good afternoon, members of council.

My name is Becky Raff.

I'm a volunteer on my local planning group, as well as a volunteer who focuses on youth.

And today I'd like to speak to the importance of smoke-free affordable housing that should be available to all residents.

As the city prepares for the upcoming land development code, I'd like to bring to your attention item number 25.

This is an opportunity to suggest adding language focused on inclusive, smoke-free affordable housing for any housing project, public or private, that receives public subsidies.

Clean air should not stop at the front door.

And for families living in multi-unit housing, secondhand smoke moves through walls, vents, and shared spaces.

Residents with asthma or heart disease don't get to opt out of that exposure.

And for them, smoke-free housing is not a preference.

It's access to safe housing.

When public dollars help help create or preserve affordable homes, we have a responsibility to ensure that those homes protect basic environmental health.

Smoke-free housing reduces indoor air pollution, lowers fire risk, and supports housing civility.

It's simple.

Prevention standards that aligns with the city's climate, public health, and environmental justice goals.

So I asked this council to recognize smoke-free affordable housing as a public health issue and support a land development code update requiring smoke-free housing for all subsidized projects.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And our final speaker is Blair Beekman.

Blair, please please unmute.

All right, thank you, Blair Beekman.

Hopefully I can finish.

As the current uh hopefully one term Trump federal administration continues continues to publicly speak and work only in terms of forceful takeover around the world at this time instead of negotiation and dialogue, like in Venezuela.

I think his administration is uh well, Trump has now taken a continual war posturing and action that is simply exacerbating bad feelings of both law enforcement and the everyday public here in this country.

And his currently overly violent plans of how to address the undocumented in this country.

Uh, please notice federal agents and local police are overreacting to their situations in their local cities all over the country at this time.

In San Diego and across the country, we need to ask the federal administration how do we de-escalate and demilitarize our situations in local neighborhoods?

And more important, we need to review together what creating horror and terror for all Americans means enforcing the undocumented to leave this country at this time.

Barack Obama once was called the deporter in chief, where 300,000 people a year were being forced to leave this country under his watch.

It was done by means uh uh that we definitely should be reviewing at this time that were definitely more peaceful, that were more uh regular and and uh work to program that we've gone way over the top with at this time.

Brock and Michelle Obama made a joint statement that said rather than trying to impose some semblance of discipline or accountability over the agents they've deployed, the president and the current administration officials seem eager to escalate the situation while offering public explanations for the shootings of Mr.

Predi and Renee Goods that aren't informed by any serious investigation and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence.

Um, I hope we can be working on these issues a lot.

Uh, we can address these.

Uh, I've been asking yourselves how we can address uh de escalation and demilitarization here in San Diego.

Let's ask how we end these sort of horrific programs they're offering and ask what immigration really is about for ourselves.

I think they're lying.

Thank you for that concluding remark, and that does conclude my agenda public comment for today's meeting.

Does the city attorney have anything to report out from closed session?

There is nothing to report out.

All right, we will now adjourn as a city council to convene as a housing authority.

Does the city attorney have anything to report out from the housing authority closed session?

There's nothing to report out.

All right, thank you.

We will adjourn as a housing authority to reconvene as a city council, and I will now adjourn council to the next regularly scheduled council meeting on Tuesday, January twenty-seventh, twenty twenty six at ten A.