And I will now call the city council meeting of Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 to order.

Clerk, please call the role.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn.

Here.

Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Von Wilper.

Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Here.

Councilmember Campio.

Here.

Councilmember Moreno.

Councilmember Elo Rivera.

And Council President Lacava.

Present.

Also attending the meeting or Chief Deputy City Attorney Tina Ray, Deputy Director in the IBA's office, Jillian Andalina, and myself, your city clerk, Deanna Fuentes.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

A quorum is now present.

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

We respectfully acknowledge that the Cobia Day should are the original inhabitants of the unceded land, thou notice Saint Diego.

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

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

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

We stand with the Kobe Idation, connected to our past and committed to a thriving future.

Please face the flag.

Ready?

Begin.

I fly to the flag of the United States of America.

And to your public for which it stands.

Thank you, Council President.

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

Please note the time allocations for proclamations and consent items for meeting management purposes.

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 in the clear box.

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

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

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

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

Please introduce them, clerk, and proceed with public comment.

Thank you.

The public comment period for the proclamation items is now open.

Each speaker will have one minute per item per person.

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

So now is the time to please submit your speaker slip to the clear box.

I do see one in the clear box now.

As well as if you are attending virtually, please be sure to raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

The proclamation items being approved are items 30 through 32, S501, and S502.

Starting with Jacob Edwards, if you can please come forward, you'll have one minute.

You're speaking on item 31.

After Jacob Edwards, we have allegedly Audra.

If you can please come to the yellow reserve seats as well.

And then Jaime Rangel, if you can come up to the yellow reserve seats.

Jacob, you can come up to the podium.

Good morning.

Thank you, City Council, for what you do for the city of San Diego.

Um is this open discussion or is this on 31?

This is on 31.

Okay, and uh very important day to recognize.

Uh the police department is to serve and protect citizens.

My last appearance here.

I discuss with you and uh non-agenda public comment, one of the last assassination attempts against me.

I've been through an awful lot.

It took police three days to respond.

Three days.

I met them out front, and they gave me this event number.

There was nothing but a number and a date on it.

I was told here's your case number, and it's going to be fully investigated.

I went to the police department later that day to follow up and give more information.

I was told this isn't a case number, sir.

This is an event number.

It won't be investigated at all.

Thank you.

Allegedly, Audra, you're speaking on item 30.

And that's my final one.

Okay.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

All right, so for this transgender day of visibility, this is probably not gonna fall you know well with certain people, but we just had women's history month, and we've redefined what a woman is, allowing men to also engage in that.

So I find that it's interesting that we can change history in a way like that when there's already days of visibility, transgender like all of these days that get celebrated, but it's like it's a disservice to women to change what a woman is and allow anybody to basically engage in that time.

And I just I feel like it's disrespectful, and they're trying to people are trying to erase what a woman is.

And so it's like, how can you even be proud of something like that when any of you men up there could um claim that you identify as that and then take that day from the women that were born that way?

So, you know, when we're trying to change things like this, I think it's very dangerous, and it leads down a path of erasing people.

And then for National Nutrition Month, I find it interesting that there's so many things that are toxic in our foods and um even in the water that you guys want to give us.

But you know, if we started thinking about all of these countries that have actually banned certain foods or chemicals and things that are in our food, I feel like you guys should be concentrating on that kind of stuff and making sure that we don't have that to consume.

Instead, it's a lot about making money.

It's whatever you know floats the boat of the money machine.

And that's what's sad is that you guys want to perpetrate as though you care about nutrition when in fact there's look at your vending machine.

If you did, why would you have all of those things in there?

Wouldn't you change what was in there and make sure that everything that is is something that is nutritious for the people?

I mean, all of these things affect people's brains, and it's like that's why we have a bunch of zombies that you come and talk to, and you can't even, you know, get a reaction except for Stephen Whitburn.

When I tell him someone died in his district, he'll laugh at me.

So yeah.

Next is Jaime Rankin on item S501.

Hi, thank you for having me.

National Nutrition Month recognizes that important role that nutrition professionals play in improving the health and well-being of our communities.

Registered dietitians and dietetic technicians provide evidence-based guidance education and programs that help individuals and their families build healthier lives.

Organizations like the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, San Diego District support this work by bringing professionals together to advance nutrition education, strengthen community partnerships, and promote healthier communities across San Diego.

Thank you for having us.

Thank you.

And Christian, Christiane Hoffman, Frank.

You'll be speaking on item 30.

Good morning, happy St.

Patrick's Day.

I just want to speak in support of item 30, trans day of visibility.

I would like those who are present physically, uh virtually, and maybe watching this later to know trans people are not just having a moment.

This is not a trend, this is not a phase.

They are here, they are here to stay, they have rights.

Everyone has inherent human dignity, and I am here to support them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I sorry the five-minute time are going to those participating remotely.

We currently have three speakers in the queue.

Please be sure to let me know which item or items you wish to speak to.

8700, if you can please unmute after that is Francine Maxwell.

Uh thank you, uh Joyce and Yada C D3, 3032 and 501, please.

Three minutes, please proceed.

Thank you.

All right.

Um the woman that just spoke, she said extremely beautiful words on 30.

She said, inherent dignity.

Wow, thank you.

Inherent dignity.

So I wanted to say this.

Uh almost every day I wonder how did I come into the family, into the state, into my life, uh, that it is.

And believe me, it's been bumpy.

And uh transgender visibility, of course, inherent dignity.

I I just celebrate myself.

I celebrate each of you.

I celebrate all people.

Thank you so much.

Love to all.

Now, 32, which is a Ramadan month.

Uh for years, I have had an opportunity to know a person that celebrates uh Ramadan uh not celebrates, he does it.

He absolutely dedicates himself to the very stringent parts of it that are offered to them.

And and I'm just amazed at what he does and how he comes out of that month.

So I celebrate all of the people that uh honor that, and uh they're just part of our diverse uh culture in the world, and we love and celebrate all of us.

Uh and the last one, National Nutrition Month.

Thank you, California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for your research, for your education, and for your advocacy.

You help California be the beautiful healthy state.

We strive for all of us people.

Yes, to discover the power of nutrition.

It's going to be a beautiful day.

Happy St.

Pat's Day and St.

Patrick's Day and love to all.

Thank you.

Next is Francine Maxwell.

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

I am so sorry.

I didn't put my numbers, but um my captain, SDPD in nutrition.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Good morning.

Francine Maxwell, Southeastern San Diego.

Want to thank um and support fully the Nutrition Month, Project New Village, um, food insecurity.

This is um an awesome time, and we're looking forward to the next generation.

Um, they have already become new growers, and so just the fact that they're going to be exploring the agricultural jobs and things like that is just going to be a wonderful thing.

To one of my favorite captains, Jerry Hare.

Thank you so much for the years of service.

Thank your family for sharing you with us.

You were 21st century policing.

You can write the book on how to build a bridge between community and the police department.

So much you've done to increase relationships.

So much you've done behind the scenes, helped countless families that did not go on notice, but was never spoken in public again for the nights that you would answer the calls of Southeastern San Diego for the opportunities that you have shown people to come and get tours of the dispatch so that they could get their minds wrapped around a career.

And even though you have mentored people that have failed the test, you still give them encouragement.

You will be missed.

Well deserved rest and celebration.

I am in full support of this proclamation.

You are a cut from a different cloth, and you know it, and just so appreciative of um being able to experience the times with you, have a great time.

Thank you so much for allowing me to speak.

Thank you for the record that was items S501 and S502.

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

501 and 502.

And um I'm I'm like talking about let's uh let's make San Diego great again.

When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, San Diego was great.

Even Mexico was great.

When I was growing up, Mexico made their submarines out of Adobe.

Now they're making them out of steel and putting drugs in.

Let's make Mexico great again and San Diego too, man.

We've got to clear the board, get some guys that want to uh start quit defining words is like how can you have dignity with transgender?

It just doesn't make sense to me.

You know, growing up that was not two words you would speak together.

But uh, we all could have some more dignity in our lives, but uh when we start changing all the definitions of everything, there is no dignity.

Anyway, I think they need to get some counseling, they need help, man.

They're just hopeless sinners.

That's all they are.

They need the Lord, just like everybody else does, including myself.

And just come to Jesus moment.

You don't have to cut off your dick or grow up heratre.

You know, it's just come on, man.

Get out night and start praying.

Get down on your knees and pray.

Even the guys that condone that stuff better get down on your knees and pray.

Because God might be holding you more accountable, man.

You know it's a lie.

You know, quit lying to everybody, man.

Anyway, have a good day.

Thanks.

Our next speaker is Blair Beekman.

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

Blair, before you Blair, before you jump in.

Uh, please remember that people uh children might be watching this in the language that you use.

There's plenty of ways to convey your thoughts and your values, but please remember who might be watching.

Thank you.

I'll also just note the five-minute timer did conclude.

Blair Beekman is our final speaker.

Blair, please proceed.

Hi, thank you, Blair Bequin.

Yeah, I'm all for freedom of speech.

Uh, a good decorum for public meetings is nice.

A language we can all uh be agreeable to.

Uh feel safe, but thank you.

Uh, I wanted to comment that um items 31 and 32.

The uh one is the uh captain day, uh uh the captain.

Okay, great, thank you.

Yeah, uh 31 is the captain, and uh we had a good public meeting yesterday on um uh public safety issues, uh police crime issues.

Really nice questions by uh councilperson uh von Wolpert, by the way.

Uh it reminded me that you know we can have uh if we have good conversations with our police, that's so key right now, especially at this time uh uh we're in a very questionable time.

Um to practice de escalation, have that in check, and that we get that option is available when working towards those things for police.

Um it's important.

And uh Councilperson von Wilpert tried to ask something of that yesterday.

Uh it's really important.

And uh police are there to want to have those conversations if if we want to have them ourselves.

So good luck that we have good dialogue, and it sounds like a really good person is retiring, and uh it's that sort of level of conversation and good dialogue we need continuously.

Good luck we work on those efforts together.

Uh for the um other item uh 32, Ramadan month.

Um as we are in, we are in a new state of war with a conservative uh state of Israel.

They're basically changing the game of how we're gonna be talking about the Middle East.

Um this isn't uh a progressive lives anymore.

We're dealing with a very conservative nature.

We have to really be patient.

Good luck how we can talk about Ramadan.

There isn't any Ramadan speakers here so far.

Well, you're doing public comment first.

I hope there are people from uh the Islamic faith here.

It's it's like the majority religion in the world, it's a large proportion of the world uh religion.

Um for them to be here at the meeting today is important.

You had only spoken about the two items.

Yes.

Uh that was the two items.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude public comment on proclamations.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh, we'll now turn it over to my council colleagues for comments and entertain a motion, and we'll start with Councilmember Elo Rivera.

All right.

Uh thank you, Council President.

Um I um will be speaking about um Ramadan month.

I I will um start by saying how much I appreciate everyone uh who's here um uh uh from our Muslim community um and the deep appreciation and respect that I have for the San Diego Muslim community.

Um how impressive the commitment, not just to faith, but to community uh and family um is during all times of the year, but especially during this this month of Ramadan.

There's a a little um story I want to share.

Um because I think it just like really embodies the the spirit of the Muslim community during um again all times, but especially during Ramadan.

I attended an Iftar a few weeks ago, and um after dinner, my battery had died in my car.

And worth remembering that the folks um who were there had been fasting all day, had just broke their fast.

Um the collective um effort from children who were there to elders who were there to help me get my car started and um get um get home.

Um at the end of a long day, again, that's that it that's um included a day-long fast that includes not drinking water.

I just think was like it was it like was moving to me uh because again it was such a demonstration of um of putting faith and into action.

Um demonstrative of everything I've seen from um the Muslim community here in San Diego and and and my own family as well.

Um so especially during these times um when uh communities are under attack.

I think it's important to um acknowledge and pay respect to uh and honor um people of all faiths and all backgrounds, and today is an important day for the Muslim community.

This month is an important month for the Muslim community, and I'm glad they were able to bring uh this proclamation forward.

Um so thank you to everyone from the communities who's here.

Um very quickly on Transgender Day of Visibility.

Uh thank you to uh Councilmember Campbell, Councilmember Whitburn, and Councilmore Von Wolpert for bringing this forward in partnership with Mayor.

Um we transgender people are worthy of dignity and respect and appreciation and care and love because they are people, and that should not need to be said, but we just heard loud and clear why it's so important for us to um to say it and to take action where as a as a city we share our love and appreciation, respect for the transgender community.

Um while First Amendment rights are clearly um uh being exercised.

Just know that um the folks who call in and disparage uh members of the transgender community by no means um represent a majority of the city.

They certainly don't represent the official position of this city.

Um we see you, we honor you, we love you, we appreciate you, um, and no public comment can change that.

Um so with that, Council President, uh, I will move approval of the proclamations.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, sir.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Elo Rivera to move the proclamations.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Uh, first of all, I'd like to second the motion to approve the proclamations.

And I would like to uh thank Captain Harvey for all the years of service and wish him a happy retirement.

Uh uh I would like to say happy Ramadan and end of Ramadan, happy hide, the end day of Ramadan.

I really uh have great respect uh for the Muslim religion.

I have family members who are Muslim.

I have family members who are everything, you name it, we got it all.

We're like the we're like the rest of the world, you know, we're just completely mixed up with everything, and everybody loves everybody, and that's how it should be.

Everyone is their authentic self.

And guess what, Lady Gaga said?

We're born that way.

And so that's the way we need to be in order to find our fulfillment and our happiness as human beings.

So, first of all, I want to speak about National Nutrition Month because I'm a family physician and we know food is medicine, right?

All the mothers here know that, and all the kids know that.

I hope all the dads know that too.

It is one of the most basic things uh to improve a person's life access to healthy nutritious food from newborns to older adults, proper nutrition prevents long-term health conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

On a day-to-day basis, it can boost your immune system and keep you healthier.

National Nutrition Month is also a good time to recognize organizations that provide nutrition like Meals on Wheels are one of my favorites and love to deliver meals with them.

I think when I retire, that's gonna be one of my things.

This service allows residents uh who need it to have a healthy nutritious meals delivered right to their front door to improve their health and giving them moments of connection with those who volunteer to do the deliveries.

There's so many wonderful organizations across our city who provide access to proper nutrition for those who need who need it.

And I want them to keep up the good work and know that another volunteer is on the way pretty soon when she retires.

I'd like to speak on Transgender Day of Visibility.

I want to thank Mayor Gloria and my colleagues, Councilmembers Whitburn and Von Wilpert for joining me in the proclaiming this.

March 31, 2026, transgender day of visibility.

March 31 is internationally observed as this day of visibility.

A day we observe the cellar and celebrate the rich history and culture of transgender individuals and paving the way for greater recognition and affirmation of transgender people.

I think it's just a matter of people understanding that some of us are not born in the in the body that is their inner knowing is their body, and that's where transgender comes in.

And that people are people, and it doesn't matter if you're transgender, you are born that way.

And currently the transgender community is being attacked, and we have to stand up for them to be their authentic selves.

Today, this city confirms its responsibility to stand in solidarity with our transgender community, to speak out against hate of anyone, and to foster a culture of belonging and respect for all.

And as I have said before, and I will always say I want the transgender community to know that I see you, I hear you, I love you, I respect you.

And more importantly, this city council and mayor honors and celebrates all the wonderful contributions you bring to our city of San Diego.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Ila Rivera and a second by Councilmember Campbell to approve the proclamations.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campier.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you to members of the public for being here today in chambers.

First, I want to start with Captain Jerry Hara.

It said it before, and I'll say it again those who risk their lives for others deserve our praise and our salute, and you did that for 33 years.

So thank you so much.

We're sad to lose such a great leader with so much experience and quite frankly one of our most trained sworn officers in the entire department.

But congratulations on your retirement and God bless you and your family.

On Transgender Day of Visibility, I want to thank the various organizations that are here today in support of folks who are doing nothing more than just trying to be themselves.

They don't just help only trans people, they help everyone who walks through their doors with education and food and resources, funding, job support, many other important things you name it.

So I want to thank them and wish them strength on Transgender Day of Visibility.

Today I'm also bringing forth uh for a constituent of mine who's been a leader for many, many years, Shane Hogg.

Uh he is uh I'm honored to proclaim April 6th, 2026 as Shane Hog Day.

Uh Shane has been driving uh been a really an important leader throughout decades in Allied Gardens and in Grantville on the community council.

He's brought so many people together, and he makes sure residents have a voice in the decisions that shape their neighborhood, and he has certainly educated me on many things in the neighborhood.

Under his leadership, the council strengthened communication and outreach, created more opportunities for engagement, championed projects that make a real difference in the beautification of the neighborhood tree planting in support of the rehabilitation of Navajo Canyon and so much more.

Uh what stands out to me the most is his dedication.

Uh, since before I took office, he has consistently shown up and listened and worked to improve the quality of life for everyone in the Navajo region.

As he steps down as chair, we recognize not just his accomplishments, but the lasting impacts of his leadership, and I'm honored to proclaim April 6th in his honor.

So, Shane, thank you for your service and everything you've done for Allied Gardens and Grantville and all of San Diego.

And lastly, for Ramadan, we recognize the holy month of Ramadan.

We honor a time of reflection and compassion and community for Muslim families here in San Diego and across the world.

Of course, Ramadan is rooted in the values of faith and generosity, sacrifice and service.

And after my comments last week, these are values that strengthen our neighborhoods and bring San Diego together.

This recognition is deeply personal to me as well, with my Muslim family members being a vital part of my life and who I am.

And while many of them I have been fasting this month, engaging in a day fast was difficult enough for me as an ordinary person.

I did not go all day without drinking water.

So just imagine how hard it is to do that for a month.

And whether it's Persian or Arab or Somali or any other ethnicity, every ethnicity has members of the Muslim faith.

The common thread of sacrifice and service during this month is inspiring.

And in District 7, I want to highlight the Sarah Mesa community, home of the Afghan Community Islamic Center, which serves as a vital gathering place for many local families.

During Ramadan, spaces like this become even more meaningful as they bring people together for prayer, reflection, and shared meals.

Ramadan reminds us of the importance of empathy, community, and building a more inclusive San Diego for all.

So to everyone who is observing Ramadan Moburac.

Thank you, Council President.

All right.

Thank you, Councilmember Campillo.

We'll go next to Councilmember Von Wilbert.

Thank you to my colleagues as always for bringing forth wonderful proclamations for wonderful things to celebrate in our city and wonderful people to celebrate in our city.

I'll start with item 30, which is Transgender Day of Visibility.

I am very proud to join Mayor Ta Gloria and Council Members Jennifer Campbell and Stephen Whitburn in recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility once again in this city on March 31st.

Today we get to celebrate the lives, resilience, achievements of transgender and non-binary people in our community, and we affirm that they belong in every part of our civic life, whether it's here in the city hall up to Congress and the US United States government.

Transgender and non-binary residents contribute every day to our cultural, civic and economic strength of San Diego's educators, healthcowers, artists, entrepreneurs, and public servants, including police officers.

Transgender Day of Visibility was created in 2009 by activist Rachel Crandall to celebrate trans people while raising awareness about the discrimination and violence people still face today.

The City of San Diego remains committed to policies that promote dignity, safety, and inclusion so that all of us can live authentically and free from fear.

I'm grateful for the leadership of our local organizations, including Trans Family Support Services, Trans Latinas, Transgender Health and Wellness Center, including also San Diego Pride, our LGBT center who's here as well, and all the individuals who are affirming that the city of San Diego stands against hate and with community where everyone is valued.

And as Dr.

Jen Campbell said, we were all born this way.

Thank you to Lady Gaga.

Also for um Ramadan month on item 32.

Thank you to my colleagues for bringing forward item 32 today.

I also want to take a moment to recognize the beautiful observance of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Exam is Islamic lunar calendar and is a sacred time of fasting, prayer, and refresh reflection for Muslims around the world.

As this month continues, many have been observing a daily fast, as Councillor Campio said is very hard to do.

I too have attempted to fast, and I couldn't even go a half a day without drinking water.

So I appreciate the sacrifice it takes.

Also, Ramadan emphasizes service to others, including supporting those in need and giving back to the community.

It's a time of connection as families and neighbors gather in the evening to break their fast and spend time together.

Uh here in San Diego, we are very fortunate to have a very vibrant Muslim community that contributes in meaningful ways across our city.

