Alright, we're gonna get started.

Good morning.

I will now call the city council meeting of Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 to order.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn.

Councilmember Foster.

Here.

Councilmember Von Wilper.

Council President Pro Temling.

Here.

Councilmember Campia.

Councilmember Moreno.

President.

Councilmember Ila Rivera.

And Council President LaCava.

A quorum is now present.

We will begin this morning with the land acknowledgement and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Council Member Moreno.

Thank you.

Please stand.

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

Despite enduring the horrors of genocide and colonization, the Kumiai 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 Kumiai Nation connected to our past and committed to a thriving future.

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

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

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

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 speaker slip.

Please complete a speaker slip look 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 of chambers and can assist with questions and speaker slips.

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

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

So we will begin this morning by dispensing with the approval of the proclamation items.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you.

The public comment period for proclamations is now open.

Each speaker will have one minute per item per person.

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

The proclamation items being approved are items 30 through 32 and S503.

If I can have Jacob Lewis Edwards, please come forward to the microphone.

And then after that is Joy Sanyata, and then after that, we have uh Samuel Merrill, Stephen Lundy, uh Ronnie Gillett, and Johnny Oseda, if you can all please come up to the front row in the yellow reserve seats.

Jacob, you're speaking on item 3031 and 32, so you'll have three minutes.

Please proceed.

Good morning, men and women of uh city council and everybody in council chambers.

Thank you for allowing me standing in front of you today to speak.

Proclamation days are very important.

That uh to recognize days of recognition.

This is a city, this is a country, of a melting pot for the people, by the people.

I would like to address our African American friends, neighbors, loved ones, community members that uh African American folk were done horribly wrong in past history, and that needs to be recognized for what's going on in our country though, is unjust for everybody.

I spoke in front of City Council a couple months back, and I posted it on YouTube.

If you look up Jacob Edwards speaks on YouTube, and you'll see that short clip.

Since that speech, what has occurred, is very concerning.

Our country had been hijacked, hijacked by the Italian mafia, and we allowed that in our country.

Chinese espionage was on it the entire time.

From the jump, and they have capitalized on it.

They are positioned and ready to take over our government in our country.

The deal they made with the Federal Reserve families to clear their debt to the Chinese.

It's very disturbing.

To eliminate the best of the best in our country, so their best of the best can come in.

Taking our country over.

We stand up for ourselves, we stand up for each other, and we stand up for our country.

And it's time to do so, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for allowing me to speak in front of you, and God bless the city of San Diego.

God bless the United States, and I'll be speaking again.

Troy Sonata, if you can please come forward.

You're speaking on items 30 and S503.

So you'll have two minutes.

Please proceed.

Thank you.

30, Jewish American Heritage Month.

The Jewish people have existed for over 3,000 years, coming from all races, backgrounds, and countries across the world.

Perhaps there is only one family tree growing on our beautiful earth.

Then we could say, one people, one family, one world.

Love to all the members of that beautiful family tree.

All right.

S503, Juneteenth, 2026 day.

Perhaps the roots of the family tree that I just spoke of for the Jewish people are the roots of freedom for all peoples.

Just imagine how strong that tree would be, how beautiful that tree would be with all family members living in freedom, and that coming from the very roots of that tree.

When I Googled the movie Roots, an image of a young black boy with heavy manacles on his wrist appeared.

It wasn't the manacles that stood out to me.

It was the piercing look of struggle and suffering in his eyes that looked out at me.

And it was really, really tough for me to keep my look into his eyes.

Love all of you.

Thank you very much for coming.

Sorry for your struggles, but we're together and we're doing it.

Okay, love to all.

Thank you, Samuel Merrill.

You have uh Johanna Harrit, if you please raise your hand.

Thank you.

Oh, Jonathan.

Sorry.

You'll have two minutes on item S503.

Please proceed.

Thank you.

Good morning, Council members.

I'm Samuel Merrill.

As we celebrate Juneteenth, we honor a defining moment in American history.

The day when the last and say the last enslaved African Americans learned of their freedom.

Juneteenth reminds us that freedom delayed is freedom denied.

And that progress often comes only through persistence, sacrifice, and struggle.

Today, as a city, we acknowledge that historical inequities help shape many of the disparities we continue to see in our communities.

We have recognized the importance of pursuing equity in our policies, our budgeting decisions, and our investments in communities that have too often been overlooked.

While progress has been made, the work is not complete.

Juneteenth is not only a celebration of black heritage, resilience and achievement, it is also a call to action.

It reminds us that justice and equity are ongoing pursuits that require commitment and accountability.

As we reflect on the significance of Juneteenth.

Let us celebrate how far we have come while remaining committed to the work that lies ahead.

May this observance encourage us to continue pursuing justice, expanding opportunity, and building a city where equity is a reality for all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next we have Stephen Lundy for item 31.

Good morning, City Council Chambers.

I'd like to thank the council and particularly Councilmember's Whitburn and Campello for their sponsorship of the proclamation recognizing the San Diego Scottish Highland Games and Gathering Clans for its 50th holding of the Highland Games in San Diego and San Diego County.

The games, as we refer to is similar to seven ring circus with several events and competitions running concurrently.

The competitions are heavy athletics where various classes and athletes are throwing heavy things for distance of height, whether it be a hammer, the bromar stone, a corn sheet, and of course the caber, where perfect scores given for turning and landing the cable at 12 o'clock, straight in front of the throw.

The origins of the Scottish Athletics is before the modern Olympics.

Highland dancing.

Dancers compete in classes of age and professional.

They perform the highland fling with arms up like a glorious stag.

The sword dance over cross source to celebrate a victory in battle.

The short truths are old trousers, another celebration, kicking off them damn trousers after the prescription was lifted.

Thank you for that concluding sentence.

I'm sorry it is one minute, but if you have written comments, you can definitely give them to my staff and they can pass it around for the council to continue reading them.

Thank you.

Would you like to leave here?

You have people seeing your time.

Yes.

I would like to call Johnny for trusting for me for our large community.

And then Berlin Samuel.

Thank you.

You'll have three minutes.

Good morning, distinguished guests, elected officials, community leaders, clergy, members, friends, and members of the Asian community.

On behalf of our community.

First, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the members of the City Council, community organization, volunteers, sponsors, and all those who work tirelessly to make this celebration possible.

The support demonstrate the value of diversity, inclusion, and community partnership in the city of San Diego.

We specially thank the city council for recognizing the contribution of the Shen American community and for providing opportunities that strengthen unity to renforce lunity entree.

Your commitment to honoring cultural heritage helps preserve the stories, traditions, and values that enrich our city.

Today we are especially proud to honor Pastor Johnny Oxeda as an ambassador of the San Diego Asian community.

This recognition reflects years of faithful leadership, community service and unwavering commitment to helping others.

Pastor Johnny Oxeda has served not only as a spiritual leader but also as a mentor advocate and bridge builder within our community.

Yes.

His leadership reminds us that true influence is measured not by titles but by service he has consistently demonstrated compassion, integrity and a genuine desire to upflip others.

Son leadership influence illa constant and desire sincere relationship are favorized la collaboration avec l'ensemble de la community de San Diego.

His efforts have strengthened relationship within the community and fostered collaboration with the border San Diego Community.

A heritage marked by courage, perseverance, faith and freedom on Thaisian Nussage an heritage mark, la perseverance la foi, de la liberté l'Istoes to inspire people around the world and today we celebrate those values through the example of leaders like Pastor Johnny Oxeda.

Dr Oxeda today we thank you for your dedication, your vision and your commitment to serve to serving God's people and our community example Le Pastor Dr Johnny Oxeda, Doctor Oxeda aujourd'hui for the vision and service and community your work has left a lasting impact and this honor as ambassador of the San Diego Asian community is both well deserved and deeply appreciated.

Okay Votre travail is honor Dambassador de la Community de San Diego a plenary profound appreciated.

Thank you very much.

Thank you next is Johnny Johnny oh that was you okay Maximilian Schmidt you are speaking on items S503 item 32 item 31 and item 30 you'll have three minutes to speak on all of those items hi um I just wanted to talk about um item 30, the Jewish American heritage Month um the Masonic lodges down the street have a um the star of David on it and um also the seal of Solomon.

And for me, having a whole month um where this is celebrated is already impressing on me because I'm being targeted by Freemasons.

And so that's hard for me as a Christian, because I feel like I'm already being persecuted.

And for the Haitian flag day, I'm just out here making points that I think someone has to make if no one else is going to make them.

Haiti is widely considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

And their people are some of the poorest in the is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

And I like I'm just curious how for the we celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month and Haitian Flag Day.

I wish we could celebrate.

I think the people from Haiti are some of the friendliest people.

And the reason why is because I used to live in a third world country in Namibia, Africa, and I visited the slums.

And I know what it's like to walk around that area and I volunteered there.

And I think there's people in Haiti who may feel oppressed by the Haitian flag where the government's rich and the government has all the money.

I think it's actually even considered state capture, what's going on in Haiti.

And I'm just here to make the point having a flag that's that celebrates the most corrupt uh government in the world and the poorest country in the world due to the government corruption where the government's sitting fine in Haiti and they're flying the flag over their mansions.

And um I just wanted to say I wish we could have Haitian Heritage Day, not Haitian Flag Day, and again separate the people from the country.

And I think a lot of people in Haiti may even see more freedom in the American flag than the Haitian flag of the people actually in Haiti.

And um I just wanted to say for the other for Juneteenth day, um, I'm I've uh no comment on that.

And for the Scottish Highland Games Day, um, when I think of Scottish uh heritage, I think of how I'm being persecuted by the uh Masonic Lodge for being a Christian, and I honestly think of the Scottish right.

And again, I have two things that resemble Freemasonry, and then a Haitian flag day resembling a corrupt government.

I'm opposed, I oppose them.

That does conclude your time, allegedly, Audra.

If you can please come forward, you'll have two minutes speaking on items 30 and S503.

I'll add the minute and add that to your time.

So you guys in your proclamations, it's interesting how much time we spend on this, and then how much time we spend on doing the business that needs to be done, like with consent, throwing all these things, you know, and you know, one thing, one vote, and all that, and you know, it just feels like you guys want to get through business, you know, and make these times seem like everything is alright.

And you know, Max had a really good point about the Haitian flag, um, and celebrating that, because that could be seen by some individuals as something that is like an enslavement.

I mean, I'm starting to see the American flag as kind of an embarrassment um because of all the things that happen in our nation and the enslavement that happens with the people.

Um, and that's why even with Juneteenth, it's like you know, nobody's free.

I mean, we can celebrate these things because nobody should be enslaved, but you know, as as a mass, as a group, as all of us, we are being enslaved.

Because if you look at what's happening across the world, I mean, people are, you know, suffering.

I mean, they're just trying to survive.

And then, you know, the government's here to put you in all these programs, and it's like a prison cell that you guys put people in, and you create dependence and the need for you know, people to come and and get services, but then you don't even really provide the services that need to be.

You guys take our money and you racketeer with it, and it's really sad, and it's like, you know, behind all of these proclamations, there's so much more that needs to be talked about.

And that's why Ephesians 5 11 is so important because we're in a spiritual battle, and we have been since the beginning of time.

And for those of you that believe you should really see that, and that's why we're not supposed to engage with the spiritual works, the works of spiritual darkness, but we're rather to reprove them.

And so sometimes that means saying things that people aren't going to like hearing, but I feel like when we are celebrating Jewish heritage, you know, we don't talk about the things like, you know, that in the Talmud, you know, a three-year-old plus one day is able to consent to having sex.

Um, that's pedophilia that moils will go in and orally copulate, also known as rape, um, boys who have been circumcised, and that's actually a satanic ritual to suck the blood of a child like that.

Um, and it's just sad that that can happen in some front of so many people.

I mean, this is why the abuse of children continues because people brush stuff like this under the rug.

And Israel is a pedophile sanctuary, it's a place where people can go and not have any, you know, uh accountability for raping children.

And again, America is the biggest consumer of child porn, it gets distributed across all over.

I mean, you guys have had officers that have um, you know, are being charged with that.

So thank you for that speeding remark, Sidney Cooper Jr.

After that, we have Jason Shanley.

If you can please come up to the yellow reserve seats, Sydney to the microphone, and Jason Shanley up to the yellow reserve seats.

Please proceed.

I just wanted to um thank you for the acknowledgement of Juneteenth, the Cooper Family Foundation.

Um the gentleman spoke before about Juneteenth and its importance and its history, and I don't want to go over that, but I would like to say something about my mother and father being in Southeast San Diego and wanting to celebrate Juneteenth, coming from the South.

Um, there's pretty much three pillars to the celebration.

One is healing the community, bringing the community together and education.

Uh, part of that education is gonna be um honoring the people who came before us um that um was part of the enslaved people, the emassulation proclamation, then all the way through Jim Crow and segregation and coming together as a community to heal.

Uh just wanted to thank the council for having me and my family here, uh, the acknowledgement of Juneteenth and the accomplishments of all Americans, um, and making this day become a national day because that was really the vision of my father's making Juneteenth a national holiday.

We've been celebrating Juneteenth for over 55 years, ever since I was a little kid.

I went to Poilama High.

So thank you so much.

Thank you for that, you're remarkable.

Thank you for the time.

Thank you.

Jason Shanley.

Yeah, I'm Jason Shanley.

I'm just speaking because I have the ability to, and I think it's important to exercise rights when we have them.

