Good afternoon.

Welcome to the Community and Neighborhood Services Committee meeting March eighteenth, twenty twenty-six.

Our committee layers on Natalie Kessler will provide information and instruction for the public to participate in today's meeting.

While members of the public are able to attend the meetings in person, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and Council Administration will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform.

Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the virtual queue closes.

The queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes speaking or five minutes after in-person testimony ends, whichever occurs first.

This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct the city business.

We appreciate the public's cooperation.

Chair.

I will now call the community neighborhood services committee meeting of March 18th, 2026 to order.

And I will now call the role.

And Councilmember Campillo will be here later.

And I'm also present and also present with us today is Sergio Alcalde from the Office of Independent Budget Analyst.

Daphne Scogan from the City Attorney's Office.

Emily Piatanesi from the Office of Mayor Todd Gloria.

Lizelle Gloria, our committee consultant, and Natalie Kessler, our committee liaison.

And Natalie, please continue with public comment instructions.

Thank you.

I will now go over how the public can offer their testimony for today's meeting.

If you're in person, please complete a speaker sublocate at the entrance of chambers and place it in the tray indicated at the front of the room next to the public comment microphone.

Please submit your speaker slips in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management.

In-person testimony will conclude before virtual testimony begins.

Members of the public can join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's webpage.

To join the Zoom webinar by phone, please dial 16692545252 when prompted.

Please note that if you're watching via City TV Channel 24 or online, there may be a delay.

Please participate.

Please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV or computer when it is your turn to speak.

If you wish to speak on a particular item, wait for that item to be called and then raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon, or if you are a calling participant, press star and on your phone.

If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered.

Chair.

Thank you, Natalie.

A quorum is now present.

And we also have Council Member Campio with us.

Thank you.

Here.

Great.

Okay, as a note to the public, we'll be hearing our agenda out of order.

After taking up item one, we will hear information item five and then return to our discussion items two through four.

So it'll be item one, okay of the minutes, and then item five.

And then we'll go back to two three and four.

So we will now at this time take up non-agenda public comment.

Council members respect and appreciate the public's input.

Parule 2.7, non-agenda public comment is an opportunity for members of the public to comment on items that are not on the agenda but within the subject matter jurisdiction of the committee.

Each speaker will have two minutes.

And we have received two speaker slips from two individuals here in chambers.

We will take those speakers before we move to the virtual queue.

Blair Beekman, please approach the elector, and you'll have two minutes to provide non-agenda public comment.

Then you'll be followed by allegedly Audra.

Then we will move to our virtual queue where we have eight hands raised.

Hi, uh Blair Beekman.

Um interesting meeting last night.

A lot of work and it was like a lot of new things to me.

Up and educated on these things about the term anti-semitized anti-semitism and what that actually means.

It was agreed in the human rights commission.

That's not its right name, but that that use of that word, they spent a lot of time just to clarify.

It's okay to use that word.

I think that's a basis of how we're going to have to review the future of this item.

That's a serious question.

Uh, along with the um, you know, 11 bullet points of the uh IRA ideas.

Um very nicely, a lot of councilpersons said we have to have some sort of better review of that process, a continuing review.

And I really hope that means all parts of the community want to be involved in its questions.

And that uh council person von Wolpert said, come to committee meetings, come to council meetings, go to the commission meetings and and put in your voice in what is needed and better understood for all of us in this community process to better define things.

We can really better define the the starting point of guidelines here that I feel it just a deep feeling that it's lacking a certain democratic principles and human rights values that I think we can better work together on, and that I want to respect what it's trying to work on and understand.

Um each part of the community, it'd be nice to have guidelines for each part of the community on how to address ourselves.

And uh I certainly practice guidelines with my tech accountability that I hope can be really clear to you guys what it can really help with.

And uh so we're trying for the same thing with IRA things and good luck how we can all work to really make it better and improve on it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Allegedly, Audra.

To piggyback a little bit off of what uh Blair was talking about with the item yesterday.

I have uh significant concerns about things that I bring up that could be potentially seen as anti-Semitic.

Um, and I addressed this at the earlier committee meeting.

Um, I have a severe problem with pedophilia.

Um I'm a survivor of that, and so I'm seeing it running rampant, not only in our nation but the world, but it is significantly here in San Diego.

And many of these predators are people that look quote unquote normal, and they're hidden in plain sight.

But they're just on Megan's Law in the city of San Diego.

If I put this address in and I'm not clicking the part where it's talking about transients, because there are hundreds of those in every city or whatever location, but 144 are within three quarters of a mile of this building.

