Experience and achieve, and that's what we want to provide in the space.

The library's mission is the place for opportunity, discovery, and inspiration.

We have so much usage here in this space, and so many people that are just grateful for us existing.

It's a non-traditional library service for sure, but we are definitely relevant, present.

People bring in their ideas, and we're just kind of the facilitators, like Harry, maybe you want to try 3D printing, or maybe you want to try the laser.

We're just trying to give them the tools to get their creation out in the world.

We really focus on our entrepreneurs who are rapid prototyping their invention.

We just had a group of veterans go to market, get their Kickstarter launched and everything with something they prototyped here.

So to date, we've had eight people go to market with something that they prototype in the makerspace at Central Library.

We try to partner with other sections to bring in those makers that are not traditional makers that know of the space and want to use it all the time.

But just to kind of show what we can provide.

Once they come in here, they're like, oh, I can do this for a Girl Scout troop.

I can do this for you know a birthday gift.

I can, you know, I can come back and make my Comic Con costume, you know.

Generating those those ideas for people to come back in and use the space.

I'm not in depth an expert on every single piece of equipment.

It's really the people who come in with that curiosity that I really want to keep building up.

I want to keep that curious spirit alive.

And building more of these spaces is the way I think to do it.

I have an awesome staff, very dedicated and very into pop culture.

They are great bringing in all different ages through our pop culture days of celebration.

So we have a Pokemon Day or a Mario Day, Star Wars Day, Star Trek Day, because we have to be equal in that universe.

Comic Con, obviously.

You know, no matter what your age is, there's something for you to discover.

I learned how to swim a little later in life when I was about eight years old.

I was fortunate enough that my city pool was offering a basic water safety swim lesson, and my parents enrolled us.

I learned the basics, but I didn't become a stronger swimmer until I actually became a lifeguard at 15 years old.

Look at that squish!

I've been uh city employee for 32 years, always around aquatics.

This Satan swimming pool in San Isidro was my first job.

After 30 plus years, it's so rewarding because I can see the benefits, the impact, and the pathways that open up for people who actually learn how to swim and become confident in the water.

It's a life-saving skill, but it also opens up so many more opportunities.

Whether it's a job opportunity or an opportunity to develop into a healthy habit later on in life.

There's still times when I'm walking through the grocery store and I'll have someone stop me and say, I think you were my swim instructor.

And they are holding two small children in their arms.

So it's it's several generations that I've been able fortunate enough to be able to teach how to swim.

It's extremely rewarding, but I'm reminded of it every day because I actually have staff that I currently supervise that I was their swim instructor, and they went on to become a lifeguard and a swim instructor, and they're currently four managers.

Actually, there is one instructor in the water right now.

I was her uh swim instructor when she was a baby when she was four years old.

And she became a lifeguard, a swim instructor, she's an amazing swim instructor, and now she's a supervisor.

One of the most gratifying days of my life was teaching my mother how to swim.

I get emotional about it now because you know, we have generations out there who didn't have access.

You know, historically, some of us were not allowed in pools, and so we missed those opportunities, and now we're grandparents, and you know, we want people to be able to engage with their grandchildren and their children and really make this a generational activity.

It's one of the few activities that multiple generations can participate in as a whole family.

My personal belief is that learning how to swim, it's not a privilege, it's a necessity.

This unit started three decades ago with a pair of binoculars and a paper map book, which some people don't even know what that looks like.

So I've been a San Diego police officer for over 22 years.

I think it sounded really exciting to be able to do patrol work but from the air.

It feels like a family to me.

We've all worked incredibly hard to get here.

The cockpit is a very small place, so we have to get along with each other, but the fact of the matter is that we do.

And since it's newer, we were able to upgrade a lot of the tactical flight officers' equipment, the screens inside there.

It has a lot of cool features that are helping us do our job better and safer.

Technology is paramount in why we're so good at what we do, why we find people that would not be found.

We can find people that are hiding in people's backyards and canyon areas, even under cars sometimes, that may not be found if it wasn't for us looking around.

There are calls where I know in my heart that because I was there, an officer was safer, or a suspect went to jail that wouldn't, or a citizen was safer because we were there.gov slash defensible space.

All right, good morning.

We're going to get started.

I will now call the City Council meeting of Tuesday, July 14th, twenty twenty-six to order.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn?

Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Von Wilper.

Council President Pro Tim Lee.

Councilmember Campillo.

Councilmember Moreno.

Councilmember Eliveira.

And Council President Lacava.

Present.

Also attending the meeting, our city attorney, Heather Ferber, independent budget analyst, Charles Monica.

And myself, your city clerk, Deanna Fuentes.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

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

Please turn and face the flag.

Ready?

Begin.

Clerk, 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 does review 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.

If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and bring it to the front of the room and place it in the clear box.

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

No organized presentations were submitted for today for any of the items on the agenda.

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

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

And as a reminder, when you speak to an item on the agenda, please focus for comments on the item, not agenda public comment as an opportunity to speak more freely on anything under the city's purview.

With that, we will now dispense with the approval of the proclamation items.

City Clerk.

The public comment period proclamation items is now open.

Each speaker will have one minute per item per person.

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

The proclamation items being approved are items 30, 31, S500, S507, and S508.

Maximilian Schmidt, if you can come forward, you're speaking on items 30, 31, and S500, you will have three minutes.

If I can have the following individuals, please come forward to the yellow reserve seats.

Cielo, Kim, and Daniel on item S508, and Blair Beekman on items 30 and S508.

Please proceed.

Hi.

I think having an entire month um called National Park and Recreation Month, where I love the national parks, but what I like more are the less expensive uh natural areas like national forest or BLM land.

Or um even just local hiking trails where the national park is also one of the most expensive public places to go hiking, coincidentally.

So to have an entire month honoring the national park, well, why don't we have a month just honoring like go outside and like go hiking?

Because people talk about the globalization of the world, and I like to talk about the federalization of Washington DC's influence and where the tax dollars are going.

Exactly.

Um in the United States.

So I just would like to say that for San Diego to have this new ceremonial agenda for the rest of San Diego's history, National Park and Recreation Month.

Maybe it should have been go outside and enjoy nature because I believe DC is corrupt.

And um, I believe the federal government is corrupt, and there's a lot better places.

Um there's a lot better places that our tax dollars should be going than straight to the federal government, is what I believe.

I believe that the federal income tax should be lower.

I believe that national park fees should be lower.

I think the discovery pass is too expensive.

It's like over 100 dollars to even enter the national park, and then once you um, if you only go once, it could be uh 20, 30 dollars to um backpack overnight where there's also free dispersed camping in places closer to national parks.

I would like to see um national.

I think the prices of national parks do make it less crowded, which is one reason they have it.

However, I don't want to go into an unhealthy habit of um glorifying the national park system and have it could possibly be even more expensive, and because I think the national parks are a great part of this country, and I think it's a really special part.

And um I just uh hope that um we can uh maybe have a month promoting exercise and banning all e banning all electric e-bikes on the sidewalk and promoting exercise in San Diego, not just promoting the national park specifically.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

Cielo, Kim, and Daniel.

You're all speaking on item S508.

Um it is one minute per person.

Are you so it'll just be consequential?

So I'll be putting one minute for each time and it will ding.

Please proceed.

Good morning.

My name is Hilo Sanchez, and I'm here because of Alina.

Um since ever I was in middle school, I would always go to the library.

And I would do my homework and go read a book.

And Alina was always like very warming and very um there for the patrons.

And I was a patron.

I would go every day.

And then I slowly um she started seeing me going every single day, and then she told me if I wanted to join teen council, which I didn't, and then I started working at the library.

But basically, because of her, I am now a teacher, and I just want to say thank you to Alina for being always so kind and a hard warming and being there for everybody.

And yeah, thank you.

Thank you.

Please proceed.

Hello, my name is Kimberly.

I'm speaking on behalf of Alina Rosas.

I just wanted to thank Alina for always being there for everybody, for being the mother, the auntie of the entire Logan Heights community.

Everything she does is for our children, for uh our elderly.

I my favorite part of working with Alina is when people come up to me and they share their stories about her, and I always ask, did she make you laugh?

Did she make you feel something?

Did she make you cry?

If she made you cry as a child, you know, there's a big list, you can be added on to it.

But on my behalf, thank you, Alina, for everything you have seen me grow up literally since I was in kindergarten.

Now I have finished my schooling and I'm working with her, and it's not going to be the same.

And yes, that is all.

Thank you.

Please proceed.

Hello, my name is Daniel.

I'm also here to congratulate Alina Rossas.

Um I moved to San Diego when I was 13, and I started going to the same Logan library that everybody else went to.

Alina was one of the people that approached me, got me to join teen council.

I slowly volunteered at the library.

I worked for the library for a couple years, and I've slowly grown with the rest of my team.

I honestly wouldn't be where I am today professionally or personally if it wasn't for Alina.

So I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, Alina.

We love you.

Thank you.

Next is Blair Beekman, if you can please come forward.

After that will be allegedly Audra, and then Paul Kruger, if you can please come up to the front row.

Hi, Beekman.

Um item 30 is National Park and Recreation Month.

I think uh councilperson Von Wolpert, she um talked about uh national park issues at this time last year.

Um an interesting item.

It's a lot of history to our national parks and and what they've done.

Excuse me, I'm burping.

Um I just had a soda uh in our lives.

Um I wish I could say more.

Um I I take comfort in national parks.

I think they're an interesting idea.

Um I think there was questions of uh what proclamations say within parks and the history lessons that uh do those sort of history lessons need revision and things.

Um good luck how we can be addressing that.

It's a lot to understand uh the changes we're going through.

Um good luck myself and others can figure out uh what those changes are.

Um I guess we will at some point, and uh some things are good.

Hopefully, some things from our past can stay and that are respectable as well.

Good luck and such efforts to consider.

And um for the Alina Rosis Day.

Um thank you for this item.

Thank you.

Um it's nice that a librarian uh is being uh commemorated.

I can't could not have gone to the library early today.

Um it's hopeful that we're learning.

We made a real commitment to make our libraries open all the time, and I hope we can continue those efforts and how much we've tried recently.

Those kind of subjects can be very clear to us in our future.

And sounds like this librarian was really uh well liked and had a good good role in community.

Uh thank you.

Allegedly, Audra, you're speaking on items S508, 30, 31, S500, S507.

You'll have three minutes, please proceed.

You guys, I'm so honored that you're honoring me in your proclamations.

There's an Audra National Park.

How cool is that?

It's on the East Coast, but I just I knew it would come at some point.

It's okay, you guys don't have to admit it.

Um, yes, with national parts.

Let's talk about the things that are always omitted here.

So a lot of missing kids uh happen to be taken at national parks.

Um also a lot of unusual activity.

I don't know if you that read the Bible know about the Nephilim, but they are still here, so that's something we need to be concerned about because they're gonna be seen as aliens.

That's what they're gonna tell us.

So just keep your eyes open and have some discernment.

Um, yes, Micah Parson, I don't know, sorry, day.

This is interesting because the museum of man turned into the museum of us, just like men turned into women, and we're erasing things.

So I find that to be interesting, and as well the cannibal museum that is there.

And speaking of missing children, uh, people uh that are found in the Epstein files, um, a lot of children have been eaten.

Um they also just kind of like to do it in their satanic rituals.

It's uh something Hillary Clinton and you know that stuff that was found on Anthony Wiener's laptop, pretty terrifying.

A lot of guys killed themselves after seeing that, but um, and then Coates Disease Day.

I feel like there's a lot of things that happen to children and people that are uh man-made weaponization of drugs and you know, spraying things in our skies so our damage uh happens to our DNA and things like that.

I mean, even things that people do to infants like putting all this stuff in their bodies when they're don't need it, um, that doesn't help.

And then as far as the library goes, you know, it's like I have a problem that we continue to sexualize children um and put up flags that are uh you know honoring pedophiles and glorifying um people who have sex with children, which is actually rape, uh, because you can't just have sex with a child, but according to Scott Weiner, uh they can consent if they're only you know 10 years in difference uh age.

But I would think that librarians would ensure that we're not teaching our children about sex, and you know, putting them in a place to be groomed.

So that's a problem to me is that we honor people, but why aren't these people concerned about children enough to protect them from things like this?

And this is why all of these things that I've been talking about, like the cannibal museum, like that gets normalized.

Having sex with children gets normalized and it's glorified and put all over all every building.

And so if you are a victim, it's like pretty terrifying to think that uh, you know, over a victim you would honor somebody who rapes a child.

So good job.

Paul Krueger on item 30.

Uh thank you.

I I'm really here to just speak very briefly about the um ceremonial awards in general, and to say I know you've heard discussion of moving this portion of the council meeting to another time or another day.

Um where you could honor those who who definitely uh deserve an honor, but um allow the flow of the council meeting to move faster.

Um it's a very specific thing you're doing.

It also you know often involves a photo op for for you as elected officials, which I understand, but um those of us who come to speak about more substantial issues sometimes wait up to an hour for this portion of the meeting.

And I hope that uh you will consider moving it.

Maybe you could have it at nine o'clock.

Uh or you could add it have it on a different day at a different time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude public comment hearing council chambers going to those participating remotely.

8700, if you can please unmute after that is Ernie Casco, Tony, and Judy.

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

Excuse me, 30 and 500.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

I want to begin with this.

Starting this meeting at 1010 a.m.

is bumpy.

Yet I want to say this.

We are all doing our best.

Thank you.

And uh President.

I love missions where they are.

I just think it's it's a beautiful flow.

So I I want us to stay with that if you believe in that too.

I think you do.

So on number 30, National Parks and Recreation Month, July 2026.

Uh, my favorite part of parks is that they are a place to heal and return to well-being.

Thank you to all the good people who keep our parks the way they are so beautiful for all of us.

It's a big job.

And my favorite national park is Yosemite.

A big thank you to God and his team for Euphemity.

Number 500.

Yes to Miramar Martial Arts Academy, 30th anniversary.

Martial Arts touches all the bases.

It fosters greatness in people of all ages.

I find that in the presence of people who wear their special martial arts belts.

I often feel a very quiet president.

Excuse me.

I often feel a quiet presence of confidence, power in them.

Thank you, Marshal Thomas.

Thank you, Master Thomas Ty.

The world needs more of you.

Thank you for listening to me.

I appreciate being allowed to speak love to all.

Thank you.

Next is Ernie Casco.

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

Yes, Ernie Casco here.

I'd like to speak on 511 National Park and retaliation on 30, 507, 55, 56.

I'm sorry, some of those items that you said are consent item agendas.

The park and uh month is the proclamation.

So then that'll be one minute unless you have something else on the prox.

Uh yes.

Uh I I actually don't.

I it's a retaliation for speaking out on all the proclamations.

I'm not allowed to speak.

So I what are you starting my minutes?

So are you speaking on all the proclamations?

Because like I said, the other items are retaliation on the proclamations.

I should have more than a minute.

I just need you to identify which proclamations, but if you're speaking on all of them, we'll give you three minutes.

Please proceed.

507, 55, and 56.

55 and 56 are consent items, sir.

So S507 is just the proclamation.

That's why I was giving you one minute.

Well, that's not enough, is it?

Okay, well, uh go ahead and uh start my minutes.

Okay, I'm Ernie Casco.

There's been serious uh allegations brought to city council concerning Tory Pine's glider port, and I want those issues resolved.

My first question are where are the police reports?

I have unanimous letters of support from the town.

Council Lahorse Shores Association.

I'm going to be that one that disrupts.

You said you want to speak on S507.

Please speak on S507, and then you can join us later this morning on not agenda public comment, and you can speak on whatever you want to.

Very simple rules everyone.

Okay, thank you, Ernie.

Joe Lakava, you need it.

Tony, if you can please unmute and let me know which item or items you wish to speak to on the proclamation agenda.

Uh the park.

You'll have a minute, please proceed.

Right.

Uh just wanted to uh say thank you.

Wanted to say good morning.

Um, wanted to uh comment on some of the comments that Audra made.

Appreciated the jokes, appreciate the levity, and that's it.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Thank you, Judy Strang.

If you can please let me know which item or items you wish to speak to, you are our final speaker.

The five-minute timer has concluded.

No additional speakers will be taken.

If you can please unmute.

Yes, I wanted to speak to item 30, park and rec month.

Please present.

I was reading about this proclamation.

It mentioned that parks have power, and they mentioned several.

The three I was most taken with is the power of community, where it offers spaces for everyone to gather and to celebrate and to heal.

The power of nature, how it restores and aspires us, and having parks around us ensure that everyone can have access to its benefits.

And the third one, the power of well-being, that park and wreck opportunities advance our health, our resilience, and our shared community benefits.

I think that those of us who work in public health, this is part of the undercurrent of why smoke-free and vape-free parks and beaches are such an important part of our well-being for all of us, as well as our sense of community.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts.

Thank you.

And that concludes public comment on the proclamations.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

And with that, I'll turn it over to my colleagues for comments and entertain a motion, and we'll start with Council Member Woodburn.

Thank you, Council President.

And thank you to my colleagues for bringing forward a number of meaningful proclamations this morning.

There are obviously a lot of Alita Rosas fans here today.

I too will share my congratulations on a distinguished career in our library department and wish Miss Rosas the very best at her retirement.

I am honored to join Mayor Gloria in bringing forward a proclamation declaring Vica Parson Day.

It recognizes 16 years of leadership and transformational change at the Museum of Us in Balboa Park.

Under his leadership, uh Mr.

Pars had led the transformation of the San Diego Museum of Man into the Museum of Us.

Opened the California Tower to the public for the first time in over 80 years, expanded access to culture and learning for thousands of San Diegans, and in doing so helped to provide free museum access to nearly 31,000 people in a single year.

And he also started the museum to national recognition, earning the Kaleidoscope Award for good governance and becoming a two-time finalist for the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Medal.

His impact on San Diego has really been tremendous, and we wish him the very best as he moves on to tackle the next challenge.

And finally, just want to wish everybody a happy National Park and Recreation Month.

Want to recognize and thank the employees of the city's Parks and Recreation Department and our Parks Foundation for making our city parks so special.

And I will move for approval of the proclamations.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

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

And we'll go next to Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh, first off, on um item 30, I want to thank my colleagues.