Very grateful for city council, remembering Juneteenth.

Um, what I was thinking about on my way down here was uh people toiling and not understanding that freedom was around the corner.

And what I was thinking to myself, and maybe to remind leaders and people that uh may be struggling for a particular cause.

I think it's important to remember that sometimes the freedom is coming, we just haven't the message hasn't been delivered yet.

And so to me, it was a silver lining in Juneteenth that freedom was always available, it's just the people just didn't know.

And so uh I just wanted to encourage everybody to see it through.

Uh thank you for all that you do.

Thank you for continuing to remember these things, and I hope that uh we can get to the point at some point where we realize that to be little celebrations of people that are um here in America trying to enjoy what they enjoy, I think is a disservice to the things that we fought for.

So thank you for everything.

Thank you for remembering Juneteenth.

God bless.

Thank you.

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

We have one person in the queue right now, Blair Beekman.

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

Hi, uh, Blair Beekman.

I wanted to speak to items uh 30, 32, and uh S503.

Please proceed.

Actually, please um do not proceed.

We do have Robin Todd also that wanted to speak on this, Robin Todd.

I'll be coming back to you, Blair.

You're speaking on item S 503.

You'll have one minute, please proceed.

Good morning, City Council.

My name is Robin Todd.

I'm a field representative for assembly member Dr.

LaShea Sharp Collins of the 79th Assembly District.

I'm today to thank the City San Diego City Council for recognizing Juneteenth.

June 19th is a day of reflection and celebration.

It serves as a reminder of struggles and sacrifice for our ancestors, but also a source of immersed pride in the resilience.

Let's use this opportunity to celebrate our history and strength, achievements, and contributions of our ancestors.

Thank you again for bringing this forward.

And then Lauren Cobbs.

Hello, everyone.

And I just want to say thank you for your support and providing space for national Junteen celebrations here in San Diego.

We've been creating experiences for community to celebrate Juneteen since 2018.

And we're just really honored and really blessed to be able to provide this, and thank you for the support of June Teen.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does now conclude public comment here in Council Chambers.

So sorry, the five-minute timer, Blair Beekman, if you can please unmute again.

And you'll have three minutes.

Please proceed.

Hi, Blair Beekman again.

I've traveled out to Jacoma this week, and I'll be uh staying here.

And so my uh Zoom may be off and on sometimes, and that would be why it's happening if it is the case.

But uh it's really nice here, by the way.

Uh uh very nice uh mineral pond they have here for swimming, it's really interesting healing pond.

Um I wanted to comment uh I guess uh I have to be through the items.

So first start with item 32 in the middle, Haitian flag day.

Uh an interesting um uh item to have.

Thank you.

Uh I think uh we all can very much respect uh what Haitian culture adds to our world, basically, and um thank you for public comment uh to question uh the flag day itself.

But uh interestingly, I think the flag day in the very least can be able having it here can at least allow us to ask those questions that were asked today, and uh in that sense uh we can have a more open broad conversation and thanks for the conversation we had.

Uh for item S 503, Juneteenth, uh 2026 day.

Uh thank you for this um and for uh the history lesson I learned today.

It was it was explained very nicely, how to consider our sense of freedom, even when I mean there's freedoms available even when um we don't think we have them, and uh it's nice that we acknowledge that and that we can work for a sense of uh what our better selves are, and uh good luck how we can find that um and how that relates to the Jewish American Heritage Month.

Uh we're at an important time in San Diego and across the country how to address our relationship between Israel, uh the Middle East, and uh, and what's that relationship with America?

And um, I think we're learning in San Diego important lessons over things like the IRA contract that was recently um the uh the item we had yesterday at council on Somali issues.

Um people are feeling feeling fearful of their own belief systems and need help.

And I hope in San Diego we can learn to take that as not uh isolatory, but a real process of working together towards answers.

And I hope people with the IRA issues can be open to suggestions and ideas, uh, and that we build it as a form of democracy in uh in San Diego.

And I know that's uncomfortable to people of the uh uh uh the Jewish faith right now to work towards the concepts that are called democracy because it often involves a lot of good Muslim ideas and Muslim input, but I hope that's that's our that's our good point here in America, what we can do together, and that I think can give great examples to Israel for the future, um, what we can do well here together in this country.

So I hope we work on IRA things, work on its language as needed as a full community.

Uh, time has concluded.

Kathleen Lippett, if you can please unmute.

And then Judy String.

Thank you.

Good morning, Council.

It is important to recognize all groups have members who are another.

So, what items or items did you want to speak to?

Oh, uh 30, 31, and S503.

Okay, thank you.

Please proceed.

It is important to recognize that all groups have members who are unethical and immoral, but there are always good people within those groups.

Jews have contributed greatly, despite contributions representing a very small number of their population, 40% of Nobel laureates in economics, 26% physiology, medicine, 24 and physics.

Dr.

Edith Egger, though, was one of the most important, a Hungarian-born Jewish Holocaust survivor.

She became renowned psychologist, celebrated for her expertise on trauma recovery and resilience for those suffering from PTSD of all origins.

Her philosophy, for which we all can benefit, was that suffering is inevitable.

Victimization is a choice.

She asserted that people can heal by letting go of hatred.

She died this last April.

Her memoir, The Choice, is her journey from Auschwitz to find freedom in her mind, and it is a powerful message for all of us today.

Regarding uh S503 Juneteenth, I agree with the earlier comment that it is important to recognize the rights we have and celebrate reminders who telegraph those rights.

Sometimes we are not aware of them, sometimes we make false assumptions, and so clarifying the record is indeed important.

And regarding item 31, five decades of Scottish heritage tradition, music, but Scottish contributions were also philosophers, discoveries, Adam Smith, Alexander Graham Bell, James Clerk Maxwell, Robert Burns, Lois, Robert Lois Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott, Alex and James Clark Maxwell.

All of our all of our individual populations have such remarkable people like these.

We should never broad brush each other.

It is an unfair, it's very unfair.

Okay, thank you.

That's all I want to say.

Thank you, Judy Strang.

If you can please unmute.

Good morning.

I'm just speaking to item 31.

Thank you.

I felt as a strand by marriage that I had to salute also the Scottish tradition of dancing and singing and having a good time.

They're deeply known for their fierce patriotism and their rich storytelling, and they are famous for innovation.

One was mentioned previously, but I also would add the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, the television by John Luggy Bard, and Penicillin, my husband, the pharmacist reminds me, discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming, and of course the steam engine that changed the West, developed by James Watt.

Thanks for this opportunity to call attention to the mix of people we have across the United States that come from countries that had wonderful traditions that enriched us all when they brought them here to America.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude public comment on the proclamations.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

So I'll turn it over to my council colleagues for comments and entertain a motion.

We'll start with Council Member Campbell.

Thank you, Council President.

I would first like to make a motion that we pass all the proclamations.

I'd like to speak about item 30 S503 and item 31.

Briefly on item 31, since I am a Campbell, a huge clan in Scotland.

Even though I married the name, I am just delighted with being a Campbell.

And so I want to thank you for that proclamation and enjoy the Highland Games.

I'd like to speak also on Juneteenth.

It's so important that we remember forever that day.

This reminds me of Passover.

We Jewish people celebrate our liberation from Egypt slavery back thousands of years when Moses led us out of slavery.

And I I think of the spiritual go down Moses.

I think of the connection between black people and Jewish people, and there are many black people who actually aren't Jewish.

And I'm just so honored that with that we are celebrating Juneteenth.

And let us never forget that day ever.

Thousands of years from now, let us all celebrate Juneteenth.

It's so important to remember.

And I also want to speak on item 30.

Jewish American Heritage Month was last month in May, but we had so many breaks that we weren't able to give this proclamation at that time.

This is a time when we honor the Jewish American community, which has been in America since the very beginning of our nation.

Judaism teaches us nothing of what that person spoke of.

That is a lie, and that is completely anti-Semitic and wrong and incorrect.

The Jewish religion teaches us that we are all one people, all of us.

Shemai Israel Ada Noi Elohainu.

Hero Israel, the Lord is one.

The Jewish people brought the concept of one God to the world.

It is our responsibility as Jews and as all of us to care for our communities and to uplift each other.

When a Jewish synagogue in Powway was targeted in 2019, resulting in one woman who had died from her injuries and three other people injured.

All the San Diego residents of all backgrounds and faiths came around the Jewish community and helped, including the Muslims.

And last month, our city, in our city, three men were murdered at the Islamic Center of San Diego in a hate crime just because they are of the Muslim religion.

This is so wrong.

And remember that Judaism is a religion, not a race.

All races contain Jewish people.

It is an ancient, ancient religion.

And it is a religion that respects all of our brothers and sisters and teaches us that everyone is a brother and sister.

The golden rule, all of these things came from Judaism.

And we support our Muslim brothers and sisters.

And I want to say that you should not conflate the Jewish people of America with Israel.

We have nothing to do with the political system or the problems in Israel.

We are Americans, and we believe in the separation of church and state.

And I believe if they did that, they'd be better off.

But that's my opinion because I'm an American, and that's what we practice here.

I think I'm about sixth or seventh generation.

And we go way further back too.

So let us not forget that American Jews are American, that American blacks are American.

We are all Americans, and we are living, we are living our freedom.

So thank you so much for all of these proclamations.

Remember that hate, prejudice, hate speech has no place in this city.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

So we do have a motion by Councilmember Campbell to move the proclamation items forward, and we'll go next to Councilmember Campio.

Thank you, Council President.

I'll second the motion and thank the members of the public for their participation today and for coming down to City Hall.

I'm proud to join my colleagues in recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month, and celebrating the countless contributions of Jewish Americans who've made our city and our country an amazing place.

Council District 7 is home to vibrant Jewish communities, particularly in Del Cerro, where we have three important congregations, Temple Manuel, the Chabad of East County, and Congregation Teferith Israel, and soon moving to San Carlos's Temple Beth Jacob as well.

And of course, these institutions help strengthen our neighborhoods through worship and education, community service and cultural leadership, and are just one, just four of many, many Jewish uh institutions around our city.

They're doing amazing work.

And so uh I'm very proud to bring that forward with my colleagues.

I'm also proud to join Councilmember Whiburn in recognizing San Diego's Scottish Highland Games Day, celebrate the many individuals and organizations who helped put that long-standing tradition together and make it possible here in San Diego and members of the public who said uh all of the contributions of Scotland and the Scottish people to the world.

Uh events like these bring people together and strengthen community connections and highlight the rich cultural diversity that makes San Diego such a special place.

So I want to thank everyone involved for their dedication and volunteerism and continued contributions to our city.

And I'd like to finally thank my colleagues for bringing forward the proclamation for Juneteenth, as we honor the resilience and achievements and enduring contributions of African Americans while reflecting on the significance of freedom and the ongoing pursuit of equality, even to today.

The members of the public who are here today said it better than I could, but I do definitely want to thank in particular the Cooper family for their long-standing recognition of this tradition, well before governments recognized it here in San Diego and across our country.

So I thank them in particular.

Finally, just recognizing this day helps ensure the lessons of the history continuing to inform our efforts to build the inclusive future that I know we all want and are all trying to achieve.

So thank you very much, Council President, and that conclude my second.

All right, uh, thank you, sir.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Campbell, second by Councilmember Campillo to move the proclamations.

And with that, we'll go to Councilmember Whitburn.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh thank you to Council President Pro Tem Lee and Councilmembers Foster Moreno and Ilo Rivera for bringing forward the proclamation, recognizing Juneteenth, 2026 day.

Uh we celebrate the resilience, contributions, and enduring legacy of black Americans here in San Diego and across our country as we honor this important day and reflect on our history.

We also reaffirm our commitment to advancing opportunity and equity and justice for all.

And thank you to Council Members Foster and Ilo Rivera for bringing forward the proclamation honoring Haitian Flag Day.

San Diego's Haitian community is a vital and vibrant part of the fabric of our city.

Today we celebrate not only a flag, but a legacy of resilience and pride and incredible contributions to our shared hope.

I'm pleased to join Council Members Campbell, Campio, and Ilo Rivera in recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month.

It's an opportunity not only to celebrate the Jewish community's contributions to the community, but also to reflect on the importance of protecting religious freedom, diversity, and human dignity.

At a time when anti-Semitism continues to rise, it is important that we stand with our Jewish community and against hatred in all of its forms.

And finally, happy to join Councilmember Campillo and Councilmember Campbell in bringing forward San Diego Scottish Highland Games Day.

It recognizes an organization that has spent more than five decades celebrating Scottish culture and traditions and heritage in our region since its incorporation in 1974.

The San Diego Scottish Highland Games has grown into one of the region's largest cultural festivals, bringing together an average of 17,000 attendees each year.

As we heard earlier from Stephen Lundy, the chieftain of the San Diego Scottish Highland Games, the festival celebrates many aspects of Scottish heritage and tradition.

His one minute uh ran out before he had a chance to finish his remarks, but he did provide the rest of his comments uh to us uh up here.

It goes on to say that quote, for education purposes, we have whiskey tasting for education purposes, I'm sure, uh, where you will learn how the water and the peat flavors the malt barley and how aging in different previously used oak barrels changes the notes and the aerobas of the grade.

So if you're interested in attending for educational purposes, this year's Highland Games will take place on Saturday, June 20th and Sunday, June 21st at Mission Valley River Park.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Whitburn.

Uh, not seeing anybody else.

Oh, Councilmember Elo Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

All right.