And I feel that it's more important than ever that we are celebrating Ramadan in this chambers because of the rise in unadulterated bigotry we are seeing in this country against our Muslim brothers and sisters.

There are elected officials to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, mainly in states in the deep south, who are making unadulterated, bigoted statements about our Muslim community right now, and it is extremely dangerous.

It's all not only dangerous for our mothers, brother for our Muslim community, but also for America.

Fomenting bigotry and hate can lead to violence that will impact all of our communities, put our public safety responders at risk, and take away our rights to First Amendment expression and freedom of religion.

So I am very proud we are celebrating our diverse cultures here in San Diego, including our beautiful Somali, Afghan, Persian, and all community members today.

Finally, with item 31, Captain Jerry Hara.

I cannot believe it's time for you to retire.

I am very, very proud to join Mayor Todd Gloria in recognizing Captain Jerry Hara and celebrating his outstanding career to the serving the people of the city of San Diego.

I also know we have some incredible 911 dispatchers in the room today.

So if our dispatchers could please stand, we'd love to recognize you.

I highly encourage the public to go on a tour of our 911 dispatch center, because those are the folks who answer the phone in our most harrowing moments.

And I've seen them have to use multiple computers and phones that are on either sides of their head for the public to call in the victim stories and then dispatch to PD or the ambulance, uh, the information going on.

Some of them even have foot pedals in addition to hand controls.

It's very impressive.

So Captain Hara began his career with the San Diego Police Department as a police cadet and joined as a recruit in the 25th Regional Academy class in 1993 when he was 10.

Um three decades, he built a career defined by leadership, dedication, and service.

He has served in many roles, including patrol, operational support, air support, watch commander, background investigations, and in-service training.

And he twice led the dispatch division as a commanding officer.

Captain Hera also took on some of the department's most challenging assignments, including serving on the special weapons and tactics teams, the honor guard, and the peer support and wellness teams, supporting his colleagues through very difficult moments in their lives and careers.

He invested in his professional development as a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy and through his leadership as past president of the National Latino Police Officer Association.

I'm almost done.

Over the years, his service has been recognized with numerous commendation certificates, community awards.

Captain Hara has mentored more than a thousand department members through the city's promotional process, helping guide and prepare the next generation.

As Captain Hara retires on April 2nd, we thank him dearly for more than 30 years of service, mentorship, and dedication to public safety.

We are proud to proclaim this day, Captain Jerry Haraday in the city of San Diego.

And Jerry, come on up if you want to make any more comments.

Thank you so much.

I apologize.

Uh I tweaked my ankle just uh a couple days ago, so I'd be in uniform, but uh it's part of getting old.

Um first and foremost, I just want to thank God and Jesus Christ, my savior, who's gotten me through the 33 years of incredible um fun, but also incredible evil or hardship.

Um I want to thank my wife, my family.

They're all here, my best friends, uh, my best friend Jeff right there, my brother.

Um this work is hard.

Uh there are birthdays that I missed, there's Christmases I missed, there's Fourth of July, picnics I missed, but it was all for a great, great cause.

It's to keep San Diego safe.

There's a reason why San Diego's uh one of our the largest, safest city in the United States.

It's because of all those people right there in blue and the dispatchers right there.

Um my 33 to 35 years on this department.

You guys have one of the best command staffs I have ever seen in 35 years.

So even though I'm retiring, I know and have trained and mentored a lot of chiefs and a lot of captains there.

You guys are gonna be just fine.

My last thing is uh dispatcher week is next month, so please come on by.

Uh come and check us out.

I know several council members came last year.

Thank you for that.

Uh, they do a harrowing job.

You have the second uh largest comm center in the state of California, but the highest performing comm center in all of California.

Uh, we are answering 911 in three seconds or less.

That is incredible.

What's we've come a long way.

So again, I want to thank the city council for all of your support over the years.

You guys have been amazing, and God bless you all.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council President.

And I'll add one more thing.

I I encourage folks to come up on Christmas to Maritage Court, which is, I think, in Councilmember Lee's district now.

But I will say that Captain Hara has the most incredible Star Wars Christmas display you ever want to see, uh, including a talking uh Wookiee.

So uh thank you again, Captain, for your service, and thank you, Council President.

All right, that's a date.

Mark that day on your calendar.

Uh uh, thank you, Councilmember Von Wolpert.

We'll go next to Councilmember Whitburn.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh, and congratulations to all of those who are being honored with uh proclamations today.

I'll speak to a few of them.

On item 30, I am pleased to join the mayor and council members Campbell and von Wilpert in bringing forward the proclamation declaring March 31st Transgender Day of Visibility in San Diego.

As transgender individuals face growing challenges at the federal level and in some cases here in San Diego, uh, we must stand together and affirm their dignity, acknowledge their experiences, and defend their right to live openly and authentically.

I am grateful that this council and our mayor remain committed to speaking out against discrimination and standing in solidarity with our transgender community, whether those challenges arise at the federal level or here at home.

Our transgender community is vibrant, resilient, and essential to our city.

Over 20 years ago, the city of San Diego added protections for the transgender community to our human dignity ordinance.

I think that is a point of pride for our city.

And I want to thank some of the many community organizations here in San Diego who work every day to uplift and support our transgender community, including the San Diego LGBT Community Center, Proyecto Translastinas, Trans Families Support Services, the Transgender Health and Wellness Center, San Diego Pride, and a number of others.

And I would like to invite Guile, who is the Center's Project Trans Case Manager and Pure Support Advocate to come up and say a few words.

Hello, everyone.

Thank you for having us here today.

Transgender day visibility was created in 2009 by activist Rachel Crandall Crocker.

She founded this day in response to the lack of LGBTQ plus recognition, specifically for transgender people, and out of the frustration that the only widely known transcensored observance at the time was Transgender Day remembrance.

She envisioned a day that not only honor those lost to anti-trans violence, but also celebrated the lives, joy, and resilience of transgender people who are here today.

Transgender day visibility is meant to do exactly that.

Its purpose is to promote visibility, empower transgender people, including those who may feel unseen even within their own communities, and including the face of adversity and bigotry.

May this day continue to remind us that transgender, non-binary, and gender-variant people have always been at the forefront of movements for justice and liberation.

May it serve as a reminder that our leadership, our creativity, and our courage continue to shape our future.

Thank you to mayor and council members Campbell Whipper and Val Weber for bringing this forward and recognizing TDOV in the city of San Diego.

I hope that everyone in this room continues to show up as comrades to the community and to stay engaged in the movement.

Thank you.

Thank you for those beautiful words.

And thanks to each of you for being here at Council Chambers today.

It is an honor and a privilege to have you with us this morning and thank you for all that you do to contribute to our San Diego community.

Thank you again.

Item 31, uh Jerry Hara Day in the City of San Diego.

I too want to congratulate Captain Hara on his well-deserved retirement after 33 years of service to our city.

Thank you for all those years of helping to keep our community safe and helping San Diegans in their most difficult moments.

I am sure that uh your leadership is one of the reasons that you were recognized with a lifetime membership by the National Latino Police Officers Association, and certainly uh all would agree that you will be greatly missed on the police force.

I also want to thank Council President Pro Tab Lee and Council members Foster, Campillo, and Ila Rivera for bringing forward item 32, Ramadan month.

Uh this month serves as an act of worship for millions of Muslims around the world and here in San Diego.

And I want to recognize and thank our Muslim community for the many contributions they make to the cultural and civic life of our city.

I wish everyone observing a meaningful and peaceful Rabadad, Ramadan Mubarak.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Whitburn.

We'll go next to Councilmember Foster.

Uh yes, thank you, um, Council President, and um just congratulations to all of the uh proclamation um recipients.

Um I do have comments on just a few.

Um I'll start with item 30, Transgender Day of Visibility.

Um, thank you to the mayor, Councilmember Campbell, Councilmember Whitburn, and Von Wilbert for bringing forward this recognition.

Transgender Transgender Day of Visibility is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of transgender and non-binary individuals who help strengthen communities across San Diego and beyond.

Today also serves as a reminder of the importance of continuing to build a city where every resident is treated with dignity and respect.

I join my colleagues in acknowledging Transgender Day of Visibility and the many individuals and organizations who continue working toward a more inclusive San Diego.

Um moving on to Captain Jerry Hara Day.

Um congratulations Captain Hara for your many years of service to the city of San Diego.

Captain Hara dedicated more than three decades to public safety, serving in a wide range of roles and helping support both the officers he worked alongside and the communities they served.

Throughout his career, he spent time serving neighborhoods across the city, including communities in southeastern San Diego, helping ensure residents felt protected and supported.

Captain Hara, enjoy your retirement, and thank you to you and your family for 33 years of service to the people of San Diego.

And I'll say you are one of those captains that I made those late phone calls to, 10 PM and beyond, and you always took my call and took care of what needed to be taken care of.

So thank you for your service and your commitment to Southeastern Division.

Um also moving on to item 32, Ramadan Month.

Today I'm proud to join Council President Pro Temp Kent Lee, Campillo, and Councilmember Ila Rivera in bringing forward this recognition of Ramadan and acknowledging the many Muslim neighborhoods, neighbors observing this month in San Diego.

San Diego is a diverse city, and part of our responsibility as a council is to recognize and respect the traditions and cultural practices that are important to the communities we serve.

In District 4 and across San Diego, our Muslim neighbors are an important part of the fabric of our neighborhoods, contributing every day as educators, small business owners, healthcare professionals, community leaders, and public servants.

Recognitions like this help ensure that the traditions and experience of all communities are acknowledged and respected in our city.

That kind of respect and understanding helps strengthen connections between neighbors and across our city.

I'm honored to join my colleagues in recognizing Ramadan Month and extending our well wishes to everyone observing.

Lastly, I'd like to make some quick comments on National Nutrition Month.

Uh, thank you to Council President Lukava and Councilmember Campbell for bringing forward this recognition and for highlighting the importance of nutrition and public health for residents across San Diego.

The food we have access to and the choices available in our neighborhoods play a major role in overall health, well-being, and quality of life.

In many areas of our city, including neighborhoods in District 4, access to healthy and affordable food continues to be an important issue, which is why education and advocacy around nutrition are so critical.

This conversation is especially important for black and brown communities that have historically faced barriers to healthy food access and experience higher rates of diet-related health conditions.

National Nutrition Month is an opportunity to recognize the professionals, advocates, and organizations working to expand nutrition, education, improve food access, and support healthier futures for families across San Diego.

And in closing, I just want to say, Council President, I think we must never lose what makes America great, and that's freedom of speech.

But I do believe if we come from a place of love, we can be the best San Diego that we can be and that we should be.

So please just remember that as we continue to move forward.

Let's not buy into the rhetoric and the divisiveness that we are currently feeling as neighbors, as community members, as we deal with the federal level.

So please, please remember what makes us great as we communicate, as we deal with one another, and as we love one another.

So thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

That's worth a round of applause.

So we'll go down with Council President Pro Dem Lee.

Thank you, Council President.

I'll start with uh item 31 and just congratulate Captain Hara and wish you the best in your next chapter, and uh especially congratulate your family and hope that means uh less missed birthdays, holidays, uh, and more.

Um turning to item 30, I want to thank Mary Gloria and Councilmembers Campbell, Whitburn, and Vaughn Wilpert for recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to celebrate the strength, contributions, and resilience of transgender people in our community.

Today's proclamation is also a reminder that visibility alone is not enough.

Everyone deserves safety, dignity, and the opportunity to live as their full authentic selves.

And in San Diego, we thrive to be a city where everyone is respected and where no one is left behind.

So I'm proud to stand with our transgender community and affirm that they are seen, valued, and belong here.

For item 32, I want to thank uh I want to thank Councilmembers Foster, Campillo, and Ilo Rivera as we proclaim Rabadon month in the city of San Diego.

Observed this year between February 18th and March 20th, Ramadan is a sacred time for more than 20,000 San Diegans and for billions of people around the world.

It's a time of reflection, discipline, and generosity, centered on faith, community, and care for others.

During this time, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, breaking that fast for iftar amongst family and community.

And it's also a time to practice kindness and to show support for our most vulnerable neighbors.

That spirit of compassion and shared responsibility is something that resonates far beyond any one community, and that spirit of Ramadan is something we can all learn from.

Proud to join my colleagues as we recognize this holy month and celebrate the Muslim community as a key and valued part of San Diego's cultural and civic fabric.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Uh I think everyone's had a chance to speak.

Um I want I'll close out by recognizing all the proclamations, the organizations, the individuals, the issues uh that are highlighted there.

Thank you to my council colleagues for bringing these proclamations forward.

This is kind of a unique opportunity to share our values as a council and what we believe in.

Um such beautiful and eloquent words by each of my colleagues.

I'll fill in a couple of spaces with that.

S501, National Nutrition Month.

Uh, honored to join Councilmember Campbell, proclaiming the month of March to be National Nutrition Month.

Since costs continue to rise, the reasons to compromise on nutrition goes up as well through organizations like the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Resources to find professional nutritionists and educational resources are more important than ever from providing opportunities to increase nutrition policy awareness and helping those who find to find the right nutritionists.

The field of nutrition goes further than just the food we eat.

Thank you to everyone who specializes as a nutritionist or dietitian, to the education and food banks for their work in making healthy food accessible, and to the volunteers, your efforts ensure that everyone is able to receive the resources they need to eat well.

A quick shout out to uh Councilmember uh Campillo for bringing S502 Shane Hog Day.

Uh I had only a few opportunities to work with Shane, always found him to be a scholar and a gentleman, and the very definition of what a community leader is all about.

Uh, and it always brings me back to the neighborhood I grew up of Allied Gardens.

So thank you for recognizing him.

On S excuse me, on item thirty-one, Jerry Haraday.

Uh, thank you to my colleagues for recognizing Jerry.

We're not I'm not going to make you come back up again.

Uh, wish you a speedy recovery, uh, kind of a funny way to go out on retirement given what you've done over your many many years uh in the department.

Uh, but do also want to recognize that with your experience and knowledge uh from your time over those many years and many assignments, you have single-handedly prepared a new generation of confident officers and dedicated public servants within the department.

As you said, you've leave us in very good shape, and we're eternally grateful for that.

Uh, the work that you've accomplished is nothing short of impressive and commendable.

I also, as you mentioned, and as my colleagues mentioned, want to personally thank you for guiding me through the real-time operations of the dispatch center.

It was one of the most memorable experiences I've had as a council member, something that I knew the city did, but never really experienced firsthand.

But to witness the most calm and caring city employees guide people through a call they never wanted to make.

That atmosphere and the responsive is a reflection of your leadership.

So thank you for your service.

Thank you to your family for sharing with us for the past thirty plus years and everything you've done to make San Diego safer.

And with that, uh, we have a motion by Councilmember Elo Rivera and a second by Councilmember Campbell to move the proclamations.

Clerk, please call the roll.

With Council Member Moreno absent.

All right, thank you, City Clerk, and we will now pause for photos, starting with S five oh one National Nutrition Month.

Okay, we're gonna continue on with the rest of today's or this morning's meeting.

So I don't want to be in the position of telling the police officer what to do, but the dispatchers kind of said in all seriousness.

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

But first, I believe staff has a corrective statement for the record for item S504.

Is there anybody remote?

Oh, there we go.

Good morning, Ryan Barber Parks and Recreation.

On item S504, subsequent to the release of the agenda, the staff report was revised to update the environmental analysis.

Thank you.

Right.

Thank you for making that statement.

So this is items 10, 50 through 52, 100 through 102, S504, and S507.

With that, are there any requests to pull an item by council members?

Not seeing any request.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

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

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

The consent agenda includes items 10, 50 through 52, 100 through 102, S504 through S507.

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

Or sorry, the potential reappointment that is on the agenda this morning.

Item 101 is the potential reappointment of Michael Zuquet to the San Diego Unified Port District Board of Commissioners.

Also let me note that we received one comment on item 50 in opposition VR e-comment form, which has been distributed to the council.

Starting with those that have public comment, allegedly, Audra, if you can please come forward.

You will be speaking on items 5051, 52, 100, S501, S506.

You'll have three minutes.

Please proceed.

I would like to mention something about 10 in the minutes as well, if I could.

Of course, I'm doing that, but when you guys paint a certain picture about what was said, it seems like I'm not bringing up the egregious deaths and rapes that are taking place and your guys' inability to have compassion, as Steven always laughs at that.

Um but for the as needed dam design service agreements.

Because now we're getting sewage back, and that's good for us, right?

And then for 51 with this software service agreement for smart energy water um web port, all this stuff.

It's like we should be concerned about all the data that is being shared across the board, not just with ALPRs, but when we're putting in even smart meters and things like that, our water can be controlled by it being shut off with this type of infrastructure, and it's people really need to start paying attention to what's really going on and don't just buy the bullshit that you guys tend to give us and make it seem really good, like calling sewage pure water.

Um and with the building standard codes, it's like we're constantly changing these codes and and different things, and it literally keeps things from being built much of the time.

And it's sad because it's like you're you're saying it has to be this way.

We do all these environmental reviews and stuff like that, and it's like people are literally suffering.

Somebody died just outside the chambers last week, right?

And nobody probably talked about that homeless person because you just wanted to sweep it under the rug.

Um, and then 100.

It's concerning whenever you're we get money and do things for youth when it's a cash for kids type of thing that happens, especially in juvenile detention.

They literally get money to put children there, and it's just sad to see the kind of exploitation that takes place.

Um and the conflict of interest codes.

It's like I don't even think you guys are equipped to be able to be determining anything like that when you guys are constantly engaged in conflicts of interest.

And it's just interesting to see the things that you guys do.

You paint a really nice picture much of the time.

But when you really see what's going on, it's sad to see that you guys repeatedly ignore things that you should be addressing.

People are suffering.

Again, someone shouldn't have died outside of the chambers last week.

But it's happening on a regular basis, and you guys move these homeless people around just so people don't see them instead of helping them.

Instead of helping them, it is extremely egregious to do that.

Because imagine if that was you and you just wanted help.

And it wasn't enough money to help.

Rhonda Ferrar.

And then after that, we have Robert Dudley.

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

Ronda will have one minute on item 50, please proceed.

51 as well.

You want to speak?

Thank you.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Thank you.

Good morning.

I'm Rhonda Ferrar.

I'm president of the Friends of Lake Hodges.

As the City of San Diego considers its options for replacing Lake Hodges Dam, the Friends of Lake Hodges, along with the Rancho Bernardi or Branch of Bernardo Community Council, the Friends of San Diego Lakes, raise Lake Hodges.org, and the North County Climate Alliance wants to express our strong support for a new Lake Hodges Dam with construction to begin no later than 2029 as mandated by the state of California.

We support a dam of the same height of as the current dam, but at least of sufficient height to allow the water from San Diego's largest watershed to be available to the entire region through the operation of the pump storage facility.

The 208 million dollar rate payer investment in the Hodges Pump Storage Facility, our region's region's largest battery for clean energy, would once again be generating electricity to power 26,000 homes and would provide the ability to move water where it's needed during the drought for the next hundred years.

With the pump storage facility in operation, the lake level would not experience the large fluctuations that affect the region's wildlife and overgrowth of education that presents increased fire danger.

The lake at this level would allow fishermen to return to the lake using the existing boat ramp facilities.

Rainwater stored at Lake Hodges is the best source of drinking water for downstream water districts and the lowest cost water available to the region.

We asked the City of San Diego, the San Diego County Water Authority, the Rancho Santa Fe, and the Rancho San Diego Water Districts, and the state and federal agencies to collaborate to build the new Lake Hodges Dam as soon as possible to minimize the risk of catastrophic failure of the aged dam.

Every month we wait, construction costs rise, the risk of catastrophic failure increases.

On behalf of the thousands who live, work, and play around Lake Hodges, we urge you to act now.

Thank you.

Robert Dudley.

You have time to see it too by Stephen Booth Songstad.

If you can please raise your hand.

Stephen?

Thank you so much.

You'll have two minutes.

Speaking on item 50, please proceed.

Good morning, Council members.

I'm Robert Dudley.

I represent the Raised Lake Hodges group, and I'm really in favor of a low-cost plan to prevent for to reduce the prospect of forest fire.

You guys have the opportunity here to have seen what happened in LA.

We don't want to have a repeat of that.

And one of the lowest cost ways to reduce that possibility is to raise the level of the lake.

