San Diego City Council Meeting - October 6, 2026

No agenda or minutes were available, so item numbers reflect statements made during the meeting. The San Diego City Council met on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, in morning and afternoon sessions. Councilmember Von Wilpert attended remotely under the Brown Act for medical reasons and disclosed that no other adults were present with her. The council approved proclamations and consent items, declared a local emergency for El Niño, and continued the water rate decision to October 27, 2026.

Consent Calendar

• Item 10 (approval of council minutes) and items 100-106 were approved except item S501, which Councilmember Foster pulled for separate discussion.
• Clerk Deanna Fuentes listed potential appointments/reappointments on the consent agenda: item 102, Leonardo Fuel to the Mobility Board; item 103, Reagan Lawson, Matt Mengano, and John O'Malley to the Board of Building Appeals and Advisors; item 104, Lacasia Suwani and Nick Galino to the Homeless Revenue Accounts Citizens' Oversight Committee; item 105, Joel Sulestein and Peter Main Klein to the Community Reinvestment Advisory Review Committee; and item 106, findings under SB 707 to allow certain boards and commissions to meet remotely.
• Public comment referenced item 100 as a third-party contract for Microsoft procurement; the clerk did not otherwise describe it.
• Councilmember Campbell moved approval of the consent calendar except S501; Council President LaCava seconded. The vote passed unanimously 6-0, with Councilmembers Whitburn, Campillo, and Ila Rivera absent.
• Discrepancy note: Councilmember Campbell described item 102 as a $1.6 million congressional grant for pump station 2 in District 2, while the clerk earlier identified item 102 as a Mobility Board appointment; no agenda was available to reconcile the conflicting descriptions.

Public Comments & Testimony

Proclamations:

• Jen LaBarbera, interim executive director of Lambda Archives of San Diego, expressed gratitude for the LGBTQ+ History Month proclamation.
• Kimberly Umgrady of Think Dignity thanked the council for the 20th anniversary recognition, described the organization's services, and invited councilmembers to the October 11 celebration.
• Damian Robertson praised Think Dignity and described a proposal to partner with the organization on multifamily housing and apprenticeships.
• Blair Beekman supported both LGBTQ+ History Month and Think Dignity, and noted that the U.S. Department of Education rescinded Title IX protections for LGBTQ students on September 28.
• Maximilian Schmidt opposed the LGBTQ+ proclamation, called for more Christian proclamations, and made anti-LGBTQ statements.
• Another remote speaker supported both proclamations, describing LGBTQ+ identity as part of nature and praising Think Dignity's work.

Consent and S501:

• Bob Kazuski questioned the need for a third-party Microsoft procurement contract and asked why the Tory Pines City Park Advisory Board was not reactivated.
• Maximilian Schmidt opposed approval of council minutes and a homeless oversight appointment, making unrelated allegations.
• A remote speaker supported the Microsoft/IT contract with a caveat about workforce underrepresentation, supported homeless revenue oversight, and supported remote meeting rules.
• Blair Beekman urged the council to set parameters for Waymo, preserve older buildings, and ensure accountability in homeless revenue spending.
• On S501, Maximilian Schmidt opposed the emergency declaration; Blair Beekman, Joy Sanyata, and Hector offered conditional support and stressed preparation, coastal waves, and cross-border sewage concerns.

Water rates:

• Courtney Brown (San Diego Coastkeeper) said the city must adopt a unitary rate but argued that AB 2180, signed last week, provides a faster, lower-risk path back to conservation-based tiered pricing; she asked the city to begin a new cost-of-service study.
• Jack Keene said conservation should be treated as a supply resource and that it is unfair for conserving customers to be penalized.
• Helen Beaupre said she paid about $450 more than expected in her first year with water in her own name and paid twice as much as neighbors; she wanted to pay for actual use.
• Andrew Meyer (San Diego Bird Alliance) supported Coastkeeper and urged the council to adopt the unitary rate as explicitly temporary with a mandatory review clause.
• Rachel Stewart (Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation) called the unitary rate a temporary step and urged the city to use its 10 seats on the San Diego County Water Authority board to pursue regional funding for projects such as Pure Water.
• Michael Dwyer (District 2) calculated that low-volume single-family rates would rise 30% year-over-year, from $8.51 to $11.9 per HCF, adding about $25 per billing cycle.
• Maria Conrad said her water bill had nearly doubled in 20 years despite using rain barrels, and she asked for rebates or offsets.
• Wayne Rosenbaum (Utility Consumers' Action Network) said a flat rate removes the price signal that encourages conservation and recommended commissioning a new tiered cost-of-service study using AB 2180.
• Hector said his 350-unit condo, served by one meter, might see a lower bill, but he was concerned about fixed-income residents.
• Ty said he no longer saw a reason to conserve and would drain his swimming pool more often.
• Dana Givitt alleged that the city had been charging meter fees and volumetric rates that the council did not approve.
• Joy Sanyata asked whether the rates absorb the $40 million settlement and what a true unitary rate would be.
• An iPhone caller asked about a $31 million gap after $9 million in lower water costs and whether Stantec independently audited the city's data.
• Maximilian Schmidt opposed the item and made unrelated rights claims.
• Anthony Ralphs said he supported the independent budget analyst's recommendation and wanted more public outreach.