And again, that's just the ones that have been caught, and many of them haven't even continued to stay registered.

And so I have a significant issue with that when I when we're talking about protecting children.

Um, you know, many apps are used to uh engage with young adults or or younger teens, um, and it's uh gay men that are doing it.

Um I'm not just like targeting them.

Like that's why I feel like things that can be said can be construed as though I am like anti-gay.

I'm anti-pedophilia, and I just feel like we should be protecting children more than we are, and it's like with all of the exposure that's coming out with the Epstein files, it's like that seems like a conspiracy, but these children have gone through a lot of trauma, and I just wish that we would take more concern with that and be more uh transparent with how many are just right in our neighborhood.

Thank you.

This concludes in-person public testimony for non-agenda public comment.

We will now move to the virtual queue, and I've sort of the five-minute timer for all those in the virtual queue to indicate that they have non-agenda public comment.

There are 11 hands raised.

Phone number ending in 870.

Please press star six and begin.

Uh thank you, Sarah.

Uh Joyce and you have a CD3.

Uh I have two topics.

I may not get fully to the second one.

So the first topic is um yesterday, uh you know, uh, yeah, yesterday on the consent agenda, we uh you voted on the um youth uh employ and empowerment program.

And I I can't forget it because it's so empowering to me, and to know that in some tangible real way we're helping our youth and our youth on many levels, the underserved, and and read that list of who qualifies for this program.

It's wonderful.

So, what I thought about later, because of what's happening with these interns when they leave, they're they're going out into the world, out into our community, other than other aspects of government, and they're they're showing what they're how beautiful they are and what they can add to our world, and that is a flame we have to fan right now.

That that has to be maybe not the number one priority, but very close to our budget.

Now, I there was no cost, and I think it was a grant, and we don't have to put money on the suggestion.

But where are the philanthropists?

Let's ask the philanthropist to help us on this to provide funds for our youth in this program.

I understand there's a waiting list, and we can't even maybe put these people to work as interns, regardless.

Let's just go out there and and see what we can do because I'm excited.

I'm gonna see if there's any way I can help it on the street or you know, whatever.

I don't know.

But I I'm so excited.

And so the other thing which you'll have to do another time.

Uh I'm so excited about what India has done for her rural population, the underserved.

Thank you.

This concludes your time.

Our next speaker, Madison, please unmute and begin.

Hi, thank you.

Good afternoon.

I just wanted to share an article that I found pretty heartbreaking in the New York Times.

It described how birds in cities around the world are now building their nests with cigarette butts.

Some species have been found weaving discarded cigarette filters into the places where they raise their young.

What makes this especially sad is that cigarette butts contain thousands of toxic chemicals, including nicotine, arsenic, heavy metals, and other pollutants.

Researchers also found evidence that exposure to these materials may cause genetic damage in young birds, with long-term consequences still unknown.

Even wildlife is now living with and adapting to our pollution in ways that may carry hidden harm.

This should make us think carefully about what is left behind in our own public spaces.

In San Diego, cigarette butts, vape cartridges, and marijuana packaging are often found in parks, sidewalks, and near playgrounds.

These products do not simply disappear.

They become part of the environment that children and wildlife are exposed to every day.

It is sad to me that birds are building nests for their young out of toxic litter from human habits.

Keeping our parks and neighborhoods clean is not only about appearance, it is about protecting the health of our community and the natural world around us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Terry Ann Skelly, please unmute and begin.

Good afternoon, community and neighborhood services.

Chair Campbell, my name is Terry Ann Skelly.

I'm a parent and public health educator as well as a planning group member.

I noticed that yesterday at City Council, we voted to accept funds from the state's youth service corps, the initiative to fund the city of San Diego's employee and empower youth workforce program.

Participants for the city's program must be between the ages of 16 and 30.

They must have 80% must be residents in a community of concern and must have some socioeconomic challenge, which was described.

One of your agenda items today deals with a disparity found in communities of concern where the employee and empower youth workforce program participants their participants actually live.

That is the grave need for clean and safe parks.

And a need for clean and safe neighborhoods.

No area in San Diego should be described as gritty, as was spoken about yesterday in the comments.

Clean air and water and neighborhood streets and public gathering locations, also known as third spaces, would happen if the city would consider an emergency ban of marijuana and tobacco smoking and vaping in public spaces.

Perhaps in honor of Earth's Day coming up next month.

Perhaps as a thank you to Jen Campbell for her service as she prepares to retire, because she has made it a consistent part of her work to improve the health of those who live in communities of concern.

Thank you for your considerations.

Thank you.

