San Diego City Council Meeting - October 12, 2026

The San Diego City Council met on Monday, October 12, 2026, with Council President La Cava presiding and City Clerk Deanna Fuentes conducting roll call. No separate agenda or minutes were supplied with the transcript, so this summary is based on the spoken record. After the invocation, land acknowledgement, and Pledge of Allegiance, the council took up two docketed items: the appeal of the Hearing Officer's approval for the 10509 Vista Sorrento Parkway project (Item 201) and an informational update on the Community Action Plan on Homelessness (Item 200). No consent calendar was presented.

Procedural Matters

• The Clerk called the roll and a quorum was present.
• The Clerk explained public testimony rules: one minute per person for docketed items, two minutes for non-agenda public comment; remote speakers can press star 9; once virtual testimony begins, no in-person testimony is taken.
• No requests for continuance were made.

Item 201 - Appeal of Hearing Officer Decision, 10509 Vista Sorrento Parkway Project

• Development Services project manager Martin Mendez presented the appeal. He noted that a memorandum was distributed that afternoon containing the applicant's response to the appellants, the applicant's presentation, and a staff correction to permit condition 47.
• Staff described the project: a 5.58-acre site in the Mira Mesa Community Plan area, zoned IL-3-1; demolition of an existing four-story, 84,000-square-foot office building; phased construction of a four-story, approximately 112,400-square-foot office building and a six-story, approximately 189,780-square-foot parking garage; vacation of a four-foot-wide easement never used for its intended purpose; and associated site improvements. Approvals included a coastal development permit, a neighborhood development permit for alternative square footage calculations within the MCAS Miramar APZ2, a site development permit for environmentally sensitive lands/MHPA, and a public service easement vacation.
• The Mira Mesa Community Planning Group voted 11 to 1 on April 17, 2023, to recommend approval with a condition that the project be consistent with the Mira Mesa Community Plan. The Hearing Officer approved the project with modifications on June 10, 2026. On June 24, 2026, SAFER, represented by Lazau Jury LLP, appealed the decision and the environmental determination on grounds including factual error, findings not supported, and new information.
• Staff argued that the environmental determination was a CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 consistency evaluation, not an appealable environmental determination, and that none of the conditions requiring a subsequent or supplemental EIR were present. Staff also said project-specific VMT, air quality, noise, and biological analyses were consistent with the Mira Mesa Community Plan Update PEIR, and that operational noise in the MHPA would not exceed 60 decibels.
• The applicant, Tim Ward of Health Peak Properties, presented the "Sereno Summit South" project: about 113,000 square feet of office space, roughly 30,000 square feet per floor, about 250 anticipated employees, LEED Gold certification, and parking garage EV/bike charging and shade. He said Health Peak has been in San Diego since 1985, manages about 1.7 million square feet of local life sciences space, and owns nearby Wateridge development.

Item 201 - Public Comments and Appellant Testimony

• A speaker identified as Audra opposed the project, arguing that demolition of a former laboratory building could release biohazards into the air and soil, and that the city focused on GHG, VMT, and noise impacts while ignoring biohazard and public health risks.
• Joy Sanyata supported the project, praised the city's analysis and the Mira Mesa Community Planning Group's vote, and urged the council to deny the appeal and affirm the Hearing Officer's decision.
• Maximilian Schmidt opposed the project and made additional unrelated allegations about council members and downtown San Diego.
• Remote speaker Lori Saldania asked whether the design would incorporate updated LEED heat-resilience standards, including outdoor cooling stations, emergency backup power, paving with solar reflectance of 0.33, open-grid pavement systems, and shaded exterior spaces.
• Another remote speaker raised concerns about VMT, public transit, and possible contamination from prior uses such as gas stations or data centers.
• After the initial public comment period, appellant attorney Aleha Kretcher of SAFER argued that the council should grant the appeal. She said the city cannot rely on the 2022 Mira Mesa PEIR and a Section 15162 memo because the project has a recognized significant and unavoidable transportation impact. Citing Communities for a Better Environment v. California Resources Agency, she argued the city must make project-level findings or adopt a statement of overriding considerations. She also argued that the city failed to consider feasible noise mitigation such as rubberized asphalt, which can reduce tire-pavement noise by about three to five decibels, and asked the council to require additional environmental review before reconsidering the project.