Sorry.

I want to thank my colleagues for bringing forth uh this proclamation celebrating National Park and Recreation Month, uh, especially as we celebrate um all that our park and recreation team here in the city does, uh especially sorted by supported by our Parks Foundation, which I appreciate seeing here today.

Uh next, I am going to speak to item S500, uh, where I'm proud to recognize Miramar Martial Arts Academy for its upcoming 30th anniversary.

Since 1996, Myanmar Martial Arts Academy has been a cornerstone of the Mira Mesa and Miramar communities, helping students of all ages build confidence, discipline, respect, leadership, and a commitment to personal excellence through the traditional Korean martial art of Tang Sudou.

I would also like to recognize Master Thomas Tai for his extraordinary leadership and dedication over the past three decades.

Through his mentorship, more than a hundred and sixty students have achieved the distinguished rank at Black Belt, and countless families have been positively impacted by the values and life lessons taught at the Academy.

His commitment to excellence is reflected not only in the success of his students, but also in his achievements as a member of the Sioux Bakdo U.S.

national team and as a master instructor.

It's no surprise that many families in our community have often referenced the positive impact that Master Tai and his team have had on young people every day.

And so as we celebrate Merrimar Martial Arts Academy's 30th anniversary, we recognize its enduring legacy of community service, excellence, mentorship, and empowerment.

And with that, we're proud to proclaim August 15th, 2026 to be Miramar Martial Arts Academy 30th anniversary day in the city of San Diego.

Since Master Thomas Tai is actually here in the audience, I I wanted to just invite you up if you wanted to share uh any remarks for a moment.

Uh thank you.

Um just want to say thank you uh for acknowledging us and uh uh giving us this opportunity.

Um, you know, 30 years ago when I started the studio, um I was just uh a kind of lost kid, just got out of college, just got laid off from work, didn't have anywhere to go, and uh it was just the passion and the art the art.

And um I just want to try it out and uh I'm just happy that it's been here this long and uh got an opportunity to work with everyone and uh really an honor to be here and uh to uh to be able to to accept to acknowledge this.

So thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next on item S507.

I want to thank Council Member Campbell for joining me on this proclamation recognizing Coates Disease Awareness Day.

Uh if many of you in these chambers have not heard of Coates disease before, that's exactly why this item is important.

Uh Coates disease is a rare congenital and non-hereditary eye disorder characterized by abnormal development of blood vessels in the retina, resulting in trauma, damage, blindness, or even removal of the eyes.

A common disease of uh common sign of the disease is leucochoria, an abnormal white reflection of the retina, and symptoms usually begin with blurred vision in one eye, which is made more pronounced with one eye closed.

An early warning sign that's often seen, especially with youth, is yellowed eyes in flash photography, uh which is caused by light reflecting off the cholesterol deposits in the eye.

Um, and so if you see that, that's something to be aware of.

Observed each year on August 17th, Coates Disease Awareness Day shines a light on this rare disease that's that does not yet have a cure and affects over 200,000 people in the United States, including thousands in San Diego.

We also recognize those affected by Coates disease and having their stories told and their journeys uh shared.

And I'd like to specifically thank Paula Henning, who's here in the audience with us.

Paul's a regular attendee of the Mira Mesa Town Council.

She's helped to bring forward this proclamation as a member of the community each year, and she has often shared her story as someone who personally understands the significant impact of Coates disease.

And Paula, similarly, if you'd like to come forward and share a few words.

Yeah.

Thank you, Council members.

Um I'm sorry, ma'am.

If you can speak into a microphone, you can pull the mic down.

There we go.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Um I do have a grandson that was diagnosed with Coates disease in 2008.

It has been a very devastating journey, but he has progressed pretty good with it.

He now, as of the last year, become blind in one eye.

And what's sad about these little kids, they don't get the diagnosis or the treatment that they have.

A lot of them are on unprivileged communities that don't have the eye examinations.

And like Dr.

Mr.

Kent said, just the flash photography.

Parents can take a flash photography and see the glow of the white or the yellow eye, which is extremely important to have diagnosed.

Um it is very expensive for these kids to go through a Coates disease regimen.

And there's not that many people in San Diego, which I hate to say a lot of the pediatricians and the ophthalmologists are still unaware of this condition, which needs to be addressed to help these kids.

Because it's sad to see a child lose their vision or even lose their eye because of it.

Um I want to thank the council here.

And I want to mention that San Diego was the first city to have the proclamation for Coates Disease Awareness in the United States.

So thank you.

And I want to thank you for you know bringing this proclamation on August 17th of 2026 to bring this awareness to the facility to the uh communities.

Thank you.

Well, the thanks really goes to Paula and Ms.

Henning for her leadership and her um advocacy on this front.

That concludes my remarks, Council President.

Thank you.

All right, is it second that?

Oh, yes, I will second the proclamation agenda.

All right.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Whitburn, a second by Council President Pro Tem Lee.

And we'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Congratulations to everyone uh receiving procs today.

And uh I'm very happy to join my colleague uh council president pro Tem Lee in proclaiming August 17th to be Coates Aware Coates Disease Awareness Day in recognition of those who suffer from this rare disease.

Coates disease was uh discovered by ophthalmologist named George Coates in 1908.

It occurs in young childhood, and the cause is blood vessels in the eyes that develop abnormally, resulting in eye trauma and loss of vision.

There is no known cure for it, but for those fortunate enough to catch it early, treatment can sometimes slow the progression and help the symptoms.

It's especially important to continue to raise awareness about lesser known diseases like Coates disease.

There are people in San Diego who live with Coates disease, and we must do everything we can to support them and their families.

And thank you for all you have done to bring awareness.

By continuing to raise the awareness about this disease, we can help to support research and make progress in treating and as soon as possible in curing this disease.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Campbell.

We're going back to Councilmember Ilo Rivera.

All right.

Thank you, Council President.

I want to start by thanking my colleagues for bringing forward these proclamations and say congratulations to all the recipients.

Very quickly before I speak to National Park and Recreation Month.

I did want to say thank you to Ms.

Rosas for her service to the city.

The stories that we heard this morning in public comment were an incredible testament to the impact that librarians can make, that libraries can make, that public employees can make.

And obviously the impact that you've made has been incredible and is just such a testament to the value of public service and why we appreciate those of you who've stayed with the city for such a long time.

These are lifelong memories.

I'm hearing that there are folks who are now educators because of the interactions that they had with you growing up.

That's just incredibly inspiring to me.

And so I want to say thank you.

As for National Park and Recreation Month, I will start by again thanking my colleagues for bringing this forward with us.

Parks are more than just green spaces, they're where community happens, where families gather, kids find joy, and neighbors come together across cultures.

And in too many neighborhoods, access to safe quality parks has been treated like a luxury.

But public space is not a privilege, it's a right.

And every San Diegan and every zip code of our city deserves a clean, welcoming place to connect, heal, and thrive.

Parks are essential infrastructure, not only for public health, but for climate resilience.

And as we fight for environmental justice, we need to invest in green spaces that protect the people, protect people, and protect our environment.

Year after year, our parks and recreation staff have been asked to do more with less.

And nonetheless, they still continue to show up for our communities.

And as a result, everyday youth and families in San Diego form connections and memories that they will carry with them through the rest of their lives.

And our elders are able to connect with one another and continue to find community.

And none of this would be possible without Parks and Rec staff and the organizations that support them.

I want to make sure I uh provide special thanks to the Parks Foundation and Price Charities for everything that you do to advocate for and invest in our park and rec system and to our parks and rec team here at the city.

Thank you for strengthening our communities through hosting cultural celebrations, for cultivating relationships and uplifting our neighborhoods and all of their beautiful diversity.

So let's celebrate our parks, honor the public servants who maintain them, and recommit to building a San Diego where every child and every uh family has access to nature, joy, and community.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Elo Rivera.

We'll go next to Councilmember Moreno.

Thank you.

I have comments on item 30, National Park and Rec Month, and also Item S 501, Alina Rosa's Day.

Um item 30 celebrates parks and recs across the nation.

And I believe that access to parks uh helps create and maintain healthy communities physically but also mentally.

Green spaces throughout our communities helps lessen the impact also of climate change and helps provide shade and cooler areas for people.

The people of District 8 absolutely love and enjoy all the parks throughout our communities.

Uh, from Chicano Park and Memorial Park in the north to Montgomery Waller and Caesar Solis in the South.

But we need more parks in District 8.

Um I am very proud to have built uh parks where there were once empty lots.

Uh those empty lots are now being transformed to Bayer Park, Riviera del Sol Park, Hidden Trails Park, and Grove Park.

Uh Rivera del Sol, which was a vacant lot for 20 years, was recently opened in the community of Ocean View Hills.

And this year, we expect phase one of Bayer Park to become an uh to become open to the public, which will be a major victory for the people of San Isidro who have long watched this site sit unused for three decades.

Now it will be a focus of community activity.

Also, Hidden Trails Park is under construction, and Grove Avenue Park is fully funded as of January and should be out to bid.

I think it's really interesting because we have the Park and Rec Foundation here.

And when they asked me to give them a tour of our parks, I took them to Grove Avenue Park.

And we went inside to the vacant lot, and everybody looked around and was like, why do you why did you bring us here?

And I told them I brought you here because I want you to feel what District 8 residents feel.

And I think that was very powerful, and that's why hopefully well, we broke ground in January, and I expect that we're in bid, but I won't ask right now.

In the last seven years, we've also uh refurbished uh five existing parks.

That's Memorial, Coral Gate, Robert Egger, Senior, South Bay, Sherman Heights, and Colonel Solomon.

The more parks we have, the stronger and healthier our communities are, and I will continue to be a fierce advocate to make sure our residents have access to parks in the neighborhood.

So I'm absolutely honored to co-sponsor this proclamation with Council President Locava, Foster, and Ilo Rivera, as we proclaim July as National Park and Rec month in the city of San Diego.

Item S uh S508 is Miss Alina Rosa's Day.

Uh Miss Alina Rosas will be retiring from Logan Heights Library in early August after 40 years of public service to the San Diego Public Library system and to the Logan Heights community.

Ms.

Rosas began her career at the Logan Heights Library in 1988 when the library was small but mighty.

Miss Rosas has played a significant role in the history of the Logan Heights Library.

She played a role in the grant development process and even helped plan the grand opening of the new Logan Heights Library that sits just about I don't know, 200 yards away from the old Logan Heights Library.

Ms.

Rosas has brought uh thoughtful librarian programs to the community, such as bilingual library programming for people of all ages and hosted Mother's Day celebrations at the library.

In 2020, she helped host the Negro League Baseball Player Traveling Exhibition.

And a panel as part of as part of the Black History Month, there was a panel, and that was very enlightening to see some of the players that are still alive.

Also not forgetting what Logan Heights was.

It wasn't just a Latino community, but it was an African American community as well, and still is.

And for many years, uh she also coordinated uh coordinated annual free tax preparation events.

Earlier this year, she helped coordinate a nationally significant event with the United States Postal Service to unveil the first Low Rider stamp here in Logan Heights Library.

She's Ms.

Rosas has earned a loving name as the Logan Librarian for her deep and authentic sense of community.

She has served several generations of Logan Heights residents who grew up in the library.

And as you heard from public testimony, Logan Heights Library is not just your regular library.

It's community, it's where innovation happens, and it's a cultural hub.

Ms.

Rosa served on the on several committees, including Library Rewards and Recognition Community Committee as a founding member and later was nominated to serve on the San Diego Public Libraries Tactical Plan Committee.

Ms.

Rosas, thank you for your continued service for District 8.

I think you exemplify the very best of the City of San Diego employee.

You're loving, you're caring, and you're a dedicated public servant.

And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for serving San Diego the way that you did.

And I also want to note one of the managers once wrote, Miss Alina is a role model for every city employee and exemplifies a standard of excellence that all employees strive for in a city career, and we're lucky to have her devoted service.

Thank you for your uh dedication.

So congratulations, Ms.

Rosas, on your service, and I would like to invite you if you would like to say a few words.

I wrote something down.

Thank you, Councilmember Moreno, and I am really proud and and uh to have served the city for this length of time.

And uh I want to say that I was born in Logan Heights, grew up in Logan Heights, Logan Heights.

The old Logan Heights Library was my childhood library.

I went to then Lowell Elementary, now Perkins Elementary.

So we used to walk to the old library when I was a child.

And uh this is actually my second time addressing the council.

The first time was in 1980.

Some people in this room, a lot of people in this room weren't even born yet.

So um, and that was when I was involved with the barrio station, where I learned community service from Rachel.

So she was a great teacher.

Um when I started at the Logan Heights Library, Mr.

Juan Ortiz was actually my first supervisor.

And the the biggest point, the first thing he wanted me to learn was that we had to give the service to the community, that it was not just a place where you went to look at books, checkout books, that we needed to give people a feeling of community, a feeling of family, welcoming everybody every single day.

And when kids would act up one day, he said, okay, tomorrow when they walk in the door, you pretend nothing happened.

It's a brand new day, and you welcome them again, you give them a chance, and just give them direction.

A lot of these kids just need direction.

So he allowed me to share my experience, um, my connections with the community.

I worked with Chicano Federation, the barrio station, I had friends that worked in different organizations, and uh those connections actually proved really um uh important when we were working on the grant for the new building because they were able to give us letters of uh of partnership letters agreeing to work with us after we opened during the and during the construction.

The um I don't know, so many things, so many things to say.

Um as the my kids, my library kids told you.

Um we've had all these kids coming through, experiencing all these things, sharing their lives with us.

Parents have come back years later telling us the impact that we had on their lives, unknown you know, to us because they didn't share with us what they were going through.

But they said that us opening the space to them, sharing programming, uh, arts and crafts, storytelling, you know, things that we were, you know, we were just you know, providing services to the community, and and it was allowing them an escape from whatever was going on at home, and then with the us sharing what we knew that was going on in the community services that were available to them, they were able to get out of that situation or improve their situation, get food, get service, get legal services, um, domestic violence, you know, assistance, um, all these things, you know, people come back later and tell us these things, and and it makes everything seem worthwhile, what what we do every day.

And um I run into parents at the grocery store at Costco, and then they there was a mom.

Oh, she says, Let me show you pictures.

My daughter just graduated from medical school.

There's teachers in the community that grew up at the library, they're now teachers, they're principals, um, they're in neighborhood schools.

Emerson, um, Lincoln, you know, uh all you know, all our local schools.

They were kids that went to the library, and you know, people that are administrators, we have doctors, um, PhDs.

One of the moms told me her son has a PhD, and I can't remember what science, but some sort of science.

There was a young man that came to the old library right before we closed.

He wanted to see it one last time before it was closed because he was in the army and he was overseas, and he was telling me all about how the library had really inspired him, and he came back and talked about that.

So I just want to say in closing that I hope the city can continue providing our communities the opportunity to access these services by having a place a place where they can go and and uh you know take part in all the in all these activities, and and I ask that you continue to search for ways to help the communities and help the staff because the difficult times that we've gone through, and I've seen a lot in the time I've been there, you know.

We persevered and we try to continue giving people the same level of service, and it does impact not only the public but also staff.

But I want to thank you very much for this acknowledgement.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um I also I would want I want to recognize um our library director, Misty Jones, for being here.

Um I thought I saw her this morning.

And that concludes my comments.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Moreno.

And we'll go next to Councilmember Foster.

Uh yes, thank you, Council President.

Um just quickly want to um say congratulations to all of the proclamation um recipients.

Um it's always good to take a moment out to acknowledge the good work of um organizations and individuals.

Um I call it the heartbeat of the city, right?

Um always always need to give that acknowledgement.

Um National Park and Recreation Month.

Um hopefully um since I've been on this council, I've effectively conveyed just how important park and rec is um to me, how important park and rec is to District Four.

Um, you know, these spaces um quite honestly are more than parks.

Um they're where fellowship happens, they're where community comes together, where neighbors can meet neighbors and folks can celebrate.

Um we just had a um an event this weekend at Marie Widman Park, the 2026 Encanto Um Block Party and Music Festival.

Um I must say it was a very touching time uh for me as a as a young boy that grew up in District 4, um, that was familiar with the Encanto Street Fair.

Um for those that don't know that that name we can't use, it was copyrighted.

Um but one of the things we set out to do was to figure out how can we bring that back.

And it came back in the uh under the auspice of the 2026 Encanto Block Party.

And I must say we probably had um well over a thousand people that came out um to the park, all ages, all the ethnicities, and I must say it was just truly, truly a beautiful, beautiful um event.

And um that's why park and rec is so important to me.

And it's not just one park in District 4.

We got a lot of things going on, and just want to say thank you to the Park Foundation.

Um ever since you stood up as an organization.

Um I must say you've been focused on District 4, um, bringing events um to the district, uh, movies in the park, movies at night, all the um events that you do um is just really been about community.

Um I think um I see Michelle um in the audience and in in chambers, and he always says until the park foundation was stood up, we didn't have those amenities.

Right, council member, we didn't have movies um in the park.

We didn't have a place for young folks, young families to go on those Friday nights or those Saturday nights.

So um just thank you for that.

Also would like to thank um San Diego FC for all the things that they are doing, the investments they're bringing um to the park.

Um, Willie Henderson Park, um what we just did in our hard courts, just amazing, amazing work, beautiful work.

Um and so just really thankful.

Um also thankful to the park and rec for everything that they do.

Um you know if it was up to me, um, I'd have every park open every hour of the day, lights in every park, um, and just really bringing community together.

So um just really want to shout out National Park and Recreation Month.

And um I'm gonna continue to make sure we have our park and rec facilities open.

Um that's how important this is to me, um, and making sure that we're making the appropriate upgrades and investments so that every family, every family has a place to go when they want to fellowship, have fun, and just relax and and and love on one another.

So um congratulations and just thank you so much.

And that concludes my comments, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Foster.

I think everyone's had a chance to speak.

Who wants to?

Um I'll offer a few comments myself.

I'll start out with uh a response to one of the public commenters.

Uh proclamations are part of the official business of the city of San Diego with the city council.

It is a Brown Act requirement that we do things at a notice to public hearing.

And I think council, then Council President ILO Rivera uh wisely moved the proclamations up front.