Before I speak to some of the specific proclamations, I want to acknowledge why a couple of them are here today rather than last month.

Councilmember Campbell alluded to this as well.

We postponed uh two of these uh proclamations out of respect to make room for uh the community to grieve after the shooting at the Islamic Center.

Uh and um so to our Jewish and Haitian communities, I appreciate your patience, uh grace, and understanding your willingness to wait so we could hold space for another group's pain, uh, reflects the values that we're aiming to honor here today.

And I think that there's um a thread that I see in uh in the Haitian Flag Day Proclamation, Jewish American Heritage Month Proclamation, and Juneteenth proclamation, and that's that liberation's not given through words alone, it's won, and it takes work.

Haitian Flag Day marks the birth of a flag that was stitched together by people who refused to remain in chains.

The people who waged the only successful slave revolution to found a free nation and built the first black republic in the world.

Their freedom was not granted to them.

They took it.

And that same spirit, I'm I'm proud to see it growing here in San Diego and in my district, which is home to a growing Haitian community whose faith, resilience, and contributions are making our city stronger.

I want to say thank you to leaders like Pastor Johnny who carry that legacy forward in our neighborhoods and show so much support for other communities as well.

Uh, Jewish American Heritage Month honors a people, my people, whose own story begins with liberation, and who carried an enduring commitment to repair what's broken in the world.

That part of that heritage is the part that I hold closest and take most pride in, and has demonstrated itself in multiple ways throughout the years.

From Ruth Vader Ginsberg and her long successful fight to expand the promise of equality to women to the Freedom Summer in 1964, where two young Jewish activists, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwarner, were murdered in Mississippi alongside their black colleague James Cheney, for the work of registering black Americans to vote.

They died side by side in the same cause, fighting for liberation and freedom.

And Councilmember Campbell, thank you for uh your comments about making this about Jewish American Heritage Month.

That's what this is about.

Nothing else, no other country, um, Jews here in America and the contributions that have been made.

And finally, um, I'll turn to Juneteenth, which might be the most powerful reminder of all of that notion that liberation's not given through words.

The emancipation proclamation was historic and necessary, but a proclamation is words and words on a page do not break the chains of bondage.

For more than two years after it was signed, people in Texas remained enslaved until troops reached Galveston and did the work of carrying that freedom into the world and enforcing it.

Freedom declared is not the same as freedom delivered.

This is the tension woven into our nation since its founding.

The space between the promises that were written on paper and the freedom that people are actually living, we declare that all people are created equal while millions were held in bondage.

Closing that that gap has been an ongoing effort and has required people willing to do the work.

So with all three of these proclamations, they certainly are a reason to celebrate, but they're also a reason to recommit to the work of freedom.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Council Member Elo Rivera.

We'll go next to Councilmember Moreno.

Thank you.

I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the recipients of proclamations today.

Um I do have comments on item S503, which is Juneteenth, 2026 day.

Um it's an honor to join um council uh member Foster, uh Councilmember Elo Rivera, and Councilmember Lee in recognizing an important moment in our nation's history, and also to reflect on the significance of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth reminds us of the perseverance and resilience of the Black community and also the long struggle to ensure that freedom and equal rights were not only promised but actually made a reality.

We honor those who continue to advocate for justice even after emancipation was declared, recognizing that prom uh progress often requires more than the passage of a law.

One of the lessons Juneteenth teaches us is that policy is not enough.

Meaningful change requires implementation, accountability, and enforcement.

And as public servants, we have a responsibility to ensure that the commitments we make are carried out in a way that delivers real results for the communities that we serve.

I'm proud to recognize Juneteenth and the ongoing contributions of the Black community to our city, to our state, and to our nation.

I did see Estee Mellon here, Women of Color Roar, and the Cooper Family Foundation.

I have been a strong supporter of the Cooper Family Foundation that will be celebrating.

Did you say 50th anniversary?

55-year anniversary, June 20th at Memorial Park in District 8.

I do want to tie it in with our budget that we just passed.

Every single year we all I allocate funding ACCF to Juneteenth celebration because I recognize the importance that that celebration has, not only to the uh to the black community, but also to the district eight community, just in general.

I think if Mr.

Sidney Cooper were to go out and and go out this Saturday, he would just be blown away by community coming together and also by the fact that you guys still give out free lunches to kids.

That is powerful and profound in all the uh family activities that are free and are available to the residents.

So uh tying it back to the budget.

This council did restore ACCF funding, so we will be there one more year.

And thank you guys for what you do.

I know it is a um it is quite quite the event, right?

It's a lot.

So thank you for what you do and um and for what um a lot of folks in this room do, and I'm sorry if I didn't recognize you, but um Cooper family is in D8, so I will always uplift D 8 uh events.

Uh but with that, Council President, I am happy uh to uh support the motion before us today.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Moreno.

We'll go to Council President Pro Tam Lee.

Thank you, Council President, and uh thank you to my colleagues for a number of recognitions today.

Uh starting off with uh Jewish American Heritage Month, I do want to thank my colleagues, uh especially Council Member Ilo Rivera and Council Member Campbell for uh taking a moment to move this recognition given the circumstances of the last month uh and still taking this opportunity to recognize our Jewish American uh community here in San Diego.

Um thank you for the recognition of the Haitian Flag Day as well.

Um, and Council Member Whitburn, you had me at educational.

Thank you for the um that and best wishes as um you put on the San Diego Scottish Highland Games.

Um I'll speak to item S503, and I'm honored to join Councilmembers Foster, Moreno, and Ilo Rivera to proclaim Juneteenth in the city of San Diego and recognize this important moment uh in our nation's history.

Um, we all know the history of why Juneteenth has come to be, and I think what it serves to this day is a reminder of the path to liberation, even when delayed, can be achieved through the enduring power of resistance and resilience.

And the recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021 certainly represented an important acknowledgement of a chapter of American history that has too often been forgotten, not forgotten, but perhaps overlooked.

And I I think we especially need to thank uh now County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Step for helping to bring this forward at that time to ensure that the City of San Diego also recognized Juneteenth as an official holiday.

To the stage, Juneteenth invites us to celebrate the strength, leadership, and countless contributions of black Americans.

It reminds us that history has to be recognized and learned from.

And it's a challenge, I think to this day for us to grapple with the pains of that history and to also make amends, not just as a society as a country, but also in the ways that we can here at the city of San Diego.

So certainly I look forward honoring not only to celebrate Juneteenth with many of you, but to continue using that as an opportunity of the reminding of the continual work when it comes to delivering justice within our communities.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Council President Pro Temley.

We'll go next to Council Member Foster.

Yes, thank you, Council President, and just thank you to my colleagues for all of the proclamations and the recognition.

Jewish American Heritage Month.

Just thank you for bringing this forward.

Again, as you have heard from my colleagues, you know, with the time that we are in, I think we need to do everything we can to uplift and to celebrate one's heritage, culture, and things of the sort.

And thank you to the Jewish American community for all the contributions to the city of San Diego.

Haitian Flag Day.

I'm proud to bring this proclamation forward along with my colleague, Councilmember Sean Ilo Rivera.

But I just want everyone to understand, this is about recognizing a day rooted in freedom, rooted in unity, and the belief that dignity belongs to everyone.

And I must say, I'm a little appalled that we have to hear comments about bringing an item such as Haitian Flag Day to be recognized.

And so I just want to make sure that with the Haitian community, just thank you for everything that you do, your contribution to the city of San Diego, and thank you for continuing to share your culture, to share what unity is, how important it is to unify as a people and to make sure our future generations understand the significance and understand the traditions, the practices of one's culture.

So thank you for that.

Juneteenth, 2026 day.

Thank you to the Cooper family for everything that you do.

There's a reason they're in District 8.

That's where we were allowed to live.

So I want to make sure everyone understands that as we talk about the significance of Juneteenth.

And I'm a young man, and I've said this before on this dais that attended Hampton University.

For five years, every day, every day, I saw the emancipation oak.

Every time I go back to this day, I go to that location.

And I remember my time at Hampton.

I remember what I learned about the importance and the significance of that oak tree.

And here we are today to continue to celebrate.

And for me, this is about resolve.

This is about taking a moment to celebrate black greatness, to celebrate that no matter what has happened to us, no matter what we continue to go through, we can take time out to celebrate us, to look at each other and say, I love you.

Things will get better.

We will make sure things get better, because no one's going to take better care of us than us.

So thank you for those continued efforts.

Thank you for continuing to reflect on the significance of the black community to the success of the city of San Diego.

It's one of the reasons we established the San Diego Black Arts and Culture District.

I truly believe there would be no San Diego if it were not for the contributions of black Americans to the city of San Diego.

So thank you so much.

Let's continue to celebrate, but let's also make sure we have a lot of work to do.

Also, I just have to close with this.

And I'm gonna need just a little more time when that alarm goes off.

The past few months have been very, very difficult.

We have seen hate, and we have seen it consistently.

And one thing that we cannot do, and one thing that we must not do is fall subject to the divisiveness and the hate that is coming from the president of the United States and the White House.

We cannot allow that to happen.

That is not San Diego.

When we talk about progress, the Civil's right, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is under attack.

It is under continued attack.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965.

If you hear what is being said, it is being said, people of color, they do not want us to vote.

We cannot fall subject to this rhetoric and this hate coming to this dais or coming to give comment and to have the audacity to tell a culture that they should not celebrate their flag.

That is wrong.

Doing the Pledge of Allegiance with all of its flaws that the United States of America has.

She has to fight every day to get the resources to get the attention that our young students need to learn how to read and write.

We were told we had no business understanding how to read and write.

To this day, we just went through a six billion dollar budget, and we have to fight to keep libraries open.

Why are we fighting to keep an institution where we learn?

Learn how to read, learn how to write, learn how to prepare our young folks to be successful in this very, very challenging world that we call the United States of America.

And I know we are here to celebrate.

We're going to do a flag raising for Juneteenth.

I'm going to be out at the Cooper Family Foundation.

I invite everyone in the city of San Diego, the county of San Diego.

Come and celebrate Juneteenth.

Come and celebrate Black Independence Day.

Come and understand what it looks like when we love on one another.

When we celebrate family, when we could take all that bad and set it to the side for the day and say, we are good people.

We are a value.

We have contributed to this United States of America.

And I think it's something that we all need to continue to strive.

And I will say this, and I appreciate the proclamations.

But some time has passed where the state of California took some time out to put together the reparations task force.

It was groundbreaking work.

It set the path forward.

But we need to make sure that we not only look at that document, that we don't only sit here and acknowledge days such as Juneteenth or the Haitian Flag Day.

We need to do more.

And again, we need to fight hate.

Hate has no place, no place in the city of San Diego.

And no one should feel that they are unsafe based on the color of their skin, their religious beliefs, and who they are.

But we must be respectful.

We can agree to disagree, but we must be respectful.

And so with that, Council President, that will conclude my comments.

Again, thank you for everyone to the public for coming out.

Let's make sure we take some time out to celebrate all these significant proclamations.

And let's be the best San Diego that we can be.

Let's not fight each other.

Let's embrace our diversity.

Let's embrace our culture.

We truly want this to be the greatest city.

We must do better.

We must, must do better.

And we must open our arms, and we must receive our brothers and sisters, and we must celebrate each other.

And we must uplift and support each other.

So thank you, Council President.

I will conclude there.

All right.

Thank you, sir.

You asked for more time, I gave you three minutes.

Used it very, very well.

Um I'll wrap things up.

Uh thank you my colleagues for bringing forth these proclamations that celebrate who we are as San Diegans and the diversity that makes our city special.

Uh, and to those of you who showed up for the first time, perhaps the only time, uh, and spoke from the heart about a proclamation that meant something to you, whether it's your nationality, your belief, your cultural heritage.

Thank you for taking the time to come out and share your thoughts, your feelings with us this morning.

So, with that, we have a motion by Councilmember Campbell and a second by Councilmember Campillo to move the proclamations.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you, Council President.

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

And that passes unanimously, seven to zero with Council Member Marnie von Welper and Councilmember Campbell absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

With that, we will now pause for photos and we will start with S503, Juneteenth, 2026 day.

All right.

That's a friendly real minder to our colleagues.

We're going to go to do the consent items.

Some of the items require six votes.

I'm not telling you how to vote, but we need to hold there's only six of us left.

So if there's any no pressure, but we do we need to have at least six votes, six individuals here with the possibility of the votes.

Not telling you how to vote.

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

Are there any requests to pull an item?

Yes, there are.

There is.

If we could get a presentation on item S 501, the proposed fiscal year 27 recenter fund budget, opportunity fund budget, and 2025 come play outside report, please.

Okay, so we'll do the consent items and then we'll have her hear that item next.

On the remainder of the consent items.

Thank you, Council President.

If I can have Jacob Lewis Edwards, please come up to the front.

After that, we have Maximilian Schmidt, allegedly Audra, and then Anthony Dang, Joyce Sanyata, Claudia Rodriguez, Jocelyn Estrada, and Sherry Jones.

If you can all please come forward to the front row, that would really facilitate meeting management.

Now you're speaking on three items, Jacob.

So you'll have three minutes 5100 and 101.

Please proceed.

Thank you very much.

I'd like to start by thanking uh council uh woman can Campbell for her comments about the anti-Semitic uh rhetoric in chambers that uh free speech is important, and we have the right to speak out against such rhetoric, and thank you to her for that.

And thank you for uh council fosters uh uh comments.