Item 201 - Council Action

• Council President Pro Tem Lee, representing District 6, moved to approve staff's recommendation: deny the appeal, affirm the Hearing Officer's approval, and correct permit condition 47 to identify Vista Sorrento Parkway rather than Sorrento Valley Road. Councilmember Campbell seconded the motion.
• The council voted to approve the motion. The Clerk announced that the vote passed unanimously; the transcription then says "five to four" while naming four absent members, so the vote appears to have been 5-0 among members present.

Item 200 - Community Action Plan on Homelessness Update

• Sarah Jarman, Director of Homelessness Strategies and Solutions; Casey Snell, Senior Vice President of Homelessness and Housing Stability Initiatives at the San Diego Housing Commission; Lisa Jones, President and CEO of SDHC; and Tamar Kohler, CEO of the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, presented the update.
• The Community Action Plan is the city's 10-year strategic plan, approved in October 2019 and updated in November 2023.
• Progress metrics since 2023: supportive housing increased by 419 beds to 6,804, described as 12% of the total inventory needed to reach the 2029 goal; rapid rehousing declined by 172 beds to 1,352, with 3,252 additional beds needed by 2029; crisis response increased by 319 beds to 3,061, with another 146-611 beds needed; prevention reached 1,016 resources compared with the 2,025 annual need, about 50% of the annual goal; diversion reached 1,114 resources compared with the 2,700 annual need, about 41% of the annual goal.
• Compared with the 2019 baseline, overall system capacity increased 95%, from 5,924 to 11,572 resources. Supportive housing increased 11%; rapid rehousing increased 54%; crisis response increased 75%; and safe parking increased 196%. Transitional housing decreased 42%, with reinvestment expected to begin in 2027.
• In calendar year 2025, 211 received about 19,000 housing instability calls, a 30% increase over 2019. About 84% of callers needed help within one week, more than 90% were not currently experiencing homelessness, and callers were more likely to be Black, to have a disability, or to receive Medi-Cal or CalFresh.
• Cost figures included: FY26 SDHC prevention averaged $7,735 per household; diversion averaged about $2,939-$3,269 per household; housing instability prevention averaged just over $11,000 per household; crisis response averaged $48-$67 per bed night; rapid rehousing averaged $17,721 per household annually; supportive housing averaged $22,801-$35,942 per household annually; and FY26 supportive housing capital costs were about $564,953 per unit. SDHC advised that new permanent supportive housing units are difficult to develop for under $600,000 due to interest rates, tariffs, and economic conditions.
• System performance measures: length of homelessness increased 27%; returns to homelessness decreased 0.7%; exits to permanent housing increased 36%; and the gap between households entering homelessness and households successfully housed has narrowed each year since FY23.
• Racial equity data showed that Black San Diegans are about 5% of the county population but 15-43% of participants in city/SDHC programs, with overrepresentation in prevention, diversion, and rapid rehousing. The presentation noted HUD data changes make Hispanic/Latino comparisons difficult, and that seniors are a growing share of people experiencing homelessness. Staff also corrected a typo in the safe sleeping slide regarding minors.
• The IBA's Division of Race and Equity, through Kim Desmond, requested disaggregated data from all partners and suggested considering an update to the 2022 report on homelessness among Black San Diegans. Tamar Kohler said federal constraints prevent the regional continuum from continuing that equity work, but public dashboards and data remain available to the city.
• Tamar Kohler also highlighted that the city's plan anchored the regional plan and helped the region access state HAP funding.