I asked for your support in going to the legislature to the governor to support a plan to allow the lake to be raised to ensure that there's adequate water for fire fate fight, fire fighting and a buffer against fire.

This is a common sense solution.

It has no cost.

But we need your help to recognize that in LA, the reservoirs were left empty.

There was not sufficient water pressure to fight the fire.

This is a catastrophic condition that we have to deal with.

And for 10 years, we won't have anything to prevent fire or to reduce the prospect of fire.

We're going to have a fire one way or the other.

It's just how serious it will end up being.

So if these group can come up with an interim plan to deal with the 10 years of what is happening for the future so that we can reduce the prospect of fire.

So I thank you very much.

Thank you.

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

We have six speakers in the queues with their hands up.

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

Hi.

Blair Beekman.

Three minutes, please proceed.

Thank you.

Blair Beekman.

I had good conversations with police officers yesterday.

It was hopeful.

So uh good luck in our conversations uh as community at this time.

I think it's a hopeful sign.

Hopefully.

Item 50, uh, award uh as needed dam design services agreement uh with uh HDR engineering.

Uh thank you that you're talking about dam issues and working on them.

It sounds like a really difficult issue to navigate.

Um keeping the community informed every step of the way.

Uh thank you uh for those efforts.

Good luck in continuing that.

Uh item 51 is existing software uh for the smart energy uh water uh for the my water web portal.

Uh this is ongoing.

Uh it's being returned here uh a few times uh to council for our guest review and further uh understanding.

Thank you for the clarifications.

Uh I think it's a nice feature to bring items back continuously to City Council agenda items.

I'm okay with that.

Uh it provides a chance for the public to learn more what your uh further agreements are about, what you're more talking about.

Um how the this item can be better and better developed uh with community and public input.

Thank you.

Uh for item one uh 101 is reappointments to San Diego Unified Port District Board of Commission persons.

You had a climate action plan uh annual report last week.

Uh I really forgot to mention, I wanted to mention Port District persons.

Um, what is their part in in this climate and the climate uh review process that we're going through for San Diego?

Can they add anything of value?

Uh I think the dialogue you can have with them can be helpful.

You know, the the um projects we can work on.

I think there's a new head person that can be um interesting from the city of San Diego who um might make for good conversation.

And that the their port commission has been working on a more open public process, which I think would be of much interest to things like the water board agency that has it having a difficult time creating uh a more open public process.

They can learn good lessons from what the port district commissioners have been trying to learn as public accessibility and engagement and um good luck in that.

And I know Councilperson von Wolpert uh works on those things.

Good luck what can be developed there.

And to conclude with uh S504, uh Rancho Bernardo Community Park funding.

My goodness gracious, you're getting 2.5 million dollars to do the same things in memorial park things from the state.

Uh you know, uh, you know, upgraded security and sports lighting.

Um we really have to learn to have more open conversations on the future of biometric technology in our communities.

We have to not fear that conversation to be open and not give it dog whistles.

We have to be clear.

Good luck in those efforts.

Thank you.

Thank you.

8700, if you can please unmute after that is 8813.

Uh thank you.

5051, 100 and 101, please.

Please proceed three minutes.

Uh 50.

HDR and Stantech.

Subcontracts, total of 51.

All of them are TBD to be decided.

Trans, please, transparency, oversight, accountability, and monitoring.

150 million for the two agreements, 268 total employees, underrepresentation, African American, Latino, Asian, and female in four categories.

Progress is being made.

Thank you.

51.

Smart Energy Water.

I want to suggest something new from my perspective.

Recontrol, recontracts, agreements, and so forth.

I did it for this company.

That is this to Google the company reviews and rating of the company.

Try it.

You might be surprised as I was.

Number 100.

Yes to initiative to fund employ and empower youth workforce.

Uh I I jumped up and down.

Yes, to apply for those grant funds.

This is a golden opportunity that lifts uh lifts us up.

Not only that lifts up not only our youth, it lifts up all of us, up and away.

Love and blessings to our youth.

When I see you at the microphone, dear youth, I'm just blown away by your power, by your empowerment, and what you can do for us now and to create our beautiful future.

Keep up the work.

Uh 101, big yes to confirming the reappointment of Michael Zuquette to the San Diego Unified Port District Board of Commissioners, ending January 2nd of 2031.

Ending January 2nd of 2031.

That's a great date and covers four years of excellent service from a high quality person and commissioner.

Thank you, Mr.

Zuquette, for your beautiful work and for your service to the people of San Diego.

Love to all.

Thank you.

Next is 8813.

If you can please unmute after that will be Tony.

The five-minute timer has also concluded there were six speakers in the queue.

No additional speakers will be taken.

Please proceed, AA13.

Let me know which item or items you wish to speak to.

Okay.

Uh oh here.

And this uh let's see.

Uh this pertains to pretty much all of them.

Please proceed.

Okay, thank you.

So let's see, with this consent calendar item, I wanted to remind the people how government actually works.

Uh people continue to come here asking, even begging government to do the right thing.

But somewhere along the way, people have forgotten something very important.

Government is supposed to answer to the people, not the other way around.

And yet, what do we continue to see?

More and more homeless families living on the streets, not in homes, not supported, not stabilized, but pushed further into survival.

At the same time, we watch government stand here and present solutions, programs, plans, initiatives.

What are they really?

Band-aid solutions, temporary fixes that never seem to resolve the root of the problem.

Because if the problems were truly solved, there would be nothing left to manage.

So instead, what happens?

The issues get prolonged, kick down the road, pass from administration to the from one administration to the next, year after year, budget after budget.

Meanwhile, the people continue to struggle.

Government does not resolve problems.

Let's be clear with that.

It manages them, it sustains them, and in many cases, it expands them.

And if that brings and that brings me to the hardest truth, people need to hear.

Standing right even in front of them.

And until people remember who government is supposed to answer to, the cycle will continue.

Now remember that.

I'll repeat that.

Until people remember who government is supposed to answer to, this cycle will continue.

The begging, the asking, the continuous, all of this.

It will continue.

Remember that.

Pay attention.

Look at the pattern.

See what they do.

See what they don't do on purpose.

See what they prolong.

Look at all the conflicts of interest.

Look at the blame game.

It's all a game.

That's what it is.

A game.

Wake up to it.

We were never meant to be governed the way we're being governed, the way they are doing it.

It's all corrupt.

It's all sick.

If one person suffers, we all suffer.

Remember that.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Tony.

After that is Ernie Casco.

If you can please unmute.

Tony, I can unmute for you.

And we'll need to move on if you cannot.

There you go.

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

This would be speaking to the dam project.

Number fifty item 50, you'll have a minute, please proceed.

Thank you.

I wanted to start out this morning by thanking City Council.

I know that the job that you have is a tremendously difficult one.

Uh and I know that no matter what you do, and no matter what good is done, and no matter what progress is made, um people are gonna still disrespect you and they're gonna find ways to tear you down and uh say things that uh aren't always necessarily rooted in the truth, because a lot of things that uh they place blame upon you for things that happened before your time that you're not necessarily responsible for.

And I think that um from what I've seen, this has been one of the most progressive uh councils that San Diego has ever had.

Um, and with your help and with your guidance and with your leadership, we've been able to raise the minimum wage for hotel workers.

Um we've been able to put on the ballot the empty homes tax.

Um, we've been able to do a number of things, including now repairing this dam, um, which are greatly in need in service of the people of San Diego.

So please take the criticisms with a grain of sort of time has appreciated.

My apologies.

If you have additional comments, you can definitely email them in to City Clerk at Sandiego.gov and they will be distributed.

Ernie Casco, if you can please unmute.

Yes, I'd like to speak on items 31 through 102, consent, recommendations, our rights, volunteer, and team management.

The 31 was the proclamation, so you can spend a 50 to 52.

And then what was the other items?

All the items.

Please make sure you say to the items.

We do have to document this for the record.

If you can let me know, please proceed to the first time.

Items 3131 through 102.

Okay, so 50 through 102.

30 is proclamations.

Please proceed.

Okay.

There are guidelines.

I'm Ernie Casco, Lahoy resident, Tory Pines Gliderport.

Um senior pilot.

There are guidelines and laws to protect public when making decisions.

City council has failed to protect me, my family, my public rights.

The same thing going on at Torrey Pines Gliderport.

Uh, your decisions uh have a legal consequences.

It is illegal for anyone, including your city leaseholder to turn our freedom into an access pass and waiver for a license and fee to use a free public park when city liabilities are already covered by California recreational laws.

This is insurance fraud and misappropriation of public funding going into private accounts, which demands a full transparent city audit that would end the corruption going on at the glider port in other areas in the city.

We have a letter of support from La Hoya Town Council, Lahoy Shores Association to permanently reconvene the Tory Pines Glider Port Advisory Board.

But the Torrey Pines Glide Report Advisory Board historically allowed uh the commercialization and privatization of our park to continue.

It is irresponsible for city council to put the glider port in the hands of a business that knowingly exploits our constitutional recreational rights and freedoms.

It is a city council job to stop the crime first and then address the victims who have been damaged by discrimination, assault, battery, and boss reports and arrest.

The San Diego recreational waiver stops that crime illegally, secure city liabilities, isolate safety concerns, uh safety concerns, and restores recreational rights and freedoms back to what it originally was.

The San Diego recreational waiver stops the illegal collection of public funds going into private accounts by separating the business from normal free public access access yet allows the business to stay paying their own bills, operating like every other business in public parks and lands.

This breaks the corruption.

This breaks the corruption going on at the glider port management.

Where are the police reports that provide justice for the witness for the victims and witnesses who have been damaged?

There are common laws to protect the public.

How um business should be run in public parks and lands.

You need to set a precedence on how that happens.

This is a win for city council liabilities using common contract laws that legally restores our recreational rights and freedoms for years to come.

It is the best decision that city council and you can make, Joe Lacaba.

Thank you next is Kathleen Lippett.

After that is Judy Strang and then 7499.

Thank you for letting me speak.

Uh to item 50.

If ever there were an opportunity for the city to take a proactive step on behalf of the public good, prioritizing the replacement of Lake Hodges would be it.

The city was warned four years ago that it the dam was in bad need of for critical repair, postponing and redirecting funds to other projects reserved for addressing dam safety would replace a potentially clean source of water for a system that will require hundreds of gallons for another system that would require hundreds of gallons of chemicals.

We are told that those chemicals will be removed.

But I don't know if that's possible.

It is far better to look at a potential source that has been used.

It just needs to be protected.

And postponing required maintenance is not in your best interest, and it's certainly not in the public's.

So I hope that you will look at this and do something that is in the best interest of the public.

Thank you.

Thank you, next is Judy Strang.

After that is 7499.

Judy Strang, please unmute.

I can't unmute for you.

I will need to move on.

And there you go.

Can you tell me item or items you wish to speak to?

Yes, I wanted to speak to 50 and 100.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

You bet.

Thank you for the opportunity to call for my workplace.

And I'm sorry to hold you up while I was getting connected.

I'm very excited to speak to item 50, the dam design.

Great gobs of money.

I would have loved to have seen a staff report on it.

But all of us who live downstream from the Lake Hodges Dam are excited by any sorts of repairs that are happening there.

I'd love to have a I tried to read the staff report and understand it, but I came away a little confused.

It is after all a 10-year grant.

And it seems to be first for 150 million dollars, to which 75 million dollars is being added.

That's a lot of money just to put on consent.

And let us not understand what we're going to get over our 10 year period for this money.

I also wanted to speak to item 100.

Oh, yay, let's apply for this grant.

I always wonder about these common sense situations whether we really need to uh ask whether we should do it.

Of course, we should do it.

I guess we should be glad that we have the clarity and the opportunity to speak to it.

Yes, if there was ever a city, those young people need an influx of cash to help implement the programs that you've so aggressively put in place to help them.

The age of 16 to 30 is a critical age in the life of a young person.

Speaking as a grandmother, I can tell you that it is an age that is just inundated with bad influences about choice making.

And as a public health advocate, I have to again express my concern when you look at this age group to realize the role that the normalization of high potency cannabis products has done to this age group in affecting their ability to be successful at school.

And these tutorship opportunities and internship opportunities are going to be provided if we receive this money.

Let's look at the source of the problems our children have, as well as try to fund solutions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our final speaker is 7499.

Please unmute and let me know which item or items you wish to speak to.

Item 51.

Please proceed.

You'll have one minute.

Bob Kazuski here.

I've been writing software since the 1970s, back when we were using punch cards.

I appreciate the reduction of this item from 16.3 million dollars down to 5.5 million dollars.

But that's still far too much for any quote software as a service, end quote contract in the era of widely available free software.

Free and open source software.

The people creating these agreements and contracts do not negotiate as if they were spending their own personal money as they should.

Send this item back for further negotiation.

Also, I endorse the comments of the earlier caller who asserted that this current city government does not serve the people, and it does not answer to the people.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That concludes public comment on the consent agenda.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh with that, we will go to my colleagues for any questions and comments, and we'll entertain a motion and we'll start with Council Member Kempio.

Thank you, Council President.

I'll move approval of the consent agenda briefly.

Just call the the public's attention to item 51, where we're reducing the term amount of a contract from 16.3 million to 5.5 million.

I appreciate staff's work on helping us with the smart energy water uh software there.

So that's uh that's you know, we get some things done, we save some money around here.

Um, and on item number 101, the reappointment to the San Diego Unified Port District Board of Commissioners.

I want to thank Mr.

Michael Zuquette for his service uh a little bit more than two terms coming on a third term here.

Uh I just do want to say this week and I had relatives from from Iowa visiting San Diego.

We went on a boat tour of the harbor and the port.

Uh they were commenting on on how much fun they were having, and I said all the credit goes to Sid Varakara, who's sitting right next to you, Mr.

Ziquette.

So, you know, keep following his lead.

Uh I appreciate you very much.

Uh quite frankly, folks from all over the world come to our port for tourism, for food, for art, uh, and the experience of San Diego.

It is a cornerstone uh of our local economy, and uh Mr.

Zuquin is one of the reasons it is doing so successfully.

So thank you very much for your service.

And with that, I will uh conclude my motion, Council President.

All right, thank you.

So we do have a motion by Councilmember Campio to move the consent items.

We'll go next to Councilmember Whitburn.

Thank you, Council President.

I will second the motion.

Uh item 100.

This item accepts state funding for the city's internship program.

Ensuring that interns are paid is essential to removing barriers to public service and opening the door for more young people to explore explore careers in local government.

I want to take a moment to recognize our outstanding district three interns, Rigo, Tajay, and Aidan, whose dedication and service make a real difference in our community every day.

On item 101, the reappointment of Michael Zuquet to the San Diego Unified Port District Board of Commissioners.

Mr.

Zuquette currently serves as vice chair of the board of port commissioners.

Uh during public comment, Mr.

Beekman asked about the port's role in addressing climate change.

Well, I have good news.

Uh Vice Chair Zuquet has been instrumental in the development and success of the Maritime Clean Air Strategy and the electrification of port operations, which have been recognized globally as well as many other initiatives.

His contributions have helped to grow the blue economy in San Diego and create many good paying jobs.

In fact, he was a renewable energy economist in the Department of Energy back in the day.

So for all of us who are concerned about climate change, we are fortunate to have Vice Chair Zuquette representing our city on the board of Port Commissioners.

And uh Mr.

Varakara is with us in Chambers as well.

We're fortunate to have Commissioner Varakra and Commissioner Moore also representing our city of San Diego.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, sir.

Uh so we have a motion by Councilmember Campio and a second by Council Member Whitburn to move the consent items.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Uh I would like to comment also on item 101.

The reappointment of Mike Zuquet to the San Diego Port Board of Commissioners.

Michael Zuquette, who grew up near the ocean and ocean beach in my district.

Currently serves as vice chair of the San Diego Port of Commissioners.

He is in line to become the chair in 2027.

Commissioner Zuquet is the general manager for the San Diego MEA Municipal Employee Association, representing over 5,000 of our city employees.

He served as Sandy Count San Diego City Councilman for District 2.

Yay, where he served on many did many things, including serving on the Public Safety Committee, Natural Resources, and Land Use Committees.

Prior to being a council member, Commissioner Zuket was the director of government affairs for the San Diego Firefighters Union, local 145.

And he did all those other things my other colleagues have mentioned as well.

It's amazing in his young life.

Given his dedication to serving the community, I support the reappointment of Michael Zuquet to the San Diego Board Board of Commissioners and appreciate his willingness to continue to serve our wonderful port.

And thank you, Commission Member Veraka, for being here escorting him at this important moment.

Thank you very much, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Campbell.

We'll go next to Councilmember Ilo Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Just a couple quick comments.

First, um want to say thank you to Mr.

Zuquette for your um interest and commitment to continuing to serve and represent San Diego at the port.

I'm gonna be nice the whole time this time, I promise.

Um the work that you've done um to um make sure that the port is a responsible um and good partner to the communities around the port is extremely meaningful.

Um the the uh advances that have been made around clean energy um super important.

The port is a oftentimes I think in government we talk about being leaders at a national level or a global level, and I'll be honest, I think there's a lot of hyperbole in most of that.

That's actually not the case at the port.

Um I it's not hyperbole.

There are advancements being made and actions that have been taken that um really are uh groundbreaking.

And I I know that you've played an important role in that.

I know that's why um Sid came here to support you and keep an eye on you.

Um but just thank you again for your willingness to step up and continue to serve in that in that role.

Um I also wanted to say how glad I am to see uh item 100 in front of us.

Um the Employee and Power Program is one of the best things the state has done over the last several years, and I'm very glad that San Diego has leaned into it.

From uh Roberto, who is now leading our community empowerment efforts, to Diana, who's uh behind me, and Kanoa.

These are folks who came through the employee and employed and empowered program and now at work as staff and in leadership positions in our office.

Um, V and Ivy who are are behind me as current uh interns in our cohort along with Ava, Izzy, Owen, and Summer.

Um they're doing incredible work.

They're learning about government, they're contributing to their community, and the state's investment in our young people is is a a great short-term and long term investment.

Um very, very glad to see um accepting these additional grant funds and want to see this uh program not only continue but continue to grow um in the years ahead because um really um the city wins, um, our offices win, the residents win, and and obviously there's benefits for the young folks who are here here as well.

So I want to say thank you to our employee and empowered cohort cohort um and um I'm very supportive of continuing uh continuing to see this program thrive, the city.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Yola Rivera.

We'll go next to Councilmember Von Wolpert.

Um thank you.

I will just add on item 101.

Uh, Mike Zuket, we're very excited to reappoint you to the port.

You've done an excellent job.

My colleagues have already talked about all the wonderful things you've done for the community.

Um I'll also add all the wonderful things you do for our city.

Um leading um MEA as uh the leadership is been quite incredible.

We've had some hard years and we have a hard budget year now, and so thank you for standing up to be the voice of our workers, who we depend on every day to literally even open this building and make sure it's functioning, which is a tall order these days.

So I appreciate you very much.

Um Sid Varakara, always good to see you too.

Thank you for the excellent work you're doing as well.

And my continued uh request to both of you is to help us as a city and a port and a region really make the convention center everything that it can be, and helping to turn our new wind of the Measure C money into a long-term infrastructure investment for our convention center to modernize it, to expand it, to keep Comic Con in San Diego so that everyone can come see the brand new Seaport Village when it is finally ready.

So thank you for your work.

I appreciate you very much.

And item 50, thank you to everyone who came in to speak about Lake Hodges Dam.

Uh, you know, I've grown up watching this dam.

Uh unfortunately start to crumble.

And Lake Hodges is now the worst-rated dam in the entire state of California, uh, which has quite a bit.

Um I too would love to see a new dam constructed and the water level raised because we're seeing increased risk with fire when the water goes down and the brush explodes.

Luckily, this year, our assembly member Darcy and Patel worked with our office to secure over a million dollars to do brush management in this area, and our fire department has been great about making sure we are controlling brush.

But what happens next year?

And since the County Water Authority has decided that they no longer want to participate in building a new dam, which they are contractually obligated to pay for half of the cost of Lake Hodges, that would leave the city on the hook to fund an entire construction of a new dam, which I know is not necessarily possible.

So I tell all of my neighbors and community members who have actually been through fires before.

The Witch Creek fire came through this area, and many of them saw their homes burned to the foundations.

So this is not a theoretical fear for them.

This is a fear they have experienced in the past to keep advocating and also advocate with the county water authority because they are another government entity that's going to control the fate of this dam.