He couldn't have said it uh any better.

That was uh that was amazing how he put that.

Um now I'm gonna speak upon the consent agenda items.

All these agenda items we go over are very important.

However, I think that we could put agenda items forth that confront some serious stuff.

It was years ago.

My mom's brother Danny Torres' position at the Department of Homeland Security was hijacked by the Italian mafia.

That led to them hijacking our federal government and agencies.

I was encouraging the Costa Nostra over a year ago, please hand the keys back.

This could be your demise as well.

That a foreign country or adversary could capitalize on this, and that was what was transpiring the entire time.

Chinese espionage was on it from the jump.

Um what's going on now?

What it's led to is genocide, the Federal Reserve families owe China a lot of money to settle their debt, they cut a deal with China that they can't take our government and our country over.

And upon that agreement to eliminate profiles of folks, the Chinese do not want the best of the best of our country.

So their best of the best can swoop in.

It's completely unacceptable.

We stand up for ourselves, we stand up for each other, and we stand up for our country.

I want you to check out the YouTube clip that's posted under Jacob Edwards speaks.

What has transpired since the deal that the Federal Reserve families cut with the Chinese?

It's completely unacceptable in this country.

I think the Costa Nostra would even agree, and I uh I think I still encourage them to step back, fight with us, and let's all work together.

Let's work together that the Chinese should not overthrow our government, take our country over.

Genocide is completely unacceptable in this country.

We stand against it.

That everybody needs to work together.

Fight for ourselves, fight for each other, and fight for our country.

I say God bless San Diego and God bless the United States of America.

I'm supposed to speak it public comment, but I'm gonna refrain.

And you all have a Maximilian Schmidt.

You're speaking on items 100, 106, and 107.

Hi, um, I researched the approval of the fiscal year 27 San Diego Tourism Marketing District report of activities, and 56 million dollars of our tax dollars are being used to try to encourage support, develop tourism in San Diego.

And I just wanted to say that nowhere do they support maybe um Christian tourism because I know San Diego has a long history of Catholic missions and um beautiful Christian churches all across San Diego, and I thought if you maybe if we're going to have a Jewish heritage month and a Haitian flag day and Juneteenth, maybe we could do something for Christianity.

Instead, everyone talks about hate speech, and the and the truth is they're trying to tie the word Christian into the word hate speech by calling us white Christian nationalist, and I'm supposed to be, and they're gonna probably call me a nationalist just because I said I don't support Haitian Flag Day because it's the most corrupt country in the entire Western hemisphere, thus has the poorest uh people's population in the Western hemisphere, and then we have a whole day commemorated, they said for thousands and thousands of years.

Let us commemorate the Haitian flag on this special day, and it's also I'm sorry, uh it's a communist government too, and I feel like there's communist elements to uh San Diego's um to San Diego too.

For example, uh neurolinguistic programming has become a problem, and I hate to say that, but it's true.

On the San Diego trolley, every time the trolley makes an announcement and uses neurolinguistic programming to try to read my mind and uh make me nervous.

It does that because someone who did pagan rituals and became telepathic is actually controlling the trolley.

They'll even slam on the brakes or accelerate in conjunction with my movements, and they can do that because the third eye is real.

It's called camping on someone's consciousness, they can literally access your consciousness, and the trolley driver can drive the car, and it's called sensitization.

He can slow it down and speed it up with my movements, and then the trolley intercom.

So I'm just saying $56 million that we're spending on tourism.

Meanwhile, we've got the roots of communism are starting to grow out of um San Diego from everything from public transit to walking down the street and buildings making bizarre high-pitched noises sink to your actions.

So $56 million is hard-earned money from that you're taking from property tax and cannabis tax from the people of San Diego, and you're taking that $56 million and you're trying to say we want to increase tourism, almost no transparency to the report.

Meanwhile, there's communism going on in San Diego.

Next is allegedly Aja, you're speaking on several items 5100, 102, 105, 108, 109, 110, and S501.

You'll have three minutes, please proceed.

Yeah, I find it interesting that talking about pedophilia is considered anti-Semitic.

And hate speech.

And being a victim of a pedophile for nine years, that's like me talking about it is hate speech against Bert Dickerson who did that to me.

Um it's like not a problem that those things happen because those are very true.

What I spoke about, they do oral suction on babies who have been circumcised, and to have sex with a child, a little girl who is three years old and one day is they can give consent.

And so it's like hateful for me to say those things.

Yes, I hate pedophilia.

I do, as a victim, because it continues, and there is no justice because of things like this being buried and it being considered hate speech that I talk about it.

Um, Jewish Americans go to Israel because it's a sanctuary for pedophilia, and there's so much pedophilia that has been exposed, but it's like acceptable.

Everybody accepts it.

And it's like for people who have children, that is so concerning to me, that you would say it's hateful for me to talk about that when I think we should to protect your children from things like that happening.

It happened to me in a daycare.

I was taken to this house every day where this man would abuse me.

And I called him on the phone at the police station when I was 12 years old and got him to admit it.

And nothing happened because the judge said that if I said he said, what do you think should happen?

I said, you know what?

I think he should go to jail for a year.

That sounded like a really long time as a 12-year-old.

And he said that he would be worse off if he went to jail.

Yeah, he'd probably be dead.

Good.

Then he won't abuse any more children like he continues to do for the last 30 something years.

Because of shit like this.

And for those of you have children, shame on you for calling that hate speech.

Because I feel like that is hate speech to victims who are going, why is this acceptable?

Why can people stand in a crowd of people and watch a man suck a little boy's penis and clap and celebrate it?

Our world runs off of this kind of evil.

And that is why we are supposed to reprove it, not go into it and accept it and like brush it under the rug.

Oh, well, we have children, and we just basically play Russian roulette with them.

And these people run rampant because of this.

Your time is concluded.

Anthony Dang.

You're speaking on item 100.

You'll have one minute, please proceed.

Thank you.

Good morning.

My name is Anthony Ding.

I'm a climate action campaign where we're building an affordable 100% clean and reliable energy future.

San Diegans already pay the highest electricity rates in the nation of 45 cents per kilowatt hour, which is more than two times the national average, with a typical monthly bill of over 300 for a single family home.

Rating squeezed by the affordability crisis at every corner.

STG needs to follow a general rate case request yesterday afternoon, requesting 3.8 billion starting in 2028.

If approved, this would add an extra 22.48 cents per month on the average family's gas and electric bill.

That is almost an additional 270 dollars a year.

Every San Diegan family would be handing over to S D G E.

That's exactly, excuse me, that's exactly why today's energy affordability and accountability resolution matters.

If you can please come forward, you'll have three minutes to speak on 100-104-103-105-107 and S502.

Please proceed.

Thank you for the dignity of listening.

That was very beautiful.

Very beautiful.

Okay, I have a bunch of them, and they're not gonna be in order.

Sorry about that.

Most of them are.

So on 100.

Well, this is exciting.

10 bills addressing utility affordability.

I mean, is this a happy moment or what?

And for uh Dr.

Campbell, because she spoke of the CPU C and affordability on the rates, it's changing, folks.

There's an article in the UT on that.

I forgot to bring it and read it, but there's changes happening in the CPU C, which is gonna really help affordability on rates.

104, the labor agreement with MEA, MEA union, the good faith negotiation process.

I love those words.

So a big thank you for the excellent leadership of my Michael Zuquette and the rest of his team.

Uh they're absolutely important, and what they do is so it just helps all of us.

So along with that labor item, there's 103 and S505, which is Deputy City Attorneys and the AFSCME.

It's a long wording there.

I want to say to everybody, the unions, I love you, we need you.

You're just a part of our the fabric of our city.

You're a powerful force.

So now that your process is coming to a close, we need you to jump on board in another way.

You need to help us with our budget in all other areas.

We really need your help to help us figure it out with our priorities and where we're heading with that.

Okay.

Thank you, thank you, and love you for that extra help.

On 107, the TMD.

The last time they presented to us and they talked about storytelling.

Uh I just loved it.

I couldn't believe that the TMB uses storytelling for their marketing tool.

So uh I really like the TMD.

We're a tourist community, and we really rely on them.

So I thank them very much.

And then on S502, a big yes uh to the CPPS funding for C D 4.

Uh, that's an underserved community.

We are doing better.

Hey folks, this is life right here, and isn't it beautiful?

And we're doing it together, and I am so honored to be here with you celebrating the miracle that life itself is love to all.

Claudia Rodriguez.

Um I can't read the last.

Uh you'll have one minute, please proceed.

Thank you.

Uh, good morning, honorable council members.

Uh, my name's Claudia Rodriguez Bazunski, and I'm a resident and small business owner in Barrio Logan in District 8.

Whoo!

Um I run Zoloca, a sustainable fashion studio on Logan Avenue where we teach sewing, celebrate local culture, and create handmade garments that tell stories of our community.

Visitors to San Diego find their way to our businesses like ours, and when they do, it matters.

Currently, I'm currently part of the 2026 cohort for the San Diego Tourism Accelerated Program, which gives us real tools to grow and connect with our wider audience.

This program exists because of TMD funding allocated to the tourism authority.

I urge the city to approve the TMD's uh proposed budget.

It supports not just the big hotels but small business communities, rooted businesses that make San Diego worth visiting.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jocelyn Estrada.

Hello, good morning, honorable councilman.

My name is Jacsen Estrada, and I'm a resident and business owner in District 4.

I own a custom cake and dessert business called Vizcarras Macaron Sandwich.

And investments in attracting visitors to San Diego directly benefit local businesses like mine.

Not only do we benefit from the visitors who come and spend money, we also feel supported by the tourism industry itself.

We're currently a part of the San Diego Tourism Authority Accelerator Program, and that program, among other efforts, is made possible because of the tourism marketing district funds that are allotted to San Diego Tourism Authority.

So I hope that the city approves a TMD's proposed budget to keep bringing visitors to San Diego and supporting our local small businesses like myself.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning, Council members.

My name is Shri Jones, and I'm a resident and business owner in District 4.

I'm Nicole, co-founder of Black San Diego, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting residents and visitors with the black with black owned businesses, cultural events, and community experiences throughout San Diego County.

Over the past decade, Black San Diego has grown into a platform that reaches nearly 50,000 community members and visitors while keep helping to spotlight more than 600 black owned businesses throughout our region.

We are currently participating in the San Diego Tourism Authority Accelerator Program, which is helping us better understand how to connect visitors with rich cultural experiences, small businesses, and unique communities and make San Diego such a special destination.

Investments into attracting visitors will benefit local businesses and organizations like the ones we support.

When visitors come to our city, they spend money at local restaurants, shops, hotels, attractions, and events.

We appreciate the city and continuing partnership with San Diego Tourism and hope that you thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude public comment here in Council Chambers.

Started the five-minute timer.

Going to those participating remotely, starting with Blair Beekman, if you can please unmute.

All right.

Blair Beekman.

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

Yeah, I have several.

50, 100, 102, 103, 104, 105, 107, I think, and then S500.

Thank you.

You'll have three minutes, please proceed.

Yeah, thank you.

Going to the first item, uh item 100, Senate Bill supporting uh addressing utility affordability and accountability.

I'm hopeful this item um in all its good that it's doing can well address uh the future of community energy, and that even though uh we've had recent conversations, community energy is still about 10 years away of really functioning well in San Diego.

Can we start making the steps now and just make that a regular conversation in our energy uh dialogue?

I hope we can do that.

Uh you'll feel we'll all feel better, I think, by doing that.

Um to go on to item 102.

Um San Diego County detention facilities.

This was an item brought to committee a few weeks ago.

Uh Council Person Whitburn actually uh asked some pretty nice questions about the item.

I hope that's being better addressed.

Um, we there is uh a significant number of deaths happening in our county uh detention facilities each year.

What are we doing to address that?

Um it has to be worked on.

Santa Clara has been having similar problems.

Um, can we put our two minds together to work on these things?

We should be able to come up with solutions and uh good luck how we can.

Uh, going on to items 103 through 104, these are tentative agreements with employee associations.

Um, I've said previously it may be too late now.

I hope you can still consider the idea that um you can actually take some uh very small pay cut, whatever small pay cut you take as as employees of the city and as city council persons, it just is that concept of building trust with the community and uh good faith efforts.

And I hope you guys want to consider life in those terms.

And I think it would open up uh better ways to look and view the budget issues.

Um so I hope I hope that's a consideration.

Um, believe it or not, Oakland.

Uh, they're having trouble with their employee issues, uh, more than San Diego.

So they're not absolutely perfect in how they work.

Good luck and help uh in creating uh compromise with Oakland issues as well.

Uh 105 uh oh uh about uh I learned in Oakland overtime issues.

If we offer uh Department of Transportation to work on traffic citation issues, that can greatly reduce the amount of effort that's put in by the police department currently in Oakland, anyway, on traffic citation things.

They put in a large percentage of overtime on that.

Good luck how you can work on that uh if it's in a different department of transportation, if that can help with overtime issues.

And to conclude, um, the issue about uh council person von Wilpert is missing a lot of council meetings like today also, and it's becoming a bit purple.

Uh I really missed her voice and Sean Elero's voice at the time of the shooting issues.

I I need their voices, and good luck how you can appear more often.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is two four or four four six one, phone number ending in four four six one.

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

By uh for item 107.

You'll have one minute.

Please proceed.

Hi, yeah, I'm a proud resident of San Diego.

My name is David, and I wanted to add my support to the approval of this year's uh work with the TMB.