Non-agenda public comment:

• Christopher Partridge, accompanied by his service dog Rudy, alleged that more than 300 massage parlors in San Diego facilitate sex trafficking and asked the city to shut them down.
• Damian Robertson described his nonprofit and employee-owned corporations and requested a public meeting on a housing/outreach proposal.
• Bob Kazuski criticized City Clerk Fuentes for not playing pre-submitted videos, requiring virtual unmuting, and requiring media to be submitted through an online portal at least two hours before the first session; he asked the council to reverse those policies and reactivate the Tory Pines City Park Advisory Board.
• Maximilian Schmidt made conspiracy allegations and advocated a trade embargo on every country.
• Blair Beekman spoke about responsible technology and ALPR use.
• Joy Sanyata defended City Clerk Fuentes and library verification practices.
• Madison urged the city to protect youth from marijuana harms, citing DEA findings including risks from edibles.
• Becky Rapp cited Assembly Bill 2249 on cannabis packaging and marketing and asked the city to develop an implementation work plan, including removing marijuana billboards.
• Natalie Rashke criticized the Midway Rising lease renewal, saying it deferred housing and revenue and surrendered city leverage.
• Hector criticized several mayoral policies and made crude and derogatory statements.
• Judy Strang, a social worker, urged city coordination with county programs designed to keep children in their homes.
• Terri Ann Skelly, a public health educator and parent, raised concerns about marijuana storefronts and young adults, citing the Monitoring the Future survey.
• Lori Saldonia criticized the scheduling of the Land Use and Housing Committee and warned that the Midway project could face flooding similar to Oakland's Coliseum Connections.

Discussion Items

Proclamations:

• Item 32 (Kiwanis of La Jolla 100th Anniversary Day) was returned to staff at the request of the honoree before action on the remaining proclamations.
• Councilmember Campbell, a self-described member of the Stonewall generation, spoke in support of LGBTQ+ History Month and read Councilmember Whitburn's remarks on the Busalaki family's 40 years in business and 60 years in San Diego.
• Councilmember Von Wilpert seconded the motion and spoke about continuing discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
• Council President Pro Tem Lee, Councilmember Foster, and Council President LaCava also commented, praising Think Dignity and the importance of preserving LGBTQ+ history.
• The proclamations passed 6-0, with Whitburn, Campillo, and Ila Rivera absent.

State of local emergency (S501):

• Councilmember Foster pulled S501 and questioned staff about the District 4 community meeting, her request for a mayor's office response, district-specific flood plans, emergency chain of command, contractor lists, coordination with SDG&E and Caltrans, and temporary housing.
• Staff responded that the memo response was in draft, community engagement was ongoing, and the El Niño Preparedness Working Group had met since June. They cited coastal berms, sandbag distribution, evacuation routes, EOC staffing, council training, and weekly coordination with Caltrans and the National Weather Service; district plans would not be delayed.
• Council President LaCava described the move of the Office of Emergency Services under Fire-Rescue and explained that the declaration uses government code authority to make the city more nimble.
• The resolution passed 6-0 on a motion by Foster, seconded by Campbell.

Water rate public hearing (Item 330):

• PUD staff explained that the PATS litigation required moving from tiered to unitary water rates after the California Supreme Court denied review about one year ago. The city also must pay a $40 million settlement. The proposed adjustment does not increase total water revenue, and the previously adopted 14.5% rate increase for January 1, 2027 remains in place; no additional capital project deferrals are needed.
• Estimated average monthly bill impacts were presented: single-family low-volume users would see an increase of about $5.62, or 7.1%, while single-family high-volume users would see a decrease of about $19.52, or just under 6%.
• Outreach included legally required notices to approximately 286,000 customers, a webpage, flyer, explainer video, UT article, and social media. The clerk noted the e-comment form received zero comments in favor and three in opposition. Staff received 27 written legal objections and provided responses; potential objections submitted incorrectly were not counted but raised no new issues.
• Independent Budget Analyst Charles Modica strongly recommended approval, warning that rejection could expose the self-supporting water fund to additional liability and litigation costs.
• The council voted 5-1 to find that the timely legal objections did not warrant reducing, clarifying, or further reviewing the rates, allowing the protest hearing to proceed. Councilmember Foster voted no; Whitburn, Von Wilpert, and Ila Rivera were absent.
• City Clerk Fuentes reported 3,644 protests received during the 45-day period from July 24, 2026 to October 6, 2026, including two received during the hearing. She stated that 132,968 protests would represent 50% plus one of affected properties or customers, so the protest count was clearly below the majority threshold.
• The public hearing was then closed. Councilmember Foster asked staff to review the Prop 218 outreach and protest-return process, saying the public may not understand how to participate. Councilmember Campillo requested updated online water rate information before the continued meeting.
• The council voted 5-1, with the same absent members and Foster again voting no, to continue the item to the 2 p.m. session on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Key Outcomes

• Proclamations for LGBTQ+ History Month, Think Dignity's 20th Anniversary, and Busalaki Day were approved 6-0; item 32 was returned to staff.
• Consent calendar approved 6-0, with S501 pulled for separate consideration.
• State of local emergency declared due to the historic El Niño season, approved 6-0.
• Water rate adjustments were not approved at this meeting. The item was continued to October 27, 2026 at 2 p.m.; the protest period is closed, and public comment will reopen when the item is heard.
• The next regularly scheduled city council meeting is Monday, October 12, 2026, at 10 a.m.