So thank you, everyone.

Thank you to PUD for investing in our dams, and let's make sure that we start the initial focus with this money coming in on solutions for Lake Hodges because it is the one that needs the most care.

So I'll support the Cassette Agenda.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Von Wolpert.

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

Thank you, Council President.

Uh, I'd like to speak to item 100, and uh just I'm glad to see that these state funds come to the city to support our employee and empower youth workforce program, uh, which is as Councilmember Ila Rivera said, uh, an incredibly important program that I've had the opportunity to observe uh its impact firsthand, uh including our current interns in our office.

We've had the privilege of working with more than 20 interns uh through this program over the course of the last three years.

Some of them have gone on to become full-time staff, while others have moved on to positions in various elected offices and agencies at the local and state level uh during their time with us.

Uh they've joined their local planning groups, shown up at protests, researched policy initiatives, painted murals in our communities, and track data patterns that impact our constituents.

Several have also continued on to law school or other graduate programs.

Uh, whether they choose to stay in government or pursue other paths, they have all made valuable contributions to our work while gaining a deeper appreciation for public service.

It's been a truly rewarding uh experience for me and our team to see them grow and explore their interests their intertime with our office.

And I'm glad to know that we will continue to be able to provide this valuable experience to future students.

Uh I'll also give a shout out to Kimberly Hang and Jacob Barnridge uh Barnage who are working in our office right now and probably tuning into this meeting.

Um for item 101.

Uh, I will take a moment to uh thank Commissioner Zuquet for his willingness to continue uh serving.

Uh I'll admit I asked Commissioner Varakara uh for some bullet points um of what to share.

And to that he said only say nice things uh as long as you have them to say okay.

Well with that thank you.

I think everyone's already repeated quite a bit of uh our gratitude for your willingness to serve.

I think um most folks in the public forget uh and don't recognize that serving as commissioner for the port um is not a light task.

Uh it is it is just as rigorous uh uh in many of the policy areas that we deal with here on this council, and uh to you and your fellow commissioners that represent the city.

Uh, we're all very grateful that you dedicate your time and energy um to practically volunteer in that capacity um to better our uh port and all the properties um along the coast that we value in our region.

So thank you, Commissioner, for your service.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh thank you, Council President uh Pro Tem.

We'll go next to Council Member Foster.

Uh yes, thank you, um Council President.

Um just some quick comments.

Um, would like to um thank uh Commissioner Zouquet for his willingness um to continue to serve.

Um it is greatly appreciated.

Um and just really want to thank um the port commissioners for all the good work that you are doing and continuing to ensure that we um are a top destination location.

Um a lot of um transformative work is happening along our um shoreline there.

Um and you guys are uh leading the way and leading that charge.

So just want to thank you for all of those efforts.

Um with that, I will be um supporting the uh consent agenda.

Um Madam Clerk, I would like to uh register a no vote for item 50.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Not seeing anybody else in the lights.

Actually, I think everybody spoke.

I'll add a couple of thoughts on my own.

Uh I want to build on the comments of my colleague, Councilmember Vaughn Wilford, item uh 50.

Um there was some concern about that one being on consent.

Uh actually, item 50 had that's the um contract with the consultants for uh dam and uh improvements.

Uh that actually had two full public hearings, one at ATI and one at the full city council.

Uh the item in front of us is the mandatory second reading uh to make sure that we are got the ordinance just right, and that's why it's it's on consent.

And uh on item 51, uh, just a friendly reminder: this is the uh contract for the uh my water portal.

Uh that is a contract authority, not necessarily how much will be spent on that particular item.

Um item S 505.

This is the resolution authorizing the market agreement between the City of San Diego and Hyundai Motor America.

Thank you to Sarah Brenner from Economic Development for negotiating this deal was a rather extraordinary uh improvement over previous deals in the same space.

Our lifeguards deserve the best, and this agreement delivers that.

So thank you, Sarah, for that good work.

Uh, and I suspect uh Chief Gartland had a hand in there as well.

Um so I'll wrap up uh the many accolades.

I think it's getting embarrassing how many of us are talking about item uh 101, Mr.

Zuquet.

Uh as everybody has said, your accomplishments are certainly numerous and impressive.

I too laud your commitment to environmental advances, including electrification of our marine terminals, positive results for the port cities, the city of San Diego, and our most impacted communities.

And I want to recognize we're not here to save the planet.

We're here to save ourselves and our way of life and where we work and where we play.

And Mr.

Zuquet, your efforts are geared 100% to that, to minimize the impact to those waterfront communities to make sure that we have a strong and vibrant water uh working waterfront and you find that balance and the things you've done.

And is once somebody ask about what role you have, the port has, you're leading the damn way.

And the city here is trying to catch up with the good work that you're doing every day.

Uh, for those who missed uh the three commissioners talking about the work at the port, I urge you to go back and watch uh that presentation for the city council.

So I look forward to your continued efforts, sir.

Gutting edge first in the nation environmental advances.

Thank you for your willingness to continue to serve.

And I know you've been itching in that seat to perhaps come up and say a few words to wrap it all up.

Um gosh, thank you, uh Council President, members of the city council.

Um only uh grateful and happy to have the opportunity to serve.

Thank you very much.

Um I so appreciate your support and your partnership and your uh faith, and I work as hard as I can to uh uh to reward that faith and in how we serve.

Um I so appreciate your comments today.

I am definitely humbled, and I do find them a little embarrassing in part because we have such a great team at the port.

Um as many of you mentioned, we've got uh uh Commissioner Sid Varakra here, who's not only here as a colleague but as a friend.

I think he was gonna hold my hand if anybody said anything mean about me.

Um he's such a such an incredible and uh just absolutely a decent human being, and it's such a pleasure to be his friend and to serve with him, and also Commissioner Moore and uh and Commissioner uh Castellanos uh before them.

So thank you very much for those efforts.

Uh to your point, Councilmember Lee also wanted to thank uh my wife and family and my day job uh bosses at uh the San Diego Municipal Employees Association who allow me the time to uh to uh to engage in the service, uh, which is only an honor, and I'm super grateful for it.

So thank you all very much, and thank you, Council President, and especially to uh your incredible uh support staff member um Vicky Joseph for uh for coordinating this reappointment.

Thank you.

All right, no one else in the lights.

We do have a motion by council member Campio and a second by Councilmember Whitburn.

Clerk, please call the role.

I started the voting system, please cast your vote that passes unanimously eight to zero with council member foster voting no on item 50 and council member Moreno absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, uh, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh with that, well, let's move quickly.

It's turning out to be a long morning.

Uh we have both non-agenda public comment as well as a presentation under the housing authority.

Uh, but first, are there any comments by the mayor's office, city council members, city attorney, independent budget analyst, or city clerk.

Not seeing any.

Um, I'll make one comment.

Uh I made some comments yesterday relating to the appeal process for environmental determinations, and I may have been a little bit too generous in my words.

Uh environmental determinations are unique animal of all the things that we do.

Uh, someone should not take that as consulting advice, uh, but I'm certainly happy to have a conversation with anybody who's considering to appeal in environmental determination uh and always stand ready to work with my colleagues or operation side if we can improve how our municipal code is written and give good direction for both applicants and appellants.

Uh seeing no one else, uh we will now adjourn as the city council to convene the special housing authority meeting.

And first, we will start with the approval of the housing authority minutes of both January 13th, 2026 and the special session on January 26, 2026.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you.

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

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

The minutes being approved are for the meeting of Tuesday, January 13th, 2026, regular, and Monday, January 26, 2026, a special.

Allegedly, Audrey if you can please come forward.

You'll have two minutes.

Please proceed.

I'm surprised.

I thought I was gonna get one minute.

Lucky you guys.

Um, it's interesting that sometimes you guys will write what is written said in public comment, like in the meeting, and sometimes you don't.

And I'm wondering when you don't, why is that is because you don't want the people to know what was said.

Um, or you you wind up spinning it into a certain way, or taking away words or adding some, so it seems like what is being said is not as um intense or whatever, and it's like I think it is very important that when you are taking somebody's words and and spinning it like that, that that changes exactly what was said.

And I'm curious to know what's going to be written in the minutes when the two men, Paul and I believe Derek it was that came from Tent City.

Did any of you guys go talk to them?

Steven, did you send your staff out to see uh if you could help them not get evicted?

Right.

So it'll be interesting to see what is written when with their comment.

Is it gonna say that they came from B lots and that they're potentially getting kicked out for no reason, that nobody's helping them, that this man's been there since 2023.

Wow.

Seems like it's working right.

Yeah.

And those men are still suffering, and nobody wants to go and talk to the people with lived experience.

So it'll be interesting to see the way the minutes are written then.

Because any time you guys write things about what I'm saying, it changes what it says, and it doesn't show that there are extremely egregious events taking place on your guys' watch that you refuse to mitigate.

I have people coming to me on a daily basis, either their ex-employees, people that live there.

And it continues to happen, and we're gonna have to pay for litigation because of it.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

I'm going to those participating online.

I have five minutes on the queue.

Robin, if you can please unmute and let me know which minutes you're speaking to.

I will be speaking to non-agenda public comment.

We'll come back to you during that time.

Blair Beekman, please let me know which minutes you're speaking to.

Uh both minutes.

Please proceed.

Hi, thank you.

Uh, I won't need the full two minutes.

Uh, but I just wanted to uh quickly offer uh from both meeting minutes of uh January.

I felt that the important theme and conversation and dialogue was how the housing authority people can have good clear conversations with the new federal administration.

And um to not uh reject you know good thinking and and and good attempts at dialogue that we're trying to create at here at the local level towards our housing policies.

Uh they're making really honest decent attempts towards negotiation and good dialogue here at the local level at the housing authority uh to the federal level with HUD funding and and the like.

So um just an overall good luck that we can continue those good efforts and and that uh uh a place of good conversation can be taking place for all of us.

Thank you.

Thank you, eight eight one three.

If you can please unmute and let me know which minutes you're speaking to.

I cannot unmute for you.

There you go.

I uh excuse me, Clinton here.

Uh are we on non-agenda?

No, this is the minutes non-agenda will be later.

I can come back to you then.

Oh, no, okay.

So is this the housing authority thing?

Housing authority minutes.

Oh, the housing authority minutes.

Okay, got it.

Um, yeah, I have something for that.

Just one second, please.

We got one minute or two minutes.

It's one minute per the minutes.

There's two minutes on the two minutes.

Please proceed.

Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I'm not even pulling up my speech for that.

Uh I mean, I'm well pretty much a version of what I usually have to say.

So you know, I'm sorry, I don't mean to take up your time, so I'm gonna just go ahead and wait for an on-agenda.

Thank you.

That does conclude uh public comment on the housing authority minutes.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

So we'll take up agency member questions and comments intertain a motion to get things started.

I'll go ahead and move the uh adoption of the minutes.

Can I get a second?

Councilmember Whitburn.

Not seeing anybody else in the lights.

Um, I'll add the comment.

I don't think those minutes are still in adequate form.

You want to find out what people said, you go to the video.

That's where you get the straight stories.

So encourage people to do that if they're curious what anybody said.

Uh so with that uh motion by myself and a second by council member Whitburn to move the minutes.

Clerk, please call the role.

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

That passes unanimously eight to zero with council member Moreno absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

And with that, um clerk, please introduce housing authority item one.

Housing authority item one is an informational item, HA1 Informational Report from the Housing Authority Executive Director.

If you'd like to speak on this item, now's the time to submit your speaker slips to the front of the room in the clear box.

If you're participating online, now's the time to raise your hand by pressing SAR9 or the raise your hand icon.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

Uh Ms.

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

Good morning, Council President Lakava and Council members.

Oops, there we go.

That's better.

Good morning, Council President Lakava and Council members.

I'm Lisa Jones, the San Diego Housing Commission's president and CEO, and I will need about eight minutes for my update.

I'll begin this morning with some difficult changes that occurred recently for the Housing Commission and our staff.

Last month, we unfortunately had to make the difficult decision to reduce our workforce.

And the tough reality is that this was necessary.

It was necessary for us to remain a reliable source of assistance in the coming years for the tens of thousands of families in our programs, and also to be able to sustain our remaining staff who serve those families in our community every day.

As I've shared over the past several months, SDHC, like many other public housing authorities and many other public sector agencies across the country, is experiencing financial challenges like we have not seen as an agency in the past.

Much of this is due to shifts in federal government priorities in the past year and budget uncertainty at the federal, state, and local levels.

Nothing that's not a surprise to I know the council and the city too.

Additionally, like many other organizations, our costs are rising and the need for our services continues to grow, but our financial resources are fixed or in some cases declining.

Our goals are to ensure our rental housing voucher programs, our homelessness programs and services, and our affordable housing units remain available for the individuals and families currently in those programs who need them.

We have taken a variety of steps in recent months to contain costs in this environment.

These include eliminators performance incentives and cost of living adjustments for senior leadership last year, having to make changes to the family contribution amount in the voucher program, and rent adjustments in our affordable housing programs, and having to reduce or end some of our ancillary services and activities.

But the unfortunate reality is even with all of those efforts, we have also needed to reduce our workforce.

This means that we made the tough decision to eliminate 33 occupied staff positions and will not be filling 25 positions that were vacant, which is a reduction of about 14%.

So that means that 33 staff that used to work for the housing commission were laid off on February 27th.

About 60% of the eliminated positions were supervisory level positions or above.

And as I've shared in briefings previously, none of the layoffs were represented, were represented staff.

Staff who occupied those eliminated positions were notified, as I said, on February 27th, and they were provided two weeks' paid leave.

We know this is a difficult time for each of them.

We know this is a difficult time for the staff that remains as well.

There's a lot to process.

But we do care about those staff, and we are offering a variety of assistance to help them through this transition.

While I will not go into detail, I can let you know that we have also offered severance commensurate to their service time to each laid-off employee and modest extension of health benefits in addition to what the state provides.

We also are providing them with access to support and resources to assist them with their career transition.

These include job coaching sessions, meetings with a workforce development specialist and a recruiter, and access to job resources, with SDHC covering the cost for these services.

We're also continuing to make our employee assistance program available to our staff who were laid off.

The program includes counseling for mental health and emotional needs as well as referrals for free or reduced cost programs like child care, health care, and employment services.

And our employee assistance program is available to assist our remaining staff during this time as well.

We do not anticipate any further workforce reductions beyond these steps.

This workforce reduction, along with many other measures, will help support ongoing financial stability of the agency.

And with that increased stability, we will continue to provide housing assistance and person-centered customer service to the thousands of families with low income that rely on the housing commission.

We also continue to implement and explore additional measures to contain costs and where possible to continue to generate revenue.

Although this is a difficult time for our agency, we must continue to advocate for state and federal resources.

That is more important now than ever.

Last month we met with the California Association of Housing Authorities, State officials, and San Diego's legislative led delegation in Sacramento.

We discussed relevant state legislation around housing, the latest from HUD and federal administration, as well as the latest innovations around the state, and we advocated for continued stable funding from the state for homelessness programs and for a health affordable housing development.

And this month we are engaging in Washington, D.C.

with federal officials as well as the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities and the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.

These opportunities to meet in person are really important for us to make sure that state and federal lawmakers in particular know what funding and policies we and other housing authorities need to continue to support our communities and that they understand the true impact inadequate funding has on our agency stability and the families we serve as well as our staff.

We also continue to deliver our core services, providing affordable housing opportunities in our community for families that need them.

This includes supporting the development of additional new affordable rental homes such as the Skyline Development.

Skyline celebrated its grand opening on March 5th.

Affirmed housing developed this property, which provided 99 affordable rental apartment homes for families with very low income.

It's important to remember that this new housing stock, so we are adding to our housing supply, which is so critical with both the tax credit program and the project-based vouchers that we pair with them.

The housing commission awarded 30 project-based vouchers to help pay rent for families earning up to 30% of San Diego's area median income.

And with the housing authorities approval, we also authorized authorize the issuance of multifamily housing revenue bonds toward the financing for Skyline.

It was built on an underlyutiled parking lot at the Metropolitan to Transit Systems Rancho Bernardo Transit Station.

And a special thank you to Councilmember Whitburn as the chair of the MTS, and also to Councilmember Von Wilpert, whose district includes Skyline for their support of this project.

We also thank Mary Gloria and his staff for their efforts to make Skyline possible.

Finally, I have some housing commission leadership updates to share with you.

After 30 years of exceptional service at the housing commission, our deputy CEO Jeff Davis will be leaving us in just under three weeks now.

I have had the privilege of knowing Jeff as a boss, a mentor, a colleague, and as a friend.

And I have deeply appreciated his leadership, perspective, and support, especially during his tenure as interim president and CEO and throughout the transition to my role as CEO, where he has been invaluable support.

His insight and expertise have been invaluable to our agency, and he has touched many lives clients, peers, staff at every level of the organization over his long tenure.

We will miss Jeff and we wish him all the best in his next adventure.

And as Jeff prepares to depart, it is my true pleasure to share with you that Azusena Valladolid is now our chief operating officer.

As COO, Azusena will ensure ongoing effective operations across the agency as well as fiscal stability and operational compliance for all our core functions.

Azusena will also oversee the rental assistance and workforce development division, information technology and property management and asset management departments.

In addition to my duties as CEO, I will continue to oversee the policy, homelessness innovations, and community initiatives divisions, and will take on oversight of our real estate finance and development division and communications department.

After Jeff's departure, Azusena will also oversee the financial services and human resources departments.

This is not a new position that's being created for Azusena.

This is not backfilling her previous position, so she remains essentially in the same role with a title change, and we are also not backfilling Jeff's position.

So this is a consolidation across those positions.

Taking on her new COO role is a natural transition for both her talent and her expertise.

And I am very much look forward to the leadership in insight and innovation Aussie Cena will provide as our COO.

That concludes my report this morning.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you for your work and difficult decisions on the presentation this morning.

Afternoon.

With that, clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

We have allegedly Audra here.

If you can please come up to the microphone after that, we have Aaron Walmouth.

If you can please come up to the yellow reserve seats, and then Dave Lagstein, if you can also come up to the yellow reserve seats.

We do have quite a number of speakers, so it is one minute.

Please proceed.

I guess when you say FU to the federal government, they're gonna say F U too.

And it's sad that these people had to get laid off because of your choices.

I don't know that this program has ever been succeeding as we can see homelessness rises, people are not being had nobody can afford anything, especially rent.

So when you sit here and you're saying you have affordable housing, that's a lie.

It's a complete bullshit.

It's funny, right?

Yeah, you're so funny.

Sitting in your suit, right?

Mm-hmm.

You're not one on the street having to beg and plead just to get help, are you?

So can you have comments to the council, please?

Yes.

Well, and it's like, I mean, seriously, how are you going to put these people in danger of needing the assistance from this program?

Because you're like, we're gonna we got help for you.

You don't, because you're not even gonna be able to put them in, or you will, just like you take legal immigrants and you put them directly into housing.

When people that have lived here and waited for decades should have gotten it.

So it's your choices that have led to this, and you just waste our money.

Aaron, if you can please come forward and if the following individuals can please raise their hand.

Um Armando Castañeda, please raise your hand.

Caitlin Bears.

Thank you.

Pearl Martinez.

Irma Chate?

Shut shoot.

Jeanette Flores.

Mandy Stevens.

Yasmin Gandora.

And Catherine Cusek.

You'll have nine minutes, please proceed.

Um people standing behind me are the people that serve our community of San Diego from the rental assistance department, real estate department, the homeless division.

Also, we have people online as well that couldn't be here present, and also people that couldn't be present in the meeting because they're the work doesn't stop.

My name is Aaron Wammouth.

I'm a proud SEIU member.

I'm serving as the chapter president for over a year and a steward for the last four years.

I also have been an uh employee of the housing commission for the last five years in the homelessness division.

San Diego Housing Commission is facing a financial crisis and has proposed cuts on employees, compensations, uh, cost of living, flex credit, and performance incentives, totaling about 4.5 million dollars in saving next fiscal year.

During this process, the housing commission has respectfully provided information and flexible release time, allowing space for collaboration.

And a special thanks to Lissette Vargas for taking the time for um collaborating, scheduling, and communicating.

We really appreciate it.

However, despite the collaboration, we have not reached their agreement.

There is also concern about a president being set to reopen the MOU yearly and doing more with less consistently.

After multiple attempts to develop a proposal that repres that support represented, non-represented, and management staff, the housing commission has made it clear that we must focus on represented employees only.