Um, the TMD is the sole source of funding to market San Diego and keep us as the top choice for travelers when they decide where they want to spend their vacations.

Also for events, the TMD provides all of the important marketing funds to help drive hotel room nights.

Um, so since San Diego benefits from the TMD investment through the TOT, the stronger tourism is, the stronger San Diego is.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next uh is Mark Neville.

If you can please unmute Mark Neville.

Thank you.

And this is for uh item 107.

Thank you.

Please proceed.

Good morning, honorable council members.

Uh my name is Mark Neville.

I'm the CEO of Sports San Diego, the nonprofit group charged with recruiting, supporting, and hosting tourism driving sports events to our community.

On behalf of our board of directors, I respectfully urge your approval of the fiscal year 2027 TMD report of activities and the authorization of related expenditures.

As a nonprofit organization with no other city funding mechanism, TMD support is essential to everything we do.

It is what made possible this week's NASCAR San Diego weekend, and what brought Manchester United, the New Zealand All Blacks, and scores of other world-class tourism driving events to our destination.

It is also what sustains beloved annual traditions like the holiday bowl and the RADE children's invitational.

These events don't just build hotel rooms, they support jobs, create tax revenues, and fuel small businesses, restaurants, local attractions, and our broader economy.

We sincerely hope the council will vote favorably.

Thank you for that concluding sentence.

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

And 50 502.

Please proceed to have two minutes.

I'm sorry, I'm burning something on the stove.

I'm gonna have to come back.

Apologize.

Okay, well, you are a final speaker, but you can always send in comments.

That does conclude public comment on the consent agenda.

Alright, I hope Miss Lameth is okay.

Um so with that, I'll turn it over to my colleagues for any uh questions, comments, and entertain a motion.

And not there we go.

Council member Ilo Avera will start off with you.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, I will start by moving approval of the consent agenda.

Um, and just uh thank you for your partnership um on our uh resolution.

Um, I'll keep it short since we're running long.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, sir.

So we have a motion by Council Member Elo Rivera to move the consent items uh except for S 501, which will be heard next.

And I'll go ahead and I guess second the motion uh to move the consent items.

Um just a couple of uh comments on my part.

Uh I want to thank you, Council Member Elo Vera for bringing the resolution on item uh number 100.

Uh the city's support of these bills and our collective advocacies with our nonprofit partners, including climate action campaign.

Make sure that we have a stronger voice in Sacramento.

Uh we are furthering the conversation around utility affordability and lowering the bill for San Diegans.

Uh, then item uh 102.

Um, I've always had a question in the back of my mind about Prop 172 and why we have to spend our dollars given how much uh the county gets for public safety based on the old Prop 172, but I'll leave that for another day.

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

Uh we have a motion by council member Ilo Rivera.

We have a second by myself to move the consent items, except for S501.

Clerk, please call the vote.

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

And that passes unanimously seven to zero with council member Von Wilbert and Councilmember Campbell absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you for that.

And congratulations to our three REOs.

We got those MOUs done.

Uh and with that, we'll invite staff to come up and make a presentation on S501.

But first, let me have the city clerk introduce that item.

Thank you, Council President.

Item S 501 was pulled from the consent agenda, and it is the proposed fiscal year 2027 Recreation Center fund budgets, opportunity fund budgets, and 2025 complaint outside report.

Thank you, Council President.

If you'd like to speak on this item, please raise your hand or submit a speaker slip now.

All right.

With that, please introduce yourselves for the record and let us know how much time you need.

Thank you.

My name is Sarah Irazzo.

I'm the deputy director with the Parks and Recreation Department.

With me today is Salome Martinez, our program equity manager, and we will need eight minutes, please.

All right, when you're ready.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Today we're here to present the proposed fiscal year 2027 Recreation Center Fund budgets as well as the opportunity fund budget and an overview of the 2025 Come Play Outside Report.

The department has 62 recreation center funds, one for each recreation center, in addition to one for the therapeutic recreation services program and our age well services program.

We also establish an opportunity fund in 2022 through Council Policy 700-48.

Recreation center funds are special revenue funds.

They're designated to enhance program offerings across the communities, as well as community events and minor maintenance projects.

They supplement basic recreation services offered through the general fund.

They are developed each year in the fall by department site supervisors with input from community recreation groups or in the absence of a community recreation group.

They provide they seek input from the public attending their facilities either through programs passing by or through community events.

The proposed fiscal year 2027 budget has a range varying from 23,000 up to a high of just under one million, with our average at 154,000.

These variations occur based on the amount of activity occurring at a recreation center, the size and the amount of space they have available to permit and/or program, as well as the number of parks and facilities in the community in which they are permitting.

Budget revenue generates from program registration fees, either through cost recoverable contract services or through minor fees charged for staff-led programs, in addition to the permit fees that I mentioned earlier.

In addition, they receive contributions through the opportunity fund on an annual basis and may do fundraising through community events.

Expenses go directly towards recreation programming, as I mentioned, contract service providers, jerseys, trophies, equipment, supplies, mats, et cetera, special events, they go towards vendors, supplies, equipment, and again those minor maintenance projects such as gym floor resurfacing, field maintenance, renovation, etc.

This year we are anticipating having an ending balance in fiscal year 26 of just over 9.7 million dollars.

We project revenue in fiscal year 27 of just over 5.4 million dollars.

This year we did identify 555,000 in opportunity funds to allocate, which is a 38% increase from last year.

And we are proposing to expend just over 9.5 million dollars collectively across all recreation center funds.

This slide shows a glimpse of how recreation center funds have bounced back from the pandemic.

You'll see on the far left, that was our pandemic year in which we didn't spend or generate much funding, and we are currently at a point where we have exceeded our pre-pandemic revenue and expenditure thresholds.

The opportunity fund allocation process, as I mentioned earlier, the fiscal year 2027 available funds for allocations $555,000.

That's a 38% increase from FY26 and is a direct result of the fee increases that took place in April of 2025.

In addition to the donations from the Carmel Valley Recreation Center Fund of 25,000 and the Canyonside Recreation Center Fund of 10,000.

The opportunity fund, as I mentioned, is governed through Council Policy 700-48.

Each year, the department nominates six department staff to form a committee, and this year we added our San Diego Parks Foundation co-chair to participate in this process.

They review the policy, the budgets, the proposal, the methodology, historical recommendations from the council, and they analyze through a scoring matrix, a scoring system based on the available funds of each recreation center, the proposed budgets, the proximity of that recreation center to a community of concern, whether it being directly in a community of concern or servicing a community of concern.

And if there's an aquatic facility in the area that also shares within those recreation center funds.

In addition per recommendation from Council District 9, we also require that recreation center funds requesting a fund from an allocation from the opportunity fund spend their budget down about down to $5,000 because that allows for the opportunity fund to spread to more facilities and or provide a larger budget.

This year, the opportunity fund committee was able to identify 14 sites eligible for allocation with a target of providing each of them a budget of 85,000.

This is an increase from last year, where you'll see we were able to allocate 11 sites a budget of $65,000, and the year prior, 10 sites, a budget of $50,000, and our inaugural year, six sites received $84,000.

So in total, since the opportunity fund was established, 15 sites that would be including this upcoming fiscal year will have benefited from the opportunity funds receiving over 1.7 million dollars.

I will add the department has taken a multi-prong approach to establishing funding sources for sites in underserved communities, whether that be through the opportunity fund, through grants, and through our philanthropic partners.

And Salome will talk more to that shortly on the Come Play Outside funding that helps support programs across the city.

Here are the 14 sites that are proposed to receive opportunity funding.

Azalea, Stockton, Caesar Solis, Penn Athletic, Willie Henderson, Kalina Del Sol, Parc de la Cruz, Skyline Hills, Mountain View, Bay Terraces, Choyus Lake, City Heights, South Crest, and Encanto.

The slide will show you their opportunity fund score.

The higher their score, the higher their financial need.

And again, those other factors, whether they are residing in a community of concern and if they have an aquatic facility, those also boost points.

And you'll see that budget baseline of $85,000.

There are some sites here that are anticipated to receive HUD funding this fiscal year.

The committee still felt that it was important to continue providing these opportunity fund allocations to those sites in the event that the HUD funding is pulled for any reason.

And with that, these are the actions that we are requesting of the council this year.

And I will hand it over to Salome to go over the Come Play Outside report, and then we'll take any questions you may have.

Thank you.

So this year I'm just going over a quick summary of the Come Play Outside program that we offered in 2025 and our accomplishments.

This program began began as a part of the mayor for Todd Mayor Todd Gloria's Summer for All of Us initiative.

This program targets a youth in historically underserved communities and aims to provide equitable access to a variety of recreational activities and events for all to attend.

Since the inception of the program, we're proud to announce that we've reached over 208,000 youth adults and seniors.

Programming participation and funding has fluctuated as seen on the table below.

And that's just due to the changes in programming that's being offered or the funding available year after year to be able to have those programs.

This year we had less level up camps and less deep sea fishing trips, which resulted in lower participation.

But overall, we did see an increase in funding from contributors in 2025 programming, and our goal every year is to increase participation and funding as much as possible.

I'll just ask for an additional three minutes.

Thank you.

The Come Play Outside program and events are supported through a combination of city funding, grants, and donations.

We appreciate all funders that help support this program, including the San Diego Parks Foundation, the County of San Diego Feeding San Diego, San Diego Foundation, our own local San Diego PD, Prevent Drowning Foundation, and the CEK Foundation.

In 2025, more than 2.1 million in contributions were utilized to support the Complay Outside programs, and this was across all of our historically underserved communities.

Since the inception, the department has received over 9.5 million in total contributions.

The next slides here will just go over a brief summary of what those programs look like and the attendance participation.

So far, we've expanded the programs in 2025 to 36 recreation centers and four aquatic facilities during the months of May through September, which are peak summer months, with the target investment in council districts four, eight, and nine, but we did expand to council districts three and seven as well.

The primary focus for the programming was based on documented gaps and access to recreational enrichment opportunities, and our staff actually works alongside the site supervisors to determine where the need is to enhance their programs as needed.

So overall, we've reached over 54,476 participants through 1,418 programs that were offered total.

So here you'll see, and I won't go over all of these, but you'll just see an overview of all the programs that were offered.

So kudos to all our staff that work day in and day out over the summer to put on these programs.

But you'll see high level, this is over the last five years, the attendance and participation numbers for our day camps, our specialty camps, nature camps, teenights, and left to right, you'll see the numbers from 2021 to 2022 25, and how the program has grown.

As mentioned, we see some of the fluctuation in the amount of specialty camps, specialty camps are these are the gymnastics, the karate, the STEM, the drone programs that you'll see that are being offered out in your communities.

And we saw a reduction in the level out camps, which dropped the participation.

Nature camps are offered by the staff.

This program rotates around year after year to different communities to be able to offer every community the opportunity for nature camp-based programming and field trips.

The T Night programs are always really great thanks to the staff.

They work diligently to coordinate all of the activities for youth ages 13 to 17.

Overall, really great program in partnership with the San Diego PD, where free food is offered activities, games, sports, and field trips, and we were able to increase numbers in our team participation from 3,500 last year to a little over 4,200 this year.

In addition, you'll see our Parks After Dark program that just kicked off this summer as well.

Again, another very successful program that we are offering at five locations.

This is every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from five to eight.

Total of 99 events that were offered last year with three thousand uh over 36,000 participants.

We did go from eight weeks to seven weeks only because we had to adapt the program with the school schedule that got out earlier and ended later.

But overall, a very great successful event.

If you haven't been out, we encourage you to come out.

Free meals for the kids, community resources, and all kinds of youth activities and entertainment as well.

We saw an increase in aquatic programs with our free learn to swim program and free swimming that was offered at a park after dark locations, which is City Heights Memorial.

We have our beloved movie in the parks events that also kicked off this summer with a lot of great events that are being enhanced by the San Diego Parks Foundation as well, so we appreciate their contributions.

And although I did say that we did see a reduction in deep sea fishing trips, we did identify other funding to be able to bring back those programs this year as well.

With that said, that's just a brief overview.

We invite you to read the full report to see all the great details of the programs that we've offered.

But our commitment to provide equitable access to enjoyable and fulfillment recreation opportunities for all residents will continue.

Our efforts include expanding programming opportunities and types of programs, reassessing community needs through feedback, seeking uh additional funding resources and grants.

Um, our community recreation needs assessment should be coming out in the next month or two, and we'll take the recommendations and the results from that assessment and be able to put those into action moving forward in this next year, including how to allocate those fundings moving forward.

So, with that, um, that's the end of my presentation, and we open it up to any questions that you may have.

Thank you.

All right, thank you for the presentation.

Uh clerk, please proceed with public comment.

I do not see any speaker slips here and council chambers.

Do you want to?

Okay, come to the microphone.

I think it was in the consent.

Yeah, another paper because it was in.

We'll get it from you.

We'll get it.

We need another one since it was pulled from consent.

Yeah, one minute, please.

One minute.

So I'd like to know because uh there's these camps and children are um you know engaging in different things here.

I would like to know what you guys are doing to ensure that you're not hiring pedophiles because not all pedophiles are are labeled as sex offenders at this point because they have not been convicted, and they walk around in suits and look like everyday people, and they go where children are.

And so, I mean, in schools, they're hiring instructional aides down in San Yasidro and hiding that from the parents.

And there's children, it's like happening during nap time, and uh because it's being hidden.