Uh and then when I took over, I codified it uh so that we would do that.

So you would have a time clock when to show up.

You wouldn't show up in the morning for the two o'clock session uh if you want to speak on the consent items.

If you want to speak on the consent items, probably don't want to show up at ten o'clock, because we know we're going to go through the prox.

It's probably going to take 45 minutes an hour to do that.

But I think it is one of the special things that this city does, as my colleagues mentioned, an opportunity to highlight something that maybe the general public doesn't know about, or to recognize someone who has been an outlongstanding and city employee.

So I always appreciate that.

And to the items, Miss Rosas, uh, it is always a sad day when we lose someone who is so beloved as a librarian.

But it's also a joyful day because now you get to enjoy all that hard work and the reward of retirement.

So the best of luck in retirement.

Uh, as my colleague said, in partnership with Council members foster, Councilmember Moreno and Councilmember Ilo Rivera, we proclaimed the month of July twenty twenty-sixth to be National Park and Recreation Month in the City of San Diego.

Our parks at the heart of what makes San Diego the amazing place that it is from being the gathering place for neighborhood events, sports, to a place where people of all ages can enjoy being in their community and the outdoors.

And with that, uh, we have a motion by Councilmember Whitburn and a second by Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Clerk, please call the roll.

That passes unanimously, eight to zero with Councilmember Campio absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

But we're going to start with S500, Miramar Martial Arts 30th Anniversary Day.

So you can come up and watch for Heidi's signal about who is next after that.

But please remain seated, keep those aisles clear.

Thank you.

All right, is the public exits?

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

Are there any requests to pull a consent item by the council?

I see there aren't any.

So clerk, please proceed with public comment on the consent items.

Thank you, Council President.

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

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

The consent agenda includes items ten, fifty through fifty-six, sixty, sixty-one, one hundred through one hundred fourteen, s five oh one to s five oh four, and s five oh nine to s five eleven.

We did receive comments on items one twelve, one in favor, and items S five oh four, two opposed and one in favor VRE comment form, which have been distributed to the council.

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

Item one hundred fourteen is a potential appointment of Michelle Eastman to the accessibility advisory board.

And item S five oh two is the potential reappointments of Darlene Mulmut, Chen Yang Rickard, Steven Chatski, Walter Jordan Center, Maria Guadalupe Lozano Diaz, and Clovis Honor to the Commission on Police Practices.

Starting with Samuel Merrill, if you can please come up to the front, speaking on item one twelve.

And after that, we have Maximilian Schmidt, Karen B, and allegedly Audra, as well as Paul Krueger.

If you can all please come up to the front row.

You're speaking on item one hundred and twelve, you'll have one minute, please proceed.

This is a clear indication that the city needs to address the root causes of discrimination in the workforce.

I saw like Tokyo, Japan is one of them.

And uh I just come from the perspective of someone who um needs to use the library um pretty frequently to access the internet and to charge my devices.

The library is completely closed on Sunday and only opens at 1130 a.m.

on Monday and Tuesday, and then hundreds of million, 250 million dollars to put the utility power lines underground um for aesthetic reasons seems as if um as I said, the grossest misallocation of resources happening in uh San Diego with the um house prices becoming more expensive and many people not wanting to move.

Um that's basically all that happens is the property tax goes up on the on the house.

It doesn't, and uh so that's and then cannabis tax is uh extremely unfair and ridiculous, and then also sales tax.

So then the um parking, I think should be cheaper, and I think you shouldn't use all these taxes to put the power lines underground in this giant massive undertaking that only Tokyo Japan's done something like that, and then uh the library can't even open all day Sunday or and opens at noon on Monday and Tuesday because of a lack of resources, seems like a misallocation.

And uh and I just wanted to say that um free parking isn't something that is like a that far-fetched.

I think it's becoming more common.

And um thank you.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

Karen you're speaking on item 52.

Okay, thank you.

Good morning.

I um last night I looked at the June 18th environmental committee meeting where the um a contract extension was approved for RAIRAC, the um trash truck and container company.

There was no presentation given and no questions asked, and it was approved unanimously as part of that contract extension.

They approved the vision truck services and the RFID reader to be implemented on the trucks, and that is an in-hopper camera that looks at trash being dumped for every customer in San Diego.

And then on July 2nd, um, with uh communication from Marnie's office, they said it was just gonna be a pilot program, and that the information was not recorded or uh collected, but the um information from the website says at the push of a button, they can create a report and real-time map of all homes of contaminated.

You'll have three minutes you're speaking on items 50, 51, 53, 56, 61, 101, 52, 102, 105, 109, 112, 113, S504.

Please proceed.

Pre-parking isn't good for business.

This is a business, so you know what I mean.

You gotta do that.

But I think we should ban all paid parking.

Uh that'll never happen.

I mean, 75 dollar parking tickets are crazy.

You guys are making a lot of money.

Um, and then Henry, you care about parks.

That's so funny.

Only if your family's not gonna profit, right?

Because you know, you'll put a development there if you are.

Um, and then with this RFID chips, that's pretty crazy.

And then also, like, because these parts and the waste carts, someone just came in and said that their trash isn't being picked up if they're not three feet apart.

So I think you guys need to really think about that because these people are paying and they don't even get their trash picked up.

That's that's not good.

Uh and then uh prevailing wage, yeah.

You guys are just gaslighting the people.

Now, with this amendment to the municipal code regarding the unified school district board of education, I think you guys need to be aware that Scott Weiner has taken a bill where it was going to make sure that sexual predators, including pedophiles, were not allowed to be a public official.

However, he wanted to take out the pedophiles because you know we have to glorify them, and that would be totally discriminatory.

So they're going to be in the schools.

Well, they already are at Sunset Elementary, right, Vivian?

Right?

Naptime.

Children just being sexually molested.

It's so good.

They do it, they just get real comfortable.

They do, they do it right out in the open.

So uh nothing to worry about there, though.

Let's not protect children.

Just give them some sexual books, and those people will just be a magnet for them.

Uh these uh poisons that you're putting in the pure water, uh lie is used for aquamation.

So I'm wondering, are we gonna put bodies in there to dissolve them?

Uh how is that not going to corrode the metal in the pipes?

It does, but that would mean that it it doesn't harm soft tissue or anything like that.

Um, but it's cool because all the aborted babies that people are flushing down the toilet will you know be taken care of.

Um and then uh let's see.

The uh oh, yes, no spraying of your glyphosates with these landscaping uh initiatives that you guys have.

Roundup is being sprayed and it's extremely toxic to children to wherever so it's being put in parks and things like that.

I think you guys need to think about poisoning people, but we're doing it with the water.

We can dissolve those bodies too.

The fencing, um, tent city is like a prison uh because the fencing is going in, so that's interesting.

I wonder if they're gonna maybe turn it around so those people don't get uh stuck in there with a fire.

Um, as far as these settlements, I think you need to start putting those amounts back up where you don't just have to click on to the item.

And as far as housing goes, it's like nobody can afford uh to rent.

And so the fact that you guys want to put them in housing, I don't think that they understand what they're getting into there.

And you're but I mean, you can take their home, so it's cool.

Paul Kruger, you're speaking on items 50, 52, 112, and S504.

You all have three minutes.

Please proceed.

Uh thank you.

Um I'm not sure of the protocol here, but please give more discussion to item 52.

This is 106 million dollars for what according to the report is just trash bin repairs.

It doesn't even say replacements.

Um the um second paragraph of pure curement talks about um the contract going from eight million to 38 million and then being adjusted in 2022 to an unspecified amount, and then we have July 14th where it went to 103 million dollars.

Now there's another three million dollars to 106 million dollars.

We have to have an explanation.

You may know more about this than members of the public, but this is an expenditure related to uh the trash uh fee that the public wants to understand.

How could we be spending 106 million dollars?

Again, the the item backup says necessary for repairs and maintenance of containers.

Nowhere does it say that it involves the replacement of the containers.

Um thank you for doing what you can to um assure more public discussion on this very important item.

Um just very briefly on um item one twelve, the settlement.

This is another example of the millions of dollars that we are paying every week, it seems like, certainly every month, for questionable settlements.

I'm not saying in any way that this case shouldn't have been settled, but it looks like it went on for three years with two separate lawsuits.

There must be a better way to both settle uh on a on better terms earlier, perhaps, and more importantly, to avoid these lawsuits.

Um I'll use my last moment to please urge you to discuss uh item S504.

My colleague Jeff Hudder wrote a very important note to you about concerns regarding the construction defect change on SB 1903.

Please do not approve today's item if you include SB 1903.

Please read about please read Jeff's note to you about suggested changes to the um wording of SB 1903 before you endorse it.

Um do not endorse as a package, please.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you, Blair Beekman.

You're speaking on items S502, S503, and 110.

Hi, Blair Beekman.

I'm gonna substitute item 50 for 110.

Uh with the administrative up to date to parking meter zone boundary descriptions for uptown and midtown mid-city communities.

With our parking things that we're working on at this time, is it possible to be considering again the ideas of parking commissions?

I think it was a good way to create community and democracy.

And there was some really undemocratic ideas in taking those concepts away the past year in order to consolidate your new parking ideas.

Now that we're returning to old forms, can we return to the parking commission process and what that offered community, or at least for it to have a place in our future?

We we can have some sort of, you know, working within chamber of commerce groups, you know, local business associations, anything, you know, to get that sort of process, uh, a democratic process again.

Uh good luck in the efforts.

Um I wanted to speak to item S503, which is the buyer park uh parking funding for issues.

Um our park department has done awesome job to working on to a degree on um tech and accountability and that our data is going to be safe, secure, and that we're doing best practices.

Um they made pretty strong demands of federal agencies that we we're working on good terms, and I hope we can continue those sort of efforts for ourselves.

Um I hope the part buyer park uh funding ideas can connect to the housing development that's planned for the same area.

Um will they be working in conjunction?

Should they be working in conjunction?

Uh there should be really obviously important concepts of environmental concerns and and efforts.

And um uh let's not forget the importance of of environmental concerns with our land issues.

Um we have to note the history of our land issues as well.

Uh good luck how we do all of that with with the buyer park and the uh Emerald Hills ideas.

Uh to conclude with the reappointments to the commission on police practices.

I really wanted to say yesterday, I hope the the police uh uh commission on police practices will be reviewing, can have an open public process on the future of ALPR use in real time in San Diego.

That has to be a public conversation in our future.

Good luck how it can be accessible.

Uh good luck in your efforts to try to make that accessible.

I hope you can do that as councilpersons.

Um and the other comment that I think the AS ACLU person who applied for uh a job on the commission was not uh uh elected.

And I thought I thought that thought that a bit disconcerting.

Um I hope we do not fear having open conversations in the public dais here in the following months.

You know what I'm trying to do, best practices.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I sorry the five-minute time we're going to those participating remotely.

We currently have three people in the queue, starting with Zachary.

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

Zachary DeFazio Farrell.

I can't unmute for you.

There you go.

Hello, S504.

Please proceed.

You'll have one minute.

Okay.

Uh good morning, Council President, members of the council.

Uh, my name is Zach DeFazio Farrell.

I'm the treasurer of the ME Democrats of San Diego County.

I'm speaking in support of item S5 S504, the resolution backing assembly bills 1903, 1406, 1070, and 1834.

Um, San Diego is the fifth most expensive metro area in the country to buy a home.

And only about 70% of local households can afford a median priced home year.

This package addresses real barriers to home ownership, uh reducing cost of construction, defect litigation, lowering financing risk for builders, and easing permitting for missing middle housing like duplexes, townhomes, and condos.

I want to thank Council President Pro Ten Lee for introducing this resolution and steering it from committee.

Uh we urge the council to adopt S504 as presented on today's consent agenda.

I sent Sacramento a clear message that San Diego supports expanding homeownership.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Larissa Aldania.

If you can please unmute Lori Saldania, I can't unmute for you, but if you can unmute and let me know which item or items you wish to speak to.

My apologies, please unmute.

Hello.

Yes.

Yes.

Hi there.

Yes, I'd like to speak on item 112, 113, and 114.

Please proceed.

You'll have three minutes.

Thank you.

So on item 112, it was already mentioned that these types of discriminant uh cases, they are costly uh on a financial level, but they're also costly uh fairly provide representation.

There are many not only within the city, but there are many contracts given to companies that when you review their uh employment um reports, they clearly are not meeting the level of diversity that the city has envisioned when they set forward certain goals and certain programs.

Um sometimes it's costly, as in this case on a legal settlement, um, but other times it is costly because frankly, people don't see themselves represented on job sites uh where contractors are doing work that's supposed to be beneficial to everyone in San Diego.

On item 113, uh the settlement about an accident on a sidewalk.

Uh, these cases used to be relatively rare.

They're, I noticed that they're increasing.

I've mentioned in the past uh the incident with a member of my own family who tripped near City Hall and the injuries resulted in her death a few months later.

Um it's it is not only again costly in terms of the settlements that are being paid, but it's costly to the people that are supportive of those who are injured in these trips and falls.

And related to this area, Pacific Beach, um, I will be speaking soon regarding what is happening in our coastal communities.

Uh I was born and raised in San Diego.

I have seen the changes in our neighborhoods.

I've lived in Pacific Beach and other coastal communities, and I believe these these incidents, tripping and falling and other accidents are going to increase very quickly, and I'll explain why uh during non-agenda public comment.

Um, and then finally the reappointments to the commission on police practices.

As others have mentioned, um, this commission was created uh following uh just to give some brief history.

Uh 15 years ago, there was an activity right outside this building, Occupy San Diego, and um people were camping overnight, and in the early morning hours, police raided the uh encampment and ended up putting people into basically locking them down in vehicles, and it was uh dehumanizing, it was frightening, and uh some of the people that experienced this worked very hard for many years to get this commission established.

The fact that it has taken this, it continues to take uh months and years to establish and fully operate this commission uh does not speak well of police practices in San Diego, and I encourage you to uh manage this as quickly as you can.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is 8700.

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

Yes, I have eight items, 501, 55, 100, 101, 102, 10, 504, and 511, please.

Thank you.

You'll have three minutes.

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

There are three people in the queue, no additional speakers will be taken.

Please proceed, Miss Anata.

Thank you.

Uh 501, yes to the electronic filing system for the office of the city clerk.

This will help keep the city clerk's team and their stellar work, stellar work moving forward for all the people of San Diego.

Uh 55, I am on the fence, three a yes or a no on this first amend to the contract with Ever North Care Solutions.

185 anmin admin employees, 42 white male, 103 white female.

Underrepresentation, Asian in management and financial, African American and Asian in sales.

Plus, also, due to some of the some parts of the staff report is too long for me to say them, but uh I'm a yes or no on that.

Thank you very much.

Uh 100, yes to the contract for as needed independent legal counsel for the office of the city auditor and the audit committee.

That's a big yes.

101 combined with 102, yes on both for chemicals to the North City Pure Water Facility.

Have we finally got a handle on pricing?

One can.

Yes to utilities undergrounding program.

A question, what percentage of collaboration is happening with S D G and E on these processes?

And another question what percentage is being uh taking place for outreach with the communities and SDG on these processes.

I'm looking for improvement in both areas.

Thank you.

504.

I am on the fence for yes and no on supporting the four assembly bills aimed at expanding home ownership.

As a long-term apartment renter, I need to get right to the bones on these bills.

And to evaluate their clear intentions on all four of them.

Thank you.

And lastly, 511, yes, to studio 15 apartments.

I'm still not clear on the history of the amendments and so forth, yet I have found memories of working on this project to fruition in 2009 with C C D C.

Thank you for listening in love to all.

Thank you.

Judy Strang, if you can please unmute.

Judy String, I can't unmute for you.

I will need to move on.

There you go.

Sorry, I'm at my work site, and that's always a little challenging.

I'd like to speak to items 55, 100, and 109.

I have a question about 109, and that has to do with the installation of fencing.

Because of the conversation yesterday, I decided to take a deep dive in those that those items today that had to do with contracts.

And if I understand this correctly, it looks to me like the contract for fencing is increasing from $3 million to $8,900.

I tried as I examined the finances behind this to understand what would have happened to create that sort of increase.

I I was looking for, but my golly, that's six million dollars increase.

Discussing what we would like to spend our money on, not the least of which are restrooms.

That was startling.

Then I'd like to speak next to item 100.

Yes.

Oh my gosh, yes.

Let's get our IBA, any individual or individualized counsel that they would need that would make their services easier for them to do.

It is a job that the public greatly appreciates and values their opinion and anything that makes their job easier.

And finally, I I especially wanted to address item 55 about something I know quite a bit about employee assistant programs.

I have a high regard for those enterprises, those businesses, which the city certainly is, that realize the importance of a good employee assistance program.

And as your staff report mentions, this very important behavioral health resource that the EAP, the employment assistance program provides to your employees is essential for their personal and workplace challenges.

It often includes mental health challenges.

This is not your staff report.

This is me having worked in these programs.

Really create an issue to the workplace.

When I first entered this field 40 years ago, one of the first things I was involved with is bringing EAP programs to businesses.

So this is the place if we're going to help people at their workplace.

If we can do it, then it is money well spent.

Thank you.

Thank you, Tony.

Your final speaker, if you can please unmute.

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

Yes, can you hear me?

Yes.

Yes, I would like to speak to uh item 56.

Uh I would like to speak to item 100.

I would like to speak to uh item.

Uh sorry, item 112, I believe it is.

So those two?

Yeah.

Uh those three.

Okay, sorry.

Three minutes, please proceed.

Thank you.

Um, first I'll start by saying I'm in big support of um item God, this is item 100.

Um in favor of the IBA getting uh as much support as possible with whatever counsel they may need.

Um and then moving on to uh item item 112.

Um a 3.1 million dollar settlement with uh the city of San Diego uh due to a discrimination case uh with the San Diego police department.

Um I I've spoken about this issue so many times, I've come to city council about this issue so many times, but I haven't seen the tone of the five people that voted for Flock of the five people that continually vote in favor of giving SDPD all the toys and all of the uh budget increases that they ask for.

Um I never see the tone of any of y'all change.

I never see you asking them the critical questions.

I never see any of these lawsuits change your tone in terms of the the greater accountability that you should be asking from them.

And yesterday, um, in the appointment of the people to the commission on police practices.

