San Diego City Council Meeting Recessed to Closed Session and Adjourned on May 18, 2026
San Diego City Council Meeting - May 18, 2026
The San Diego City Council met on Monday, May 18, 2026, at 10:00 AM. The meeting began with roll call, an invocation by Deputy Clerk Kevin Smith, a land acknowledgement led by Councilmember Campillo, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The council then proceeded to public comment on closed session items (CS1–CS6). After public comment, the council recessed into closed session. Later, the afternoon and evening sessions were adjourned due to unforeseen circumstances; all agenda items will be rescheduled to a future date.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were discussed.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Tim Douglas (representing city workers) expressed support for labor negotiations, requesting fairness and equity adjustments for workers. He emphasized that workers deserve dignity and the same consideration as other employees. He opposed the repeal of refuse collection fees and requested reopening language for equity adjustments and voluntary certification pays, but not contingent on refuse fee repeal.
- Catherine Rhodes opposed giving raises to workers, suggesting instead that the city fire 300 non-union middle managers created under City Charter Section 117 A17 since 2013, and bring them back into the union. She criticized the city's growing pension debt.
- A speaker (not named) criticized the city's litigation against the Trump administration regarding sanctuary city policies, accused the city of negligence in sidewalk maintenance, and opposed group-based raises, arguing compensation should be based on individual performance.
- Hector expressed support for President Trump's deportation efforts and opposed the lawsuit against him. He advocated for laying off 2,000 employees instead of giving raises, criticized the pension system and DROP program, and suggested redirecting funds to underserved areas south of Highway 8 and building a new sewer plant in Tijuana.
- Joy Sanyata thanked the first speaker and Catherine Rhodes. She commented on CS1 (grant funding freeze litigation), CS2 and CS3 (trip-and-fall litigation), and CS4 (labor negotiations). She stressed the need for transparency on how employee pay and benefits impact priorities during the budget deficit, noting the value of different perspectives.
- Blair Beekman spoke on CS1 (sanctuary city), CS4 (labor negotiations), CS5 (utility charges and Proposition 218), and CS6 (retaliation issues). He supported sanctuary city policies, suggested that city council and the mayor take a pay cut to build trust, and advocated for considering ability to pay in utility bills.
- Lewis Rotolico attempted to speak but was redirected to non-agenda public comment or Item 250.
Discussion Items
- No discussion items were heard as the council recessed into closed session after public comment.
Key Outcomes
- The council recessed into closed session at approximately 10:05 AM to discuss existing litigation (CS1–CS6).
- The afternoon and evening sessions of the May 18, 2026 meeting were adjourned due to unforeseen circumstances. All items on the agenda will be rescheduled to a future date.
- The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 10:00 AM.
Meeting Transcript
But over the past several years, fuel prices have continued to rise. And that's directly impacting San Diego's budget. In fact, for every one cent increase per gallon at the pump, the city's monthly fuel costs rise by ten thousand dollars. We know that San Diegans are also feeling the rising impact of prices at home. It's not just our vehicles. Construction and insurance costs have increased dramatically over the past several years. And our city revenues have not kept pace with those rising costs. As we face some difficult budget decisions, we want San Diegans to know that we're listening. All right. Good morning. I will now call the city council meeting on Monday, May 18th, 2026 to order. Deputy Clerk, please call the roll. Councilmember Campbell. Councilmember Whitburn. Councilmember Foster. Councilmember Von Wilpert. Council President Pro Tim Lee. Councilmember Campillo. Councilmember Moreno, Councilmember Elo Rivera, and Council President LaCava. Present. Also attending the meeting are senior deputy city attorney David Carlin, Independent Budget Analyst Charles Modica, Council Affairs Advisor in the Mayor's Office, Coda Zeiser, and myself, your city clerk, Deputy City Clerk Kevin Smith. Alright, thank you, sir. A quorum is now present. We will begin this morning with an invocation by Deputy Clerk Smith, followed with a land acknowledgement and the pledge of allegiance led by Councilmember Campio. Grant those who hold the office, who hold office in the city the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice that with steadfast purpose, they may faithfully serve in their offices to promote the well-being of all people. We respectfully acknowledge that the Kumiyai Nation are the original habitants of the unceded land now known as San Diego. Despite enduring the horrors of genocide and colonization, the Kumiyai spirit remains unbroken. We honor the resilience of their ancestors who fought to protect their culture and land. Today, they carry their legacy forward, ensuring that their traditions continue to thrive in gratitude and strength. We stand with the Kumeay Nation, connected to our past and committed to a thriving future. Please face the flag. No further in-person testimony will be taken once the council begins virtual testimony. For better meeting management purposes, each speaker will have one minute per item per person with a maximum of three minutes if you are speaking to three or more items. Conference with legal counsel existing litigation pursuant to California Government Code 54956. Conference with legal counsel existing litigation pursuant to California Government Code Section 54956. All right. And with that, Deputy Clerk, please proceed with public comment. We will begin with in-person comment. Uh we do have two speakers. Uh Tim Douglas, please come forward. You have requested to speak on CS4. And you have time ceded to you by Andres Elva Cardinez. Could thank you. Please begin your comment. I want to remind this council that the workers we represent are the employees who keep the city running every single day. You maintain the streets, parks, facilities, public services that San Diego depend on. We show up early, stay late, and continue serving this community through every challenge because we care deeply about the city. That's why I think this is a pretty simple idea. We're not asking for anything special. We're asking for the respect of being treated like the other employees of the city.
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