There's children who are scared to take naps, but yet there's no other victims.

So I just would like to know what checks and balances you guys are doing, uh, to make sure that you're not putting children in danger.

Again, I was at a daycare, and it was the woman's son, that does include public comment here in council chambers going to those participating remotely.

Blair Beekman, you'll have one minute to speak to item S501.

Hi, thank you.

Uh Blair Beekman.

Uh, thanks for the words of DRA.

Um, she's described her life a lot recently uh on previous items.

Uh thank you for those efforts and what we can be doing to address um the issue she's talking about.

Um for this item, um I um interested.

Uh it was originally a committee a few weeks ago, it's now here.

Within this past month, I guess.

It's now here.

Um, I'm interested in the rec center portion and the funding ideas.

Um, I've talked a lot about you know, I think there's been some really heavy conversations going about on about the future of biometric tech in our rec centers, but it's been a quiet conversation.

Um, how is that conversation going?

And I just wanted to remind you does that be a part of these funding questions?

Um, and how can we be more clear that we can talk openly about biometric tech and it shouldn't be a fearful subject?

It's a matter of fact part of our everyday lives now.

We have to be more open and clear.

Uh, good luck how you can be.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude your time, and that concludes public comment on this item.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh, so with that, we'll turn it back to our council colleagues for questions, comments, or and entertain a motion, and we will start with council member Moreno.

Thank you, and thank you for the presentation.

Um, I want to start off by saying uh that park and rec is one of my most favorite departments, um, and also by saying um that we very much uh associate with the park and rec uh and all their activities.

We were just at parks after dark on Friday.

Uh, we got there an hour late, and my daughter didn't get to get a hand uh uh what is it called uh wristband because they were all out, which she was sad, but this is exactly what we want, right?

Kids engaged and climbing walls, so kudos to that.

Um can you quickly explain what the opportunity fund is and why it was created?

Yes, thank you for the question.

The opportunity fund is a special revenue fund that collects revenue via permit fees, and it was created to help expand equitable programming and access in our underserved communities.

Thank you.

Um, and how does the money get allocated?

Excuse me.

Each year the department nominates a committee of department staff.

They're nominated via their division uh deputy directors.

This year we had six department staff comprising of uh various analysts through the department, an area manager, district manager, park ranger, and we also invited our San Diego Parks Foundation co-chair to join the process this year.

Got you.

So this was the director or the deputy director who got to choose the opportunity fund committee?

The deputy directors nominated staff from their division.

And who ultimately chose?

Somebody somebody was nominated, so who chose the nominees?

The deputy directors and ultimately our program equity manager approved the slate.

Okay, approved the slate.

Um I'm very disappointed to see that in the list of 15 parks and rec centers that are to receive opportunity funds, only Caesar Solis and South Crest Park in District 8 are receiving funds this year.

Um in District 9, five parks are receiving a total of 243,000 this fiscal year.

Last year, four parks in D and D9 received 160.

Uh in District 4, seven parks uh were allocated a total of 242,000.

Uh last year they received about 157,000.

Um, how much opportunity funds did District 8 receive this year?

Do you want to answer that?

Sorry.

55,000 for Caesar Solis and $13,929 for South Crest.

I'll do the math right here.

$55,000 for Caesar Solis and how much?

$55,814 and $13,929.

I'll put $13,000 since I didn't get that.

So roughly around $70 something thousand dollars.

Does that sound equitable to you when district eight received about $75,000 compared to the 250,000 that D9 and D4 received this year?

And let me point to you that last year, District 8 only received 49,000 in opportunity funds, while D9 received 160, and D4 received 157.

So I ask you again, does that sound equitable to you?

Yeah, I appreciate your concern in bringing that to our attention.

The committee focuses on the scoring matrix and again sites that have higher revenue fund balances.

I'm sorry, recreation center fund balances have more funding available to put towards programming.

So when they set a baseline of $85,000 as a budget for a recreation center fund, those were the sites that had a fund balance less than $84,000, $85,000, excuse me.

So per se it was not a council district focused decision, it was based on the available funding they had.

Got you.

All of these are communities of concern that we're talking about, and they're not being treated equitable, and that's why I'm bringing this up.

It's not fair that my communities continue to be left behind yet again when there are programs such as the opportunity fund to help get equity back at park and rec.

So you're saying that the reason that district eight did not receive funds is because it's fund balance in each park and rec was not expended.

Why are these parks in district eight not spending their funding?

Yeah, that's a great question.

As I mentioned earlier, we have multiple funding sources that are supporting the expansion of equitable programming across our underserved communities, and that includes the 2.1 million we just discussed in come play outside funding, which uh about 1.8 million came from the San Diego Parks Foundation.

And so we've seen a growth in our fund balances across a lot of the underserved communities because the San Diego Parks Foundation has begun to contribute and pour so much funding into supporting a lot of the primary programming that's going on at these facilities.

So because Parks After Dark was at Silverwing, they did not receive funding.

That's what you're telling me.

They do have grant funding source as well as funding from the San Diego Parks Foundation that helps support their programs such as their day camps, their nature camps, as well as their um enhanced programs and services that are being offered as well.

I also heard you said say that there's fund balances that are not being expended, which to me was absolutely shocking.

That was extremely shocking.

Montgomery Waller, also known as Lucky Waller, has been requesting a scoreboard for their baseball field.

Lucky Waller has a very long history.

It was the first baseball league in the South Bay.

They contacted my office, and there's an invoice of $34,000 that they sent to me regarding their scoreboard.

Montgomery Waller has a total of $302,000.

And once again, I ask why was this funding not expended?

Memorial at Memorial Park, the San Diego American Memorial Little League can't play baseball because their field isn't leveled and bleachers and dugouts don't have covers, and yet I'm being told that they're not these park and recs are not expending their funds.

So that to me is just mind-boggling.

Um I hear you when you say that there are other funds that are being received in these park and rec facilities, but I don't think that should be a deterrent for spending opportunity funds in this community, in the in my community, for instance.

Um oftentimes we have been left behind for many years and many administrations, and it's gonna take a lot, it's gonna take more funding, and it's gonna take more focus and more money.

And I've shared with my colleagues that it's gonna take more money for us to get back on the same track to have programming as other communities as other park and rec communities.

Um did you guys know about the Little League?

Um Montgomery Waller requesting a um a scoreboard at the tune of $34,000 and with a $300,000 budget, why was that not spent out?

Um I unfortunately just learned of that in the recent weeks, and we prepared these budgets several months ago.

So this is definitely something we can consider for use of the Montgomery Waller funds to support that scoreboard.

I just think that the way the process, the way that this is being handled is not equitable.

Um I haven't gotten a good explanation as to why opportunity funds are being expended at such a I don't I I can't do math as fast as as I could speak, and the percentage that district eight is receiving in in opportunity funds is just I would be doing a disservice to my constituents if I didn't stand up and say, I'm not gonna vote for this.

This is absolutely not equitable.

This is not what the intention was for these opportunity funds, and I would call to question the committee that is being formed and how they're choosing.

Oftentimes, I understand this is the process, but I will tell you on the record, this process is absolutely flawed, especially when a council member knows more about what the community, what the park and rec needs than what the director needs.

That to me is just it's shocking.

Um my residents would greatly appreciate further funding allocations, uh, to their park and recs and district eight.

Uh so residents in my community are able to enjoy more quality programming in parks near their neighborhoods.

We don't want to drive past the 94.

We don't we don't to go and have a movie, you know, to go have any type of programming, to have oil painting or whatever the case is.

Um I strongly disagree with the decision that has been presented because district eight deserves way more than what the city of San Diego is giving it with the opportunity funds, and I would urge my colleagues to send this back to staff and to fix this so it's a more equitable.

It's more equitable the district eight.

So thank you.

Uh Councilman Moreno, before you wrap your comments, uh Andy Fields on the line.

You might want to hear his comments and then respond.

Thank you, Council President, and thank you, Councilman Moreno, for your very important comments.

Yes, our department is aware of the issues that you've described, both at Memorial and at Lucky Waller.

We've been working with the Memorial Little League, in fact, on that very scoreboard.

The main problem with the scoreboard is that the scoreboard itself lacks a ability to use your cell phone to activate it.

So one of the things working with the Little League on is how we can get that corrected.

We don't know if it's a full-on replacement of the entire scoreboard, but we're in the process of determining that now.

And that's where we think some of the fund balance that's available with Memorial will be very helpful to achieve that replacement.

So we are actively working on that as well.

At Lucky Waller, we understand those concerns, and what a significant piece of the action there is that we need to actually establish some capital projects to address various issues with the existing lighting system, as well as addressing the area around the recreation center, including the play areas.

So we are aware of those issues too.

The recreation center funds are continuing to be an area of resource for us to address these long-needed repairs.

You're absolutely right about that.

And you have our commitment that we'll do what we can to spend those monies down so that we can be very much more in line with the methodology.

Now, a question was raised earlier about who serves on the committee and what the committee methodology is.

The methodology is truly based on how much money is available to spend in each of the different communities that are historically underserved.

It just happens there's been more money that's been accumulated in the district eight locations when compared to the others.

But that's also part of a long-term trajectory to push the opportunity fund into all of the areas and get all of them up to where they can actually achieve some of the very outcomes that you're seeking to achieve here.

So please know that we're all in as far as trying to address this and to fix this as best as we can.

And we you have our apologies on any miscommunication or misunderstanding.

We are, as uh Ms.

Arazzo mentioned, in a transitionary period.

Uh Ms.

Araza will be assuming the uh leadership role for the southern parks of San Diego in the near future, and that's as a result of some of the budgetary changes that are being implemented currently.

But we would love to be with your office and have further discussions to together solve these many problems that have been outlined today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for that.

And I just I just want to um close by saying I heard a few things here.

I heard that my community is not receiving opportunity funds this year because one we don't have uh they get too much nonprofit funding.

And the second one that I heard was we haven't formulated, I don't want to call it a capital improvement project, but we haven't formulated a needs assessment, and that's why you guys didn't know that Montgomery Waller needs a scoreboard and it hasn't worked for years, yet they're sitting on $300,000.

So this is staff not being prepared to to spend all the funding that a park and rec has.

Once again, my issue with this is my community is very much in need.

We very much need programming at our park and recs.

That is why I fight tooth and nail every single year to make sure that we get the funding.

This is not equitable, and the way that you guys are scoring these um park and recs is not equitable either.

So, like I said, I would request and I would ask my colleagues to please send this back and find them.

That it would be fine if it was one year.

It's one year, we messed up, that's fine.

But this is two years now that district eight has been left behind, and I'm not gonna stand for it.

So that concludes my comments.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Moreno.

Um, between Andy and CODA June is typically budget.

We do a lot of budgets.

Um, how do we address the concern?

I don't see anybody else jumping a light, so I think there's some level of support here.

I think looking forward, we can absolutely go back to the committee that selects the opportunity fund allocations to maybe incorporate more council feedback and take it maybe outside of just the department.

I applaud uh the parks and rec department for bringing in an external philanthropic partner to help score, but I think a council perspective would also be helpful.

Uh, these are the dollars that fund much of the summer programming at all rec centers in all of your districts, and so we do need to move ahead with some action um before the end of this fiscal year.

So we have maybe you know two weeks left.

I do caution against going back to the committee to reallocate the funds, because I don't think that process would be able to be done in time prior to July 1 when these funds would be necessary.

Um and council member, I completely understand your concerns here, and I realize that the dollar amount proposed in this current allocation is far less than what D4 and D9 and last year as well.

You are going into the FY27 with 1.2 million dollars in total funds, which is both which is more than both D4 and D9, hence I think the the lower allocation.

Yeah, because staff didn't spend it.

Yeah.

How do I look at a D8 residence?

How do I look at a kid at that at the Montgomery at the memorial and tell them you can't play baseball because staff didn't spend the money?

You just said we have 1.2 million dollars.

I hope the little leagues are listening to this, and I hope all the news is listening to this as well.

This is really, really, really making me angry.

There's no justification to this.

Uh is 100% of the opportunity fund allocated.

The projected amount, yes.

Okay.

Well, I see Council Member Ilo Rivera um on the lights and see what thoughts you might have.

Yeah, I mean, I I think there's a I get similarly frustrated when we don't get money out the door in the you know.

We have this conversation all the time.

Um if we create equity policies and then those policies on paper don't result in equity on the ground, it makes us look like we are just full of it.

And and when we start talking to communities about, you know, they're talking about not having programs for their kids, and we start talking about the very cool policy that we passed, they look at us like we're on a different planet, and that's because we kind of are they care about what's happening in their communities, not about the paper that we're pushing around on the dais.

So, there's a policy part of this conversation, there's an operations part of this conversation.

We're not gonna change policy here on the fly.

The quickest lever to pull is on the operation side, and I guess what I'm trying to understand is hearing council member Moreno's frustration with knowing that there's fund balance sitting in an account, and that being the reason for the lack of investment, or at least part of the reason for the lack of investment that would come via the opportunity fund.

The most important thing to do in this moment it would seem is to get the money out in a way that provides the intended benefits of the community.

So I don't I I'm I'm trying to be careful here because it's it's district eight that we're we're talking about is the is the primary impacted community.

But again, we've had moments where in district nine similar situations, and it is incredibly frustrating.

So Coda, I don't know if you have thoughts on how to speak to the immediate frustration that I'm hearing, which is uh getting the money out the door so that the community can feel that benefit.