I'm glad that all those people were appointed.

Uh but some of the questions that you asked uh were really reflective of some of your positions and um your lack, your your own personal lack of objectivity in assessing police accountability.

It seemed like you're more concerned with um people having a view that's favorable to SDPD over people holding them accountable over the only regulatory body that we have that's responsible for holding them directly accountable.

It seems like y'all are more interested in having allies on CPP that won't recommend uh uh changes that SCPD won't even make because the CPP is totally disempowered from being able to make these changes, so it's all just a uh dog and pony show anyway.

It's all just a charade anyway.

And it's super concerning that because this is coming out of the public liability fund, y'all don't seem to care.

Y'all it doesn't change any of your tones.

And I don't know what it will take for you to realize that this is our money, and we are in a budget crisis, and I we can't afford groceries, yet we're continually paying these massive settlements for SDPD's misgivings.

Your time has concluded.

If you raised your hand, the five-minute timer had already concluded, and that does conclude public comment on the consent agenda.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh, with that, uh to my colleagues for comments, questions, and entertain a motion.

And we'll start with council member Moreno.

Thank you.

Um, I have comments on item 100, a request for the approval of a contract between the city of San Diego and the Renee uh public law group to provide as needed independent legal counsel for the office of the city auditor and the audit committee.

Um asked the citizens of San Diego for a charter amendment authorizing the city auditor and the audit committee to use outside legal counsel instead of our elected city attorney.

Uh I signed the ballot argument in favor of the measure, and um I was very happy to see that 67.24% of voters agreed with this measure.

So I want to start off uh by thanking uh the audit committee ad hoc subcommittee for the implementation of measure A.

And I also want to take this opportunity to thank City Attorney Heather Ferbert for not standing in between uh the will of the voters.

Uh this has been a very long time coming, and I'm glad to see that we are reaching this point.

Uh this represents another important tool for the city auditor to ensure that taxpayer funds are being used responsibly and also transparently.

Um I also too want to recognize and extend my gratitude to public committee members Halpern and Mafia for their outstanding work and helping guide this effort.

Uh thanks to that collaborative effort, we now have a contract that represents that reflects the commitment made to the voters.

Uh the economic statement presented to voters when they considered measure A is consistent with the contract amount before us today, and this independent legal counsel is important because the city attorney um represents the departments that the city auditor is auditing.

And this independent legal council is important because the city attorney represents the departments that the city auditor is auditing.

So ultimately, this helps the mission of the city auditor to advance open and accountable government through independent objective and accurate audits and investigations that seek to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and equity of city government.

I also have comments on item S503.

Um I want to take this opportunity to thank Councilmember Campbell for bringing this item forward and for keeping the buyer park development project in mind while serving on the San Diego River River Conservancy Board.

Um, if awarded, this grant funding would fully fund phase two of Bayer Park, a long anticipated project that was promised to the San Isidro community by the city of San Diego decades ago.

Fully funding phase two is a critical step towards turning that long-standing promise into a tangible reality for our community.

This represents uh this project represents more than just park improvements.

It represents long overdue investments in uh San Isidro families, youth, and residents who deserve access to quality public space.

So I'm extremely proud to support this item and look forward to seeing Bayer Park continue moving forward.

And with that, Council President, I'm happy to make a motion to accept the consent agenda before us today.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

So we have a motion by Councilmember Moreno to move the staff recommendation on the consent items, and we'll go next to Councilmember Von Wolpert.

Thank you very much.

Um I'm gonna have questions on item 52 for both environmental services and purchasing contracting.

So hopefully there are folks here who can answer it.

Um I do have a question for the city attorney as well on item S509, which is the PAT settlement.

By voting for the settlement, that doesn't lock us into voting for a certain amount of the water rate going forward.

It it will lock we we do have to do a singular water rate because of the court decision, but we don't have to set an amount in this settlement, correct?

The uh S509 was pulled from the tensile.

It was sorry.

But we're happy to discuss with you.

Okay, all right, thank you.

Sorry about that.

Um, then I have questions on S item S502, please.

I mean, sorry, item 52 or the last day.

Almost there.

Almost there.

Um Germany Bauer environmental services.

Thank you.

So this is a three million dollar extension to the contract to allow procurement of RFID reader hardware and software, which enables the city to provide service verification to its customers.

I thought that we I mean I I'm wholly against the city getting new trash cans.

I voted no on this every single time, but I've lost on this.

So now the new trash cans are here.

I thought the whole reason that we were told we had to do the new trash cans was because they'd have RFID chips in them and then we could read them.

So why is it that now we need an additional three million dollars to read the RFID trips?

Wasn't that why wasn't that part of the original negotiation?

Great question.

So to and for the opportunity to clarify, the primary reason for the new containers is customer verification to validate that we're only providing service to customers that are city customers and that we're providing service level that they're paying for.

This is because the fee is based, it's a function of the size of the trash container and how many total containers they have, and recognizing that most of the containers that were deployed in the past were well past their useful life.

The city weighed doing a manual audit of what was out in the field versus replacing, and we did determine that replacing them was the most effective and efficient way to validate service levels.

With that said, to your question, we did communicate to the public that all of the new containers come with RFID reader, RFIDs embedded in them, and that our plan would be to test technology for the hardware that would be attached to the trucks.

Then going forward would allow us to collect service level information to allow for continuous improvement over time.

Also allow us if we detect a container outside of where it's supposed to be, we could get it back to where it belongs.

And part of why we wanted to do a pilot first was before spending the money to buy the hardware to attach the trucks.

It was important to us to test the technology first, ensure it's working before making that significant investment in the hardware for the trucks.

Did we competitively bid the hardware for the trucks?

We did one all the other uh pilot with another firm uh routeware.

The detectability rate was not high enough for our business needs and also the amount of staff time to load the data and the versatility of the technology as a result of doing the pilot.

We determined that it wasn't going to meet our needs.

That hardware was able to be returned without without cost.

That was part of what was desirable about that initial pilot.

With this new pilot, uh the pilot itself should cost about $30,000.

And if the pilot is successful, only if and only at that point would we spend the three million to buy the uh about two million actually to buy the hardware, and then the the latter million is for the software needs for the remainder of the period, the fee period through fiscal year 29.

So then why did we pick these two companies?

Was it part of a competitive bid like we usually do?

How did this work?

We have an existing contract with RARIG for the container provision repair and replacement and leveraging that.

We already had that contract.

Recognizing that that's the same uh firm that makes the containers with the RFIDs in them.

We anticipate that the hardware that the firm makes should be successful in detecting the uh the containers.

We didn't at first because you said you went with another company previously.

That's right.

We had a we also had an existing contract with Rotware, and so being able to leverage that existing contract through uh this when the RARIG contract was presented last last July for the container rollout.

Uh we presented that this contract would be for the purposes of rolling out the new containers and that we would continue to look into what's what's next.

And as part of that exercise, we did determine that the existing contract with RARIG allowed for that the scope of that contract allowed for provision of RFID hardware, and so we determined that that would be an efficient way of leveraging that existing contract with the city, but it would require adding capacity to the contract to fund for the hardware purchase.

Got it.

So we have not done a competitive bid to see what would be the cheapest.

We're just kind of picking contracts.

Before I answer council member, I just want to confirm with Yeah, it's it's part of the cooperative procurement agreement.

Which was competitive bid that includes not only CART but the RFID technology as well.

And council member, this is Chase Wiegand, uh, intern program manager with our program.

Yeah.

No, I'm reading all the staff reports.

The original contract was in 2016, and it was for trash containers.

It wasn't competitively bid for this new RFID software.

We just tacked that on.

The original cooperative procurement agreement from the Omnia partnership included not only carts but the RFID technology as well, which was competitively bid that is used through multiple municipalities across the country.

Okay, where does it say that in the contract?

On the original Omnia contract, there is services that specify that RFID technology is part of this cooperative procurement agreement.

From 2016?

Correct.

Okay, that's not in the back of materials.

The only thing we purchased anyway, I'm gonna fight with you about it.

Um we just rejected a contract yesterday because it wasn't competitively bid, and I don't see anywhere this was.

And Claudia, I see you came up.

I see in your report that we're accepting an extension to this contract because it there's three what three criteria we have to meet.

An emergency or extraordinary circumstances exist.

So, what are the emergency or extraordinary circumstances that exist that allow us to not do a bigger process and just tax three million dollars onto this contract?

Okay.

Just to backtrack, thank you for the question, Councilmember Von Wolbert, Claudia Barkett, director of purchase and contracting.

Um, just to backtrack cooperative uh procurement is allowable.

What we did um it has to meet our criteria that it was solicited.

There were multiple bids, and there was uh an award process that um come um is in line with the city's own procurement process.

So, yes, this contract was awarded previously.

Um, there is a provision that allows us to extend in the event that it is in the best interest of the city if we go beyond that cooperative uh procurement period.

Um the department has indicated that they have a very unique need to get these uh trash cans rolled out very quickly because of the adoption of the ordinance, and that is why we allowed the extension of the cooperative contract that existed at that time.

So it seems the need is created because we didn't do this earlier.

You know, potentially I will let the department uh okay discuss that.

Got it.

Um last question is how do we know that we can afford any of this because the city got into a settlement where we arbitrarily lowered the trash fee?

Yes, good question, council member.

So the the cost of service model and the budget did include the cost to provide the relative containers and included in the amount that is collected.

That amount is sufficient to fund the three million dollar at the pilot.

Okay.

Um thank you for answering our questions.

I continue to assert we did not need to spend now sixty-three million dollars buying new trash cans for the entire city.

So I would second the motion with a friendly amendment that we move to vote no on item 52.

Uh the maker on the motion doesn't accept the friendly amendment.

Okay, then I won't be seconding the and I'll be voting no one item 52 and no on item 112.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Vaughn Wolper.

Uh good line of questions, sir.

Uh we'll go next to Councilmember Elo Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh let me start by seconding the motion, and then I will express my appreciation to uh Michelle Eastman for stepping up to serve on the accessibility advisory board.

Michelle brings nearly a decade of disability advocacy education and strategy experience to this role, including serving as the inaugural program manager of the disability resource hub at UC San Diego.

Uh so that experience will be of great benefit to the city, and I'm very appreciative of Michelle's willingness to serve.

I will move on to item.

Uh 56, just to express a quick uh some appreciation to the city attorney's office again for stepping up and helping enforce our living wage, prevailing wage, minimum wage ordinances, the workers in this city, uh hospitality workers in this city received a raise on July 1st as a result of the actions of this council, and this will uh help us ensure that those workers get the the uh raise that they deserve.

Uh I want to thank City Attorney Ferbert uh for going out with me uh and and helping let some workers know that they are entitled to this raise now and and obviously the work that will come after this to ensure that an enforcement is done well.

And then uh lastly, item 112.

Uh I wanted to speak to that briefly.

Uh last month, Councilmember Foster uh as chair of the budget committee initiated an important conversation about settlements that um have involved the settlements across the city really, but uh especially those involving St.

Police Department.

At that point in time, there was over 116 million dollars over the last 10 years.

That did not include the $3.1 million uh that's being uh approved today.

It did, however, uh account for the $30 million uh for the death of Kanoa Wilson and $10 million for the death of Arabella McCormack.

Uh those are um those when combined with the $3.1 million here equates to uh almost $45 million just from three lawsuits since December of last year.

That's an enormous amount of money.

Uh within each of those dollar amounts are stories that involve uh the death of two miners and a an officer who alleged um experiencing racism and discrimination for over a decade.

So important on multiple fronts.

And so uh I am hoping that the initiation of the conversation that council member foster led helps us as a city and helps us to PD as a department uh wrestle with what can be done to again not just avoid these costs, but the the uh the even more important cost to public trust that each of these settlements represent.

And uh lastly, it uh it's yet another example of why I think it's important for us to to figure out between now and next budget year a way to account for these uh settlement costs and and um and and verdicts when they do go against the city in the budgets for the departments that are for the departments generally, but specifically for SDPD.

At this point, you know, I I don't think it would be improper for us to take an average of what departments are paying out on an annual basis and include that in the uh department budget when we approve the budgets each year to give us a more accurate reflection of what each department is spending and costing the city as we balance that with the services and resources that they are providing.

So I am again uh supportive of the consent agenda offering a second, but I also do think that there's some stuff for us to wrestle with here.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

So we do have a motion by Councilmember Moreno to move the consent items and a second by Councilmember Elo Rivera, and we will go to Councilmember Foster.

Uh yes, thank you.

Um Council President, I'll try to keep my comments um brief.

Um very quickly.

Um I will be supporting the consent agenda, except I would like to register a no vote for item 52, which I believe is associated with the um trash um item.

Um also would like to congratulate uh the reappointment of two of our commissioners to the commission on police practices, um, Lupe and uh Mr.

Clovis On Ray.

Um just thank you for your continued service and your willingness to serve on what I think is one of the most critical um boards and commissions that we have at the City of San Diego, and it takes a tremendous um commitment um and dedication um to um to serve on on that um body.

Uh by all means don't want to take away from any of the other commissions or boards, uh, but this one is just very, very intensive and and highly critical to what we do here at the city.

Um also um just want to uh speak to item 11 quickly.

Um I've known um Officer Art Scott for quite some time.

Um he is um someone that um is was born and raised in District 4, um has a wonderful family, um, has um daughters um that are doing um great things, son in the military, um, and just all around um what I like to say a good person.

Um I think um as council member um Ilo Rivera indicated um brought forward the um item last month um because we need to improve at the city um in CODA um I I have to put this um to the mayor's office um and yourself um but I'm looking for what steps are we taking to address the issues within the San Diego police department.

116 million dollars in um misconduct as we see this item where we clearly have um discriminatory practices, um we need to do better.

And if the mayor's office is not looking to make change, I can't sit back and just look at how we are going to be complicit and continue this type of behavior, continue this type of culture.

Um so I'll give you a moment um if you'd like um to let me know.

Um and I'd like to think my my colleagues would be interested in how are we going to address this behavior and this culture within um the police department.

I appreciate the opportunity, councilmember.

Um, and thank you for inviting us to your committee uh last month to speak on just overall PD settlements and judgments.

Um and I think through that conversation we saw the necessary training and investment that the department needs to be able to improve how we engage with the public.

I don't know enough details on the case before you today to speak on what internal controls we can offer um for conduct within the own department.

Um but again I appreciated the opportunity last month to really speak on the types of training, the type of continued monitoring of how we engage with the community to improve the police services that we provide so that we don't have the items that we've had in the past in December and January with um the horrific um settlements that we had back then.

So it's I think just a consistent effort that needs to be prioritized, not only during budget season but year-round.

Um and I think you have the support and um belief within the department to execute on that.

So thank you.

Already thank you for that.

And I just cannot stress enough, and I've said this.

Police training is not new, and we do do a considerable amount of training for our officers.

I think we need to make sure that we look at the effectiveness of that training, but also we need to make sure that we have accountability.

And I think that's a very, very important factor and something that we cannot set to the side.

So just as we talk about looking at our training, looking at de-escalation, we also need to look at accountability.

And one thing I will say, and I saw a statement that came out uh regarding the POA.

Um that came out addressed to the Commission on Police Practices.

Unacceptable, unacceptable.

I understand why the POA exists.

But you know what?

Let's do right.

The executive board needs to get in the room, they need to have a conversation, and they need to help address the issues within the department.

Don't look externally, don't blame the commission.

The misconduct that we're being that's being discussed are a direct result of our officers.

And that's where that conversation needs to make sure we where we keep that conversation.

And that goes back to accountability.

And so it's time for the POA to step up and do what's right.

Quit throwing rocks, quit blaming other people.

You're the ones that put the uniform on every day.

You're the one that that goes out and took the oath to protect and serve.

Let's protect and serve everyone.

Let's make sure that we're making opportunities available.

Right, we're discussing a case on an officer, an African American officer.

I don't believe we have one African American officer that's on the executive board of the POA.

Before you want to attack the Commission, let's address that.

Let's be inclusive.

And let's fix that.

So thank you.

I look forward to the continued conversations, Coda, because we have work to do.

Um and so, Council President, um, I will um conclude my comments there.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Uh looks like everyone has spoken who wants to.

I'll offer a couple of comments, uh, mainly driven by public comment.

Um, you know, we're always interested in public insight about how we put our agenda and how we word things.

But when item 100 says independent legal counsel for the office of the city auditor and the audit committee, I'm not sure what else we can do to and why it gets confused with the office of the IBA.

Uh, but if uh you want to make some improvements about how our language is, please let us know.

Uh, thank you, Mr.

Hanal, for being in the audience uh on this one and the work that it took to get this item forward.

Uh and then also brief comments, S502.

I want to congratulate uh those commissioners on the CPP that are willing to continue their public service uh and be reappointed to the CPP.

Uh the Commission on Police Practices and to the public comment that that suggests that yesterday's action uh that the council did any cherry picking of who would be appointed to the vacant seats.

Uh I thoroughly and completely reject that uh if you actually had paid attention to that.

Um I'm not sure there was a 100 percent, but the commission on police practices did their own vetting of the candidates and made their recommendation.

I don't know that we hit 100 percent of their recommendations, but pretty darn close.

Um, and so I'm very proud of the work that those people that are willing to step up to serve on the commission who understand the assignment in front of them uh and the process that we went through to make appointments.

Uh you're always going to lose someone who is highly qualified, uh, but there's always openings that uh re-emerge on the commission, and I hope they will engage again.

Uh but uh did want to make that point.

So with that, uh we have a motion by Councilmember Moreno and a second by Councilmember Ila Rivera to move the consent items.

Clerk, please call the vote.

Sorry, the voting system, please cast your vote.

That passes unanimously 8 to 0 with Council Member Campio absent and council member von Wilbert voting no on items 52 and 112, and council member foster voting no on item 52.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, no objection to that.

Thank you for catching those no votes.

Uh next, uh, do we have any comments from the mayor's office, council member, city attorney, independent budget analyst or city clerk.

Not seeing any.

Oh, sorry, Councilmember Yelo Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh I appreciate the opportunity.

I I did want to speak to uh something that troubled me over the last week.

Uh and it's the the killing of two uh men, Lorenzo Salgado Rajo, and Yohan Sebastian Guerrero.