Representative staff does pay the dues and they make these agreements possible.

If you review the material that I was able to provide, the bottom chart, I don't know if you guys have, if you don't, it kind of breaks down our proposal.

Uh you'll see our proposal still generates a significant savings for the agency.

We understand that sacrifices are necessary, which is why SEIU has proposed freezing the performance incentive and annual proposal, saving approximately 2.15 million dollars.

However, we are not willing to sacrifice cost of living and flex credit increases for represented staff.

We have a petition with a high majority of members that do not agree what is happening.

While VPs and above have chosen to take their not taking their colour and incentive, it's a softer blow for them.

These are individuals earning over 200,000 annually, receiving guaranteed incentives like car allowance, and up to 20% more in flex credits than many frontline workers.

That's the chart in the middle, given the breakdown of all the flex credits.

The total contractual cola and flex credit obligation is about 2.4 million under our proposal, colour would preserve for representative staff only, while flex credit increases would support the agency as a whole.

This proposal will cost 661,659 instead of the 2.4 million.

We've also proposed the additional 3% increase for full-time on-site workers who are paid less.

Which is less than the 179,040 dollars spent on car allowance for executives this physical year.

We also suggested multiple zero cost benefits that could relieve the reduction in pay for workers.

Although our says something, I apologize.

Although our proposal say is approximately 3.75 million dollars.

Yet the housing commission has maintained its position that a full 4.5 million must come from these cuts.

Projected 23.5 million dollar deficit by the end of next physical year.

Recently, the housing commission has made the difficult decision to lay off 33 employees two weeks ago, three weeks ago.

About 30% were management, while the remaining were largely non-management roles.

In one case, the achievement academy was reduced to just five frontline employees who are expected to serve approximately 800 applicants in July under the new pass to success program.

So the question is how can five workers provide the level of person-centered service our community deserves.

We are being asked to do more, not with less, but with significantly less.

We remain committed to working uh collaboratively with the housing commission leadership to find solutions that are equitable, sustainable, and truly centered on the people we serve and the people that do the work.

I thank you for all your time.

Thank you.

That does and we have Dave Langston as well.

Okay, good afternoon.

I'm Dave Lags here from SIU 221.

Um Aaron said most of it, so I just want to amplify it.

Our President Crystal Irving is traveling, but just want to emphasize in addition to the employees that you've heard from here, um, our 14,000 members in the region and the communities we work with, stand behind these workers, stand behind the important services that they do, and again want to acknowledge Lisa and the team working collaborating with us in a very difficult circumstances by all accounts.

Um, but as you've heard here, we think there's more work to do that's honoring the the work of our frontline employees and getting to an agreement that continues the important work in a difficult environment.

And one more piece that I want to share for historical reasons.

Um, there are a number of folks that were in those 33 layoffs that are frontline workers that don't happen to be represented by SCIU.

So we can kind of get you that data, and they have it as well.

Um, so again, there's sort of management, and of course, we don't celebrate any layoff, but the importance of kind of preserving the frontline workers in terms of the staffing and in terms of the benefits.

Thank you.

The five-minute timer has started.

I'm going to those participating remotely, starting with 8700, if you can please unmute 8700 star six.

You'll have a minute.

There you go.

Thank you so much.

Sorry about that.

Uh Julie Signata C D3.

Hey, I just threw out my comments.

And and I'm gonna say this one minute.

Uh, first of all, I I didn't fill out this one.

I am over the moon thrilled by the changing title for as you see now.

T to C E C O O Congratulations, she's a phenomenal human being and leader, and I'm just thrilled for her and for all of us in San Diego.

Okay, this what's happening here is perfect because it's an example of uncertain times.

We have to follow this.

This is what's going to happen.

This is what is happening.

Let's not make it be just person centered.

It has to be family centered.

We have to have that.

The family has to come to the kitchen, sit around the table, and try to figure this out together.

I don't know what's going to be the resolution.

Your time has concluded, sorry.

8813, and then after that is Blair Beekman, 8813, please unmute.

Okay, come follow here.

Um, so yeah, okay, isn't it something that with all these agencies under the government umbrella?

We still have people living in their cars and on the streets with all the funding, all the programs, all the departments.

Nothing is being resolved.

In fact, it's getting worse.

And now we're hearing that you're even losing your own staff.

I mean, I don't mean to laugh, but damn.

Uh that just adds to my point.

So if the system isn't stable enough to retain the people working inside it, how is it supposed to stabilize the people?

It's meant to help.

What we're seeing isn't solutions, more management of crisis that never seems to end.

Meeting minutes, reports, while real people are outside trying to survive.

So again, uh, with all these resources, all the purple shirts.

Why are people still on the street?

And how is this system expected to work when even your own staff can't be kept?

Oh my God.

It's so backwards.

Wake up.

Your time has concluded.

Next is Blair Beekman.

If you can please unmute after that is Robin.

Hi, thank you.

Blair Beekman.

Uh, yeah, important lessons I've learned from public comment.

Uh, good luck that we can continue to really work towards truly affordable housing.

I think it's possible.

And we just have to be really uh adamant and um hopeful and and knowing that it's a good thing and want to work towards it.

Good luck on those efforts.

Really sad you've had to cut 33 people from uh the staff here, and that I don't quite know how it's related to City of San Diego issues, but in cutting supervisor positions, that's cutting out mental management.

And I hope it is successful.

Uh it's sad.

Uh thank you from the clarifications from Lakaba.

He wants to talk more about uh upper echelon of people cut uh from city government uh middle management.

Um this is middle management being cut.

So good luck that this is uh can work, and I'm sorry it's happened.

You've offered good compensation packages.

You've tried.

Thank you for your efforts.

Thank you.

Next is Robin, if you can please unmute after Robin is 7499 and then Francine Maxwell, those are our final speakers.

Please proceed.

Did you call Robin David off?

Yes, please proceed.

Okay.

I'm Robin Davidoff.

I'm CR Clef Seal Society Chair.

There are 51 days from the start of the 2026 C line season.

Robin, yes.

This is actually housing authority.

We haven't started not agenda public comment yet.

Got it.

Thank you.

We'll come back to you.

7499, if you can please unmute Bob Kazuski here.

Whenever I hear about issues affecting this city due to shortages of just a few million dollars here or there, I can't help but remember that the Tory Pines glider port has been documented as bringing in approximately 1.4 million dollars every year from over a decade ago through this very day.

And virtually none of that money is going to this city, even though the business could not exist without using the city's land.

So when people hear our speeches about the mismanagement of the Tory Pines glider port, remember that this kind of mismanagement affects everyone in this city.

It's all connected.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And Francine Maxwell is our final speaker.

Please unmute.

Thank you, Francine Maxwell, Southeastern San Diego.

I was unable to speak earlier in the week when you had the Jeff Davis Day.

We are at a um a joyful time for Jeff Davis to go away.

He was approving illegal rent increases under the law.

Section 8 landlords were not complying with the rent increases law, and he was consistently approving.

So when everyone sits on the diocese and continues to give each other kudos and pats on the back, um lawsuits under Jeff Davis.

None of those were in in the proclamation that was stated.

We have to call out what was done.

Everything is not cookie cutter, everything was not roses with him.

And we look forward to working with the new COO and making sure things are done in decency and order.

Thank you so much for allowing me to speak.

Thank you, that Congressville comment on EJ1.

All right.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh, as a reminder, this is an informational item, and no motion is required, but we'll turn it over to agency members for questions and comments.

And we'll start with Council Member Elo Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh, thank you, Lisa, as always for um for the update.

Um definitely appreciate that um the update.

The transparency on the difficult decisions that you and your leadership team have had to make to address the structural deficit that the housing commission is facing.

I do think it's important that we debunk some myths that were stated here today and are commonly stated.

Is it true that undocumented immigrants are ineligible for Section 8 housing vouchers?

Most undocumented immigrants are ineligible for Section 8 housing vouchers.

That's correct.

Well, well, they are they are ineligible, and we can only we can only subsidize either citizens or eligible immigrants according to the federal definition.

Correct.

So that's that's the those are the facts.

And it is also true that we would be in a better position if there were local dedicated funds that the housing commission could depend on on a regular basis and would make us less vulnerable to the uh whims of uh the federal government.

Um nonetheless, I you're addressing the problem as it's presented to you.

You're trying to get ahead of other problems that you are anticipating uh coming to the housing commission, and and that's all done in service of protecting the immediate and long-term uh services that are residents depend on, and so thank you for that.

I do want to say how important I think it is for um the commission to continue to work with our frontline workers to make sure that they know that the solutions that they're being offered are given serious consideration and as well as the any concerns that they raise about the impacts of proposals that they receive.

Um that on the ground um frontline um experience also brings with it expertise um and a intimate understanding of what um decisions will mean both for the services that are delivered and in the lives of of the workers, and that's super important and needs to um stay front and center.

So I know we've had that conversation before.

I know you've um made uh significant efforts to make sure that the line of communication is open with our frontline workers, and I um strongly encouraged for that to to um that effort to be maintained.

Um it's just again critically important both for the lives of our workers and um for the our ability to deliver services.

Um these folks know um what impacts will be felt when changes are made.

Um thank you, Council President.

Oh Lisa, if you like to respond by all means.

Thank you, Councilmember.

And um I just um I hear your comments, and I also just want to acknowledge the staff and SCIU that are here today, and thank you, Erin, for making the time.

Um I I feel like we are working collaboratively and we may not be where we need to be yet, and we can't say much because we're in negotiations, but um, but I respect and appreciate how we're working together and um and the desire of both you and many other staff um and SEIU to show up today.

So thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Elo Rivera.

We'll go next to Council Member Wetburn.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh and thank you, Ms.

Jones, for this update.

Uh appreciate uh the latest on the housing commission's financial challenges and the steps that you've been taking to address them.

Uh you have shared with me how difficult this has been.

Uh and I appreciate the SEIU members uh who work at the Housing Commission who joined us to share how these challenges are impacting you uh and your colleagues.

Uh I'm glad to hear that there is collaboration and that there is dialogue in trying to figure out a fair agreement for FY27.

Uh and while no representative employees lost their jobs last month, I appreciate you making the point that the loss of frontline workers represented or not uh impacts other workers who are represented.

Uh and lastly, I just want to thank you for the work that you do.

Uh as the representative for district three, a lot of the people who you help uh are here in my district, housed or unhoused.

Uh it is hard work, uh, but know that it is very much appreciated.

So thank you.

Uh thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Whitburn, we'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you, Council President.

Lisa, thank you for your report.

Um these are tough times.

The the amount of uh I have a question about the amount of people who will be made homeless if the federal government continues to not send us what we're supposed to have.

And so, based on our current estimates, um we are supporting about 1,700 more families on our program today than we are actually receiving funding for.

That's based on our funding estimates right now.

Um from the emergency housing voucher standpoint, those vouchers, we have about 390 families in that program still.

That funding also is anticipated to end around October.

So that's separate from the 1700 households that we're supporting today that we're not getting sufficient funding for.

So that's families.

Yes.

I'm trying to add this real quick.

That's 2,090, almost 2100 households.

How many people would that generally be?

On average, our household size is around three, just under three person per household.

So you can almost triple that.

As a as a broad estimate.

So about 6,000.

6,000 people, 6,270 people are thereabouts.

And actually, homelessness has been decreasing in the city in the past year, uh maybe even year and a half.

And a great deal of the housing of those who are who are unable to afford housing otherwise has been due to the housing commission, who amazingly have housed so many people with so little money that they have to work with.

And so I just want to tell you how much I appreciate you and your staff and and your frontline workers uh being willing to squeeze those pennies and do as much as you can to help our our fellow citizens to be housed.

And I hope that in the future we're able to continue to help people who need our help.

A lot of these are working people who are still able to work, but not able to make a large amount of money.

Uh and then a lot of these people are disabled and absolutely cannot work.

So have to be have to have some help, and that's okay.

That's what we're that's what we're made for.

That's why we're here is to help each other.

So I thank you very much for everything that you do.

And uh I pray um every day that the federal government will change its mind and try to help people who need help.

And I I I really I uh I feel like I should share.

I remember the first time we talked about what was coming.

Uh I actually it was actually on Zoom.

We had a Zoom meeting, and when it was over, I turned off the computer and cried.

It's just heartless.

And I I feel so bad for the people.

So you know, we're gonna stand up and do the best we can to help help out.

And again, that's what I say, that's why God made us.

So we'll do our best.

Thank you so much.

Uh thank you, Councilmember Campbell.

Uh, not seeing anybody else in the lights, I'll just kind of uh wrap up.

Thank you, Lisa, for you, your entire team.

I know you how personal you take this and how committed you are uh to the mission of the housing uh commission.

Uh and uh those were very difficult decisions going forward.

Um to the good folks from the SEIU that do the work uh every day, and despite incredible odds against the work that you do, you show up to work every day and continue your efforts to try to bring some relief and some hope to folks that are on either just hopeless or on the verge of hopelessness, uh, and you remain undaunted.

Um I I just can't even begin to imagine what the daily work life is like for you and what you do.

You know, nobody is celebrating uh we might recognize the tiny victories uh that motivate um everyone but there is so much work to do and it's so challenging.

And yet year after year, neither the city nor the state nor the federal government has ever committed to sustained funding to do this work.

And even the funding that has been provided is not nearly enough to meet the challenge uh in front of you all on the front lines, the executive team at the housing uh commission.

Um actually, you know, my hope is not even is so low right now in terms with the federal government that they don't actually move forward with some of the changes that they've been talking about because I just can't even imagine what that would do at undermine that good work.

Um thank you for the cobbling together you're able to do to provide truly affordable housing, uh affordable to the individuals who now have a place to live and close the door behind them every night.

Uh it's not nearly enough, but we're grateful for the ones that are produced.

Uh we appreciate the MTS your work uh to provide uh new land for that to happen going forward uh and all the other uh the occasional grants that we get at the state level that make new projects like that possible.

So I wish you all the best and keep fighting the good fight uh and let us know how we can be an asset, which I know we can't be much of one, but nevertheless, thank you for taking the time to come down and telling your story.

Thank you, Lisa, for your willingness to come out and do your uh monthly update here.

So, with that, again, this was an information item and no motions required.

We will now adjourn the special meeting of the housing authority and reconvene as the city council.

And 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.

And with that, clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you.

Taking on general public comment from those that have not participated recently, starting with Javier Santizo.

If you can please come forward, you will have two minutes.

After that, we have Stephen Prescott, um Anthony Ralphs, allegedly Audra and Jacob Edwards, then we'll be moving on to those participating remotely.

Please proceed.

Uh buenas tardes, Presidente La Cava, Council members, thank you all for the service that you guys provide for our neighbors, our constituents.

My name is Javier Santiso, I'm a representative with the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters.

It's good to be home.

I've been on an odyssey for the past three years.

And today I bring uh to our community the awareness of tax fraud and the negative impact that it brings to our communities.

Tax fraud is not a victimless crime, and although it is good to be home, um I didn't expect for things to be like this in in my hometown.

But nonetheless, things happen, and I refuse to believe that San Diego is missing leaders because I know the majority of you on this board has done everything in their power to do their constituents right.

And so thank you for that.

But when we talk about funding, let's not forget that in the construction industry, there is 10 billions, 10 billion dollars that goes uncounted for, unaccounted for.

And those are dollars that pertain to our communities, our children's schools, our homeless programs, our first responders, our officers that were here this morning, our fire departments.

There is a lot more that we could do.

And to be honest and just blunt, you guys know that the Carpenters Union Local 619 has always stayed vigilant.

We live by our seal.

We are the police in our industry and our construction sites, and we are ready to put boot to rear end for these criminal contractors, because it is unfair that the men and women that build our skylines have to endure tax fraud that our communities suffer because there is criminal contractors that feel that they're able to operate, that they're able to operate lawlessly.

And so there is things that we could do collaboratively, and with that, I I just want to say thank you for the.

Thank you for that concluding comment, Stephen Prescott.

Thank you very much.

Stephen Prescott, city resident, really appreciate all the service and the good work you do, and really appreciate everybody here and the comments.

This is what makes democracy great.

A lot of pain, a lot of pain between city governments, state governments, federal governments, everybody's out of money.

Just wanted to offer some ideas being uh uh an entrepreneur in the city and a uh and a and a person of San Diego State graduate with an econ degree.

We have America's finest city here.

That's what we talk about.

And when you travel around the country, everybody agrees.

You go to Oklahoma, you go to the Midwest, everybody agrees.

We still have, even though the city is making great strides in downtown San Diego, we still have a lot of problems in downtown.

It's still considered gritty for various reasons.

And one of the things, if we can become America's cleanest city and advertise that, and we can do that through other programs that might be more citizen-led, uh, like private contracts that are benchmarked by third party organizations to make us America's cleanest city.

And we start advertising that, all of a sudden, we're gonna get people coming back to downtown.

All of a sudden, we're gonna get more tourists in downtown staying at the hotels, paying more hotel taxes to fill the city's budget gaps.

The other thing, we do have assets in this city.

Uh uh, Council President Joe Lakava said we'd like to be an asset.

We do have assets in the city, we have wonderful assets.

One of those is Marina Village.

It was not put on the city's auction block or the uh the lease, the Lisa RFP process.

Marina Village is a wonderful asset.

The city doesn't have to spend any money on that.

Private developers can come take that over, pay the city money to redevelop that asset.

That asset, and then also we have uh parking situations.

Parking has been tried and trued or tried and tested over at Baboa Park Balboa Park with mixed results.

However, other municipalities have implemented parking.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

Anthony Ross.

Good morning, counsel.

How are you doing today?

Um I just wanted to share uh some things from Plato's Republic.

Uh it's a dialogue that Socrates is having with Glaucon.

And the reason why I wanted to share it is because uh well, backtracking a little bit.

Um, it was a class that I took last semester.

I'm a student, and it was a philosophy of justice class, and yesterday when we had the meeting um about the or that with the presentation that was given by SDPD, um, there was so much uh in policing and the attitude in policing uh goes to apprehending criminals and goes to the physical aspect, and there is not enough um regard to the uh components that are intellectual that are uh have to deal with knowledge and they have to deal with sociology that have to deal with psychology.

Um I googled yesterday what the requirements are to join the STPD, and I learned that uh one is not required to have more than a high school uh diploma or a GED.

Um I did see that there are uh positions that are offered in leadership if one has a degree in sociology and psychology, and I do think that that's something that we really need to emphasize with our police forces a more comprehensive training.

I'm concerned that a lot of the training that is given to the police force goes towards funding for SWAT vehicles, more armament, more weapons, and that's not what is necessarily needed when we go into communities that are struggling just to put food on the table.

Um, they don't need uh like I think it was Maxine Walters who said in public comment yesterday.

Uh, she said we need more uh women on the force, we need more people of color on the force, um, because that enables uh people in these communities of color, uh, people in these underrepresented communities to feel like they have a connection to the people that are uh coming into their communities for whatever reason or for whatever purpose.

Um I don't know, I only have 15 seconds left, so I guess I'll have to save the reading for another time, but um, to be continued, I guess, and uh thank you for your time.

Thank you, allegedly, Audra.

After that, we'll be Jacob Edwards.

The devil's always in the details, socialist Sean.

I'm not talking about just HUD.

He wanted to, you know, brush things under the rug, but let's be real here.

Most, right?

That means all.

Yeah, exactly.

Um, it is interesting speaking about the devil and say the synagogue of Satan that has occupied our nation.

I'm wondering if it's anti-Semitic to say that Israel has occupied our nation.

Is it anti-Semitic to say that pedophilia is a problem when we have people like Scott Weiner who rapes children?

Is that anti-Semitism?

Um, I'm wondering if saying that Jewish family services traffic children, men and women across our border and lost a bunch of children, right?

Is that I'm wondering if you know, talking about Israel being created by the Rothschilds in 1948, um, and it being the synagogue of Satan, I'm wondering if that is.

Um is it anti-Semitic to talk about the Talmud and how it talks about having sex with children?

Um that rabbis like to copulate uh young boys who have been circumcised.

Is that anti-Semitic?

I'm wondering when we're going to actually address the things because this is not agenda public comment.

Anti-Semitism is on the afternoons.

I know, but you're talking about anti-Semitism.

Okay, that's fine, but you can speak this afternoon during that item.

Okay.

Talk about non-agenda things that are not on today's agenda.