The five-minute timer has concluded.

We have eight hands remaining in the virtual queue.

We will take no additional callers after these eight.

Francine Maxwell, please unmute and begin.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Francine Maxwell.

I want to thank the maintenance and the gardeners because as a community, we don't know when the city, when the city celebrates.

I know you have staff appreciation, but I was with a group this Saturday at Gomper's Dog Park.

And although we don't have water, um, we all had to keep running to the store because we did not realize how much fun everybody was gonna have.

And so, of course, everybody ran out of water for the uh dogs.

Very appreciative of the upkeep.

Um, we still we still have a lot of grass.

We go to some dog parks and there's no grass.

So just wanted to make sure that if the city can do more to let the community know when it is um park park and wreck appreciation, city staff appreciation, so that you know, we can do a little bit more appreciation for the little things, although they work extremely hard and everything is big.

Thompers park um is a jewel in the community, especially the dog park, because we have so many people moving in to Southeastern San Diego and especially District Four, and um they have pets.

And so a lot of us from District 4 go over to a walking dog event over at Memorial Park with our neighbors in District 8, and it's a wonderful time.

So again, want to make sure that our dog parks that we travel between the districts all can continue to look wonderful and grow.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Peggy Walker, please unmute and begin.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

As a youth mentor and public health professional, passionate about youth well-being, I respectfully ask you to oppose proposed new seed pot businesses.

We work so hard to make our neighborhoods safe and child and family friendly with parks and facilities that support well-being.

Why then put our youth at serious risk with increased accessibility to high potency psychotropic drugs that are linked to psychotic, bipolar, depressive, and anxiety disorders, to school dropout, family disruption, violence, and even suicide.

Scientific studies show that when dispensaries are located in neighborhoods where young people live, both youth, youth use and youth psychiatric problems increase.

The problem is evident in alarming ER patterns at Rady's Children's Hospital.

Dr.

Natalie Love said prior to 2020, children was seeing maybe 20 or 30 adolescents for marijuana-related treatment yearly.

Last year they saw nearly 600 adolescents.

Increased accessibility means upticks in youth use.

This highlights concerns that wider commercialization of pot could worse existing mental health inequities.

Many jurisdictions are backtracking legalization.

Alcajon just rejected four new pot stores.

As a clinician, he saw dozens and dozens of patients diagnosed with marijuana inducing.

Thank you.

This does conclude your time.

Our next speaker, Kathleen Lippitt, please begin.

Thank you for letting me speak.

I'd like to address Madison Rapp's comment that were really well raised at regarding the tragedy of how wildlife is being harmed by the unfortunate impacts of carelessness on the part of adults.

We've also seen that uh shorebirds actually feed feeding their young cigarette butts because they don't know any better.

I would like to remind the committee on the importance of oversight to all the businesses city permits.

Smoke shops are permitted businesses in the city.

But currently there is little to no oversight of these businesses, and they are exploiting that those opportunities.

They are selling products that were banned by the state, but smoke shops continue to sell them anyway.

A complaint-driven process does not protect our youth from being targeted and purchasing high THC products still available there.

One of the recommendations to reduce adverse health outcomes associated with high potency cannabis products, is to prohibit cannabis and cannabis products advertising on billboards and other general public-facing advertising.

Billboard advertising directly reaches children because a high percentage of the marketing is for high potency products.

That is where they make their profit.

They do not make it from CBD products with low THC.

High potency products to children and youth are what they are targeting.

Billboards and other public-facing advertising exposes these children, and we don't need them further exposed.

There's already a high incidence of youth use of these products.

Thank you for letting me speak.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Becky Rapp, please unmute and begin.

Hi, good afternoon.

My name is Becky Rapp, and I'm here today to urge you to deny the seed program.

Permitting 36 additional marijuana retail shops in our city is not only bad for public health, but also detrimental to our already challenged budget deficit.

At its core, this issue is about our neighborhoods and what residents are truly asking for.

Neighborhoods are not asking for more pot shops.

They're asking for safer communities, clean parks, and well-funded recreation centers where families and children can gather, grow, and thrive.

We cannot ignore the lessons of the past.

One example is the tobacco industry, which once expanded under similar ideas of economic benefit, only for communities to suffer the long-term consequences.

That led to a major settlement agreement, and the industry was held accountable for the public health crisis that it created.

We're now seeing similar warning signs, such as concerns about youth access, mental health, impaired driving, and the increasing normalization of marijuana youths in our communities.

Instead of prioritizing the expansion of marijuana, we should be investing in what truly strengthens communities.

