Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The San Diego City Council convened on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, for a regular meeting. The session opened with a land acknowledgement and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the approval of proclamation items and consent agenda items. Public comment was heard on both the proclamations and the consent agenda, and non-agenda public comment covered a range of community issues. All items were passed unanimously.
Be sure to bring your death certificate. I'm gonna be so cool and nice. Good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for being here. I want to start this morning by recognizing our incredible city employees who are joining us this morning. Uh you all do the hard work of keeping our city running. You deserve leadership that supports you, respects your work, and gives you the tools you need to succeed. Today's announcement is about strengthening that leadership and delivering for the people that we are so honored to serve. Twenty months ago, I assumed the direct oversight of city operations because the challenges facing us at that time demanded it. We faced a significant structural budget deficit. We had leadership gaps in key departments, and we had difficult decisions to make about how to put this organization on stronger footing. As mayor, that responsibility was mine. We needed to stabilize our finances, strengthen our leadership, and keep delivering the services that San Diegans depend on. And that is the work that we have done. We restructured the organization and put new leadership in key departments. We made difficult but necessary budget reductions across two consecutive budget cycles. We strengthen accountability and built an executive team that can turn decisions into action. At the same time, we moved long-standing challenges towards a resolution, including one on one ash Street and the Sports Arena redevelopment. These were hard assignments. Today, our city is in substantially stronger financial condition with the structural deficit nearly eliminated. And there's more work ahead, but we have built a stronger foundation and we are now ready to build on it. That progress belongs to a team. Our executive leadership, department directors, and employees across this organization stepped up under real pressure. And they made difficult changes while continuing to serve our neighborhoods every day. And I am grateful to them. And through that work, one leader has consistently demonstrated the judgment, ability, and commitment that this next chapter for our city requires. Today, I'm proud to announce that I am appointing Bethany Bzack to be the next chief operating officer of the City of San Diego. I've watched Bethany lead. I have given her the most difficult assignments, and I have seen her deliver every single time. In the stormwater department, she helped build an in-house pipe repair program and expanded storm channel maintenance. As transportation director, she increased street and sidewalk repairs and established the city's first pavement management plan with measurable goals for investing in historically underserved communities. Since December, she has served on my executive team as Chief Performance and Logistics Officer. Her responsibilities reach across the services residents expect experience every day. Streets and sidewalks, city facilities, and fleet, contracting, and the ever popular Get It Done app. Across those assignments, Bethany has shown that she understands what public service requires. Clear priorities, sound management, and follow through. Bethany understands that expectation, and she holds holds herself and her teams accountable for meeting it. How she leads matters just as much. Bethany respects our employees. She listens to people doing the work and she removes obstacles and helps her team to solve big problems. She understands that the people repairing a street, clearing a storm drain, maintaining a park, or answering a resident's call often knows exactly what needs to improve, and they deserve to be heard. She shares my administration's values and vision. She knows this organization, understands our challenges, and has earned my confidence through her work. So, with the city council confirmations, she will oversee day-to-day operations and report directly to me.