Lorenzo was 52 years old.

Uh he had spent 35 years in this country.

He had three American sons, one a teacher, one an engineer, one still in college.

He had no criminal record.

He was driving his construction crew to a job site in Houston last Tuesday morning when an ICE officer shot him and killed him.

As his son said, after nearly 35 years of working to give us the American dream, he made the choice to begin the process of obtaining his American dream through a work permit.

We dotted every I, crossed every T, filled every document, attended every appointment.

He was close to obtaining his legal status.

And he even had a biometric scan and fingerprints done earlier this year.

Ronaldo, his son, said that his mother was told something bad had happened to his dad around 7 a.m.

last Tuesday after frantically looking for him at his job site and finding his empty van.

His son saw a video and he said, I recognized him not from his appearance but from his voice crying for help as he lay on the street.

He was crying for help while he was bleeding in the street with handcuffs on.

That's not how his son wants his father to be remembered, not as someone who got shot and killed, but as a family man, a man who understood that good things come to those who put in hard work.

Yoan was 26.

He was a delivery driver and authorized to work here.

Yesterday morning on his way to work, ICE agents rammed his car, fired through his windshield and killed him.

And he was also not the subject of an aw of a warrant.

His partner was on her knees in the street.

Their three-year-old daughter was standing next to her in her blue e pajamas.

In both cases, the Department of Homeland Security said the same thing.

It is said again and again that the man weaponized his vehicle.

And that the officer feared for his life.

We've heard that account before.

We heard that in many Minneapolis.

We heard that in Texas.

We've heard that again and again.

And when footage has emerged, it has not matched what we were told.

The men who witnessed the shooting of Lorenzo, his brother and two of their coworkers, spoke to their family members while in immigration customs enforcement detention, where officers are urging them to sign paperwork for their removal from the country so that they cannot testify to what they saw.

Neither of these men was stopped for a crime, neither was accused of one.

They were going to work.

Again, these allegations of quote unquote weapons weaponization of vehicles has now become a more vague claim of concern for public safety.

As of this morning, ICE agents have been told to immediately halt most vehicle stops nationwide.

That's not enough.

The families of Lorenzo and Joan deserve truth and justice.

Why does that matter here?

Because San Diego is a border city, obviously, but we're also the city we are because of our immigrant and refugee communities.

These are folks who take care of our children, who run small businesses, and who literally build the city.

They're watching what's happening and doing the math about whether it's safe to go to work.

That fear is not incidental, that terror is the point that this regime is intending to inflict upon our communities, and we cannot pretend that it's normal.

ICE is beyond reform.

It should be disbanded, abolished, however you want to say it.

One last point on this.

There's no footage for either of these killings.

That's despite Congress giving ICE 75 billion dollars, making it the highest funded law enforcement agency in the federal government, with more money than the FBI, the DEA, the ATF, and the U.S.

Marshals combined.

It's a choice not to have cameras.

It's a choice to inflict this sort of terror on our communities, and it's critical that it stop.

So uh with that, Council President, I'd ask that we hold a moment of silence for Lorenzo, Yohan, and their families.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Ylo Rivera.

We'll go next to Councilmember Von Wilbert.

Um I want to thank Councilmember Ilo Rivera for your comments.

What ICE is doing in our nation is completely unlawless.

It's completely chaotic, and it's wrong.

We here voted at the city of San Diego to join the lawsuit with Minneapolis to stop ICE from coming into our communities without warrants with their guns.

We train police around this nation not to shoot into moving vehicles unless it's absolutely necessary.

And none of the circumstances that are coming out about the shootings in Texas or in Maine would lead us to believe that was at necessary at all.

So I hope that we can continue to push forward with this lawsuit.

We can continue to push forward doing everything we can to keep ice out of our communities here in San Diego.

But I'm also really completely baffled by the fact that our U.S.

government won't even put basic constitutional guard wheels on ice like our police have to do.

And that's a federal issue.

We can't vote on that here at the City of San Diego.

But I hope that we continue to push our federal officials.

If they're going to continue this, they have to do their job in making sure every agency follows the United States Constitution in this country.

But thank you, Councilman Riley O'Vear for raising up the families that are suffering.

All right.

Thank you, Councilmember Von Wilbert.

Not seeing anybody else requesting to speak at this time.

We will now take up not agenda public comment.

Council members respect and appreciate the public.

Some putting are fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech rights at council and committee meetings.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

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

Each speaker will have two minutes.

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

The maximum time for the topic will be 16 minutes.

If you're in chambers, please submit your speaker slip to the front of the room.

If you're joining us virtually, please raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon, or if you're a calling participant, star nine.

We'll start with Brother Steven Gerard Sidlovsky.

If you can please come up to the podium, I know you have something on the dot cam that we will be sharing.

Paul Kruger and Laurie Saldania, if you can also please come up to the yellow reserve seats, as well as allegedly Audra and Maximilian Schmidt.

You'll have two minutes.

Thank you, San Diego Councilmember citizens, and all listening and participating.

Steven Gerard Sudlovsky, a third order Franciscan.

I'd like to up with uh open with Holy Scripture, because the Holy Bible guides us lovingly.

Proverbs 815 says, by me, kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just emphasizing that all earthly authority, leadership, and fair governance are ultimately derived from God's wisdom.

Sounds like our leaders need to move to the Holy Bible and God's wisdom is what it sounds like to me with what's going on in America today.

I continue to uh amplify new USA pre-born personhood cities.

Uh it's a new direction that uh America can move in.

I put up on uh the overhead the many verses of uh theological covenant theology.

And uh as you continue to delve into your holy scripture from time to time, covenant theology is what our wonderful founding fathers knew very well, and that's how the U.S.

Constitution came about.

I will let you know I have attended the Washington DC March for Life, also the California March for Life, and on various occasions the San Diego a walk for life.

There's no place for violence in the world, and there's no place for violence of the innocent little ones developing in the mother's womb.

There is a beating heart in the mother's womb with separate DNA.

Pre-born personhood can now be established, possibly even in the districts.

Uh mission San Diego's in District 7.

Let's do it there.

That's beautiful.

We've got the festival of the bells coming up here this weekend.

I invite all of you to come listen to the beautiful festival, the bells, the ringing of the bells will be 12 noon Sunday.

I hope to be there for the blessing of the animals.

Bring your animals.

12 noon Saturday.

God bless you.

Next we have Paul Kruger.

You also have a presentation that will be put up.

Thank you very much.

I'm disappointed that uh council member from uh my district left the dice before listening to these comments.

But um if Kevin chose and it's not important, I'm just here to restate the importance of your taking any action that you can to reopen the closed restrooms in Mission Bay.

Um I think the postings I've seen on social media have received at least 5,000 responses from San Diegans who are concerned, upset, frustrated, angry about these closures.

And while I understand your power over the budget is limited, I urge you to please take some action to work to either find the money to reopen the restrooms or to work with groups that will do this work voluntarily.

As I said yesterday, I have no idea of the constraints on volunteer groups handling issues like this because of labor, but please examine that possibility.

You know, I spoke before about what I thought was a terrible dereliction of responsibility when the mayor cut seven million dollars from arts without surveying the available money in the nonprofit uh contribution area or working closely with um arts groups to come up with ways to backfill this money before it was cut.

Now we know it was reinstated, that's fine, but I think it's also absolutely even more unacceptable that the money was cut for these restrooms without looking for alternatives to keep them open.

And I I hope that one of or more of you will take some action to work with these groups that are trying to keep these restaurants, uh restrooms open.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Lori Saldania.

You have a video you'd like to share?

Yes.

Do you want the photo first or the videos first?

Uh the video, please.

Thank you.

So what this is going to show is uh last night's high tide in Mission Beach at the south end of Mission Boulevard.

And high tide came last night about nine o'clock, and this is becoming increasingly a public safety issue.

Uh the high tide, without any storm surge behind it, is routinely flooding the alleyways and the parking lots at the south end of Mission Beach.

So I can pause your time until we can.

All right, thank you.

I'm standing uh at the corner here and that wasn't the entire one that doesn't really show this truck, and there were other trucks that were speeding through this standing water.

And the water is now completely exceeded the storm drain capacity.

This is becoming increasingly uh it needs to be a planned retreat zone.

You can plan to move these buildings out, and there is an image showing the high tide table.

Um there you can plan or you can have a catastrophic retreat, which is when we see at Choyas when in the Toyas Creek area where people's lives are at risk as well as property.

I want to encourage this council to think in terms of public safety, to think in terms of how people are acting when the water is flooding, and this actually is right outside of what used to be apartments and is now 90% in one building, short-term vacation rentals, offer these people some compensation to move them out of this area and create a retreat area, or you will have catastrophic losses along these coastal areas.

Uh finally, I just want to say thank you, Mr.

Foster.

I guess he has departed.

Um his comment about POA.

Any one of you who has taken money from POA and use that for your campaigns or plans to do so in the future, I think their attitude as reflected in their comments tells you all you need to know about why that is not a good idea and why I move for the county party platform to refuse money from law enforcement agencies.

They rely on you for their salaries, you should not be getting money in return.

Thank you for that concluding comment.

Allegedly, Audra.

And then Maximilian Schmidt is the last person here in Council Chambers.

Can't forget about Blair.

Because you're infringing on our second amendment.

And it even says in there shall not be infringed.

So I mean you can't be on both sides of that.

Either you're totally supportive of all of it or of none of it.

And I find that you're probably supportive of none of it, because otherwise you would uphold all of it.

And I that goes for all of you guys.

But it's sad to hear you talk about deaths of people.

Nobody should be dying and murdered, of course.

But it's happening in your guys' city.

I come to you time and again and tell you guys about people dying at Tent City.

And it's because they're homeless that you guys don't care.

If they were illegal or undocumented, as people would like to say, then you guys would, which you did at Cesar Chavez Park immediately get those people out of that encampment.

Because it was sensitive.

And it's like, yet people die.

Like, I mean, even Sean last year was saying, like, we need to look into this.

And imagine if he would have.

Ten more, 12 more people wouldn't have died.

But it's okay, they're homeless.

It's more money.

You know, check the boxes of like, you know, saying that there's more of them, so we need more money to come in.

And I just find it sad because he just went on the news and was like talking about Tent City and Tim Allen's death.

And it's like, what a slap in the face to that man, because he didn't have to die.

And it's like it would have been better to have Henry up there just so he could virtue signal because the guy was African American or black, whatever we want to call it these days.

It's just so sad that you guys care about people you don't even know while you have people presently dying in your own city and you don't care.

Maximilian Schmidt, if you can please come forward.

I have uh no family or friends that I'm close with, and have been homeless in Southern California living on the streets for almost two years.

And um the vast majority of that time I've not been staying at the shelter.

I've been sleeping on the streets.

And I am not a victim of uh drug addiction or um a victim of um just of mental illness, because I've also been told I'm schizophrenic.

I'm a victim of the Masonic Lodge depopulating homeless people.

And the the Freemasons, a lot of people don't know about the Freemasons, but the Freemasons um are depopulating homeless people across the world.

What and when the Freemasons do occult group rituals in the Masonic Lodge, they actually become possessed by the devil and telepathic.

And what they do is called Xurzet song.

A lot of people know what Xerzit song and gaslighting is, but they don't know that the Freemasons are doing it to homeless people and um literally depopulating them in San Diego.

And um, what what they do is they pretend to have a uh conversation with each other, and really they say your thoughts out loud, and it's called a targeted conversation.

And they if you're homeless living on the streets, they surround you at all times doing this.

So they're constantly acting like some God figure and w who are you supposed to turn to?

Uh no one no one believes you if you tell the if you go to the police, they say you're crazy.

No one um what what do you do in a society that normalizes the third eye?

Um, makes it clear that they can see through your eyes and they can read your mind, and they constantly care uh make you make you aware of that when what do you do when no one believes you?

And all city councils are freemasons and guilty of depopulating.

That does conclude your time, Blair Beekman.

All right, Blair Beekman, thank you, DRA, for your words.

Uh I hope the city of Oakland will continue to develop its current 18-month process of community participation to help find a future better principle of the L paravender besides Pluck.

A reminder that these are surveillance technology policy ideas that are of open participatory democracy and best practices.

These are ideas that tend to develop uh sustainability, peace, open dialogue, and not war.

To note, Oakland has a low life philosophy that I feel can include the ideas of do no harm to others in their policy making.

From this, I want to address and respect a longtime allyship between the US and Israel and these relationships with the Mideast overall.

But I also want to note I am simply dedicated as many people are at this time in history to be developing concepts of peace, dialogue, and participatory democracy is how to address policy making before the policy practices of state violence, genocide, and continual war upon innocent people.

Interestingly, people of local US communities are starting to better address US data companies like Flock at this time, as Block seems to be overdeveloping its data within the context of supporting international policies of war and its harm.

To admit I'm not fully understanding these things, but my words are trying to connect to a decent reasoned approach that may be developing around the world at this time and wanting to collectively try to better address the future of new corporations like Flock, and that we can begin to more openly and regularly clearly ask and address are these efforts to leave Flock more than just anger and hatred towards Israel.

After the past 25 years of shocking state violence, pandemics, genocide, and continual war.

Hopefully, there is a deeper question at work at this time that asks all of us how can we practice the ideas of peace and dialogue to solve issues and not war?

I hope this can be clarifying some of my recent words.

But I also hope that uh we can all say good purpose to simply create a more neutral, safe, clear discussion into fall of 26 and 27.

Thanks.

Thank you.

That does conclude your time.

I have started the five-minute timer, and we will turn to virtual comment.

We'll begin with Madison.

Please begin.

Hello, San Diego City Council.

I'm here to follow up on my comment from yesterday's meeting and highlight why youth drug prevention should be a bigger priority for City Council.

Despite years of commercial marijuana sales, California is still fighting a massive illegal marijuana market.

That means our response cannot simply be about enforcement.

It must also include prevention.

As a parent, my greatest concern is the impact on young people.

Today's marijuana is far more potent than what previous generations were exposed to.

And research continues to link frequent adolescent youth with increased risks of addiction, psychosis, depression, anxiety, impaired learning, and changes to the developing brain, all of which will obviously harm society at large as this generation grows up.

When marijuana becomes more visible and more normalized, many young people perceive it as less harmful.

That makes prevention even more important.

Every dollar invested in prevention can spare a young person from lifelong health consequences and reduce future costs to our health care and behavioral health care systems.

Enforcement is important because it addresses today's illegal market.

But prevention protects tomorrow's generation.

So I urge you to make both a priority.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Terri Ann Skelly.

Please begin.

Good afternoon, San Diego City Council President Lacava.

My name is Terry Ann Skelly.

And I attend my planning group, and I also work in public health and youth mentoring and tutoring programs.

I applaud the city's vision of just healthy and safe environment and future for all, especially for those communities historically historically left behind as City Council personal described this morning regarding CARPS.

My youth mentoring and tutoring programs in the city include teens from very diverse backgrounds on their behalf.

I came today to report that it is these very teens from diverse backgrounds who experience health inequities, especially as they've been targeted by tobacco and their marijuana companies.

The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council released more excellent research regarding how I quote big tobacco strategically targeted blacks and the deadly consequences.

Now they are taking a close look at the role of big marijuana as well in creating health inequities through their promotion of smoking and vaping.

Research continues to grow regarding the role of these products in creating cancer and chronic disease-related health inequities among my minority populations.

Sometimes nicotine, sometimes marijuana, sometimes CBD be increased, and that no new business no new business permits be allowed for tobacco and marijuana businesses.

They only harm those populations you most strive to serve.

Thank you for hearing my concerns this afternoon.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Tony.

Please begin.

Our next speaker is Tony.

Tony, I can unmute for you.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes.

Please begin your comments.

Yes, I just submitted something to uh the city clerk.

Is it possible to pull up the document?

No, I'm I'm sorry.

Submissions do need to be submitted 24 hours ahead of time.

Okay, then is it possible to reset my time?

Uh yes, we'll reset the time.

Yes.

Thank you.

I agree with Audra in the comments that she made earlier regarding Martin Yvonne Wilpert.

You can't call yourself an activist when you cherry pick the Constitution and disregard our Fourth Amendment rights by voting in favor of flock.

And as a Chicano Mexicano American man, I'm tired of hearing you politicize the pain our people are suffering from being targeted through flock cameras.

You voted to empower.

And I'm tired of hearing you cherry pick the lowest hanging fruit regarding abuse of authority in relation to the state-owned monopoly on violence.

It's easy for you to pop up your chest and pass ordinances pretending to hold ice accountable when you're serving in a sanctuary city.

It's not so easy for you to hold SDPD accountable for 42 million in public reserve funds they've cost us this year alone.

No mention by you ever about police brutality.

On the contrary, you vote to give them any toy they claim to need, and you fabricate the reasons why your support is justified.

Just last week, you erroneously claimed that the half a million dollar armored tack cat was used to stop the shooting in San Isidro.

That's not the case.

That shooter was stopped by a sniper.

And that case is another case, just like Uvalde, just like Columbine, where the response by law enforcement was so slow that it caused a needless amount of suffering, just like what happened at the Islamic Center in San Diego a couple months ago.

All the tools, all the funding, all the training goes out the window the moment that it's required to stop innocent lives from being lost, the moment that courage is needed to actually stop the bad guys that we give them all these tools to go after.

Just earlier this week, LAPD canceled their contract with Flock.

I sent an article documenting how there's been over 161 drivers that were subjected to armed high-risk stops after automated systems black or vehicles stolen.

Our next speaker is Kathleen Lippett.

Please begin.

Thank you for letting me speak.

Cities that end up with budget deficits are often not coincidentally, cities that have failed to recognize the importance of prevention strategies.

Prevention strategies are by their nature proactive versus reactive.

Reactive policies are rarely sustainable, but they are always costly, and their costs continue to rise over time.

Cigarette butts have always one of the one of the uh many of the industries that create these create toxic wastes that require the public to be charged for cleaning them up.

Our tobacco industry, alcohol industry.

What they typically do is they privatize the profits and they publicize the costs.

Cigarette butts, we've been cleaning up for decades and telling people that they are one of the number one waste products in the world.

But we have never taken the step that the policy step that would address the genesis of the problem.