After school programs, youth services, mental health resources, and recreational infrastructure.

If we move forward with this expansion, we risk shifting our focus away from the very things residents are indeed asking for, and towards an industry that will bring long-term social and financial costs.

I urge you to prioritize the needs of our neighborhood.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker.

Andrea Ebbing, please unmute and begin.

Hi, this is Andrea Ebbing, and I just would like to share some mind-blowing information that I hope I can articulate within the short amount of time.

But I was just released from Las Colinas detention facility.

I'm a perfect example of how far community leaders and supposed um law enforcement public officials will go to silence an individual's First Amendment rights and civil rights to protect what is absolutely taking place, which is a kickback program for uh for rehab placements.

I do believe much of which is Prop 36 at this point.

Used to be Prop 47, but now Prop 36.

I have direct eight days of insider knowledge of exactly what's going on, Prop 36 and all the women that are stuffed in Las Colinas and dying of in custody deaths, which I was almost one of.

Um, and if you don't know my story, I was um uh almost murdered in San Diego on December 28th, 2020.

My children were abducted, our cleat system were altered to protect the identity of the individuals involved in my case because they are county contracted with millions of dollars invested in kickbacks for rehab defendants.

At this point in time, I would I I found out a hell of a lot about that harm reduction case.

Guess what, guys?

Uh the person that's sitting in jail right now is the person that was blowing the whistle, just like me.

They stuffed me in Las Colinas despite having a ruptured aneurysm and brain surgery on November 5th.

They attempted to put 125,000 bail on me until they didn't realize my loved one was with me the entire time, put the money down, 10,000 down, but suddenly it wasn't real bail, and suddenly they took it out and suddenly the case changes.

But guess what?

It's all to protect what's taking place.

If women see other women die in custody, they get sent to high power.

It's going to be exposed in a way you cannot imagine.

So be ready.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, John Stump.

Please unmute and begin.

Hi, John Stump.

I've earlier said to your committee uh written documents concerning um a change of use in the Los Penesquitos preserve.

The change of use is to convert for one day.

Um the parking lot to a hilipad.

It's unclear from the uh environmental determination whether there will be one landing or 50 landings and takeoffs.

So it's a completely changed use.

Now, earlier today, the council president said, Well, it's only one day.

And it made me think about that advocate to prevent pedophiles.

You know, you wouldn't discount the harm that's done by someone to a minor if it was only one day.

We have no idea what the harm is going to be from these helicopter takeoffs and landings to an environmental preserve like Las Pauline uh penesquitos.

Preserve.

Please.

We don't want to um prevent fire hardening.

This has nothing to do with fire hardening.

This has to do about being transparent with the public and particularly the public that are the stewards of Los Penesquitos on what's going to happen in their park.

Please ask that this be returned to staff and we start over.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Catherine Rhodes, please unmute and begin.

Hello.

This week there's a news article that the pension board just approved the annual pension payment of 563 million over half a billion dollars, which is 30 million dollars more than the 533 million annual pension payment paid last year.

The pension problem was created when the city hit the pension problem in the annual comprehensive financial report previously named the CAFR.

They hit the pension problem from the bond market and got caught by Diane Shippio in 2002.

11 years later, the pension problem was on its way to be fixed in 2013 with the five-year pensionable pay freeze.

That's when I Mayor Todd Gloria used a legal loophole to give raises and double and tripling salaries by creating the middle managers and exempting positions from classified services.

So now the pension um debt used in 2013, uh it was 136 million.

Now it's 3.2 billion.

So there is an increase of $3 billion in the last 12 years.

And then, you know, recently you now you have to do these city employee compensation reports.

In 2020, there was 12,605 positions, including 308 middle managers, which they could only make up to 184,000.

In two twenty in 2024, there's now 14,570 positions, including 423 million uh um middle managers making up to 268 mil thousand dollars.

So in four years, there was um a total of 1,965 new positions for no gain in services, and that's a 15.6 increase in new positions when uh the um population in increase.

There's a 70 37 percent increase in the total amount of middle managers, which is 115, and there's a 45% salary increase for middle managers of up to $84,000 for all 423 positions.

And so thank you.

Thank you.

This does conclude your time, and chair.

This concludes non-agenda public comment.

Thank you.

Uh, we'll now move to committee members, mayor staff, city attorney, and independent budget analyst for comment.

Are there any?

No.

Therefore, hearing none.

We will ask if there are any requests for continuance.

Also hearing none, we will uh proceed with the approval of our consent agenda.

Uh, do I have any requests to pull from the consent agenda?

No, we have one item.

And Natalie, please proceed with any public comment.