Yeah, let's get the dollars out the door, Councilmember.

Um, and so I think the task for park and Rec is to figure out what our work plan is to get these dollars out quickly so we don't end up in the same situation next year where you don't get the opportunity funds because you have too much fund balance.

So it looks great on paper that you're walking into FY28 next year with a high fund balance, but what does that actually mean for your residents?

And so I think the task for park and rec maybe prior to the start of the fiscal year is what the financing and work plan is for each of the rec centers.

I think you have seven or eight in your in your district on how to spend those dollars down and what the programming um and activities look like um for so you can communicate them out to your residents.

So pen to paper, get the dollars out the door.

I just sorry, just one one more question on that front.

There's a communication piece to this as well, whether it's whatever district is is um benefiting from opportunity fund uh resources if they're not getting out for one reason or another, we need to know that because it allows us the opportunity to work with you to say, well, here are a whole I would I would imagine that if you asked any of us on the dais ways to get dollars out the door for opportunity fund eligible expenses, we could come up with a long list very quickly.

Too long of a list very quickly.

But it we can't do that if we don't know that that's that that's happening, and so that communication piece is just incredibly important.

Um so I I will ask it in the future if this issue is arising, uh much sooner rather than later, because the last thing it should be doing is impacting scoring in the next year, because to Councilmember Moreno's point, that does start it it's it like pushes an inequitable domino forward, it will end up producing an equitable results on the ground for a program that was designed to do the exact opposite.

Um thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, sir.

Uh we'll go back to Councilmember Moreno.

Thank you.

Um, I would I would ask staff to go back with this opportunity fund and find a more equitable way uh to disperse the funding.

That is a request I am making, and it was brought to my attention as we were doing the proclamations uh by the Cooper family, that staff at Memorial is not allowing them to hook up to water and or and electricity for a free bubble machine.

We got 1.2 million dollars sitting in D8 coffers.

That just the math is not mathing.

And so that would be my request.

Is I think we have one more one next week's meeting, and that this be brought back and that the committee find a way, their city staff, right?

And and they work for you.

Uh we could politely ask them to come together and find a more equitable way to disperse the opportunity funds.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Moran.

I'll go back now.

Go to Councilmember Foster.

Um, yes, thank you, um, council president, and I do appreciate my colleagues' um comments and concerns, but I also do understand balance and continuing to receive funds where we are not deploying said funds.

And so I think what would really be, I think the main cause of the heartburn is why are we not expending funds and having an acceptable response to that because the purpose of establishing this opportunity fund was to make sure communities were um able to program and have the resources and utilize the facilities for their needs.

And so I think number one, we need to make sure that we answer that question.

What is the plan moving forward?

How are we going to expend those funds, and how we are going to have the appropriate timeline associated with that?

And I think that's really at the hit at the heart of what she is indicating because if we're just going to leave fund balance.

If we're just going to leave fund balances, no one will get the benefit of and the intent of what the opportunity fund is.

So I think I would request that as we move forward, and just even as we appreciate what comes back or potentially what could come back, I think we need to put this in as part of our budget monitoring process and highlight this specifically because even with district four, we have a big uncertainty on HUD funding, right?

To say, hey, we don't even know if we may get it, it may get pulled, X, Y, and Z.

So I think this uncertainty, and again, I'll go back to the federal level that is creating a lot of the concern and issues that we are falling into.

And so I think if we can put this into our monitoring process and highlight this to make sure that we are truly meeting the intent, that we can.

I would also ask the IBA, I think the IBA should kind of use the if we can utilize the Department of Race and Equity to further dive into this to look at the concerns that were brought up in regards to the the panel, the selections, what's on the table as we are looking at and and having these discussions and looking to allocate the dollars accordingly.

I think accordingly, I think if we can utilize the Office of the IB as well to be a part of this and to work with city staff, I think we will hopefully see some progress and be in a position to move things forward.

My concern, of course, would be just as my colleagues' concern is we have the dollars allocated, we went through our budget discussions, but making sure that we get these uh dollars allocated and deployed without any further delay as a whole.

So I think that's my desire.

I don't mind um you know if we are going to um bring this back next week, council president.

I think that would be um your call as you you do run the docket.

Um, but I think the main question that needs to be answered is how are you going to deploy the uh fund balance that has been sitting?

And I don't know, I'm assuming it's been sitting for right, which I which I would agree that is very, very difficult to take if we are not moving those funds.

Um, and and if there are issues, just even conveying conveying the the issues to to the offices so that um folks are informed.

Um they can try to help find a resolution and know how to communicate with constituents, right?

Those are very well why is it why is it the council members' obligation to go out and explain to constituents where she's she has no signing authority on the fund balance.

She truly hasn't, she can't put a contract in place.

She can't, there's so much that she cannot do, but yet she needs to go out and explain to her constituents why this has been sitting for two years or whatever that case may be.

So, just think we need one of those things we need to clean up operations and uh make sure we are moving forward in meeting the intent of what the opportunity fund is.

Charles, did you want to jump?

Uh before I go to the pro tem um to council member foster's question, correct me if I'm wrong.

The opportunity fund is a zero sum.

There's X number of dollars, and they're gonna figure out how to allocate them.

So for District Eight to get more funding, districts four and nine will have to give up some.

So if there is going to be a motion to ask for a reallocation, I want that from the council members.

I want equity.

I want equity on the opportunity funds of 2027.

That's what I'm asking.

I'm just trying to figure out how we get there.

So districts four and nine would have to give up some money to get a bigger allocation for district eight.

So to bring it back for that purpose, um, I would need to hear from the two of you because you're the two that are gonna be affected by that.

And I hate to ask that question, but it is a zero sum, so that's how we would have to puzzle it out.

And I'm sorry, Council President, but um, if I may, um that sounds like hunger games.

That sounds like you're putting us on in a position to um have a conversation amongst ourselves where I'll simply put I don't have a fund balance that that is as significant.

Um, and so I think city staff needs to um come back and um determine how they are going to uh be more efficient and resolve the outside any outstanding issues and um to to take care of um expending the dollars.

Um I don't I'm not in a in a position to say, hey, I'm going to give something up where I didn't create this situation.

And clearly there's dollars that need to be deployed.

Sounds like an operational concern.

I acknowledge it was an awful thing for me to ask.

But I'm thinking about what can be done in a week.

Well, the president fund might be the rest.

There's some larger questions that I'll speak to, and perhaps the pro tem will speak to.

But yes, Coda, go.

Uh we we need this done by July 1 for the start of the new fiscal year.

Um we can target maybe June 29th or June 30th, buy us a little bit more time to meet uh both the council members' concerns, and then understanding that yes, it is zero sum.

Um, and so I think spending more time with uh the other offices that may be impacted, um, but trying to maybe buy us another week to put together a more holistic package.

Um, so hopefully targeting the end of the month rather than next week, I think is is a better path if possible.

Okay, and I think uh what we saw during the budget, my apologies to the pro tem, but uh some of the creative thinking in terms of legal interpretations about funding where we can get funding that may make the conversation a little bit easier.

I do not know that there is any opportunity there, but uh for everybody put your thinking caps on and look things a little bit differently.

I'll have more comments, but let me go to Council President Pro Tam League.

Thank you for your patience.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh I actually I thank you, Councilmireno, for bringing this topic off of consent to have this discussion because I think it's easy for us to see these come and go each year without actually looking into the specifics.

Um and to Councilmember Foster's point, I I understand that I think everyone gets this as a zero sum game.

So at the end of the day, there's only a limited number of funds that are allocated into opportunity funds.

Um, but I think the feedback that's coming back isn't who needs to give up what it's that the if the calculations based off of something that's off to begin with, then the problem is only what it is because it's now been identified.

Um if it was calculated differently, no one would be losing money, just would have been calculated differently.

And I think that's all I that that's all I think the discussion needs to be at this point is is some kind of uh understanding that fund balances just because they've been sitting there unspent shouldn't count against the community if there's a reason why those funds should be spent.

Um and I don't know what the solution to that is.

I will note that when you look at um, when you look at the rec center funds across the chart and you look at the ones based on the lowest amount of revenue that's collected from recreational programming, that sort of matches up pretty heavily with the list of rec centers that receive rec center uh opportunity fund funding as well.

There's got to be some way to correlate that and not just base it off of balances, if that would make some sense.

Um another thing I would note is that uh this is an interesting conversation because I think in each of our communities, especially in parks surrounding rec centers, some of the older ones often have playground equipment and other things that are falling apart, and we're often scrounging for a couple thousand dollars here or there to fix a couple of things.

Um, and then yes, it is very difficult to go look at a chart like this and find that there's tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars sitting in a fund um that isn't utilized.

Uh this spark an entire memory of mine.

I was at the Little League Closing Day in Murmesa where they literally have the cities get a done link on a QR code at their snack shop to remind every person buying something to report that a set of shale shades have been out of commission for the better part of the entire season, and they get everyone to submit requests thinking that's gonna be taken care of.

Um, and those are the kinds of things where I think we're usually trying to find funding elsewhere to resolve.

So for me, beyond this discussion, I think there's an opportunity to think about how we approach this in the next year.

I also would really benefit from understanding how the actual budgets are determined per recenter fund and how those budgets are being allocated because they're very different.

There are some that have a huge amount in terms of programming funds that exceed the programming revenue that's being received.

And so this year we're actually spending down balances across the entire city by a couple million dollars.

But I don't imagine that's sustainable.

And so I'm trying to understand what does that mean in a year or two when those balances aren't gonna support that level of spending.

Are we heavily subsidizing recreational programs at the moment, and we're gonna find ourselves in a tough spot in two years?

That's something that stuck out to me.

There are some rec center funds that have a huge amount being allocated towards uh maintenance, and others had a very little, and again, so and and some that have a huge amount for contingency or other expenses.

I think those kinds of details actually would help us in individual rec centers because again, we get these requests from community members, and sometimes they're simple little things, and I think we need to be able to understand where to point them towards in terms of opportunities to get things fixed in the city.

We've all talked about how wonderful it is to build new parks and playgrounds and whatnot, but there's a lot in this city and a lot in each of our districts that is in disrepair that needs to be taken care of, and that's where seeing funding sitting around does certainly hurt.

So that was my two cents.

Thank you, Council President.

Alright, thank you.

We'll go back to Councilmember I.

All right, thank you, Council President.

Um so one of the things that we did during this past this, I guess, current fiscal year that was meant to grow the pie for opportunity fund was require that the leaseholders of um the polo fields pay $100,000 to be used specifically for opportunity funds.

That, as I understand it, is not included in the allocations for this year.

That payment's supposed to come in January.

That's correct.

Is there a reason why we wouldn't be able to apply, and I'll look to the IBA on this, don't want to be a responsible here.

But if we know we're getting a hundred thousand dollars in January, why we wouldn't be able to bank on that and use that so that we're not battling each other for uh rec centers.

I mean, I'm thinking Stockton Rec Center is the one that comes to mind for me, um, and that one is that's really benefited from this.

Um senior services for financial literacy, Zumba classes, youth programming, um, and this is in a community that that rec center was starved for resources to the point of you know, like really kind of like barely having a pulse.

Opportunity fund has revived the rec center, and the community is it is one of the few places where they can be where they can feel safe and and enriched, they're they've gone on hikes together.

It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.

And uh the idea that we're gonna be pulling funds from one program that does something like that to ensure that other kids in this city have access to the resources they should have.

Uh, if there's any way to avoid that, I'd like to do that, especially if we know that there's money coming in during the next next fiscal year.

Yeah, in response to your question, Councilmember, in general, if there's a reasonable expectation that dollars will be coming in the door, it is fine and appropriate to budget those as you are preparing your final budget, which you already have, but which is actually allocates dollars towards that may or may not um kind of allow for cash flow needs, but those would be a specific kind of departmental questions on when dollars would be out the door, and as I understand that the issues that dollars are not going out the door fast enough right now.

Um I would want any specific allocation to be informed by the department and the council offices' expectation of what the needs are, but if you have a reasonable expectation that dollars will be coming in, um allocating this them at this point makes sense.

Yeah, so I I guess what I what I would say is this, because and I think this is where Council President Pro Tem was going.

What would the math look like?

What would the scoring look like if the dollars have got out the door?

Like I think we all agree that they should.

Um, and then once we've answered that question, or either way, um, if there's resources that we know are dependable, uh I was really glad when that happened.

Um that was a I think a really good example of again of leaning into the the the things that San Diego um takes a lot of pride in, but don't necessarily isn't necessarily benefit everyone across the city and making it work for the folks who uh often are left behind.

So if if that's if we can figure out problem one first, which is how are these dollars gonna get out the door, then we can then make sure that with the uh any reassessment of scoring that would bake in those dollars being out the door, uh that there's resources there to support it so that you know districts that have objectively been funded in an in equitable way in the few in the past.

Uh don't uh again end up in a situation where we're battling each other for those funds.

Thank you.

Um that is great point that we do have that funding coming in January.

I will caution um each year we budget uh the opportunity fund based on the uh dollars we've collected uh in the year prior, and so if we utilize the hundred thousand dollars uh in FY27, that will be the hundred thousand less we'll have for FY28.

Granted, we haven't utilized that funding yet, but I just want to make sure that that's clear.

Um, but we could certainly look to utilizing all or part of that funding as part of uh reanalyzing the FY27 opportunity fund allocation.

