San Diego City Council Meeting June 29, 2026: Community Engagement, Parks Funding, and Affordable Housing Preservation
San Diego City Council Meeting – June 29, 2026
This meeting of the San Diego City Council began with closed session labor negotiations and reconvened at 2 p.m. to address several key policy and funding items. The council approved a new organized presentation process for public comment, adjusted the FY2027 recreation center and opportunity fund budgets with additional funding for Council District 8, established an affordable housing preservation fund with $5.9 million from neighborhood enhancement fees, and received a semi-annual grant report from the San Diego Housing Commission. All votes were unanimous among present council members.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Community Engagement (Item S401): Several speakers (Paul Kruger, Victoria Labruzzo, and others) expressed support for the new organized presentation process but urged the council to give community planning groups (CPGs) a formal “seat at the table” for robust public engagement. Some criticized past council decisions that they said reduced the role of CPGs.
- Recreation Center Funds (Item S400): Speakers from Council District 8 (e.g., Joanne Soguette of Montgomery Waller Little League) highlighted ongoing inequities in opportunity fund allocations, citing lack of ADA-compliant playgrounds, lighting, and scoreboards. Others (Francine Maxwell, Joy Sanyata) supported the revised budget and called for transparency in fund spending.
- Affordable Housing Preservation (Items HA1 & S402): Public comment included both support and skepticism. Paul Kruger and Anthony Ralphs raised concerns about unintended consequences of past development policies (e.g., bonus ADU programs) that reduced naturally affordable housing. Francine Maxwell questioned the legality of using NEF funds for housing preservation instead of recreation amenities. Several speakers urged the council to prioritize oversight and accountability.
- Non-Agenda Public Comment: Multiple speakers addressed homelessness deaths at sanctioned encampments, drug policy impacts on children, traffic safety, and the need for greater transparency in city contracting and council travel.
Discussion Items
- Item S401 – Organized Presentations & Community Engagement (City Clerk’s Office): The City Clerk presented a new system compliant with SB 707, allowing groups of two or more to sign up for a collective presentation (up to 15 minutes) via a digital portal. The system includes language support for 22 languages and requires materials submitted 2 hours before the meeting. Council President Lacava noted the changes were made due to state mandate and limited resources, emphasizing that the new process expands virtual participation. Councilmembers commended the clerk’s office for the work and expressed a commitment to refining the process.
- Item S400 – Recreation Center Fund & Opportunity Fund Budgets (Parks & Recreation): Sarah Irazzo presented revised budgets following prior council concerns. Key changes: allocating $100,000 from future opportunity fund revenue (Surf Cup Sports LLC ground lease payment) to all eight rec centers in Council District 8, with $34,000 earmarked for a Montgomery Waller Little League scoreboard. The council approved an amendment by Councilmember Moreno to fund the scoreboard and distribute the remainder evenly ($8,250 each). Councilmember Campbell seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Multiple councilmembers stressed the need for greater equity in future opportunity fund allocations and for integrating these budgets into the regular budget cycle.
- Items HA1 & S402 – Affordable Housing Preservation Fund (Housing Authority and City Council): The Housing Commission (Colin Miller) proposed establishing a fund to preserve at-risk deed-restricted and naturally occurring affordable housing. The council allocated $5,913,554 from the Neighborhood Enhancement Fee (NEF) fund to the Housing Commission for FY2026, with an additional $2.7 million expected in FY2027. Councilmembers Lee, Moreno, Whitburn, and others praised the move as a crucial step to prevent loss of affordable units, noting that the ordinance (passed earlier) provides a right of first refusal. The council authorized the mayor to execute the agreement and the CFO to transfer funds. Both items passed 6-0 (three members absent).
- Item HA2 – Semi-Annual Grant Report (Informational): The Housing Commission reported $40.1 million in competitive and renewal grant awards received between July and December 2025, including funds for 205 affordable rental apartments and supportive housing. No action was required.