Thank you, Chair.

The public comment period for the consent agenda is now open.

The consent agenda includes item one approval of the committee minutes from November 19th, 2025.

I have one speaker slip from an individual here in chambers.

Blair Beekman, please approach the lecture, and you'll have one minute to speak to the consent agenda.

My mic isn't working.

Now it's working.

Hi, Blair Beekman.

Thank you.

Um, hopefully, I could add a few little factors to the uh uh meeting minutes approval on um park.

You had a big park review, uh, 2025 review of park plans and issues and such.

You're talking about grant funding um yesterday, I think, uh possible grant funding.

I've heard park items today uh earlier.

Um it's really important that uh we're we're working towards accountability with all the tech involved in in park maintenance and upgrades.

And uh however we further that conversation, um we need to trust that conversation and that we're even in this time of war, as I have been learning to say, we practice our best practices at the local level.

We are creating peace and not war.

If you want to keep being secretive and fearful, you'll be practicing war.

Let's practice peace and best practices.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This concludes in-person public testimony for the consent agenda.

We will now move to the virtual queue.

There are two hands raised in the virtual queue.

Andrea Ebbing, please unmute and begin.

I just wanted to um just make a quick comment on the consent agenda.

Um looks like the approval, it looks like approval of committee minute committee minutes.

I just wanted to thank um the clerk or whoever it is that's responsible for um putting in the information that's being said by the individuals that are speaking.

I see there's like a name and then a blurb about kind of what they're talking about.

And um that's appreciated.

I think it should be a standard across the board.

All meetings should absolutely have what we're saying.

So that's a step in the right direction.

So that's all I have to say.

Thanks so much.

Thank you.

Phone number ending in 870.

Please press star six and begin.

Uh thank you, Joyce and C D3.

I I really wanted to say thank you on this because it's so generous of you to allow the public to really uh say what they have to say on the minutes.

They really, you know, expand on it.

And I really appreciate that you allow them to do that.

I do have a concern that there's criticism on the way the comments are printed on the minutes.

And I want everybody to soften that.

If they don't soften it a bit, then I think what you ought to do is just put in a parentheses there and say, please refer to the full detail on the uh video replay of this committee and the public comments because I don't think you deserve the criticism.

It's tough to try to pull out from a context because they're so different.

And so I commend you on the work you do.

I've read my own comments, and no, they're not perfect, but what is thank you?

Thank you.

Thank you for listening to you.

Thank you.

This concludes your time and chair.

This concludes public comment on item one.

Thank you.

Thank you, Natalie.

Uh, I'm now going to turn over to committee members for any questions, comments, and to entertain a motion on the consent agenda.

I'll move approval.

Thank you, Councilmember Campillo.

And we have a second by Councilmember von Wupper.

And we will now take the vote using the voting screen.

Thank you.

And that passes unanimously, 4-0.

Thank you.

We'll now take up our information item.

We're going to start with that.

Natalie, please introduce item number five.

Item number five, overview of the hunger coalition.

Please uh, yeah.

Please make yourselves comfortable.

And uh when you're ready.

Um, please introduce yourselves for the record and begin uh when you're ready.

Let us know how much time it'll be about approximately for your presentation.

10 minutes.

10 or 15 minutes.

10 or 15.

Okay, great.

Thanks.

Please proceed.

Thank you.

Hi, uh, good afternoon.

My name is Alondra Alvarado.

I'm the uh CEO of the San Diego Hunger Coalition, and with me is Joseph Kendrick.

He's the research research manager of the Hunger Coalition.

Thank you, Councilmember Campbell, for the invitation, and thank you the rest of the council members here for for listening to our presentation.

Um, well, the hunger coalition, we are a nonprofit.

So we we've been in San Diego for 51 years now.

And then organization, as you can see, we focus on we are backbone organization.

We focus on providing services to the community-based organizations who provide services to the clients.

And I believe sometimes when we think about food assistance, the first thing that we think it's about emergency food assistance programs like food banks and food pantries, which are amazing and do a great job in San Diego relieving hunger, but at the same time, uh, there are other programs that uh residents and people who need said can access to one of the work that we do.

We do this in in we call it the three pillars.

One of them is research and data that you're gonna hear about it a little bit more.

We also do with our research and data, we also do policy and advocacy work um to to and hunger in San Diego County, and we also work doing outreach and education.

With our three uh with our information, um you're gonna be able to see uh that they're handing out some dashboards about the the research and the hunger situation in San Diego County, but you're also gonna be able to see uh if you go to our website, you can see that this information is also available by electoral district, so you can see exactly what's what's happening in your district.