And I do want to state that as Andy mentioned earlier with the merge of the Community Parks 2 division and the Citywide Recreation Services Division, there'll be more oversight and uh connectivity as an awareness of what's going on across both of those divisions now that they'll become one and there will be more oversight in the expenditure of the recreation center funds.

I will add that in the spring of this past year.

Uh we established a team that is working directly with each of the center directors across the department for this exact reason is to ensure that they are looking at their budgets, they're spending their budgets, they're expanding their programming based on community feedback.

And this was also an anticipation of the community recreation needs assessment that we will be receiving this summer.

We want to be as prepared as we can be to ensure that our uh very green recreation center directors are ready to launch programming based on what that community feedback was, and so you do have my commitment that we will be monitoring closely the expenditures of these funds so that they are going to the purpose that they're intended to serve, and that is programming for the community.

Thank you.

So maybe maybe we need a motion, right?

Before we do, we're gonna take a two-minute pause.

Maybe a one yeah, I like to avoid surprising people.

Give it a go, Council Member Yilo Rivera.

All right.

Um so I'm gonna do my best here on the fly.

Um raise yourselves.

Um, we can't just return this to staff.

But I I want to be specific about what we're asking for to come back.

I think that's the part, um, because it needs to come back.

I think the thing that we want is a plan for how fund balances will be spent, um, an assessment of the scoring if the fund balances were to have been spent down in the way that we agree they should have been, and then I think we should be tapping into those polo fields funds.

I understand that it's it's different than the way that the other funds have flowed into uh into the opportunity fund, but we're far from we're far from overflowing the coffers of of our rec centers.

Um so I think if we have those things in place when the item comes back, we'll be in a place where we can get to the resolution that I think we all want.

Uh does that work as a motion for you, Council President?

Um so I think that's direction to staff, and my suggestion is we just return this to staff, and we'll redocket it probably on June 29th.

I wanted to make sure the council member Marina could attend that.

But do you have sufficient direction?

Others may have others, but again, there's a two-week window to actually get something that can be approved and maybe not totally fixed.

I think there's a larger conversation.

I'll have some additional thoughts as well.

But I think you have enough direction.

Uh what and councilmember, I see kind of nodding your head as well.

Um, all right.

Uh so we're not actually having a motion on the table.

We'll just return it to staff.

Can I get a verbal commitment?

Then the yes, council member, you have our commitment.

Okay.

And then Charles, do you do we is there anything else that would accompany the use of those funds that would need to be docketed adjacent to this item in order to pull the levers necessary to make that possible?

I don't believe so.

If there is, we'll certainly work with um the administration and staff to make sure we have the council president to make sure it ends up being docketed.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

Uh so we'll go to council member Whitburn.

Thank you, Council President.

Certainly happy to go in this direction, however, districts eight, nine, and four want to handle it.

Um I would say, you know, understanding that there's a broader concern around getting the expenditures out the door and perhaps taking a little look at how things are scored.

Um if we do run into a challenge getting something across the finish line, I don't see the district eight as going to go through, you know, a million plus dollars right away.

Um, more power to you if you do.

But getting to getting to my point, I would I would be supportive somewhere along the way of just allocating a hundred thousand dollars in general fund uh to make up the gap from what you otherwise would have been allocated, had what's that?

Okay, well, all right, so maybe there's a whole other issue there, but I mean we we could you know do some uh allocation for the general fund to make up the the equity gap there if we were into it.

At least I would be supportive of that.

So yeah.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

I'm gonna go back to Council President Pro Dem Lee.

Okay, I two follow-up questions.

Uh just to ask one is that uh in the final budget action that the council took, uh there were restorations, of course, to a number of um rec centers.

Um is that did that impact any of the budgets that ultimately are seen here?

Presumably the 20 hours in addition, number of rec centers would adjust the programming availability and expectations for revenue and expenditures.

I just don't know to the positive or to the negative.

Yes, thank you for the question.

Uh we do have some of the sites that are saving receiving reduced hours that we are currently working with our department director on on how we can potentially utilize these funds if if at all within proposition 26 to support the operations of those locations.

But um, oh yeah, I I don't mean that in particular.

I know that idea was brought up and and I for one am not a huge fan of use utilizing the existing funding.

I mean, some rec centers across the city don't have fund balances to utilize for hours.

Others might be utilizing it for programming in other ways, etc.

So I it I yeah, I I I don't think that was the goal, but in the final budget, we did restore hours at a number of rec centers, and so I assume that changes the budget assumptions because these were put together prior to the final budget being adopted, and so I think that's the question is how does that change some of these numbers at the end of the day, given that they're already a little bit out of date, I assume because we already adjusted the hours at I believe it was like nine rec centers across the city.

Yeah, if there's sites with reduced hours, they won't be generating the revenue if they don't have the additional programming taking place because of the reduced hours, which means they won't have those expenditures going out associated with those programs.

Right.

So were these were these budgets built off of the proposed budget with reduced hours?

No, these budgets were built prior to the general fund budget season.

And council president Pro Chem, if I may jump in just real quick.

When it comes to the uh recreation center fund and the opportunity fund, a great deal of that money is derived from permit revenue.

Permit revenue is primarily sourced from the rental of rooms and from the rental of fields.

And honestly, most of the permit revenue that we see is focused on the field rentals.

And so as the uh field rentals are not affected by recreation center hours of operation, we do anticipate that the recreation centers will still, or excuse me, the fields will be able to generate enough revenue to be able to keep what we think is going to occur in the opportunity fund within the same general range that it's been over the last several years.

If we uh had closures of fields and things like that, then I think we would see a bigger challenge in front of us with respect to the generation potential of permit revenue.

Thanks.

Got it.

Thank you, Andy.

And then I assume that means what little revenue is being generated by room rentals that was definitely impacted by closures.

That that final impact is not assumed here.

Okay.

And then my last question is around special event budgets.

Um each of these rec centers have special events uh funding budgeted.

Is that largely to support events that the recenter itself is putting on, or are they ones that they are doing at times in partnership with the community?

And I mentioned this, Andy.

If you remember at Stanley Rec Center, we had a discussion two years ago about an annual Oktoberfest event held as a support for local schools that ultimately that was being supported as a sponsored event through the rec center for a number of years and then suddenly was not, and they canceled because permit fee suddenly went through the roof.

That's that's where I'm looking to understand how special event budgets uh fill in the gap there as well.

Don't have to answer all that now, but I just want to flag it as something that we might follow up on.

Certainly I'd be happy to have a follow-up discussion with you on that.

Thank you.

All right, I don't see anybody else in the lights.

Um, so I'll be brief in my comments.

Um this is the kind of stuff I love.

A tiny red flag that opens up a conversation that everybody thinks is just kind of a routine business, and we do this every year, so let's just pass it every year.

Um, I do want to thank the two of you.

I want to thank Andy for jumping in.

Uh, and as a quick reminder, opportunity fund is just a few years old.

It was built from scratch.

Um, I think some of the things that were discussed today, at least to me, shows that maybe it's time to relook at the opportunity fund.

I took a quick glance at the policy, and it's pretty broad in its scope.

When it as I compare it to 800-14 for our CIPs, that's incredibly detailed with what the matrix is and what the priorities are.

Um, and I imagine for my colleagues that when they look at what the budget is, they don't actually know where that money is being spent.

Not that it isn't being allocated or budgeted correctly or appropriately, but I think it leaves a lot of questions and questions lead to more questions and concerns going forward.

So the department might want to think about how to communicate better of if for a recreation center this is what the funding is, what that funding is being spent on, because I suspect somewhere in a deeper spreadsheet, that information is actually sitting there, whether it's programming or a capital improvement or a maintenance ongoing maintenance, and that might uh answer a lot of questions in advance of an item like this coming forward.

Uh but I do want to recognize that this is something new that we tried, it was a problem we recognized everybody leaned in to create this program.

Can the opportunity fund be expanded?

Is there more dollars that can be shifted from recreation centers and higher opportunity areas are things that I think we ought to be looking at in the year ahead, not in the next two weeks, but going forward.

So with that, um, as a reminder, this is being returned to staff.

I anticipate that we'll docket this on Monday, June 29th to hear the feedback from the department that was offered by Councilmember Moreno, Council Member Ilo Rivera, and I think the other council members as well, so that we can meet our budgetary deadlines and get this document so July 1st, everybody knows what kind of funding they have available.

So you have a little bit of work ahead of you.

Thank you very much uh for your ongoing effort.

And thank you, Coda, for helping us navigate this going forward.

All right.

So that concludes S501.

Um are there any mayoral council, city attorney, independent budget analysts or city clerk comments?

Not seeing anybody lights, thank you for that.

Uh, given the hour, we will take non-agenda public comment for those individuals in person, and we will take uh remote um comments starting at the two o'clock session.

So just the in-person, not agenda public comment.

That was respect for people that sat patiently and waited.

Uh, and we'll take the remote and virtual call in at 2 p.m.

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

Clerk, please proceed with the in-person public comment.

Again, deferring the virtual public comment till the two o'clock session.

Thank you.

For members that are here in chambers to speak, as noted, those will be trailed for the virtual Joy Sanyata, Maximilian Schmidt, and allegedly Audra, if you can please come forward.

Joy, you'll have two minutes.

Please proceed.

There has been a lot of good fighting in these chambers lately.

Each agenda item had a purpose and a focus unique to it, whether it was budget, trash fees, parking fees, hate crimes, and more.

Yet, in my opinion, something is missing, something that brings the beautiful tapestry.

Thank you, Councilmember Ilo Rivera, together as one.

Yes, Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Words do matter.

So, in my opinion, we need the words of a new vision for San Diego.

A noble vision for the great city we want to become.

This would be the kickstart we need for the boldness we need to unravel and solve what is not working at our city's structural core.

Dear public, you are all of you, all of us, at the very top of our city's organization chart.

Let's work together as one to create a noble vision for our beautiful city now.

It's been an absolutely beautiful morning.

Thank you, everybody, and love to all.

Maximilian Schmidt.

Every year, there are hundreds of suicides and thousands of overdoses.

And I'm I want to open Pandora's box that a lot of them are due to the lie that human beings cannot read another human being's mind, and that there's an underground genocide going on against um normal white Christians like myself that's been going on since the time of Christ, and it's called Zerzitsong, where I live in a city owned and city um operated homeless shelter.

Then I go to a city operated library to look for jobs, and I take the city operated trolley in between places and everywhere I go, there is something reading my mind.

For example, say like I'm thinking of using the restroom right now.

Like someone will stand behind me saying that the second I think of using the restroom, they'll say, Oh, I just um checked out a book from the library or something, and they'll say like what book you checked out.

Uh, even if if the person can't see it, they'll say, um, also all sorts of disturbing things, basically trying to make you subconsciously paranoid all the time.

And it's coupled with buildings making high-pitched noises all the time throughout the day.

It's called a noise campaign noise harassment, and people are being depopulated under the table, underground in America, and especially patriots like myself who kind of found themselves stranded in liberal cities.

I'm from northern Kentucky, Southern Ohio.

I'm just a normal average person who was living homeless in Arizona and had to come here to try to get a job, and now I'm experiencing this modern-day fifth-generation warfare, is what they're calling it.

And many it and it makes you go crazy.

When there's constantly someone using neurolinguistics to read your mind at nonstop, whether it's the homeless shelter and the trolley, it makes you go crazy and it turns people intentionally to drugs and suicide.

And that um Freemasons are depopulating Christians and underground genocide happening in San Diego.

Your time has concluded.

Allegedly, Audrey, if you can please come up to the microphone.

Your time has concluded, sir.

It's in Joy Sweet, she gave me a rose.

She's so sweet.

My middle name is Joy.

How fun.

Um, yes.

Uh Henry, this is the Hunger Games.

You realize that you guys are in districts.

You know what I'm saying?

Look at what happens.

This is for real.

They don't just put those things in movies for no reason.

But let's talk about some more real stuff.

Let's talk about we're doing pedophiles 101 because I need you guys to be aware of the things that are going on so that we can protect children because this is a serious issue.

And you know, we have things like Scott Wayner bringing in bills that are saying that, like, if you know this person that is abusing you is 10 years older than you, then basically you're consenting.

So that would mean the guy that was abusing me for nine years because he's 10 years older than me.

Hey, I consented to it, right?

It's those types of things are dangerous.

We need to be really seriously not just condoning this stuff.

It's like everyone wants to brush it.

Oh, that's okay.

No problem.

That man has sex with children.

That's a problem.

And we allow them to bring in bills.

Like it's the fact that nobody wants to talk about these things, but you know, God is good because our mess becomes our message, and that's why it's important when he's calling you to talk about things that nobody wants to talk about to talk about it.

So I'm always the bearer of bad news, but it's like, I mean, are you guys aware of Dr.

Kinsey and the experiments he would do on children to see how many orgasms that they could have like these are the types of things that happen in the world today.

And again, in schools, you can go to the doctor, you can go to be a gymnastic to go to gymnastics, you can go and see a coach.

I mean, police officers.

The police officer that was watching the roller rink was having sex with children where I grew up.

And it's like I guarantee you there's a bunch of people in your staff that are potentially people who like child porn.

So just know that it is everywhere, and these are the hunger.

Your time has concluded, and that does conclude non-agenda in person for this meeting.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

And again, as a reminder, the virtual non-agenda public comment will be taken immediately at the beginning of the afternoon session.

So we are now adjourned for the noon recess and reconvene open session at 2 p.m.

or shortly thereafter.