And that is we should not allow them to be sold in the first place.

The city would benefit, the public would benefit, and public health would benefit as well as the environment if we stop if we prohibited the sale of all single-use plastic vapes, uh, marijuana, cigarettes, and cigarette butts with uh filters, which do not that do not break down.

And they cause a lot of harm to the animals and the wildlife.

And some of the recently they've done studies on the.

Our next speaker is Becky Rapp.

Please begin.

Good afternoon.

My name is Becky Rapp, and I'd like to add my voice to the many residents who have spoken yesterday and again today about the ongoing closure of public restrooms at and around our most popular beaches.

I want to add my voice because this issue affects every resident, every visitor, and the image of our city.

San Diego's beaches are our greatest attraction.

They bring millions of visitors from across the country and generate the tourism revenue that supports our local economy.

If we allow our beach communities to be known for closed restrooms, unsanitary conditions, and hazardous waste, we risk losing visitors to neighboring destinations like our neighbors up north in Orange County.

I urge the council to reevaluate our priorities and dedicate funding to reopening, maintaining, and cleaning public beach restrooms.

I understand funding is a problem and encourage you to re-evaluate enforcement against smoke and vape shops that continue to sell or advertise illegal products.

Fines and fees collected from those enforcement actions should be reinvested directly into the communities most impacted, especially Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and the Bayfront.

We also need stronger enforcement against illegal advertising and the signage in storefront windows that are blatantly promoting these illegal products, such as Kratom, flavored tobacco, and intoxicating hemp products that are marketed as C B D Plus.

These storefronts and billboards send the wrong message as they are in residence and tourist faces when they visit our beautiful beach communities.

Our beach communities are the first impression many visitors have of San Diego.

They should reflect a city that is clean, safe, healthy, and welcoming by enforcing existing laws, cleaning up our commercial corridors, and reinvesting those revenues into open, functional public restrooms and beach beautification.

We can strengthen tourism while improving the quality of life for residents.

Thank you.

Please reevaluate these priorities.

Our next speaker is JD Strang.

Please begin.

Good afternoon, San Diego City Council.

I'd like to continue the conversation that began yesterday regarding how important road safety is here to our city and the cost when our city roads aren't safe.

And bring to your attention some work that's been going on nationally regarding the serious safety concerns that one of the very largest organizations, the American Trucking Association, has brought to the national scene.

And that's their concern that perhaps marijuana testing would be dropped from the requirements.

They very much want it to continue.

As they point out, this includes truck drivers, pilots, transit operators.

And they go on to say other safety-sensitive workers, and then they list those workers.

They include bus drivers, flight attendants, air traffic controllers, air mechanics, rail operating personnel, dispatchers and signal personnel, transit operators, and pipeline workers.

They all provide safety critical, high-risk duties that are so important to us, not only in the city of San Diego, but nationwide, and how important it will be to test real-time marijuana impairment through the testing that is now in place.

So they have written the federal government, the American Trucking Association, and now they have been joined by the National Transportation Safety Board, who also warn about compromising our safety by not testing for marijuana any longer.

At this point, this requirement to test is still in place.

And they think for the sake of the traveling public that it should stay in place and as a hub for travel.

I think here at San Diego, we would agree.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Eddie Harms.

Please begin.

Thank you.

Can you show the second page of my document that I uploaded, please?

I'm sorry, uh submissions do need to be provided 24 hours before.

It was provided last week.

We reset my time and I'll restart.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Good afternoon, Council Member.

Council Presidents, Mayor, and Council members.

My name is Eddie Harmus.

I reside in Ocean Beach and have a bringing a resident of the Great City of San Diego since 2008.

I'm here to the trick schools of legalized scan that PUD is running on the renters.

For years, PUD has penalized anyone moving into new residents by automatically charging the absolute maximum for sewer services under the arbitrary winter monitoring policy.

Because I'm moving to my home in June 2025.

We said the convenient November to April monitoring window.

I was forced to pay maximum sewer charges for entire year.

This policy promising renters stay in one place is becoming impossible due to constant rent hikes during uh economic shut downturn.

When forced to move to move, the city resets the trap.

The move the moment that I set a new lease, I'm hit with a new maximum sewer charge all over again.

The absurdity is clear.

I live in a one-bedroom, one bathroom home with zero landscaping for my building period and in June 22nd.

I only use five uh HCFs of water, averaging 64 gallons per day.

Yet my total utility be reached 244 dollars.

My water, my water-based feel uh surged 23% to $71.

My sewer service charge reached 106 dollars.

That's a cost of 17%.

Um just gonna jump here because I don't have enough time.

I demand a pair a fair pay uh fair sewer rate based on actual water usage, not a dream up, maximum capacity scenario designed to price gauge residents.

Is a filler to the ship, and it needs to be fixed midly immediately.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

All right, next speaker is caller with the last four digits eight seven zero zero.

Please begin.

Uh Joey Signata, uh thank you, uh Deputy City Clerk.

So, like I've done a few times before, uh I was really prepared and polished to speak on what I was gonna speak to for nonagenda public comment today, and I uh they're gone.

Those comments are gone, and I'm going to speak extemporaneously right now.

Every single word is coming out without a thought.

What happened in these chambers today is beautiful.

This is what we've been doing all year together.

This is the only thing we need to do together.

Is the struggle is the beauty, is the fight, is the love, is the truth.

It's all of that.

It's part of the human condition.

It's a miracle, but it's also a beautiful struggle.

And I just want to say to everybody who participated today.

I I just is it, kids.

This is life.

Don't miss it for a minute.

Because it's it's all there is, and it's precious, and it ticks, kicks, ticks.

I can't believe how fast my life has gone.

And and so I just needed to say that to all of you because you're going on the beautiful summer recess.

Enjoy it.

I wish you just a great time.

But I don't want us to look at this as anything but beautiful.

This is life itself.

We're in it together.

That does conclude your time.

Thank you, Love Tall.

Our next speaker is Amanda.

Please begin.

Um, I hate to be such a Debbie downer.

Um, and up in contrast to the last caller.

Um, but I was actually just popping in to say that what happened in these chambers city was disgraceful.

Um we spent an hour doing proclamations and celebrations, which I think is beautiful.

Love that.

You know, good for comedian.

We had 30 consent items on the agenda.

I heard city council members ask what 10 questions, maybe.

Um we gave 15 million to Solterra, 106 million surrendering, or three million increase.

850,000 to Pasadena consulting, 1.2 million to Orion construction, right?

We're and then we didn't talk about studio 15 apartments that we've now spent eight million dollars in interest on a sixteen million dollar loan.

Um we spent an hour doing celebrations, and we spent less than an hour.

We didn't get presentations.

Where's my numbers right here?

I have them right here.

So 2018, City Council um entered a three million dollar contract with RARIG for the trash collection.

2020 went up to 8.5 million.

2021 went up to 38 million, and now today, 2025, we're going up to 106 million dollars on freaking trash cans.

I think we should spend a little bit longer than an hour.

We need a lot more transparency in the city council.

Honestly, this is embarrassing, it's a joke.

Have a good recess and start looking for new jobs because whoever we can vote out in November is getting voted out.

Thank you.

Our final speaker is Natalie Rashke, please begin.

While we were out there on the streets, I should have said this during the budget.

Going to the bathroom.

That could really, really mess up someone's intestines and a whole sorts of things.

It's sad.

With information at our fingertips, and I've said this before, we need to start really doing a lot of research on what is being implemented by our federal government with the flock.

They're picking up Bluetooth, they're picking up a lot of stuff.

And like I said, I don't want to be round up and put on a ranch.

With no shelters, no bathrooms.

What are we setting people up for?

Now the EBT, the cow fresh, the the Medi-Cal.

And the information has been brought to me just to for everyone to know that has children.

When you go to jump arounds, if you look at the fee waiver or the the recording our children, and you're signing up saying that it can be used live wherever they want to use it in other countries.

So when you go to a jump around or a bounce around place, read the the waiver.

They're in all of them.

And they're feeding our streaming our children live while they're playing to other countries.

It says it right there in the local jump arounds here.

We need to start really doing research and where we're investing our time and our money.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude non-agenda public comment.

Uh, thank you, Deputy City Clerk.

Councilmember Von Wolpert.

Thank you.

I should have said this during council comment, but this is a boy on recess.

I just want to note that I I care deeply about people who are suffering from overdose and addiction.

Whether they're in a house, whether in RC of camping, whether in RC parking, and I should have mentioned it earlier.

As a deputy city attorney, I got to be one of the lead litigators suing the pharmaceutical companies who cause this problem, including Purdue pharmaceuticals in the sacrophilion themselves who were rich themselves off the deaths of all of us.

And then when I got here, I fought with the mayor over how we're gonna use the settlement funds.

So thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember.

So we will now adjourn for the new recess and reconvene.

Open session at 2 p.m.

or shortly thereafter.

All right, good afternoon.

I will now reconvene the city council meeting of Tuesday, July 14th, 2026.

Clerk, please call the role.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn.

Sure.

Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Von Wolpert.

Council President Pro Tem Lee.

Councilmember Campillo.

Councilmember Moreno.

Present.

Councilmember Elo Rivera.

And Council President Lacava.

Present.

Also attending the meeting, our assistant city attorney, Leslie Fitzgerald, independent budget analyst, Charles Monica, Council Affairs Advisor in the Mayor's Office, Coda Zeiser, and myself, your city clerk, Deanna Fuentes.

Thank you, Council President.

With that, Clerk, please introduce item Five O Six.

Item S five oh six is the acceptance of the Stan Tech memorandum modifying the twenty twenty-five water cost of service study and authorization to issue the proposition two eighteen notice and to set a public hearing date for a water rate adjustment.

If you'd like to speak on this item, please be sure to raise your hand by pressing star nine or raise your hand icon.

You're here in Council Chambers.

Okay.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

I'm Lisa Salaya, interim director of the Public Utilities Department.

And with me is Adam Jones, Deputy Director of Finance.

So as noted today, I'll be presenting item S five oh six, acceptance of the Stan Tech memorandum modifying the twenty twenty-five water cost of service study, an authorization to issue the proposition two eighteen notice and set a public hearing date for a water rate adjustment.

First, we are requesting council set a public hearing date for October sixth, twenty twenty-six to consider and vote on the proposed water rate adjustments required as a result of the PATS litigation.

As a result, rates will be changing for all customer categories.

Our priority is to be proactive and transparent in how we communicate this change so customers understand what is happening and why.

First, I'll provide an overview of the PATS versus the City of San Diego litigation, how rates are set, what was challenged, and how the courts ruled.

Before getting into the litigation itself, it is important to understand how rates are set in our industry.

Nationally, utilities use accepted cost of service methodologies allocating costs to customer classes based on engineering standards and best assumptions about how customers use the system.

Our industry guidebook is the American Waterworks Association's M1 principles of water rates fees and charges, similar to how engineers relied on standard reference codes or accountants rely on Gasbeer accounting standards.

The city goes a step further.

Independently of public utilities, the IBA hires a third-party party consultant to review our cost of service methodology and raise any policy concerns or recommendations.

Tiered water rates are widely used throughout California because they help balance cost recovery, conservation, and equity, with conservation as a natural outcome of tiering, not an objective.

Proposition 218 has historically been implemented as allowing agencies to use reasonable engineering judgment within accepted cost allocation methodologies.

This is how agencies statewide and across the country have operated for decades.

PATS was filed 11 years ago today, challenging the city's single-family residential tiered water rates under Prop 218.

PATS represents high volume single-family residential user, and their claim was that the high volume users were subsidizing lower volume tiers.

The Supreme Court ruled the city did not meet its burden of proof under Prop 218 in March of 2022.

The appellate court affirmed that decision in July 2025, and the California Supreme Court denied our petition for review in late October 2025.

At this point, we have exhausted all legal remedies.

Importantly, the courts did not disagree with our use of industry standards for allocating cost to various customer categories.

What they said is that those methodologies do not satisfy Prop 218's evidentiary burden, which effectively requires direct proof that every allocation exactly corresponds to proportional cost of service.

The dissenting appellate judge warned that the majority opinion exceeds traditional engineering and utility practice standards and could make tiered water rates very difficult for agency statewide to defend.

This is becoming a pattern.

The same attorneys who brought PATS previously overturned OTI water district's tiered rate structure and are currently challenging LADWP's tiered rates.

Based on the court's decision, the city is now required to modify its rate structure.

That means moving to a single unitary or flat rate for volumetric charges, along with some adjustments to fix monthly service charges to reflect the new volumetric approach.

The city will also have to pay a 40 million dollar settlement.

Council previously adopted a 14.5% rate increase effective January 1st, 2027.

It's important to emphasize the total revenue public utilities collects under these adjustments is the same as authorized last October.

We are not asking for more money.

We are required to change who pays and how much with lower volume users paying somewhat more and high volume users paying less in order to comply with the court's findings.

Next, we'll walk through the specifics of the proposed rate adjustments, the shift to a unitary rate, and the anticipated monthly impact on customers.

This slide depicts the transition from our previously adopted tier structure to the proposed unitary rate.

Under the previously adopted January 1, 2027 rates, single-family residential customers had three tiers with separate volumetric rates for multifamily, commercial and industrial, and irrigation customers.

Under the proposed unitary rate, every customer class pays the same rate per volume of water used, and this is in compliance with the PATS litigation.

On this table, these are our estimated average monthly bill impacts by customer category to give a sense of the impact.

But we do understand that each bill in its impact to our customers is unique to that customer.

As you will see, a single family low volume user would see an increase of about $5.62 per month or 7.1%.

Conversely, a single family high volume user would see a decrease of about $19.52 per month or 5.9%.

Multifamily properties will also see a slight decrease of 2%.

And it should be noted that this is on the entire customer and not maybe the individual.

Sorry, to be clear, the multifamily figure reflects the properties bill as a whole, not the impact to each individual tenant.

In addition, irrigation customers will also see a decrease.

Now we'll be for briefly review our planned outreach activities from July through October 2026 leading up to the public hearing.

State law requires us to mail a proposition 218 notice to all affected customers in advance of the public hearing.

The notice will be mailed to approximately 286,000 customers in late 20 July of 2026.

It will be translated into 10 different languages to reach our full customer base, and it will also be posted on the dedicated rate adjustment webpage.

As I just noted, we have a created a dedicated web page as the central source of information for customers on this rate adjustment.

The page will be updated as each key milestone in the outreach process occurs.

From July through October, we are deploying a multi-channel approach effort so customers understand what is changing and why.

That includes a simplified flyer, an explainer video, social media contact, and a set of frequently asked questions.

The goal is to reach customers through multiple touch points, given the scope of this change that nearly all ratepayers are affected.

To conclude, we are requesting the council to accept the 2026 Stantec memorandum modifying the 2025 water cost of service study and set a public hearing date to consider approval of the transition to the unitary rate structure that will comply with the outcome of the PATS litigation.

Thank you, and we are available for any questions.

Alright, thank you for the work and thank you for the presentation.

And we'll now turn it over to the Office of the IBA for comments.

Thank you, Council President, members of the Council.

Good afternoon.

My name is Jordan Moore with the Office of the IBA.

Our office has been following the PATS litigation closely and have been in frequent communication with public utilities regarding the item before you today.

We thank PUD for keeping us informed on their efforts to develop a unitary volumetric rates that comply with the court decision, which is what is before you today, rates that comply with a court order.

We want to highlight that this rate adjustment is not being driven by the needs to operate the water system, which are what most rate cases are based upon.

But rather, this is purely about adjusting rates to comply with current legal requirements.

Importantly, the rates to be noticed do not increase the overall revenue requirement for the water system and will not result in PUD collecting any more total revenue than what they were projecting to what then what they were projecting to in the most recent cost of service study and rate case that council approved last year.

To the extent PUD incurs additional costs in the near future, those would have to be absorbed in the short term and ultimately reflected in a future rate case.

But today's action is simply to set a rate case to adopt uniform rates that will bring in the same total revenue as our existing rates, which is necessary to comply with the legal decision.

To that end, our office recommends that council approve the staff recommendation today.

Thank you, and we are available for any questions you may have.

All right, thank you, Jordan.

We always appreciate the input of the IBA or the office of the IBA.

With that, City Clerk, please proceed with public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

I will know, as I noted this morning that there were no organized presentations submitted for this item or any items this afternoon, starting with Michael Schmidt.

If you can please come up to the podium, you will have one minute.

After that is allegedly Audra and then Blair Beakman.

Hello, good.

Hello, good afternoon, um, Michael Schrip from District 4.

Nice to see you guys.

I just don't like the fact that they're gonna be raising the water rates for customers and even families.

Um I don't know what to say, but I think it's not cool.

Thank you, allegedly, Audra.

Yeah, 218 is quite an interesting dichotomy that that is uh unique to California, where it's like, you know, for taxes, you need a majority uh to pass it, but for things like rate increases, you need a majority protest.

I mean, that allows you guys to sit here and increase our rates like nobody's business.

And uh, you know, the sad thing is is that we sell water, we sit here and act like we're in a drought.

But I mean, if we were, I wouldn't pour out half my water uh and give it to somebody else.

So that is proven in your tactics.

And so, as far as like following the constitution, this seems, I mean, wouldn't this be unconstitutional when it's like you're gonna need over a hundred thousand people to say no, we don't want this.

Nobody's here outside of your staff, pretty much.

So it's like you don't give the people the ability outside of your, you know, warning them kind of, but I mean, these people don't even look in their bills and see that kind of stuff.

So it's extremely sad to see and to know that AI is also going to be taking all of our fresh water.

Thank you for that concluding comment, Blair Beekman.

Hi, Blair Beekman.

Uh good public comment.

Um it would be sad to think this is a back doorway that um rates are going to continue to be increased.

Um I wish I knew how to better address uh this type of issue.

Thank you for the presentation.

I hope the um the public process for the future of the waterboard issues is is starting to better develop.

We're all understanding how important that can be and the important of importance of the public process overall in our um local uh practices.

Good luck how the public can add input and making that uh available uh to understand this issue better uh and how we move forward with it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude public comment hearing, Council Chambers going to those participating remotely.

We have two speakers in the queue.

Michael Dyer, if you can please unmute.

You'll have one minute, please proceed.