You're talking about anti-Semitism, you've said it several times.

Okay, finish your comments.

Okay.

So I'm just it's interesting that people will care about certain things like that, but we allow children to be abused like this, and everybody wants to brush it under the rug.

San Diego has a huge problem with pedophilia.

And why is it that you want to silence me on that?

That's very interesting because you want to pretend that it's like because we have another item about that.

No, you just don't want to hear the truth about what's being done to children that you guys all support.

What happened to the children that were at the convention center?

Okay, you guys know they were trafficked, even people that were working there know that.

It is very disturbing to see the way you guys do things.

Your devils in the detailed Jacob Edwards.

I gotta say with that last speaker.

Uh wow.

Um let me start by saying uh thank you for the kind work you do for the city of San Diego.

Um and sir, thank you, uh Councilman for your uh recognition of um uh the divisiveness federal activity is causing.

Um I've shared with City Council events on the East Coast that led to some things that have seriously affected our country.

I've shared with you a little bit what I've gone through with my family.

I've shared with you an attempted assassination against me.

I don't stand in front of you, share any of these things to uh to come down on you to come down the city of San Diego.

I share them with you to bring them to your attention through being victimized, terrorized in some sense, sorts.

I'm fully aware of what our federal government and agencies are up to, and it's for who's in the driver's seat.

I know how they are nefariously using grant money with conditions behind the grant money.

Very concerning.

You know how they're running grant money through mayor's offices and ways of hijacking cities.

I know how they're using homeless people with promises of housing, jobs to be put up to do concerning things.

I know how they're using early release inmates with conditions of their early release, very concerning.

So I know an awful lot when I discussed what I went through at the front door of City Hall to stay safe.

Was very real.

The way it was handled by the police department, I consider infiltrated.

But the slack.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

That does conclude your time.

That does conclude your time.

We have five minutes on the timer for those participating remotely.

We currently have six, sorry, eight speakers in the queue.

Kathleen Lippett, if you can please raise your hand after that.

Is um Robin?

Thank you.

City Council Campillo commented on tourists.

Tourists come from all over the world to the city of San Diego, and they are a critical source of rep city revenues.

But a drive from Mission Valley to the airport or the seat of our own city government along main streets of downtown is a should be a source of shame.

The homeless sleeping and wandering aimlessly in need of mental health services, billboards, the telegraph, the city's tolerance and acceptance of marijuana promotions, roadsides and empty lots littered with trash, buildings adjoining them, becoming canvases for graffiti and gang slogans.

These are red flags that the city's policies are worsening, not ameliorating the problems that plague our city.

And it shows a lack of concern and commitment to a city standard that should recognize clean streets are essential for public health, environmental protection, and community pride.

They prevent clogged storm cream drains, reduce maintenance costs, and otherwise unnecessarily flooded, flooded related repairs.

And it shows a lack of gratitude and appreciation for one's beautiful city with a standard that reflected a commitment to the health and well-being of its residents and the land that it occupies.

It hardly makes sense for the city to blame federal government for failing to provide the funds necessary to address the increasing number of homeless in need of mental health services and drug treatment when the city flaunted that standard that recognized the potential of public harm that would come from embracing a for-profit predatory third drug industry after tobacco and alcohol.

You need to recognize your own what contributions.

Thank you for that concludes your time.

Robin, if you can please unmute after Robin is Ernie Casco.

Hello, I'm Robin David Off, Sierra Club SEAL Society Chair.

There are 51 days from the start of the 2026 sea lion puppy season at Point La Jolla and La Jolla Cove.

Our mission is zero sea lion pup deaths caused by unsafe human wildlife encounters at the cove.

La Jolla Cove was just ranked number one beach in the United States by TripAdvisor with over 50% of the votes mentioning the sea lions.

This creates a love it to death scenario.

Increased tourism is bringing unprecedented management challenges to keep people and wildlife apart.

We've presented our concerns to the California Coastal Commission every month over the past year, and their members have been overwhelmingly supportive of our proposed solutions.

Commissioner O'Malley emphasized that city rangers must be present at the cove on the beach.

And Commissioner Jackson called the use of signs, cones, and tape to separate people from wildlife common sense.

While rangers' presence at the cove has increased and they're making announcements, it's not quite enough to handle the upcoming summer crowds.

To protect both the public and the wildlife, we are asking the city council to authorize the following commissioner-approved actions through the modification of the long-term management plan.

Assigned rangers to manage crowds on the beach with eight-frame signs on the beach to serve as a viewing guideline to stay behind.

Place cones and tape to create temporary buffers around sea lion pups and injured animals.

And this is done in LA County and Del Mar and other places along the coast.

Temporarily close the gate on the western stairs when sea lions are resting on them, and public access would remain open on the eastern stairs.

And install signage with pictures with a 20-foot distance from the sea lions.

We have 51 days to ensure that the 2026 season is a success for San Diego and its wildlife.

Thank you.

Next is Ernie Casco.

If you can please unmute after that is Becky Repp.

Thank you.

Ernie Casco, Lahoy resident, senior pilot at Tory Pines Glad.

I reported serious allegations going on at the glider port to SDPD, the real estate assets department, and directly to your office, Joe Lacava.

Where are the police reports, Council Member Foster?

There are laws to protect public rights that stop this injustice immediately.

I am completely under threat of violence.

How dangerous is your leaseholder?

This is a workplace violence, wrongful termination, work map comp case, negligent homicide, attempted murder case, and assault over the death of a pilot for speaking out in retaliation.

Your leaseholder switched my wing that collapsed in mid-flight.

That is attempted murder.

I crashed on a rooftop.

My home was invaded twice.

My life threatened in the park parking lot, gangster style.

And under the influence employee screwed up my launch, totaling my glider, breaking my pelvis.

I was threatened in the uh by an employee mess sales and poisoned with a deadly biohazard combo.

Now I'm dying with stage four cancer, disabled for life, and you are liable for it.

This is an ongoing hate crime that needs to stop.

No citizen should have their life threatened or die over the commercialization of a park.

It's time to stop the crime with the permanent reinstatement of Tory Pine's glide report advisory board and an immediate halt and implementation of the San Diego recreational waiver.

It's time to do your job.

Address the victims and witnesses who have been damaged by a negligent glider port operation.

It's a win for city council liabilities, restores our recreational rights and freedoms for years to come, and shows badly needed responsible city park management management, Jolacaba, which you don't have.

Time to step up to the plate and do your job.

Stop the crime at Tory Pines Gladport.

Thank you.

Next is Becky Rapp.

The five-minute timer has also concluded there are six people in the queue.

No additional speakers will be taken.

Becky Rapp, please continue.

After that is AA13.

Great.

Good evening.

Recently, Assembly Bill 8 went into effect, a law that closes a dangerous loophole preventing intoxicating hemp derived products such as Delta 8 and other synthetic THC products from being sold in our city.

These products are untested, mislabeled, and easily accessible to youth in smoke shops, convenience stores, and um and vape retailers.

Despite the law, we continue to see these products on shelves as enforcement is seriously lacking.

Last week in Oceanside, authorities seized over 100 pounds of these illegal products.

This multi-agency effort involved the drug enforcement administration.

And it highlights the scale of the problem and the level of enforcement that's required to address it.

These same types of products are being sold right here in San Diego, and many retailers continue to ignore the law.

Passing AB8 was an important step, but without enforcement, it's just words on paper.

I urge this council to act by confiscating illegal products, issuing fines, and collecting on those fines.

For repeat offenders, license suspension or revocation would also send a strong message that San Diego will not tolerate illegal sales.

This is a public health, a public safety issue, and it requires immediate attention.

Please prioritize enforcement and uphold the law.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nexus A813.

After that is 8700.

Okay, don't follow here.

So I just want to say how fooled you on the dais have the people anvil.

The ones barely paying attention, the union slaves that lick the boots of government.

They've been so programmed, they can't think outside the box.

Hell, they don't even know there's a freaking box.

People have become so addicted to trauma, so desensitized to suffering of others, they that they scroll past it, walk past it, and normalize it.

Their minds have been hijacked.

It truly is an Aurelian dystopian nightmare.

And as I've mentioned before, this local government does not work for the people.

It does not truly care about resolving issues because that's not the job.

It's not lucrative.

There's no profit in solving problems.

There is no expansion of control and empowered, self-sufficient people.

So instead, what do we see?

A system designed to keep people believing in it, believing in the illusion that they cannot manage themselves.

They need permission, they need oversight, they need government to survive.

And over time, that conditioning has worked to the point where human beings have actually forgotten how to feed themselves, how to plant, grow, and harvest real food, completely disconnected from their own ability to live, to sustain, to thrive, entirely dependent.

And that dependence is not on accident.

It's not by accident, it's by design.

So yes, I look forward to the day people wake up, wake up to the fraud, the waste, and the absolute abuse coming from this local government because it's a matter of time.

You're you are anything but transparent, anything but equitable, anything but trustworthy.

And until people start questioning that deeply, this cycle will continue.

But that awakening is coming, and when it does, everything changes.

And to Mr.

Ernie, another trillion dollar lucrative business is cancer.

So there are so many things that you can do, brother.

Included 8700, if you can please unmute after that as a music.

Yeah, city clerk.

I apologize.

I'm I'm it's a little sticky with my phone right now.

I'm sorry.

Uh Joy Sanyata C D3.

Again, I threw out my comments.

Uh Council Member Foster the third.

You're at the top of my list because you belong there.

You said once again, I come from a place of love.

And you're also the chair of our budget and government efficiency committee.

Thank you for that.

Or are we gonna need you this cycle?

And so I'm gonna try my best to overlay.

I come from a place of love.

Each time I speak.

And each time I find myself judging others, I do.

So I'll just say this.

Tomorrow's rules.

And uh I was gonna continue my second half of my comments today on the pension item from the UT article.

I'll start that tomorrow probably because I don't feel comfortable about addressing it right now.

I'm gonna certainly have to use love when I speak of what I'm gonna speak with on the pension item.

So thank you for being there for us today.

It's not perfect.

We're stumbling together.

We have to be one family, not just one person centered, but one family centered.

That's the way we're gonna make San Diego great.

Thank you for listening.

I love all of you.

Thank you for that concluding remark.

Zoom user, if you can please unmute.

After that is Blair Beekman, and then 7499.

Please proceed.

Thanks for taking my calls, Hector.

Hey, I want to talk about the city making some long-term uh money over the long term.

I was out riding my bike around Mission Bay this morning, and I went around Tianza Cove and the Deanza old trailer park.

It's still empty right on the water there.

It's a piece of vacant land.

It's been vacant for like 10 or 15 years, just kind of sitting there.

And you look at the palm trees, they're like 60 feet high.

The Hilton could build a nice resort right there.

We could the city could lease it to them for 50 years, 40 years.

Let them build it for another group.

We gotta get going on that source of long-term revenue for all the city.

Now, when you go across from there for the golf course, the city had a restaurant there for a long time, and it'd been vacant for like 15 years.

Nobody could buy a burger in there, and now they're just gonna open up one just this next month.

A new breweries open it up at a city owned place, they lease it out to the Bureau.

But it took the city 15 years to build it.

It's only like 2,000 square feet.

So we don't want to build no hotels.

We don't want to build nothing.

We want to lease the property and collect the payments.

And then, you know, I think that would be like when we did on the golf course.

That was a total waste of us building it.

Now we leased it for a million or something.

But uh, we gotta look for sources of revenue other than charging us parking, and no parking at the beach.

Don't even put it on the agenda.

That's like an abomination.

Don't even think about it.

Okay.

So have a good day, man.

Say bye.

Next speaker is Blair Beekman.

If you can please unmute after that is 7499.

And then our final speaker is 7234.

Please proceed.

All right, thank you, uh, Blair Beekman.

Uh, to better clarify my my previous uh public comments from consent.

Uh, I'm better understanding uh for the uh uh rancho Bernardo park issues, it's asking for grant funding money, 2.5 million dollars.

It's it's a grant fund ask.

Uh I thought you were being granted that money already.

I'm sorry.

I hope that clarification can help.

Um thank you for the words of Joyce Sonata.

Uh I at Vision Zero item yesterday we had uh I spoke that we need to be learning the importance of uh what the individual can understand uh to build the future of how to understand uh speed limit uh designs and stuff to reduce speeds, and um it's from that individual effort comes the connection with other people, the community that it is a good thing, and that we are doing a good thing.

And the work with tech accountability, I think can really lend itself to options people have that they can have a voice in the process and that we can be doing this together.

And I think those those things are so important that you know we don't feel like totally helpless as community, we don't have any choices.

And working Vision Zero like that, uh, that the community has choices to work together, you know, to build a better community.

Uh it's learning how we do that together.

Good luck in those efforts.

Uh uh with that said, uh, Tony uh offered public comment today.

Thank you.

I think uh the future of uh we can be uh addressing flock still, possibly.

I've described Oakland has uh made compromise ways to in the next two years slowly leave flock and in that time look for a new vendor.

We can be doing that same sort of work in in San Diego and working towards best principles in this time of war.

And that's a new concept we're all learning to better do.

It's a it's a fragile time.

Good luck we can still talk about peace and open space.

And then 7234 is after that.

7499.

Bob Kazuski here.

Yesterday I showed you all part of the City Council video from December 7th, 2010.

After my presentation, we all watched newly elected councilwoman Lori Zapp enthusiastically tell of her husband being a hang glider pilot and that she was interested in the interest in the top issue of the Tory Pines glider port.

Unfortunately, we also watched Sherry Leitner shut her down, saying, quote, our office will talk to your office, and quote, the issue is well in hand.

Those statements are on the record.

Now, what kind of backroom corruption is that?

What did Sherry Leitner's office say to Lori Zapp's office that shut Laurie Zap down for eight years?

In her entire eight years on the city council, Lori Zapp never mentioned the glider port again, not once.

Lori Zapp refused all meetings by those of us trying to reform the glider port again for all of her eight years.

What is going on in this city that an enthusiastic young councilwoman is shut down on the one issue where she is more of an expert than practically anyone else in this entire city?

There's something really rotten going on at that glider port, and Joe LaCava surely knows the same dirty little secret that shut Laurie Zapp down for eight years.

So the corruption continues.

With regard to the missing picture of President Trump, the San Diego City Council chambers have respectfully displayed a picture of the current president for decades.

The presidential picture was displayed for all presidents from both sides of the aisle for all of those decades.

Yesterday, Councilmember Eloh Rivera showed his disrespect for the United States by admitting that the presidential picture was removed under his council presidency.

However, Councilmember Elo Rivera's disrespect for our country does not justify current council president Lakava carrying on with that same disrespect.

Our final speaker is 7234.

7234, I can unmute for you.

Can you hear me?

Yes, please proceed.

Hi, good afternoon, uh City Council, and happy St.

Patrick's Day.

My name is Terry Ann Stelly.

I'm a parent and public health educator and a city planning group member.

Um reviewing air quality in the city of San Diego and the role of tobacco-related disease and death in it.

It is very important to address disparities.

The overall conclusion that tobacco takes a higher toll on less advantaged people is not new, but needs to be carefully regarded when policies regarding smoking and vaping are considered.

Here in San Diego, Stan Glanz, faculty member at the University of California's San Francisco School of Medicine in the division of cardiology stated, and I quote, it is important to recognize the growing number of cannabis in undermining tobacco control and contributing to health disparities, especially given the prevalence of tobacco and cannabis co-use in youth and young adults, and the social, economic, and health disparities associated with chronic or daily use of marijuana tobacco use, which is of grave concern for public health educators who work on behalf of 18 to 30 year olds, and those of us who are a parent to that age group.

Protecting all city residents from exposure to secondhand tobacco and cannabis smoke in all indoor and outdoor settings should be a priority.

Reducing the availability and advertising related to tobacco and marijuana should be a priority in our city.

And spring 2026 would be the best time for our city to consider an emergency ban of marijuana and tobacco smoking and vaping in all public spaces.

Thank you for hearing my concerns this afternoon.

Thank you.

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

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

And just for the record, the individual that spoke yesterday was Francine Maxwell, not Maxine Waters.

With that, we will now adjourn for the noon recess and reconvene open session at 2 p.m.

or shortly thereafter.

Marco Espinosa.

Marco Espinoza.

Please come to the front, please.

I did want to say a thank you to those that are holding signs that you're either in the back row or on the side.

We really try to make sure that everybody has a clear view to the city council.

So thank you for taking those positions.

And I'll be reading disruption language and how we deal with that.

But uh want to wait until we have at least five council members to get started.

The item that I think most of you are here for is actually the second item we're going to hear this afternoon.

Uh we have an important item regarding Barrio Logan that we'll hear first and uh deal with.

So stay tuned.

Can Dave Engel or and Riot Khan please come up to the front?

Dave Engel and Riad Kahn, please come up to the front.

Okay, we are going to get started.

We have uh actually six of us here, so we'll get this meeting started.

Good afternoon.

I will now reconvene the city council meeting of Tuesday, March 17th, 2026.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Here.

Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Von Wilbert, present.

Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Here.

Councilmember Campio.

Here.

Councilmember Moreno.

Present.

Councilmember Elo Rivera.

And Council President Lacava.

Present.

Also attending the meeting, our assistant city attorney, Michelle Garland, independent budget analyst Charles Matica, Council of Affairs Advisor and the Mayor's Office, Coda Zeiser, and myself, your city clerk, Deanna Fuentes.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, City Clerk.

Quorum is now present, so we can start the meeting.

So before we start today's meeting, I want to remind everyone about the city's practices and procedures for public comment at City Council meetings.

The city welcomes public participation at our city council meetings.

Speakers may address the council during public comment and also in connection with a specific item of business on the agenda.

However, the city must make sure that no one person or group of people disrupt the meeting in a way that prohibits other speakers from expressing their ideas and opinions.

Excessive yelling, screaming, or speaking beyond one's allotted time are examples of behavior that disrupts the meeting.

So to make sure that everyone here has an opportunity to address the council, I will alert an individual or individuals if I think their conduct becomes disruptive.

If the disruption continues, I will rule the individual out of order.

And if the disruption continues further, I will declare a recess so that we can restore order.

At this point, I will direct the individual to leave the room.

And then if the individual refuses to leave, please will escort the individual out of the building.

Do not make me do that, please.

If we have to repeat the process of warning and recessing the meeting, all members of the public will be excused from the council chamber.

Credential media will be allowed to remain.

Once again, we have these practices and procedures to protect the rights of others who wish to address the council and to allow the council to conduct the public's business.

And as I like to add at the end, in a process that I think a farmer council member said, there are gonna be a lot of pastors.

You're gonna hear things you really agree with, you're gonna hear things you really don't agree with.

And the best way to communicate with us without disrupting the meeting or the people's ability to speak is to give us a thumbs up when you hear things you agree with, and of course, the thumbs down if you hear things that you don't agree with.

It is very effective.

You're very visible during the course of the meeting and as people speak, and that way we allow everybody their opportunity uh to express their opinion.

As I mentioned, we have one item uh that we first have to address.

Clerk, please introduce item 331.

Thank you, Council President.

Item 331 is the Barrio Logan Community Plan Amendment and rezone.

If you're here to speak on this item, please be sure to spit your spec submit your speaker slip to the front of the room in the clear box.

And if you're participating remotely, now is the time to raise your hand by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you for introducing the item.

Uh staff, uh, please introduce yourselves for the record and let us know how much time you need for your presentation.

Thank you, Council President, Councilmember State Galloway, Deputy Director of City Planning Department.

I'm joined today by senior planner Victoria T is also with the City Planning Department.

Hello, uh, my name is Victoria Tees, and I'm going to be presenting on item um 331, Barrio Logan Community Plan Amendments and Rezone, and we should need about eight minutes.

All right, when you're ready.

The City Council adopted the Barrio Logan Community Plan update in December 2021.

This item aligned land uses with the general plan, addressed mobility and access to public spaces, provided design guidance for new development, and celebrated Barrio Logan's arts and culture.

It also eliminated residential and industry conflicts through land use zoning and a transition zone.

It retained the waterfront's employment role and established a village with how a village area with housing opportunities.

The Barrio Logan Community Plan Area is also within the coastal zone.

Following the adoption of the community plan in 2021, the community plan was submitted to the California Coastal Commission for certification.

In June of 2023, the California Coastal Commission conditionally certified the community plan with 53 modifications.

The City Council adopted these modifications in November of the same year, and the community plan received final certification from the Coastal Commission in December of 2023.