Key Outcomes
- Item S401 – Community Engagement: Motion by Council President Lacava, seconded by Councilmember Moreno, to adopt staff recommendations and find the city made reasonable efforts to encourage participation. Passed 7-0 (Foster and Von Wilbert absent).
- Item S400 – Recreation Center Funds: Motion by Councilmember Moreno, seconded by Councilmember Campbell, to approve the staff recommendation as amended (direct $34,000 to Montgomery Waller Little League scoreboard and $8,250 to each of the eight Council District 8 rec centers). Passed 7-0 (Foster and Von Wilbert absent).
- Item HA1 – Affordable Housing Preservation Fund (Housing Authority): Motion by Council President Pro Tem Lee, seconded by Councilmember Moreno, to authorize the Housing Commission to establish the fund and amend the FY2026 budget. Passed 6-0 (Campillo, Von Wilbert, and Foster absent).
- Item S402 – NEF Transfer to Housing Commission (City Council): Motion by Council President Pro Tem Lee, seconded by Councilmember Moreno, to approve the agreement and fund transfer up to $8.5 million. Passed 6-0 (same absentees).
- Housing Authority Minutes (May 12, June 9, and June 15, 2026): Motion by Council President Lacava, seconded by Councilmember Moreno, to approve. Passed 6-0 (same absentees).
- The meeting adjourned with a memorial for Veronica Medina, a San Ysidro community leader.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good morning. I will now call the city council meeting on Monday, June twenty-ninth, twenty twenty-six to order. Clerk, please call the roll. Thank you, Council President. Council Member Campbell. Councilmember Whitburn. Councilmember Foster. Councilmember Von Wilbert. Council President Pro Tem Lee. Councilmember Campillo. Councilmember Moreno. Councilmember Ila Rivera. And Council President Lacava. Also attending the meeting, our city attorney Heather Ferber, independent budget analyst, Charles Monica, and myself your city clerk, DNF Fuentes. Thank you, Council President. All right, thank you. And with that, clerks, please go over how the public can offer their testimony. 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. If you are located in person, please complete a speaker slip. Please note that no further in-person testimony will be taken once the council begins virtual testimony for better meeting management purposes. Each speaker will have one minute per item per person. If you're joining us remotely, please be sure to raise your hand now for closed session items by pressing star nine or the raise your hand icon. Thank you, Council President. All right, thank you. With that, please read the closed session item into the record. Conference with labor negotiators pursuing to California government code section five four nine five seven point six. CS1, city designated management team representatives. All right, and with that, please proceed with public comment. There is no public comment here in council chambers, going to those participating remotely. Blair Beekman, if you can please unmute. Hi, thank you, Blair Beekman. Happy end of June to everyone. Um last few days of June. I wanted to comment with this kind of item and the many uh union city government union worker groups involved with this item. It usually signifies some sort of uh labor talk. But I mean, I guess for this item, you're going to speak specifically to uh police actions, uh, working with the police uh review commission things. Um good luck what you can be deciding together. We are really trying to build a future of the uh police review uh body as um whole and we keep uh sputtering a bit. I keep offering that the PR, the the PAB uh in San Diego can be of some help that you know I think we're trying to reach out and develop a relationship with SDPD. Good luck what that can mean and what you talk about in and how it can be uh an accountable process for all of us, and that we want to trust each other in what we talk and work on and work towards. Um it has to be a two-way street. That does uh conclude your time. 8700, if you can please unmute. There's one item on the agenda, you'll have a minute, please proceed. Excuse me, Joy Sanyata. This is my opinion. I find it interesting that the SDPD wants less surveillance, use of miscellaneous, and the public CPP wants more surveillance, use of investigations. Therefore, in labor negotiations on proposed operating procedures, the balance, the sweet spot, will be what is enough investigating and what is enough miscellaneous. This will build more trust on the public officer definition.
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