We also do an uh outreach and education, which is training and technical assistance to the community-based organization that were providing services to others, like how fresh enrollment or week food distributions and different things.

Uh, for 2025 improv report, here you can see we work with 500 partners across San Diego County.

We pass through almost a million dollars to all other local organizations in the hunger relief sector, and we connect 150,000 people uh with with food assistance.

You can see here that up as part of our trainings and the work that we do.

You can see here that as part of our trainings and the work that we do, we also do call fresh outreach, and we do some pre-screenings and applications submitting, renewing, and we also went an organization has a problem and they believe that a cowfresh application has been wrongfully denied.

We escalate the case and we review case by case with the county to ensure that everyone who qualifies for California can access to the program.

And then with this introduction, I'm gonna pass it to Joseph so he can explain a little bit more about our research.

Thank you, Alondra, and thank you for having me today.

My name is Joseph Kendrick.

I'm the research manager for the San Diego Hunger Coalition.

Uh and today I'm going to go through briefly, if I can, uh, our most recent research for December 2025 on hunger and nutrition insecurity in our county and our city specifically.

Our numbers are unique.

Before we get into them, I want to briefly just mention that usually when people see food insecurity research and information.

Uh it's based on surveys that are taken a year or two or go and are asking people whether they felt like they ate enough or whether they fed their kids enough, which results in a lot of underreporting the real-time need as things change rapidly for several reasons that I'd be happy to take questions on.

But during COVID, primarily we felt like we needed to do something different and to uh change and provide more timely information based on economic indicators that focus on how much someone can purchase with their own income and what income allows families to purchase a healthy diet for their entire household.

So with that in mind, we uh switched to a poverty threshold to consider nutrition insecurity.

Uh, we're now considering anybody below 225% of the federal poverty level to be nutrition insecure.

And for reference, that's about 72,000 of income for a family of four or somebody living alone on about 35,000 of income.

So anybody below that threshold uh are what these numbers are representing in nutrition insecurity.

So in December, that's about 25% of people that live in the city, nearly one in three children and more than one in four older adults.

And then on the left on this chart, you can see how our nutrition and security rate has fared over the last few years in the city as COVID federal funding diminished and inflation soared.

Uh, more families fell into poverty over the last two or three years.

So in 2025, we actually saw a return to a nutrition and security rate we hadn't seen since the middle of the pandemic in 2021, and we're still seeing the sustained high level of nutrition insecurity that I would expect will only uh increase this coming year.

So, although we're showing uh city specific data, I also wanted to show our countywide maps that show how the numbers compare from month to month.

On the left, we have our September maps for 2025 and on December on the right, uh, with darker green regions representing a higher nutrition and security rate.

You can see that uh, well, you can't really see, but and the downtown region is is really where the the nutrition and security rate is is concentrated in the city, uh including the downtown zip codes, Logan Heights, and also city heights.

This means that this is where the most amount of need is, but these maps don't yet tell us how much of this need is being met by food assistance.

So these next slides will go into food assistance and our meal gap.

Uh so in addition to estimating who needs that food, uh, who needs food, we also collect data from all the major food assistance providers monthly to estimate how much of the need is being met.

And in our city in December, you can see that uh CalFresh provided more than 60% of all food assistance, followed by school meals, food banks, WIC, and agencies focused on older adults.

You can also see the totals here with CalFresh providing almost 7 million meals, which is about four times as much as the food banks and several two or three times more than the school meals.

So we like to emphasize the crucial role that CalFresh plays in our food system and that cuts to it from HR1 will decrease the most reliable source of consistent meals for families in need, which the food banks are normally left to try to meet that increased need and demand when CalFresh is cut.

And since we get all that food assistance data, that we can then subtract the assistance from the need as well as some data that we have on how much people are spending on food with their own income to get a meal gap number or the number of missing meals that would have been necessary for everyone to get three healthy meals per day in that month.

In December in the city, about 80% of the need for food assistance was met, leaving a meal gap of about three million meals.

And this map here shows the darker regions that have a higher meal gap with University City, College Grove, and North Park leading the way in December, all having more than 130,000 missing meals each.

And this is the zip codes that uh there's the most amount of need that is not being met, and consequently, where we think the most amount of additional assistance should or could go.

And as I already mentioned, we believe CalFresh is a very powerful way uh to provide food assistance to families.

Our estimates show that only about two-thirds of all eligible families are enrolled in CalFresh, leaving about 81,000 people in the city unenrolled but still eligible.

We also know that every $1 spent on CalFresh results in another $1.79 circulated in the local economy.

