The San Diego City Council met on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 (per the provided date, the meeting is noted as September 16) to consider proclamations, consent items, and a policy amendment on towing. The council voted on multiple items, including a new policy to issue citations instead of towing for vehicles with expired registrations, and recognized several community organizations and individuals.
The consent agenda included items 100-106 (excluding item 102) and items S504-S506. Key items:
Item 102 – Amendments to Council Policy 500-03 (Towing Program) Councilmember Whitburn introduced amendments to end the practice of towing vehicles solely for expired registration (over six months) and instead issue citations. The presentation cited that between 2017-2022, 25,000 vehicles were towed for expired registration, with 12,000 sold at lien sales. The policy would also require reporting to the Public Safety Committee at least every three years.
Speakers in person addressed:
Now, this is an official city council hearing, so I would ask the uh audience respect uh that so good morning. I will now call the city council meeting of Tuesday, September 15th, 2026 to order. Clerk, please call the roll. Thank you, Council President, Councilmember Campbell here, Councilmember Whitburn, Councilmember Foster, Councilmember Von Wipper. Council President Pro Tem Lee. Here. Councilmember Campia. Here. Councilmember Moreno, present. Councilmember Ilo Rivera. Present. And Council President Lacava. Present. Also attending the meeting are Chief Deputy Deputy City Attorney, Brett Bartelata, Independent Budget Analyst, Charles Modica, Council of Affairs Advisor in the Mayor's Office, Coda Zeiser, and myself, your city clerk, Deanna Fuentes. Thank you, Council President. All right, thank you. We will begin this morning with the land acknowledgement and the pledge of allegiance led by Councilmember Campill. Please rise if you're able. We respectfully acknowledge that the Kumiy Nation are the original inhabitants of the unceded land now known as San Diego. Despite enduring the horrors of genocide and colonization, the Kumiyai spirit remains unbroken. We honor the resilience of their ancestors who fought to protect their culture and land. Today they carry their legacy forward, ensuring that their traditions continue to thrive in gratitude and strength. We stand with the Kumeay Nation, connected to our past and committed to a thriving future. Please face the flag. Ready, begin. I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Council President. I'd like to highlight the slide on the screen that reviews how the public can offer their public testimony today. Please know that the time allocations for proclamations and consent items for meeting management purposes. Council ambassadors are available near the entrance of chambers and can assist with questions and speaker slips. No further in-person testimony will be taken once the council begins virtual testimony. Thank you, Council President. All right, thank you. And as a friendly reminder, when we go to non-agenda public comment at the end of this morning session, you're free to talk about anything within the city's purview. But when you speak to items that are on the discussion items or the docketed items that you speak specifically to those docketed items, and that'll help us hear what you have to say and for the council to be informed as they deliberate and ultimately take a vote. For those that might be curious, um our proclamation items, the number of those are longer than we usually do. Uh next Monday we will be in recess, so we're consolidating the Monday and Tuesdays into a single Tuesday. We will not be doing proclamations next Tuesday. So a number of them were moved up to today, and that's why that list is just a little bit longer than we usually see. But they're all good and important, and we look forward to hearing from you all and my colleagues. So with that, uh we will dispense with the approval of the proclamation items. City clerk. The public comment period for the proclamation items is now excuse me, 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. Proclamation items being approved are items 30 through 32, S500 through S503, and S507. We did not receive any e-comments on these items. If I can have Joyce Anyata, please come forward. You're speaking on three items, item 30, S500, and S507.