The proposed actions for this item include an amendment to the Barrio Logan Community Plan that would correct land use map errors that occurred with the 2023 community plan amendment and rezones that would bring consistency between land use designations in the plan and the zones for parks.

Each of these changes are technical changes only and are being brought forward to ensure alignment with the original vision of the adopted community plan.

The adopted 2021 Barrio Logan Community Plans land use map identified various park land uses adjacent to Interstate 5, consistent with the parks and recreation facilities map.

The land use map also designated the area generally located between 32nd Street, Main Street, and Bryant Street as neighborhood village.

As part of the updated Barrio Logan Community Plan, the City Council also adopted comprehensive free zones of land in the Barrio Logan community planning area to implement the community plan's land use designations.

Earlier this year, city planning became aware that Caltrans was in the process of selling a property on the western corner of Boston Avenue and 29th Street.

This property was designated as a park and as a part of the Boston Avenue neighborhood park that was adopted with the plan, which the plan um that which is the plan that guides land uses within the community.

However, because of an erroneous commercial zone that was applied to this property, there is a potential buyer that operates car washes.

Regardless of the erroneous zone, if the property were sold, any future commercial projects would still need to be consistent with the community plans park land use.

Because the parcel is also in the coastal commit in the coastal zone, any future development would also require a coastal development permit.

To meet the findings of a coastal development permit, an amendment to the community plan would be required to allow for commercial use, which city staff would not support due to its inconsistency with the planned park use.

The California Transportation Commission will be deciding the final sale of the property at its meeting on March 19th.

The city has submitted a letter to the commission opposing the sale of the property.

However, as soon as city planning became aware of the need for these technical amendments, we began processing the action before you today to clean up the errors.

The first proposed change for the Barrio Logan Community Plan amendment is a technical amendment that would correct the land use map errors.

The map on the left shows what the city council adopted in the 2021 community plan update.

The map on the right shows what was adopted with the 2023 amendment to the community plan.

The errors occurred during the adoption of the 2023 community plan amendment for the Coastal Commission's requested modifications to the community plan for its certification with the local coastal program.

The errors to be corrected, uh the error to be corrected is to apply the park land use to these properties again.

The amendment would revise the land use map from the 2023 community plan as shown on the left to be the same as the land use map originally adopted in the 2021 community plan update as shown on the right.

To make the current land use map consistent with the land uses adopted as a part of the 2021 Barrio Logan Community Plan, the follow the following areas will be redesignated.

Between 29th Street and 32nd Street on Boston Avenue, three acres will be redesignated from right of way to park, which is consistent with the current park zone.

Between Main Street and Interstate 5, 4.2 acres will be redesignated from neighborhood commercial to park, which is consistent with the current park zone.

Lastly, between 32nd Street, Main Street, and Interstate 5, 4.7 acres will be redesignated from neighborhood commercial to neighborhood village, allowing for potential future residential development.

This change is consistent with the current neighborhood commercial zone.

The proposed rezones would bring consistency between the park land use designation and the base zones of parks identified in the community plans land use map and the parks and recreation facilities map.

Chicano Park and a portion of the Boston Avenue Linear Park would be rezoned to park zones to be consistent with the existing and planned park uses.

Open space park zones are applied to active public parks.

The proposed change would rezone 13.8 acres of Chicano Park and the adjacent street from community commercial to park and rezone 1.8 acres of Chicano Park from office commercial to park.

The land is owned by the city and Caltrans.

The proposed rezone would not change the boundaries of Chicano Park, nor would it affect any existing or future park uses or operations.

Additionally, the proposed change would rezone one point the 1.8 acre portion of Boston Avenue Linear Park designated as a park in the community plan from the community commercial to park zone.

This land is owned by Caltrans.

This item was presented to the Barrio Logan Community Planning Group on February 18th, 2026, and was recommended for approval to the council by a vote of eight yes, no no's and one abstention.

The planning group recommended that staff meet with the Chicano Park Steering Committee prior to the council hearing.

Staff was unable to meet prior to today's hearing.

The Chicano Park Steering Committee members have stated their concern that the rezone for the Chicano Park was not presented to the committee for their recommendation and concern that the rezone would reduce the boundaries of the park.

Staff has verified that the boundaries of the park would remain unchanged.

On February 19th, 2026, this item was presented to the planning commission, who recommended the community plan amendments and rezone for approval by a vote of four yes, no no's and no abstentions with one recusal.

The community plan amendments and rezone are consistent with the 2021 addendum to the Barrio Logan Community Plan Update Program EIR or Environmental Impact Report.

The community plan amendment reflects what was analyzed in the 2021 addendum to the Barrio Logan Community Plan Update PEIR, thus the amendment would not result in new impacts or changes to circumstances that would require a subsequent or a new EIR.

Additionally, there is no new information available that was not a part of the environmental document and or considered with the subsequent review of this amendment, which identifies new significant effects not addressed in the previous document or substantial increases in the severity of the previously identified effects.

Staff recommends to the city council approve the resolution amending the Barrio Logan Community Plan, General Plan, and Local Coastal Program, and approve the ordinance rezoning 1.8 acres from community commercial 2 3 to open space park 1-1, 13.8 acres from uh commercial community 3 6 to open space 1-1 and 1.8 acres from commercial office 2 2 to open space 1-1 within the Barrio Logan community planning area.

This concludes the presentation and staff is available for questions.

All right, thank you for the good work to bring this forward in the presentation this afternoon.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

I'll start with those that are here in chambers.

Um it does look like we'll go to a minute and a half on this item.

So allegedly, Audra, if you can please come forward.

After Audra, we have Ernesto Castañeda, if you can please come forward to the yellow reserve seats, then Marco Espinosa.

Um please proceed.

Um, yes, I think that we need to be honest with people as to why you guys are rezoning all of these things and why you're implementing all of these type of um changes, because this comes down from a globalist agenda, you the United Nations and them implementing things like 15 minute cities.

And I think that when you guys don't acknowledge that because they the idea is to control people's movements, where we can go, you call them complete communities.

But there is a control happening of all of our resources, and you guys are giving people again pure water, which is sewer water, because you're acting like we don't have enough water to give people.

And so when you guys are implementing these things and changing this to add parks or whatever, I mean you talk about air quality.

Why would you put that by the freeway if there's pollution that's coming from that?

Is that safe for the children to be in uh inhaling those types of fumes?

Um, and everything you guys do with environmental reviews, it makes everything take a very long time.

And if we really cared about getting people into housing, we would get them into it.

We wouldn't, you know, blame things on the federal government as to why you guys aren't doing your job.

But I think that you need to be honest with people about the United Nations Agenda 21, which you guys can go and educate yourselves on if you're not, but that's what you guys are pushing, and it's very detrimental to the people.

And I think that people need to understand what's really happening.

And you guys are going to be able to do that.

Thank you for that concluding statement, Nexus Ernesto Castanha.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Ernesto Castañeda.

I am a field representative with the office of a staff member David Alvarez.

I'm here today on behalf of Assembly Member Avres to express a strong support to the proposed Barrio Logan Community Plan amendment and rezone before you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Marco Espinosa.

After that, we have Julie Corales, if you can please come up to the yellow reserve seats and then Blair Beakman.

Please proceed.

Hello, good afternoon, Marco Espinosa.

Um presentation was very well.

Um I just want to say that I like the update.

Um, and after here, I'm gonna go to the neighborhood and walk by and uh think of what park like items could be uh there um in place of what is now.

Um and then for my non-agenda public comment, um when buildings are getting built, if they could return the sidewalk sooner.

Um that would be nice.

Thank you.

Thank you, Julie Corrales.

Julie, you have time seated to you.

I am not to know, but I think he stepped out.

So I don't I think I only need a minute.

Okay, we'll do the minute and a half.

Please proceed.

Uh I want to thank thank the city for their quick quick response upon discovering the zoning errors in Barrio Logan's community plan.

Barrio Logan, as you all know, is in the top five percent of the most polluted communities in our state, uh, over 90th percentile of airborne cancer risk across the nation.

We've been working since April 22nd, 1970 to bring park space to Logan, beginning with Chicano Park, then Chicano Park at the Bay, also known as the South Chavez Park.

And since 2018, we've been working with the city and Caltrans and EHC and community members to convert the space along Boston Avenue and the five freeway into a state-of-the-art park, um, the kind you see north of the eight.

We're talking water pads and scenarios and and uh DV path.

Um correcting the errors to the zoning today ensures that in perpetuity forever that that Chicano Park will remain a park and a Mecca for Chicanos all across the country.

It ensures that no plot at Chicano Park or Boston Avenue was ever sold for polluting use.

These changes codify the community's vision for our neighborhood forever.

So please vote yes today on this item and protect Barrio Logan for the next seven generations.

Thank you.

Blair Weekman, if you can please come forward.

Hi, Blair Beekman.

Uh, thank you very much for at least allowing a minute 30 public comments.

Definitely better than one minute.

Um thank you for the words of the previous public speaker.

Um, this item was initially approved, adopted by city council in 2021, certified by the coastal commission in uh 2023.

These are a rezoning issues that uh just thank you that how much you're working on it and trying to do good.

I'm interested how the coastal commission process uh involved with this can be a good example for our future environmental concerns and connecting that with Barrio Logan issues in the future.

Um we're trying to address climate action overall.

It could be great ways to better address it and make it a more accessible subject.

And to quickly offer uh in the incredible importance this park can offer ourselves for the future.

Um the tech uh that will be placed in the park, if it has good open public practices and policies and accountability.

Um you if you focus yourselves on those good concepts, it actually lends and works itself towards best practices overall for the future of what we want to be doing.

So good luck with good accountability, tech accountability for for the issues of the park, and uh thanks a lot for this item.

Thank you.

I'll show the five-minute time we're here in council chambers going to those participating remotely.

Currently have seven people in the queue, just as a reminder.

This is on the Barrio Logan amendment.

Janine, if you can please unmute, you'll have a minute and a half Barrio Logan amendment.

Sorry, this is not the item that I was going to speak on.

Thank you.

4223 regarding the Barrio Logan amendment.

4223, please unmute.

I can unmute for you.

I will have to move on.

Amy Casaneda, if you can please unmute.

Hi everyone, can you all hear me?

Yes, please proceed.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Council members.

My name is Amy Casaneda, and I'm the associate director of policy with the environmental health coalition.

Back in the early 2010 2010s, EHC worked very closely with community members to update the Barrio Logan Community Plan, which is which at the time was one of the oldest community plans in the city.

Through extensive community engagement, we're able to reimagine what a healthy and thriving Barrio Logan could become by increasing green space, establishing a designated truck route, and increasing affordable housing.

And while the plan was put on the ballot for the entire city to vote on, EHC stood by our community members and continue to fight to update the CPU until it's officially uh updated back in 2021.

Today's action will ensure that the zoning aligns with community priorities to increase green spaces and ensure that we protect our community from incoming polluters.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank city staff for their thorough review, the planning department, our community allies, Julie Corrales, and the Cinos Community Land Trust for being very involved in this process.

This um and and many others who have worked for decades to undo racist land use policy that has impacted our community.

We urge the council to move forward with this action and protect the health and well-being of Barrio Logan residents.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Santanera, if you can please unmute after that is Zoom user.

Santanera.

Yeah, good afternoon.

So um, with the woman in the writing and um we would like for this item to be considered for the steering committee to have access to all decisions when it comes to the city since they are part of the build of the park.

Um, so that's that's my comment.

If you guys could take them for every step you guys take on this item, um, consider them to be a part of it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Zoom user.

If you can please unmute.

Thanks for taking my call, Hector here.

Hey, the city's been abusing.

I'm like 72 years old.

City's been abusing Barrio Logan since I was born.

You never asked them for nothing, put in all this weird stuff in their communities.

We should just deed all the city land to the Barrio Logan.

Maybe they can get their own mayor on land use.

Barrio Logan mayor determines the land use of city-owned property and get the coastal commission out of it, just blow them off.

That's like white supremacy to the max.

The Coastal Commission is nothing but white supremacy.

And that these guys had Mexican people had enough of it, man.

Give them all city land, let them determine who builds what on it.

Maybe get a mayor.

City can take care of all the sewers and streets, and they determine what goes on in their neighborhoods.

It's the only life's not fair, but uh it'd be cool to have their own mayor.

And uh they definitely can handle their own uh their own business.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you.

Cena Sanchez, if you can please unmute Cena Sanchez.

After that is 8813.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes, please proceed.

Okay, my name is Donatine Sanchez, and I said I'm the vice chair of the Chicago Park Stare Committee, where the sewers of the park.

This land was never given to us, it was taken through a resistance through sacrifice and through love for our community.

For over 50 years, we have protected this space as a sacred cultural space, and yet today decisions are being made without this about this land without our involvement.

People call this a technical correction, but under National Historic Preservation Act Section 106, any action affecting a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places requires meaningful consultation with cultural stewards, which that would be us.

And that did not happen.

So let's be clear here today.

This is not just a failure of communication, this is a failure of process.

And it rises raises serious concerns about compliance with federal historic preservation law.

Because in Barrio Logan, we know what happens, what process is ignored.

Zoning has been used to place industry next to our homes, pollute our air, displace our families, and sign as our voices.

And today, once again, decisions are going to move forward without the communities who's most impacted.

We're not asking today, we are demanding council for an immediate pause on this action, full transparency, direct consultation with the Chicago Park Steering Committee first and foremost.

Because you cannot claim to protect this park by excluding the people who made it possible.

We are still here, we are still protecting this land, and we will not be erased.

Thank you.

Next is 8813, and then our final speaker is Rika.

Our five-minute timer has concluded.

No additional speakers will be taken.

8813.

It's star six.

There you go.

Okay, just in the nick of time.

All right, so okay.

Okay, San Diego City Council.

This needs to be said clearly.

Give the people of Barrio Logan back their community.

There for decades, families in Barrio Logan have been forced to live in conditions that no other community would tolerate.

Homes placed next to heavy industry, children breathing diesel exhaust from constant truck traffic, freeways, families exposed to toxic emissions from shipyards along uh the port of San Diego.

And this is not by chance.

This is by design.

You allowed incompatible zoning, residential and heavy industrial industrial uh side by side.

You created an environment where profit was prioritized over people, where working class families were expected to absorb the cost with their health.

Then you cut the heart out of the community when you built the San Diego Coronado Bridge and major freeways straight through it.

Homes were destroyed, streets were divided, a neighborhood was fractured, and you called it development.

And when you failed to deliver even basic green space, the people had to take actions themselves.

They occupied land and created Chicano Park.

Not because you gave it to them, but because they refused to be ignored.

That should tell you everything.

This community has been patient, it has been resilient, but it should not have to fight this hard uh just to breathe clean air and live in safe conditions.

And that's talk about carb and environmental injustice.

And that concludes public comment on item 331.

All right.

Thank you, City Clerk.

With that, I'll turn it over to my council colleagues for questions, comments, and entertain a motion.

And we'll start with the council member representing District 8.

Councilmember Moreno.

Thank you, and thank you for the presentation.

Thank you to staff for the work on this item.

The Barrio Logan community is one of the most culturally and and historically significant neighborhoods in the city of San Diego.

Its vibrant murals, rich uh culinary traditions, and long history of community resilience all contribute to the identity that defines the area today.

A key part of the history of resilience is rooted in the effects of systematic redlining and discriminatory zoning practices, which shaped how the land in the neighborhood was used and how the community developed over time.

These long-standing planning challenges ultimately made the community plan an important tool for shaping the future of Barrio Logan.

The Barrio Logan Community Plan was adopted in 1978, and for 43 years, the plan stayed the same.

In 2022, the Barrio Logan Community Plan was finally updated and adopted.

It took a very long time and required significant work and collaboration from the community, the city, and also the Coastal Commission.

The process included extensive reviews and ultimately was approved by the Coastal Commission Commission, which also required the city to go back and address and adjust more than 100 different items.

Because of the long and careful process it took to get this plan approved, it is so concerning and frustrating when errors like this keep occurring.

It's unacceptable that the city has allowed zoning errors like this, like those associated with footnote seven, the city land development code, and now this recent discrepancy to occur.

Taken together, these issues point to a broader pattern of mistakes that should not be happening in decisions that have such a significant impact on communities.

Errors like this are a prime example of why many are so distrustful of government.

While these mistakes were not done on purpose, it sows community mistrust.

This is especially important given the long history of planning challenges and past decisions that have strained trust between community and the city.

What I do appreciate here is that the city didn't ignore the issue.

Instead, staff move quickly to identify the discrepancy and bring forward this amendment.

These corrections ensure that areas intended to be parks and community space, such as the Boston Avenue Corridor and Chicano Park are properly designated and ultimately protected.

Do want to acknowledge city planning staff for engaging with the community and bringing this item to the Barrio Logan Community Planning Group, which is an important step in addressing this issue and keeping the community informed.

They are an important part of our community and have been long stewards of Chicano Park.

With this rezone, will this rezoning one of the questions I have for staff is will this rezoning require approval from the Coastal Commission as well?

And how long will that take?

Yes, Councilmember Moreno, it will require Coastal Commission certification.

We'll be reaching out to Coastal Commission staff to ask that they could uh expedite this.

My hope is that within the next six months, but we need to talk with staff further.

Within the next six months.

Wonderful.

Transparency is critical when mistakes like this occur, and it matters that the city was upfront about what happened and took the time to explain how it would be fixed.

I do appreciate staff's responsiveness, their transparency with the community, and their commitment to ensuring that the zoning and land use designations accurately reflect the vision that was approved by and for the Barrio Logan community.

Now, with that, I'm gonna uh make a motion to approve staff's recommendation.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Moreno to move the staff recommendation.

We'll go next to Councilmember Elo Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, with the questions having been uh asked and answered um that the council member Moreno put forward and knowing that um Barrio uh Chickenal Park um is is protected and this helps advance the Barrio Logan Community Plan.

Um I am happy to second the motion.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

So we now have a motion by Councilmember Moreno and a second by Councilmember Elo Rivera.

And with that, the city clerk, please call the roll.

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

That passes unanimously, 8 to 0 with council member Campbell absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Thank you to staff for that.

All right, with that, clerk, please introduce item S 500.

I apologize.

My script got lost amongst all the sessions.

Item S 500 is the adoption of IHRA definition of anti-semitism.

If you would like to speak to this item, please be sure to submit your speaker slip now at the front of the room.

If you are seating time, please be sure to submit those speaker slips together.

You will be given time to come in from the overflow room, so don't worry, I will be calling your name two to three times.

If I see you walking in, we'll make sure to give you time for those individuals who are in the yellow reserve seats at the front.

If you could please find a seat uh farther back, I do need those seats available for those that are being called up to ensure with meeting management.

You can even take a seat in the blue reserve seats over there if you don't find a seat.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

So before we turn it over to District Three, um, a couple of items.

One I read at the beginning of the uh session uh the disruption policy.

Uh we know we have a lot of folks speaking both for and against uh the item in front of us.

Uh there'll be a lot of passion there.

Please extend a courtity and civility to everybody who speaks, give them a chance to make their comments, whether you agree with them or not.

I mentioned about the thumbs up or thumbs down is a good way to do that.

Um this, of course, applies to not only council chambers but also the committee room and any overflow room that we uh that we have uh on that.

So uh we've done these big meetings, we've done meetings where there's been a lot of passion and even disagreement between two sides, and we can get through this.

We have at least three hours of testimony just who showed up today at City Hall.

Uh, and of course, we do expect folks uh to participate remotely as well.

So we're gonna be here for a while, so let's all play nicely together.

Um, and then to my council colleagues.

Um, over the past few meetings, uh, some folks have been going over the five plus three minutes, and I've been very quietly giving away my time uh to allow them to continue uninterrupted.

Uh I will have my own comments, so unless you get time seated by one of your colleagues, uh, we'll be adhering to the five plus three when it comes to uh council and their deliberation going forward.

Um so with that, um, this item was uh brought forward by Councilmember Whitburn and District Three.

So Council Member Whitburn will give you an opportunity for open opening remarks, and then we'll go to staff for the presentation.

Sir, thank you, Council President.

This is a resolution recognizing the rise of anti-Semitism, affirming the City of San Diego's commitment to combating hate and discrimination, and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of anti-Semitism.

Before I turn it over to Raya Darcy on my staff to provide a presentation on this, I'd like to offer a few acknowledgments.