So that means that we're leaving $27 million monthly on the table in local economic stimulus if everybody was enrolled who is eligible.

And not only that, but you can see the chart here on the left, that if all people were enrolled in the city that are eligible, the meal gap would essentially be erased.

Enrolling eligible families could close the meal gap in the short term as we all work to try to address the more systemic issues facing wages, affordability, and dietary issues at the same time as alleviating some of the burden on the food banks from the nutrition and security.

And here are September and December maps where the CalFresh eligible enrollees are.

You can see that just east of downtown is where the most eligible people are in the city, especially College Grove, University and City Heights.

And that makes sense because college students are majorly unenrolled, under enrolled population, and this kind of goes well with the other numbers on nutrition and security and the meal gap, all this being concentrated around these areas.

And you can see that there's really not much change between September and December, but we like to highlight that in case that there is the December dashboard that we publish uh quarterly, which basically summarizes everything that I presented today and does so by electoral districts, uh including all the different kinds of electoral districts in our county, uh, but also all nine city council districts, and this one uh for the city of San Diego, which I believe we've you all have uh copies of as well.

You can find these on the uh on an interactive dashboard on our website, and uh these update quarterly for the most recent data, so our March data should be done within the next month or by early May.

And the last research related point I wanted to mention is the alarming data we've seen as a result of the HR one changes that are still yet to take effect.

Uh more than 25,000 people in our county have already unenrolled in CalFresh over the last year, uh, and this is before those rules uh have taken effect.

While we don't have data as to specifically why that is, we can only speculate that most of them is most of them are dropped, have dropped the program voluntarily or chose not to renew, uh likely related to immigration status or fears about the SNAP program with the Trump administration, such as being considered a public charge for being enrolled in in CalFresh.

This was resulting in a nearly one million meal increase to the meal gap per month.

And starting in April when the HR1 changes do take start taking effect, at least 67,000 people will start losing their access to CalFresh and their and their access to recertify for it, which will eventually result in a meal gap uh increase of 2.7 million meals per month and a huge strain on our local food banks who are already reporting increased demand.

So, due to these HR1 changes, uh we therefore estimate that estimate that there will be a total increase of about 3.6 million meals monthly to the meal gap, uh resulting in an annual loss of 366 million dollars to the local economy annually.

And in addition to our research, uh we also provide free monthly trainings, one training focused on the CalFresh called Calfresh 101 training, details eligibility and program information about CalFresh and gives other detailed information on all uh all things related to CalFresh.

We have another one that is uh focused on all types of other major food assistance programs.

It's called the hunger-free navigator training.

People who take this program receive a certificate emailed to them on becoming a trained navigator for hunger in their community.

Uh then we also have a food assistance resource brochure, which we update semi-annually in 13 different languages, uh, which gives a quick summary on how to get each kind of food assistance type and several toolkits and flyers for special populations, including for college students, SSI recipients, and for Sunbucks in Calfresh in schools.

And that's all we have.

Thank you so much for allowing us to share and be happy to take any questions.

Thank you so much uh for that disheartening information.

Um I was wondering how bad it was going to be, and it sounds terrible.

It's already bad.

Um so uh so we will now um uh go ahead and ask uh uh for any public comment, Natalie.

Uh do we have any public comments?

Thank you, Chair.

Yes, the public comment period for item five is now open.

We did receive one speaker slip from an individual in chambers.

Blair Beekman, please approach the elector, and you'll have one minute to item five.

Okay.

Hi, thank you, Blair Beekman.

Um seems like not too crowded today.

Uh two minutes would be more appropriate public comment time.

Um this item offered a lot of information, um, a lot of it grim.

But you know, there was little hints that you're trying to talk about the actual programs that that are still working and functioning, and um for that to be dialogue on on what is actually working for the upcoming summer would be nice to hear.

You know, I spent my fall in Oakland, and I I learned there their summer programs coming up, they're they're doing well.

They're and it's positive, hopeful.

You gave a little background in how to understand that uh in the word a difficult space and more similar to Oakland in budgeted concerns and issues.

Um but their summer uh feeding programs, uh lunch programs are going fairly well.

And uh it'd be nice to hear that sort of positiveness here if it can be mentioned.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Allegedly, Audra, you are our final speaker in chambers before we move to the virtual queue.

Thank you.

I'm not sure what happened there.

Um, I feel like we need to be creating more independence as opposed to dependence um on different programs and things like that.

And I feel like having more community gardens teaching people to be self-sustainable and being able to grow their own food would be beneficial because any time you want to purchase something that is healthy, it's gonna be more expensive.