Yes, thank you.

Michael Dewyer, District 2.

Um, I'm confused by the presentation, uh, especially slide number nine and 10.

On slide nine, it's presenting that the volume metric for the lowest single family residential is nine dollars seventy-five cents, going up to eleven oh nine.

That is a 14% increase.

However, on slide 10, uh all of the single family uh uh users are shown at half or less on the percentage.

So on the one slide, uh you're in increasing the rate by 14%.

On the other side, it's it's half of that.

So I'm confused.

And maybe the council is as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Zoom user.

If you can please unmute mute.

Well, Lake Mead and Lake PAL are at all-time low, man.

The water's running out of our system.

Do not sell any of our water.

Reneg wait for a few months when Phoenix is begging for water.

Now's the time not to sell any water.

Lake Mead and Lake PAL are all time lows.

That means sell high or we're gonna they're gonna be begging for water.

Now's not the time to sell anything.

Wait till them to beg and cry, and then we'll double the we'll have we'll get double the money for it if we sell any of it.

But that's the typical game.

And then also open the bathrooms in South Mission.

Come on.

We don't need to save water.

We need to flush some toilets.

Good luck.

Next is 8700.

If you can please unmute.

Uh Joy Sunyata.

A couple of things.

First of all, I don't really know this well, but I'm gonna go for it.

40 million dollar settlement to be paid by the city.

Could one of you on the council explain that to the public?

That would be great.

And this is a legal obligation on the unitary rate.

So I'll say this.

We have equity, excuse me.

We have equality and we have equity.

They're two very different.

I learned that about three years ago.

It looks like this is striving for equality of all income levels, but there's not equity involved in it.

But it's a legal obligation.

So what is one to do but to obey the rules of the law?

So uh best of luck with this, and of course, okay in setting the hearing date.

Thank you up to all.

Thank you, Tony.

And then Natalie Urashke is currently the last one with her hand raised.

Tony, I can't unmute for you.

Yes, can you hear me?

You sound a little far away.

Uh one second.

But we can't hear we can't hear you make you out.

Please proceed.

Okay.

Um just wanted to say um I registering a neutral position on this particular topic.

I um feel like it's probably a necessary evil, but while we're on the conversation of this topic, I noticed in one of the um agenda topics earlier today, one of the consent items that was talking about some of the chemicals that were to be purchased to be put into this water.

Um I would hope that we can have a discussion about some of the things that we're putting into the water, the public uh uh water that's treated, and I know that it needs to get treated for different reasons with different things, but I do also know that in 2011 we were the last city um in uh one of the last major cities in the US to fluoridate our water.

And I know uh fluoridating our water is not a good thing.

Um kinds of independent studies about it.

So, yeah, let's please look into not only uh this what this what the consequences of this tax would be this rate increase would be, but also what it entails, what putting uh time has concluded.

Natalie Rashke, if you can please unmute hi, hi Natalie Rashkin here.

That slide was confusing.

I agree with it, gentlemen.

I was kind of confused.

And anything, I'm gonna repeat it.

Anything that we do, uh, who is to benefit the most when we make these decisions?

That is what's become most important to me.

What are the intentions behind the people we do business with and how does it benefit our city, and how does it benefit the people?

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude public comment on this item.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Um, I'll kick uh kick things off.

Um I'll start out by thanking you, Lisa, and the public utilities department um for preparing the updated analysis and proposal.

Thank the city attorney's office for the very good fight that all in the end we didn't prevail on, but I appreciate the legal work that was done to defend the city and more importantly, defend the ratepayers.

Uh thank you, Jordan and the IBA for your analysis.

Uh and as we've heard, unlike past rate changes, this comes at the direction of the courts and ties our hands.

I can't emphasize enough, and I hope this come across in the presentation.

This was not about PUD, but it was about the courts overturning how all water districts and jurisdictions set water rates.

And I appreciate if I can find it real quickly.

The dissenting opinion at the appellate level warned that the majority opinion exceeded traditional engineering utility practices and could make tiered water rates extremely difficult for agencies statewide to defend.

Again, what every jurisdiction, every water district does.

The courts decided.

We've settled with the courts.

We got in their direction.

I personally remain committed to pursuing all options that keep water rates and water bills low for San Diegans.

When you use less, you should be able to pay less.

Again, the courts thought otherwise.

As for today's item, our action is not about adopting water rates.

That's why there's probably nobody here to either object or protest.

This is at a date, October 6th.

That will be the time for people to register their protest or objection.

Our action today is primarily to set that hearing date of October 6th and approve the public notice to be mailed out.

So I want to thank PUD staff for working with my office on the public notice to make sure it is helpful and clear to the public as possible while complying with Prop 218, because we need to follow that law, which by the way was adopted by a vote of the people.

And that's what we have to live by.

So with that, I will move the staff recommendation.

And I'll turn it over to Councilmember Ilo Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Can we pull up the slide that had the different the impacts for the of the changes?

We're pulling it up now.

Thank you.

I think the next one.

Yeah.

Um I appreciate the work on this and the effort to help us understand this, help the public understand it.

I just I think this is really an important slide because it and some of the public was picking up on this.

And on the other end of the spectrum, Pat's a wealthy owner of a large home that has made choices to continue using significant significant amounts of water, despite the impacts on the environment.

And that wealthy individual now receive receiving a reduction in their bill while the water conscious senior has to pay more.

And that makes me angry.

To make everyone angry.

Yes, because we've exhausted all legal remedies, and this is a is a part of the state constitution, and the only thing to change that is a vote of the people.

Right.

So I just can't emphasize this part enough.

While the marketing behind something like Prop 218 is attractive to many people, the implications are situations like this where we're prohibited from not even just from being fair, but even common using common sense and how we charge folks for for something like water usage for the impacts that users have on our system and what that means for us as a society.

So it's just worth remembering that Prop 218 is the result of anti-government radicals trying to drown, trying to tie the hands of local government from providing the services that people depend on.

And this is it just I think this is really unfortunate, and I appreciate the dissenting opinion here, but I I very much think it requires all of us to take a look at just the ways that policies that are guised as protections for taxpayers are really just the opposite and make it more difficult for for local government to serve the public well.

The thing that would actually provide voters more trust and their ability in our ability to use the tax dollars that we receive in the exact way that they'd like them used.

So all of this comes flows from the same um radical anti-government um think tank and and an organization that put us in this in this bind to hear.

Uh that's extremely unfortunate.

And um I will second the motion because we don't have another choice.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Ilo Rivera.

And again, we do have a motion by myself to move the staff recommendation and second by council member Ilo Rivera.

We'll go next to council member Von Wolvert.

Um thank you very much.

Thank you for the presentation on this.

Uh I have some questions as well, and then I'll have comments on the court's decision, which is not the water department's fault.

Um the the two slides, slides nine and ten that some of our commenters asked about.

Is it 14%?

Is it seven percent?

Can you explain the difference?

Yes, slide nine only focus on the volumetric charges, which is only one component of everybody's bill, because that is what is changing significantly.

Um, and then slide 10 includes both volumetric and fixed charges.

So that is why there's a difference.

So it's kind of reduced down because there's not that many changes happening on it.

The Prop 218 notice gives all these details by both fixed and volumetric rates.

Okay, yep.

Um hopefully that explains it for the public.

It is very complicated, but the water rate is not the only portion of your bill, so that's why it's not impacting it the same way.

Uh I also have a question about could you bring up slide either nine or ten, either one, please.

Thank you.

So in the PATS litigation, the the class that was certified was all single family homeowners or or all single family users.

Single family residential customers, that's the exact wording.

And so why are we now lumping in those rates with multifamily and irrigation customers?

Because they weren't part of a class.

Yes, I'll I'll talk about that and then the attorneys can jump in as needed.

Um the court made a very broad discussion specifically as it relates to something called a peaking factor or a demand factor.

So basically, this looks at how customers deviate from the average.

So if you have a large swing from your most extreme users to the average, you have a high peaking factor.

They specifically said unless you had really clear data on peaking factors, like at the as we've described in briefings like hour by hour, that you didn't have enough to meet proposition 218's uh factor.

So that was very specific by the court and saying that um that was not uh a rational usage under 218 because those factors were used to differentiate between classes like single family residence, multifamily, and uh irrigation, uh, in order to be fully compliant with the ruling, we needed to remove the picking factors from uh from all customer classes.

And then again, have the attorneys can step in on the specifics.

Um I echo Adam's statements.

It really is that they attacked our methodology, and so we can't just adjust it in the single family residential class because it also implicates the other classes as well.

So if we adjust it, we have to adjust it across the board.

And if not, I think that would subject us to another challenge to those rates based on the decision.

Okay, is there a different way we could I mean in irrigation customers?

I I assume watering lawns, golf courses, things like that.

I mean, that's completely different use than a single family home that's using it to wash their dishes and take a shower.

So in order to comply.

This was why we made the decision to go to unitary rate.

In order to comply, we would need two sets of data points.

On the customer side, we would need to know their usage, every single user, every single minute of every single day.

And then on our side, we would need to know expenses and when we incur those expenses at each point of the day, and then we would have to allocate costs between those two different sides.

Essentially, the only thing we would probably come up with is a 286,000 customer rate case because we would have to do rates by every single person.

There was no way we could identify it in regards to meeting the um court's level of proof, which is why the dissenting judge says you're making it impossible across the state.

Okay.

And today we're just we're just setting the date for the hearing.

So I I could still argue my points on this at the hearing.

Okay.

Thank you.

You can take the the slide down.

All right, because I understand your your argument in trying to comply, but I think I'd like to dig into that a little more because it just seems so unfair to charge the senior citizen who's using a little bit of water at the same rates as the golf course irrigator.

There's completely different customers.

So and because the court didn't order us to do that, that's where I'm a little uneasy about it.

Um but given that we are being forced to do this by the court, I will I'll support the item today.

I don't know if I will support in October the rate.

I don't think I quite agree with it yet, but we'll we'll have time to dig into that.

I do understand we do have to notice the hearing though to comply with the court order.

And I don't think any of the judges are listening to this, but maybe they are, or maybe they're court clerks are.

But the Pat versus City of San Diego decision undermines one of the most effective tools that cities have to encourage water conservation, which is pricing that rewards people who use less water.

And by striking down our tiered water rates, the court's decision makes it so much harder for cities, because this decision applies to all cities in California.

This is not just a San Diego issue.

Other cities were facing litigation too, so now none of us can use pricing to incentivize conservation.

So instead of allowing us to allow lower volume users to benefit from lower rates, we're being forced to do a single-tiered pricing structure for everybody, no matter how much they use.

And this is so backwards.

Um, you know, the cal the cost of living in California is already incredibly high, and we shouldn't be charging customers the same rate as high use customers.

Um if we're serious about protecting our water resources and lowering costs for our residents, local governments should have the flexibility to set tiered water rates to incentivize people to use less water.

But since the California Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court have interpreted Prop 218 differently and disagree with every city in California, we now have to do this.

So I mean, we usually set our our lobbying goals at the beginning of the year, but I would encourage us to ask our Sacramento lobbying firms to start talking about this.

I mean maybe Prop 218 is a constitutional amendment that the voters of California would have to vote on, but there's also lots of interpretation to be had, and possibly the state of California legislature could write a law to help conserve water again in the state.

So just I'll leave it up to them.

Um my last question is about the 40 million dollar settlement and how that's gonna work because at the end of the day that just gets built into the rate increases, right?

Okay.

Correct.

At this point in time, even though we are asked we are needing to do a 40 million dollar settlement, which is in addition to what we previously identified, we decided not to ask for additional increases.

We are gonna have to take some potential impacts on our CIP to offset that increase because with this point in time we're not asking for anything.

Obviously, we'll recover that when we come forward with the next rate setting.

I do not have the details specifically on the CIP projects that are being deferred.

I've asked the team to go and do that detail because we need to have we just ended the fiscal year of 26.

We want to have updated information, we'll have that way in advance of the October hearing.

Okay, and the 40 million dollars is refunding the property owners who used more water and were charged a higher rate.

It it's three components.

It obviously pays for um the plaintiff's attorneys, and then also provides refunds um for the impacted customers.

Yes.

Okay, and the court is in line with all of this, and that is still subject to being going forward before the um courts, it is expected this fall.

Okay, so we have to authorize it and then the court will review it.

Okay, got it.

Okay.

Um, thank you for the work on this again.

I will reserve more questions about the actual dollar amount of the rate, but since we are being forced by the California courts to set a single rate, that's why we have to have this hearing and our hands are tied, and I will I'll vote to set the hearing.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Von Wolpert.

We'll go next to Councilmember Foster.

Thank you.

Thank you for the presentation.

Um this is quite concerning for me.

Um, and just listening to public comment.

Um and I appreciate the technical approach in this, but I think in listening to public comment, I think there's several other questions that I think are relevant to this discussion.

Um and as we talk about impact based on the way it's presented, I don't think folks can truly understand exactly what's taking place.

Um I just want to look at this from the standpoint of what we just went through with trash, right?

District 4 was hit pretty hard with trash because of our single family to multifamily ratio.

We were hit hard.

And I'm assuming, if you can answer this, is this the same type of impact that we are seeing kind of in the same relation of trash, where district four, one of the communities that has historically been under resource, disinvested, that we are going to see the major impact of this result.

Is that fair?

Have we looked at that?

Do we understand that?

So it's a little bit different in regards to it being a single family versus multifamily because within the single family are the high-end users.

So if we look at it in regards to where high-end high volume users are, yes, it impacts, it's benefiting the high volume users, and it is impacting greatly the lower volume users.

And where do we typically find our large lots?

I our large volume users.

Yeah.

Where do we find those?

I think everybody has a everybody has I do not have the specific data.

Okay, well, let's just take whoever filed the lawsuit.

Whoever did this, where are they at?

Yes.

They're in council district two.

They're in two, but what what what what area?

District two is a little spread out, right?

How big is their lot, how big is their home, what is it?

Yes.

So it is a larger lot compared to an average size, yes.

What does that mean?

20,000 square feet, what is it?

Do we know?

No, it'd be 10.

One thing I would add, Councilmember, one of the key things that came up as we were going through this process, it doesn't matter how people are using the water, we have to look at what that how much water they're using.

So if they choose to leave their water running on their faucet 24-7, 365, or if they choose to use it outdoor for irrigation, we can't tell, and it's not part of our thing, and the courts have said that we can't differentiate between them.

We can differentiate between how much people use versus how much it costs us to do that.

And so while your questions are very valid about how people are using their water, it's not something under 218 that we can consider.

We can consider how much it costs to deliver a unit of water to a customer at their parcel.

I'm not asking you what to consider for 218.

I'm asking for the relevant information on the impacts of what we are experiencing today with this item.

I think that's if I understand public comment and what was being asked, I think that's what's being asked.

Right?

And and and that's where I think we miss the mark when we talk about communication.

Because I'm very concerned on the communication side of this.

Councilmember, if I may, um, would it be helpful to you if we provided a breakdown by council district office, like typical users and high users?

Was that to the kind of information?

I I think that would be helpful not only for this council but for the public.

Because I would like to think if we are truly following 218, they have a decision to make.

And then I'm going to ask the city attorney.

This is litigation.

We're going through Prop 218.

So what happens if the public responds and says no?

Where does that leave us?

Since we have to follow 218.

We will be happy to give you get get that information well in advance of before we come back to you for consideration.

Um what happens if this is not approved?

I think it was your other question.

My question is we are following a 218 process.

The way that process works, and I don't know if the public truly understands this.

The way 218 works, this is where they truly have an opportunity to take things away from the council.

If they respond, and there's enough protests that come in, it's my understanding they take it out of our hands.

Right?

So this is one time where I truly feel that the public is truly the power is in their hands.

What happens if they come back in and we get the proper threshold from the public that says no?

You can't even have the public hearing.

That would happen.

That would be what it is.

You can't even vote on it if enough protests are received.

And what happens in regards to what got us here?

The litigation and the change in rates.

What happens?

And the risk is in regard to know.

That's what I'm trying to find out.

That's why I say what how what and how we communicate is very, very important.

That's why I'm asking this question.

What happens?

Councilmember Foster, I don't think that's a tested area of the law where a court has ordered you to change your rates to unitary, and then there were enough protests from the public to stop that change.

I think we could still run the risk of being in contempt of court for not complying, but we would offer that as a defense of attempted to comply, but we were stopped.

But it's untested.

We we probably wouldn't know how that would result.

But we still have to go through this 218 process.

Correct.

And the courts indicated that and understand that.

Was that part of this discussion?

Yes, we're currently under a court order to comply with imposing unitary rates.

We have stipulated to the date of January of 2020.

That's not that's not my question, though.

They understand 218 in the process.

That's probably up for debate, to be honest.

I'll take that as a no.

Um I'm not going to vote affirmative for this.

I think this is unfortunate.

Um I think it speaks to what I say every day.

Our system is flawed.

It goes back to when I say certain things happen, it's intentional.

There's a reason why District 4 is under-resourced.

It's a system issue.

Um, and quite honestly, I'm disgusted.

Um Chris Coda, I do think this comes down to communication and how we communicate to the public.

And I think this is a good opportunity to let the public know they have more power than we do as we release these 218 documents.

And I don't think they truly, truly understand how significant that is.

Um, because this is unacceptable.

And yet we have someone from a what do you what's the term we use?

An elite?

I don't know, I don't even know the term.

Wealthy.

Wealthy, there you go.

Who who is utilizing the system to their advantage?

And I think that's very, very unfortunate.

Um and I really don't like the fact that we have to sit here and say, well, that's what the courts told us to do.

Um but okay.

Um I'll leave that there, Council President.

Thank you.

Um thank you for the work on this, but um I'm really interested to see what the communication uh plan is.

I hope you put your 218 package together very well, move that protest form to the front, not the back, buried in the back.

It should be in a different color, a different hot pink, whatever you want to do it in, so it is highly visible, and folks return those.

Um, because this is this is just ridiculous.

So thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Foster.

We'll go next to Councilmember Campbell.

Thank you.

Um thank you for the comments of my colleagues.

Uh first of all, I'd just like to say that one other thing we can do is always remember that we need to take into account who in the heck are we voting for for judges.

There are two judges that ruled against common sense.