I want to thank the San Diego Antisemitism Task Force for meeting with me about the rise in anti-Semitism and the importance of this action to many in the Jewish community.

I want to thank the City of San Diego Human Relations Commission for considering this and forwarding a request to the City Council that we adopt this resolution.

I want to thank Raya Darcy, my deputy chief of staff for all of his work in bringing this forward.

And I want to thank all of you here today or joining us online for taking the time to be a part of today's discussion.

And with those acknowledgements, I'll turn it over to Ryan.

All right, Ryan, you know that you'll please introduce yourself for the record and let us know how much time you need for the presentation.

Uh Ryan Deputy Chief of Stafford.

Can you repeat and turn the mic on?

There we go.

Uh Ryan Darcy, uh, Deputy Chief of Staff for Councilmember Stephen Whitburn.

And we need about 10 minutes.

All right, when you're ready.

Thank you.

All right, good afternoon, Council President, members of the City Council.

Uh thank you for the opportunity to present today.

Um, I'm here on behalf of Councilmember Whitburn regarding item S500, a resolution of the Council of the City of San Diego recognizing the rise of anti-Semitism, affirming the city's commitment to combating hate and discrimination, and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of anti-Semitism.

This issue first came before uh the city through the San Diego Human Relations Commission in May of 2025.

The Commission voted unanimously to urge the City of San Diego to adopt the IRA working definition of anti-Semitism.

Following that vote, the Commission formally sent a letter to the mayor and city council recommending adoption.

The chair of the Human Relations Commission at the time, Nicole Murray Ramirez, also spoke before the City Council in December of last year, encouraging the city to take this step.

So what is IRA?

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IRA, is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the Holocaust education, historical research, and remembrance.

Its work focuses on preserving the historical record of the Holocaust and combating modern anti-Semitism around the world.

The IRA working definition.

In May of 2016, IRA member states adopted what is known as the IRA working definition of anti-Semitism.

The definition states anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews.

It also clarifies that anti-Semitism can manifest through rhetoric or physical acts directed at Jewish individuals, Jewish institutions, or Jewish community spaces.

Importantly, the definition is a non-legally binding and is intended primarily as an educational and analytical tool to help institutions better recognize anti-Semitism.

This next slide key points.

The resolution explicitly states that nothing in it is intended to limit or infringe upon the rights protected by the United States Constitution or that of the California Constitution, including the freedom of speech and expression.

Additionally, the IRA definition itself clearly states that criticism of Israel, similar to that leveled against any other country, cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic.

This definition is simply a tool to help identify anti-Semitism when it occurs.

It does not criminalize speech or political viewpoints.

Why this matters?

Unfortunately, anti-Semitism continues to be a persistent and growing problem in the United States and around the world.

Jewish individuals and Jewish institutions experience disproportionately high levels of hate incidents compared to any other or many other groups.

In recent years, we have seen an increase in anti-Semitic rhetoric, threats, harassment, vandalism, targeting synagogues and Jewish community institutions, and violence directed at Jewish individuals.

These incidents do not only harm the Jewish community, they threaten public safety, civil rights, and the social cohesion of our communities.

The data.

Widespread support.

More than 1,300 entities have adopted it, including governments, educational institutions, and civil society organizations.

Forty-seven countries have adopted this definition.

Hundreds of non-governmental organizations, universities, and local governments have also adopted it.

Even diverse international organizations have supported its adoption as a tool to recognize and combat anti-Semitism.

Cities, major U.S.

cities have adopted the IRA working definition.

These include cities such as Chicago, which passed this unanimously in January, Los Angeles, which was passed this unanimously, Washington, D.C., El Paso, Las Vegas, and here locally in San Diego County, other cities have also taken this step.

The City of Alcajon adopted the IRA definition unanimously in a five to zero vote.

The city of Chula Vista also adopted the IRA definition in a 5 0 vote on May 13th, 2025.

San Diego would be joining other cities in our own region that are already using this definition as a tool to recognize and address anti-Semitism.

The proposed action before you today is to adopt a resolution of the Council of the City of San Diego, recognizing the rise of anti-Semitism, affirming the city's commitment to combating hate and discrimination, and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of anti-Semitism.

This action will provide a clear framework to recognize anti-Semitism, support education and awareness, and affirm the city's commitment to combating hate and stand in solidarity with our Jewish community.

And with that, I am happy to take any questions from the council.

Thank you.

Okay, uh excuse me.

Thank you, Councilmember Whitburn for introducing this item, Mr.

Darcy, for your work and the presentation.

We are now going to move to public comment.

And if you ever want to see a ballet of how to manage public comment, you're gonna see it with our city clerk.

So have a lot of patience with her as she tries to figure out when you've seated time and shared time when she calls your name or even mispronounces your name occasionally.

Uh she is going to do a fabulous job, have patience and work with her.

And then as a third uh and final reminder, uh, again, civility is really the key for this conversation.

We want to hear from both sides, whatever your opinion is.

Please respect those who may have a different opinion from you.

Uh we want to keep this a civil conversation.

Uh and uh let's get started.

So, with that, clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President, and thank you for the introduction.

I hope I serve you all well today.

I will just note that we do have over three hours of public comment here in Council Chambers as well as in the queue.

We have over 180 speakers here, and currently 27 speakers in the queue with their hands raised.

I will also note that there are several people that were not able to submit their speaker slip with whoever they were seating time to.

When I call somebody that's seating time, I will ask those that are seating time to raise their hand.

If you don't hear your name called and you wanted to raise to cede your time to that speaker, please be sure to raise your hand.

I am trying to do my best to make sure that I match them all up in order for you to um be heard and give that person their time allocation.

Thank you for all this.

Nicole Marie Ramirez, if you can please come up.

You have time seated to you by Tutie Thomas, if you can please raise your hand.

Tooty, thank you.

Edwin Lohr.

Thank you.

Um Abdi Pata Malim, please raise your hand.

Thank you.

And Julia Lando.

Julie Lando, thank you so much.

You're all ceding your time to Nicole.

You'll have five minutes, please proceed.

Good afternoon, Wenest Diaz.

On March 19th, 2025, I made a motion that the Human Relations Commission urge the mayor and the City Council to officially join the over 43 countries, 37 states, and over 100 cities, now including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Chile Vista and Alcajome to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.

This motion was unanimously passed by the Human Relations Commission.

We then spent many months before we sent our recommendation to the mayor and the council, having dialogue with those in support of the IHRA definition and those in opposition, including public input, as well as working closely with our executive director, Reverend Dr.

Gerald Brown.

We know that each of you on this council have been flooded with support and opposition.

The Human Relations Commission has done its part and with all due diligence.

On this item, now I most respectfully ask each of you to do yours.

For over 60 years, I have come before this council and spoke out for social justice, spoke out against hate crimes and hate towards the black, Asian Pacific Islander community, Muslim and Jewish, and my Latino and LGBT communities.

But I say to you that never have I witnessed the growing hate and attacks these last decades on the Jewish community.

Such hate not seen since the Holocaust.

Recent Federal statistics now show that the Jewish community suffers ten times more hate crimes than any other community in our nation.

Think about it.

And San Diego Jewish houses of worship, student centers, rabbis, neighborhoods, community centers are being attacked and subject to hate.

In closing, I stand before you as other Christians who are able to wear this cross around our necks openly, freely, and without incident.

I so wish each of you would have been with me and looked into the faces of Jewish youth and students as I have who told me they were now afraid to wear their stars of David because of the hate they have been subjected to.

I will never ever forget a 17-year-old Jewish student named Josh, who told me his grandmother, a survivor of the Holocaust, so afraid for the safety of her grandson, she begged him not to wear the Star of David.

She had given him long ago in public and even urged him to now mispronounce his last name differently when he was in public.

She was so afraid and worried for him.

Indeed, what kind of nation have we become?

Today, by voting yes, you will be sending a message to Josh, his grandmother, and the Jewish community.

Our city sees them, hears them, and we stand against the rising of hate crimes against the Jewish people.

Thank you.

So now we have three hours and one more minute.

That will be the last time we'll have applause.

No, the side should have applauds too.

Not equitable.

You've been warned.

Nicole, you were the chair of the HRC, and that's why I had you come speak first.

Please do not engage in applause.

Thumbs up, it's very powerful.

We need to get through three hours of testimony.

Next is, I'm gonna be calling people up to the front row.

Alberto Mansur, Laura's, Laura Stone, Shay Ellis, Leslie, Zemmer, Romy, Romy, Zemmer, and Jenna Janet Klein.

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

Alberto, you have time seated to you by Rose Hom.

Rose, if you can please raise your hand.

Thank you.

You'll have two minutes.

Alberto, please come up to the microphone.

Good afternoon.

Thank you for holding this space for us.

People in this room will say that the IRA definition goes against the First Amendment.

But does it?

Of course not.

Labeling something doesn't ban it.

It gives it a name.

And that main name may make some people uncomfortable, but it doesn't ban it.

Hate speech, anti-semit anti-Semitic speech is still protected speech.

If this council adopts the IRA definition, it won't stop anyone from it won't stop anyone from calling Jews baby killers.

It won't stop anyone from saying that we control the banks and the media.

What it will do is label what you're doing.

It will give it a name.

It will hold a mirror to your face.

And it'll show you, and it will tell you that label will be that you are an anti-Semit.

So criticize us all you want, slander us all you want, hate us all you want.

Your hate speech will still be protected speech.

But don't hide from hide from the truth in what you are.

I urge this council council to adopt the resolution and let people look in that mirror.

Thank you.

Laura Stone.

You have time ceded to you by um Shira Schaefer.

Shera, please raise your hand.

Thank you.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Hi, hello.

My name is Laura Stone from District One.

Thank you, Councilman Whip Whitburn, for sponsoring today's very important IRH IHRA vote.

Jewish Voice for Peace, JVP is here today, but I want to stress that they do not represent the views of the broader Jewish community.

On the contrary, many of us feel that they appropriate the Jewish voice to advocate a political agenda that most Jewish organizations and community members reject entirely.

You've all received an extensive legally backed dossier on JVP, but in case you haven't had a chance to read the facts about them, it's important for the council to be aware of JVP's record.

The organization has expressed support for and solidarity with groups connected to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.

JVP also regularly partners with the Palestinian youth movement, an organization whose public messaging has included praise for terrorist groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

JVP supported the Great March of Return demonstrations, which were coordinated by leadership committee that included representatives from several organizations designated by the U.S.

as terrorist groups.

And closer to home, JVP members have repeatedly harassed members, students on San Diego campuses and Jewish community members at various Jewish events.

So when JVP speaks today, I urge the council to consider what their true agenda is and to make a note that they do not represent the wider Jewish community despite their deceiving name.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next we have Shay Ellis.

Shay Ellis, you have people seating your time.

Please raise your hand.

Dan Bass.

Anita Schmickhaus quiz.

Thank you.

Isaac.

And Gillian Argof Tresler.

Thank you.

You'll have five minutes, please proceed.

Good afternoon, City Council members.

Thank you to Councilmember Whitburn for bringing this item forward.

My name is Shay Ellis, and I am the regional coordinator for ADL, the anti-defamation league of San Diego.

I am also a resident of District One.

I am here today in support of item 500, and we urge the council to vote yes on adopting the IRA definition.

Across the country, ADL has recorded skyrocketing levels of anti-Semitic incidents since 10-7, including a 286% increase in San Diego since 2022.

This demands action.

And the IRA definition is a tool that can help our community address this moment.

Anti-Semitism doesn't disappear, it evolves.

Over the years, it has targeted Jews under the guise of being anti-communist, anti-globalist, or the villains in a number of different movements.

Today, that language has evolved to focus on anti-Zionism.

We hear the stories of San Diego college students who are ostracized for their Jewish identity but told it's only because they're Zionists.

The K-12 students who are bullied for being quote unquote baby killers, and the employees of San Diego businesses and organizations who have to pursue legal action to rectify the anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination they encounter.

We cannot afford to let our city become a place where Jews are only treated with dignity and respect if they denounce their support for the right of Israel to exist, which is something that over 90% of Americans support.

And it does exist.

Even though the current language that targets Jews claims to be only anti-Zionism, it leads to the same outcomes that anti-Semitism always has: harassment, discrimination, violence, and worse.

The IRA definition is a crucial tool that helps governments, universities, NGOs, and other and other groups understand all of the complex elements of anti-Semitism that target people for different aspects of Jewish identity.

We urge you to vote yes on the resolution and have San Diego join cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami in creating a city government that stands for the safety of the Jewish community in this moment.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Leslie Zemmer.

After Lesemer, we have Romy Zemmer, then Jordan Marks, then Janet Klein.

Dear City Council members, thank you so much.

City Councilman Whitburn.

My name is Leslie Zemmer.

I live in District 1.

I'm asking you to adopt IRA in an attempt to distract from IRA, anti-Semites advocate for what is called the Jerusalem Declaration on Anti-Semitism.

The Jerusalem Declaration was written by a self-selected group of scholars acting in their personal capacity.

The authors and signatories represent their own academic perspectives, not the views of Jewish communities, voters, or institutions that are accountable to the public.

The authors of the Jerusalem Declaration describe its purpose to contribute to academic discussion.

And then unlike IRA, it has zero adoption by governments, schools, or other public institutions.

By contrast, the IRA working definition of anti-Semitism has been adopted by national governments, states, cities, universities, and other public institutions around the world.

IRA has been endorsed by all Jewish communal organizations as the IRA definition functions is a widely adopted public policy framework.

Those who were asked to be a good question.

Thank you for that concluding remark.

Romy, vote yes.

Good afternoon.

My name is Romy Zemmer.

I am 17 years old, and this is my first council meeting.

I'm missing school today because this moment matters.

In just one week, synagogues around the world were attacked.

A synagogue in Michigan was set on fire with 140 preschoolers inside.

In Canada, synagogues were hit by gunfire.

In the Netherlands, men were arrested for an air sin attack.

In Belgium, a synagogue was bombed.

Some people say anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism.

But if that were true, why are American Jews in our synagogues under attack?

Zionism means the Jewish people have the right to self-determination in our ancestral homeland.

I'm a proud Zionist.

You can disagree with me.

That is your right in America.

But you do not have the right to harass, threaten, or intimidate me for being a Zionist.

I want to grow up in San Diego where Jewish kids don't have to be afraid to display their Jewishness or Zionism.

Today, you have the power to help make that future real.

Please vote yes for IRA.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jordan Marks.

Please come up to the podium.

After that, we have Janet Klein, Nicole Bernstein, Andrew Beth Damski, and Kantor Cornet, as well as Liza Tucker Tacker.

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

Please proceed.

I apologize in advance.

I got LASIK, so I'm having to read a little harder today, so is it okay, Madam Clerk?

President Lakava, members of the San Diego City Council.

My name is Jordan Marks.

I serve as your San Diego County Assessor Recorder County Clerk.

But I'm here in today's capacity as a San Diego City resident, a parent, and a proud member of the Jewish community.

I strongly ask for your support of item S500, the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.

I want to thank the San Diego Human Relations Commission and Chair Nicole Murray Mirez for this unanimous support in moving this forward to City Council, and especially uh Councilman Stephen Whitburn for your leadership bringing this item forward today.

Across the region, we've already seen cities like Chula Vista and El Cajon pass this definition because too often acts of hate, when we see them happen, we see elected officials post their thoughts and prayers.

But in San Yo County, we've experienced real consequences, violence, like in the Power Synagogue shooting, the SDSU synagogue attack, hateful anti-Semitic flyers in our neighborhoods and swatsukas, defacing our community spaces.

As a parent, I can tell you, Jewish families are living this reality every day.

We drop off our children at schools, community centers behind gates, arm guards, and they are targeting the project.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

Janet Klein.

Thank you for your action today.

Nick Janet Klein, please come up to the microphone.

Who do you want to cede it to?

Well, I'm back again.

And someone will come up and get your name.

But uh look as I can tell you, as a parent and a Jewish parent, it's not fun to have to have armed guards standing there with your children, be wanted.

I've been at community events with many of you council members here, where it's nice to walk our children in spaces where they're free to be who they are and not attacked for being Jewish or for being a person that's Asian, Latino, or African-American.

We all stand together.

This is not acceptable.

This resolution is not symbolic.

It shows that you stand in solidarity against hate.

It's a necessary step to equip our city, our law enforcement, and community with a clear understanding of anti-Semitism so we can identify it, confront it, and stop it.

This is a moment for action, not just words.

Thank you for voting yes on today's item and for standing with the Jewish community.

I appreciate each and every one of you.

Thank you.

To confirm, were you Janet Klein?

I was like, You're Janet Klein, though.

Thank you.

Next is Nicole Bernstein.

Nicole, you have time seated to you by Jan Savron Wolfort.

If you can please raise your hand, you'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Anikukach Mitsay Zekahala Bachelakhaim Bakita.

Bunny Mafti Khanazo.

The translation.

I am so sorry that that happened to your daughter in class, and I promise to help.

That's what I told the parents of a ninth grade girl who's been bullied at school multiple times simply for being Jewish.

My name is Nicole Bernstein, and I'm a San Diego resident, the daughter of Israeli immigrants, the first person in my entire family to be born in the United States of America, and co-founder of Pure K-12.

We help Jewish parents protect their kids' civil rights in our schools.

That call came to me last week while I was out running errands.

I stepped into the corner of a store and continued the conversation in Hebrew.

Within minutes, multiple people walked by and glared at me with open hostility.

One woman even circled back twice, just to make sure I felt it.

That should not be tolerated.

I was not disruptive.

I was simply speaking in my mother's tongue, Hebrew.

Just one week earlier in San Jose, California, two Israelis speaking Hebrew outside of a restaurant were violently attacked simply for speaking Hebrew in public.

That should not be tolerated.

From classrooms to restaurants to grocery stores, Jews are being targeted simply for daring to exist in public.

That should not be tolerated.

Every person and every language has the right to exist.

Today, in America's finest city, you have an opportunity to send a clear message with your vote.

Hatred of someone because of their religion, skin color, sexual orientation, national nation of origin.

Should not be tolerated sentence.

Please vote yes.

Nicole Bernstein.

Oh, is that you?

Sorry.

I'm happy to go again.

I'm just getting started, sorry.

Andrea Peth Damski.

After Andrea, we have Cantor Cornett and Liza Tacker, as well as Dr.

Joshua Fetter, if you can please come up to the yellow reserve seats.

Please proceed.

Good afternoon.

My name is Andrea Beth Damski.

I am I am a commissioner with the California Commission on the State of Hate, speaking on my own behalf as a member of the Jewish community who has been doxxed and harassed for assumptions about my support of Israel.

We live in a time when Jew haters drive their trucks through synagogue doors armed with explosives, when Jew haters light Jews on fire with Molotov cocktails, when Jews speaking Hebrew are beaten in a restaurant in broad daylight and no one comes to their aid, when Jews are murdered outside a Jewish museum.

These acts target Jews, not a state nor its military.

Jews are hunted domestically for being Jews and for our assumed connection to Israel.

That tens of millions of Christians who do support Israel are not similarly attacked, clarifies that these acts of hate and violence against Jews are anti-Semitism.

We need the strongest definition of anti-Semitism possible, and this resolution meets that need.

Thank you to the council members and staff who brought this forward, and I urge you all to vote yes.

Thank you.

Cantor.

Thank you.

Uh Council members, my name is Cantor Leary Cornett.

For those of you who do not know the difference between a cantor and a rabbi, rabbis think they can sing.

I'm actually here today to talk to you about the IHRA definition.

When I was in college, the first thing that I learned from philosophy professor.

Excuse me, I'm sorry.

Um, is define your terms.

Why is that important?

You cannot have an intelligent conversation with somebody if you are not speaking with the correct terms and both are shared.

It is imperative for you to not play whack-a-mole and actually have a definition that you can use to be able to pattern your ideas and importance on your department heads as to what they need to know.

Thank you, Councilman Woodburn for presenting this.

I appreciate it.

Please vote yes on IHRA.

Liza Tacker.

Hello, Council members, and thank you, Councilmember Whippard, for sponsoring the IRA vote today.

My name is Liza Thatcher.

100 cities and municipalities in the U.S.

have adopted the IRA definition because it is constitutional and does not infringe on one's right to free speech.

But San Diego is not on the list.

Today is the day.

San Diego being the sister city of Sharnegev should be added to this list as well.

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