Item 200 - Public Comments

• A speaker in chambers called the update "propaganda," alleged about 40 deaths at a safe sleeping site, and said providers were failing; she called for audits of Dreams for Change and the Downtown San Diego Partnership.
• Joy Sanyata praised the presentation and asked for qualitative metrics in addition to quantitative data.
• Maximilian Schmidt asked for an investigation into the Alpha Project Bridge Shelter and made unrelated allegations.
• Natalie Rashke said prevention helped her avoid eviction, and asked whether the city is using AI and think tanks to improve homelessness policy.
• John Brady commended frontline workers, said the mayor's leadership team on homelessness no longer exists, raised disability accommodation concerns, and noted the growing number of homeless seniors.
• Anthony Ralphs thanked staff and council members with lived experience and highlighted racial and intergenerational disparities in homelessness.
• Remote speaker Lori Saldania asked for an update on the Bradley v. City of San Diego lawsuit regarding safe sleeping sites and raised concerns about flooding, humane conditions, and abuse at tent camps.
• Catherine Rhodes cited affordable housing built at about $260,000 per unit elsewhere, asked about 24-hour safe sleeping at H Barracks, and proposed placing 10,000 affordable housing units onto the successor agency obligation schedule.
• Kathleen Lippett said parks and open spaces feel less safe and argued homelessness services must be accompanied by deterrence.
• Julia Porter, who said she had been housed after years on the street, urged more senior-specific services and preparation for disabilities.
• One remote speaker said the city team ignored immigration and called for deportations; another speaker praised PACT and urged flexible and negotiable encampment leadership.
• Judy Strang, a retired social worker, asked for logistical details about the coordinated shelter intake process and the client feedback system, including hours, in-person availability, response times, and staffing.

Item 200 - Council Discussion and Directives

• Council President La Cava said the item was docketed outside the budget conversation so the council could take a larger role in homelessness policy. She noted the item was informational only and required no motion.
• Councilmember Elo-Rivera stressed prevention, diversion, and permanent housing; called housing a human right; and criticized overlapping efforts among city departments, SDHC, and the county. He asked about deaths at safe sleeping sites and whether the city is providing substance use disorder services. Staff said they make on-site referrals, held a recovery effort at OLAT that transitioned 19 people into recovery, and are working to place a 24/7 substance-use provider on site, with a commitment to notify council once secured. Staff also said contracts for Dreams for Change and the Downtown San Diego Partnership expire June 30, 2026 with one option year, and that complaints about 20th and B are taken seriously and considered in contract renewal.
• Councilmember Campbell called homelessness a health care problem, praised progress, and emphasized five needs: uniting providers, outreach, wraparound services, housing and shelters, and auditing. She also asked about county behavioral health and public housing laws; the City Attorney offered to discuss the housing law questions offline.
• Councilmember Whitburn said people experiencing street homelessness are sometimes told no when they ask for shelter, called that inhumane and unacceptable, and prioritized getting people off the streets today. He cited medical examiner data showing deaths among people experiencing homelessness fell from 627 in 2023 to about 495 in 2024 and 375 in 2025.
• Councilmember Foster questioned whether progress is visible in his district, said the point-in-time count is a flawed minimum count, and requested documentation of outreach in creeks, canyons, and open spaces. He asked for a clear org chart and accountability structure, district-level deployment data for outreach, HOT teams, and PATH, and follow-up on Universal Terms of Service concerns, shelter length of stay, and case-management expectations. Staff agreed to provide memos and district-level data.
• Council President La Cava said she would consider whether the Community Action Plan should be updated and how service provider performance measures could be discussed.

Non-Agenda Public Comment

• Because the afternoon ran long, the council took non-agenda public comment in chambers and deferred remote non-agenda speakers to 10:00 a.m. the following morning.
• Speakers included one who made allegations about the "deep state," a University of San Diego student who thanked the council for democratic engagement, a speaker who praised the Audit Committee, a speaker who raised police accountability and criticized the settlement paid to Cano Wilson's family, and speakers who discussed AI, homelessness prevention, and unrelated conspiracy claims.

Key Outcomes

• Item 201: The council denied the appeal and affirmed the Hearing Officer's decision approving the 10509 Vista Sorrento Parkway project, with permit condition 47 corrected to reference Vista Sorrento Parkway rather than Sorrento Valley Road. This was the only formal vote of the meeting.
• Item 200: No vote was taken. The council received the update and issued follow-up requests for data and reports, including outreach deployment documentation, district-level deployment data, continued work on racial disparities in homelessness, and notification once on-site substance use services are secured.
• Administrative note: Remote non-agenda public comment was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. the next morning.