They didn't care about the volume of water used.

They only cared about the rate being the same, no matter what volume used.

It's crazy.

Big commercial users of water use more volume and should pay more than single family homes or homes that house people in apartments.

It just people need to get a break.

We're overcharged on just about everything.

Anyway, I think that we need to find out who are these two judges who voted in the majority on this of the three judges in the appellate court and take them to task.

And only the voters can do that.

And then we also have recall, as you know, in this democracy of ours, and what's left of it.

So that's what we need to do.

We need to do what you suggest, Councilmember Foster.

We need to uh talk to the public about using common sense in judicial matters, and we need to make sure that the judges we elect have common sense and don't get so tied up in the minutiae of every little dot and cross T in a in a amendment to the state constitution that they lose sight of the real question, which they obviously did in this case.

Obviously, if you own a golf course and you're sprinkling it constantly to keep it green, you're using more volume than families use.

So there should be a difference.

And the for some reason this court did not see that, and uh the Supreme Court refused to even take the case, isn't that correct?

They didn't even take up the case.

We have to ask our Supreme Court judges, what is wrong with you that you didn't take this up?

Obviously, on the face of it, it makes absolutely no sense.

Do you want people to quit using too much water so that we can have enough when drought occurs or what?

You know?

So anyway, I think it's just I agree with all my colleagues.

This is nuts.

And uh I would like to vote today in order to bring it to the public's attention so they will vote October 6th.

And um in the meantime, we can find out who exactly are those two judges, and we can find out who's the third one and support them because they were the only one that made sense.

And we can also ask our Supreme Court justices to reconsider.

Uh I don't know if that's legal or not.

Can we ask the Supreme Court to reconsider an appeal?

Not at this time so it looks like we're stuck with the vote, the recall, and the public vote on October 6th.

Yes or no on these rates.

So I I really appreciate everything you said, and we're all in the same terrible vote, but thank you so much.

Uh we'll go over to Councilmember Ila Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Um I I forgot to ask this earlier, but I'm almost glad I did because my colleagues had a chance to ask the questions that they've asked to make the points that they made.

Uh this makes non-rate revenue that much more important.

Umce we can't use um the rates themselves to reward or even uh account for the the better behavior of of folks um non-rate revenue becomes a an a tool that we can use uh to keep not to keep costs down, but to help people the help uh mitigate the impacts of of higher rates for folks.

We had a conversation about getting to work in a much more um assertive way last fall about on uh the utilization of public utilities um uh assets.

Can you give us an update on where that stands and uh the progress being made so that if these rates do go into effect uh we'll be able to utilize non-rate revenue for folks?

Yes, and we do agree in regards to working towards non-rate revenue to offset the impact on our ratepayers.

Um as we committed last um fall, um we have made progress on moving forward in regards to 17 active negotiations as it relates to our leases and updating those leases so we can get additional revenue and that way.

We've had conversations in regards to opportunities, not only with community power, but others, so that way we can see they're still developing their information.

So we're working towards that.

In addition, we're reviewing all of our assets as we've talked about how close they are to the electric grid infrastructure, our existing power purchase agreements, specifically at Alvarado and OTI water treatment plans to see if we can make those get better deals on those, um, and then all other facilities as it relates to.

So we are moving all of those around to make progress in regards to it because we do agree with you in regards to identifying opportunities and increasing non-rate revenue.

Okay, I appreciate that.

And I think that's an important that information would be important to come forward as we are faced with additional decisions as uh with water rates.

The 17 leases that are being worked on, if I recall and I'm going off memory, it was somewhere in the 80s, I believe, that were uh in holdover status of about 110 leases that PUD has.

Yeah, we have about 60 that are in, so we're working about through 17 of those.

And that's just we are constrained by resources.

We are also identifying if we should ask for additional resources next budget, so that way we can also do more work.

Yeah.

Um but those resources, I mean, that's a cost recoverable resource, right?

It's it's it's very much as an investment.

Correct.

And my understanding is that our um partners at MEA have been willing to um see some of this work contracted out so that we can play catch-up.

Yeah, we are identifying whichever way, whether or not that's in-house or even um outside consultants if it's on a temporary.

Yes, all of that.

Okay, great.

I appreciate that.

And then the the work with uh San Diego Community Power and the power purchase agreements.

I'm glad to hear that that is happening as well.

Uh every dollar saved on that end is a dollar that we don't have to pass along in cost.

So um hitting this from both directions, both the cost savings perspective and the um the revenue side of things, non-rate revenue side of things, super important for again, we can't lower rates necessarily in an equitable way.

We could do it across the board, um, but we could also utilize those sort of um those revenues for uh for programs to serve lower income residents to serve seniors, people who would be most negatively impacted by the changes being imposed upon us by the courts, correct?

Yeah, we're looking at all all avenues, yes.

All right, thank you for that.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember Ela Rivera.

We'll go next to Councilmember Whitburn.

Thank you, Council President.

This is frustrating.

We've been fighting for lower rates because so many people are struggling, and now we have a court ruling that interferes with those efforts.

In addition to the court ordered rate impacts, uh, there is also the 40 million dollars in refunds uh that have been ordered.

Uh but I do want to make it clear that that will not come out of the general fund.

Um that will be entirely within the water utility fund.

Correct, it is only from the water utility fund.

So uh that will not impact homelessness funding, it will not impact public safety funding, it will not impact street paving.

Um it will all uh have to be dealt with within the finances of the public utilities department.

Um short term, you're saying it'll result in deferred uh capital improvement projects.

Yeah, we are currently looking at we have identified a potentially about 30 million dollars that we'll have to offset.

Um, but we are trying to identify whether or not we really truly have to defer that or if there's any other places for savings.

Um, because we're trying to do our due diligence in regards to that.

We won't have that information completely finalized until a little bit later in the summer.

Okay, I appreciate that.

Um my hope would be that it doesn't hit rates, so and I appreciate your attentiveness to that.

We will not be asking for it to be increasing this revenue requirement right now.

So what's going through on 2027 is exactly what was previously adopted by council.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, Councilmember uh Whitburn.

Um a lot of good questions, uh a lot of trying to really work through this.

Um I think by some of the comments of my clients, my clients.

I feel my clients, uh, the consultant comes back on.

Um I would urge you to think very carefully when you look at the CIP and which projects you opt to defer.

I know you were deferring some already to keep the rates that we previously approved, uh, but think about it district by district uh would be my suggestion going forward.

Uh, but think about it district by district uh would be my suggestion going forward.

Um the engineer wants to come out to me and do a whole different explanation, but I don't think anybody wants to hear it from me, so I'm not gonna go there.

Uh but um I think you heard there's unanimity across the council that no one's happy with this, but court order is a court order.

So with that, we have a motion by myself to move the staff recommendation, a second by council member Ilo Rivera.

Please call the roll.

I started the voting system.

Please cast your vote.

That passes 7 to 1 with council member foster voting no, and council member campio absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, uh City Clerk.

All right, with that, City Clerk, please introduce items S505 and item 330 that will be heard together.

Thank you, Council President.

Item S505 is declaring the results of the June 2nd, 2026 municipal primary election held in the city of San Diego.

This item is not subject to the mayor's veto.

And item 330 is calling a general municipal election in the city of San Diego to be held on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026, and consolidating the election with the statewide general election.

This item is not subject to the mayor's veto.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, with that, I see you have one of your city clerk staff.

So please introduce yourself for the record and let us know how much time you need for the combined presentation.

I'll be requesting four minutes today.

Okay.

Good afternoon, honorable council president and city council members.

My name is Christina Hernandez, and I am the Deputy Director of Elections and City Connections with the Office of the City Clerk.

I am here to report a summary of the results of the primary election held on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026, as outlined in item 330, and give you a brief presentation on item S 505, calling the general municipal election in the City of San Diego to be held on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026, and consolidating the election with the statewide general election.

The top two vote getters in each of the four races are as follows.

For the Office of Council District 2, Richard Bailey and Nicole Crosby for the Office of Council District 4, Henry Foster the Third, Incumbent and Martha Abraham for the Office of Council District 6, Kent Lee, incumbent, and Mark Powell for the Office of Council District 8, Antonio Martinez, and Gerardo Ramirez.

The percentage of the vote and outcome for ballot measure A, City of San Diego non-primary homes tax on the June 2nd, 2026 primary election is as follows.

There were 155,050 votes in favor, or 46.85%, and there were 175,898 votes against, or 53.15%.

This measure required a majority vote for approval.

Measure A did not receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the qualified voters voting on the measure and is hereby declared to have been failed.

Item S505 calls the general municipal election and consolidates the election with the statewide general election to be held on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026.

The ordinance and resolution before the council are required to call this election and authorize the city comp troler to reimburse the county of San Diego for the actual and direct cost of the services performed by the registrar of voters in connection with the election services.

The cost will be borne by the city's general fund.

The approved fiscal year 2027 budgeted amount for this election in the citywide program expenditures is 2.331 million dollars.

The actual cost will vary depending on how many jurisdictions participate.

The registrar of voters assigns election costs in a consolidated election using a weighted average method.

This attributes cost to each jurisdiction based on the number of contests, the number of registered voters, and the number of sample ballot pages.

The City of San Diego has 840,544 registered voters as of the July 1st, 2026 report provided by the registrar of voters.

This concludes my presentation, and the city clerk and I are happy to answer any of your questions.

All right, thank you, Christina, for that report.

Clerk, please proceed with public comment on both items.

Thank you, Council President.

Anthony Ralphs, if you can please come forward.

You will have two minutes to speak on both item S505 and item 330.

After that, we have Blair Beekman and allegedly Audra.

Good afternoon, Council.

There's different ways of saying thank you.

And the other is for you, Ms.

Fuentes, for all of your work ensuring that we will be able to continue group presentations online.

I know that's not part of the agenda item, so I will get on topic.

I would love to see.

I wonder if there's a possibility.

I know that we have an ordinance making sure that November 3rd nationally is the same day that we vote with uh the other places in the country.

But I'm curious to see what would happen, what kind of a voter turnout we would get if we could do it on a Saturday.

Um I know nationally it's we have all those studies that have shown that we'd get much bigger voter turnout if we could have it on a day that a majority of the people in this country uh don't have to work.

Uh but I don't know if that's actually feasible.

Thank you for the clarifying comments on the uh positions earlier that were spoken to.

Um I also got these flowers for you, Henry Foster.

Uh good luck with your race.

Um I actually just put out one of your signs, which I got from one of your constituents, Michelle.

Um I put out one of your yard signs in front of my uh parents' house in Coronado, um, which I know obviously that's not in your uh area in your district, but I know that there's a lot of uh workers uh from your district that work in Coronado and we're trying to get visibility out there.

So let me know if you need help walking and canvassing.

I'm happy to do that.

Um and I appreciate you routinely being someone on this council that stands up to um police brutality, stands up for police accountability, um, stands up for civilian oversight, um, for not only I and and you've discussed use in your own words accountability is a bare minimum.

Accountability is just to start, and I completely agree.

So um I want to thank you wholeheartedly for all the work that you're doing, and I want to support you in your uh upcoming election, and uh thanks everybody.

Thank you.

Item uh S505 and 330 for Blair Beekman.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Hi, Blair Beekman.

Um thank you.

Thank you for this item.

Uh it very nicely speaks to uh the the ideas of procedures and what we've been through in the past six months, a few months, and what we'll be move uh going forward to into the next uh call and for the remainder of this year.

Um thank you for these efforts, and then our election process is continuing.

Uh we have two persons on our council who um I think are very uh well liked.

They have good ideas and good ways to work, and they are going uh for election, uh they're up for election at this time, and uh they have some tough campaigns.

Good luck how they can uh how how their their election process will continue.

Um I in the spirit of that, in the spirit of learning the election process.

You probably know my feelings that I I'm learning, you know, my own process of how our community can work better.

And I've been really wanting a certain item and items to be thought about and moving forward.

And I mean, it's been my personal view when we can move forward with flock things this fall, but I've realized that we may have to wait.

And in the spirit of the election process, I've been trying to develop ideas that uh it can uh the flock process can be a process process this fall of of dialogue of just better understanding where people are coming from and why they want to leave.

We don't have to have final answers this fall, but just if we're talking about the subject matter as part of the election process, as our procedures of community best practices, that's I figured out that's the way we should be working.

And I think it will accomplish a lot for all of us of the community.

Everyone can get a better sense of what our surveillance and tech is.

Uh LAPD is leaving flock.

They just announced that today.

So it's an important matter.

We can't just push under the rug.

Let's hope we can keep it an open subject this fall and good subject.

Thank you for that concluding remark.

Allegedly, Audra, also on both items.

Just really quick for a point of information as far as a charter city.

Can you guys do you not have the autonomy to govern locally without uh kind of negating the constitution?

I understand that 218 is part of the constitution, but anything that is in law or anything like that that is uh against people's rights would be unconstitutional.

So I'm just wondering, do you not have the ability to stand outside that?

If you would in on a point of order, I would let you keep it.

Point of order, but a point of information.

Well, whatever, okay, point of order.

The attorney says we're all on solid ground with Prop 218 and how we implement two.

I know, but what I'm saying is if you're a charter, can you not I don't know, and I'm we can take it up with the city attorney's office.

Okay, I just think that you guys need to think more about that because you should have the autonomy to go outside of that.

All of you guys are upset.

So I mean, if if you are a charter, then you should be able to go outside of that.

So I didn't because I didn't say point of order for real.

Oh my gosh.

Well, it's like you're learning, you know what I'm saying?

Like I mean, whatever.

That's what's so ridiculous, is like you guys wanna okay.

I'll be always calling a point of order then because that's retarded.

Um this is interesting because it's like, I mean, you guys sit here and you know, want to talk about voting, and it's like, I mean, Prop 218 totally negates people's ability to make sure that they don't have water rate increases, and like this ensures that they will always go through because if you guys think that you're gonna be held in contempt if people protest, like doesn't that negate the fact that if people protest, that's their voice, and that's what should be heard.

It's just sad because it's like you're basically saying that even if the people do, you're gonna pass it anyway.

So I mean, how is it that's not what we said?

You're not talking to the two agenda items, which are the same.

Yeah, I'm talking about voting though.

Yeah, it's about elections.

So I'm just saying, like with elections.

I mean, if if we're talking about something and voting in this prior item, and then you want us to trust the process here.

How can we do that when it's not really the people's voice?

It's like if 144,000 people come in here and you say that's people's voice being heard, it isn't.

It's actually people's voice being silenced, and that's concluded.

I'm sorry, the five-minute timer going to those participating remotely, starting with 8700.

If you can please unmute, will you be speaking to one or both of the items?

Oh please proceed, you'll have two minutes.

Thank you.

Thank you, uh, Office of the City Clerk for all you do on these uh ballot measures and voting and all of that.

It's it's so important to democracy and to our city.

Thank you so much.

Number two, thank you to anyone who is willing to serve to run for office.

We really appreciate you putting your chin out there.

Number three, two million dollars plus for a November election.

Boy, that's inflation, isn't it?

I remember like a million or so.

But anyway, I know you understand all of that, but that's a high figure, isn't it?

Number four, be careful of what you vote on, i.e.

prop 218, because the ripples continue on and on again, on and on.

We are no, we are not a closed system, we are not a pawn, and the ripples from 218 continue.

And Google says it's not 40 million, it's up to 120 million that the settlement is against the city.

And please let us know how that's gonna hit our rates for water.

We love you all so much.

Have a great summer recess.

Thank you.

Next is Natalie Rashki, if you can please unmute.

Hi, Natalie Rashke.

Uh, after the the council talked about this 218, it was made more clear to me uh what we're dealing with.

What it's I'm almost speechless.

It we're voting on anymore, does it matter?

And the people that are holding positions right now, we need the ability to have leadership to say no more.

That's like an inversion.

I'm gonna be paying the same amount as a golf course, but I live in an apartment complex, and we're kind of rated the same way.

I know this is not that same, but everything just seems inverted.

And I hope people who are listening are really intentionally start to pay attention and show up because like they were saying, it's gonna come down to the people.

And what are we willing to sacrifice a little so that we're not left with nothing?

It's crazy to me.

I have four children in this world that we're living in.

It's not the same anymore, and it's not going to go back to being the same, and systems are gonna fall.

But how do we want to move forward?

We really need to start researching everything that comes at us, and be intentional with how we move.

Intentional for the people, intentional in the choices we make and what we're leaving for our children and what we stand for.

Because when we do nothing and we comply, then we're just guilty ourselves.

And I don't want to live in that type of world.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That does conclude public comment on this item.

Items all right.

Um I'm gonna break my own rule, then I guess I'll also kick this off.

You're not gonna be paying the same amount as a golf course.

A golf course uses probably 15,100 cubic feet a month.

Somebody lives in a condominium, probably does five.

Using the same rate, it's just like you go to the gas station.

No matter how good your mileage is, we all pay the same rate for gas.

So I want to make sure everybody understands that.

So with that, I'm not seeing anybody else on the lights.

Thank you for the work.

Uh, this is a requirement, and you in the city clerk's office does such um a very good job, and it's very much appreciated.

One question, uh, just wanted to double check that the estimated cost of the ballot to the city of San Diego was accounted for in the FY27 budget.

Yes, it was.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

Just wanted to verify that.

Uh with that, I will move item S.

What is that?

S505.

Councilmember Ila Rivera.

I will second your motion.

All right.

So a motion by myself and a second by council member Elo Rivera to move the staff recommendation on S505.

Please vote.

Or claw call the roll.

I've called the roll, please.

Capture a vote.

That does pass unanimously.

8 to 0 with council member Campio absent.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, on this on item 330, calling the general municipal election.

Uh I will again make the motion for that.

Councilmember Ila Rivera.

Somebody else wants to jump in.

So uh a motion by myself and a second by Councilmember Elo Rivera to move the staff recommendation on item 330.

Please call the roll.

Sorry, the voting system, please cast your vote.

No.

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

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

And with that, what a way to end the first half of the legislative year.

So we will now adjourn council to the next regularly scheduled council meeting on Monday, August 24th, 2026 at 10 a.m.

Have a good recess, y'all.

Oh, you can flowers.

So we'll find a suitable home for them.

But thank you very much for the thought.