All the foods that are really bad for us are so cheap that it's like that's people's go-to because they don't have a choice.

And I feel like if we were um even looking into the food waste, I mean, when I'm done with my food, it's like I'll have something left, and I always try and go give it to somebody who's homeless who I know that could benefit from it, because I don't want to throw it in the trash, and I know that they're really grateful for that, but I just feel like we need to be, you know, trying to teach people that kind of practice to be like, hey, you can do it in your garden window in your kitchen window.

I'm growing a potato from a potato that had um some uh roots growing, and it's pretty cool to see.

So I think kids would even enjoy that.

This concludes in-person public testimony.

We will now move to the virtual queue.

I've started a five-minute timer for those in the virtual queue to indicate that they have comments for item five.

Andrea Ebbing, please unmute and begin.

Hi, this is Andrea Ebbing.

I support this program.

I do think that no matter what program, no matter how many years in we are, we should do absolutely thorough, incredibly due diligence, incredible amount of due diligence on any contracts we so choose to move forward with.

However, food security is one that I absolutely believe in.

I think that um the uh like putting funds into feeding our community, enhancing and strengthening our community, giving children the nourishment they need to grow into active, productive um community members is really important.

It's such a great uh thing to see versus you know the harm reduction um test drugs for fentanyl, which the CEO was overdosing on the drugs that she was testing being sent to her with zero efficacy um standards whatsoever.

And then when her COO blew the whistle, then she winds up in jail because the CEO is friends with Summer Stefan.

You catch my drift.

We have big problems here, and I like the fact that we're gonna feed people in San Diego.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Phone number ending in 870.

Please press star six and begin.

You'll have one minute.

Uh thank you, Natalie.

Uh Joyce in the other district three.

Um first of all, thank you for the presentation.

And I'm gonna switch gears into uh sort of a different topic related to it, but just know that you're loved and appreciated, and we realize the challenges that you're facing.

Just keep it up.

Uh so in the staff report, San Diego Housing Commission uh is a backbone that unifies 500 partner organizations to create a data-driven equitable hunger relief system.

Thank you, San Diego Housing Commission.

Yet I do have a concern.

Five hundred is a big big huge number.

Uh how is it going?

How's this collaboration going?

How in the heck do you make it happen?

And how is the data happening?

How is the data-driven work they do collected and how is it used?

Is it effective?

Thank you.

So thank you.

This does conclude your time.

Our next speaker, Catherine Rhodes, please unmute and begin.

Hello, this is Catherine Rhodes.

Today at the Rules Committee, Council District 2 candidate Mandy Havleck and I presented two ballot proposal measures that will bring in new revenue to the city of San Diego.

The new revenue generated by the transit occupancy tax revisions could provide money to the general fund that could provide new funding for this food security program, especially for the 348,000 children and seniors that are nutrition insecure.

So I I would ask that the city council members that were not there actually look at my um at the rules committee item three, sub item A, to see the wonderful opportunities we have.

We we we could get um, you know, I think we could get um on one of them, it's 125 million, and then the other one should be um should be tens of millions of dollars that we could get to the general fund so that we could extend it.

Thank you.

This does conclude your time, and chair this concludes public comment on item five.

Thank you so much.

At this time, I'd like to ask uh members of the committee if they have any questions or comments for our guests.

Seeing Marnie one or down the lights, I would like to ask you to go ahead and proceed.

Thank you very much, and thank you so much for being here today and for all the work you've done over the decades, honestly, uh, for the Hunger Coalition to continue to shine the spotlight on hunger in San Diego.

I also want to thank you not only for your data-driven approach, but for highlighting what is coming uh with the big ugly bill as I like to call it.

We know that people are going to be kicked off uh health care through the Medicaid program and they're gonna lose their access to nutrition for SNAP benefits.

And so one of the things that stuck out to me in your presentation was that people are already disenrolling from SNAP.

So you can tell me a little more about that.

Yeah, unfortunately, we don't have a ton of information yet.

Uh, we're trying to get some on on the reasons for the unenrollments, um, but 25,000 people, that is something that I've never seen in my time working here.

Um, and it from our understanding is not related to any rules technically.

Um, so we've concluded that it's unenrolled people, people unenrolling because they're scared of public charge.

We you know that's something we've we've always had conversations about and trying to encourage people to be enrolled in the program, but now uh with with HR1 and uh it it becomes more complicated.

But yeah, unfortunately, we don't have much more information than we shared.

Got it, thank you.

And I mean it is disturbing that the showing the data is incredibly helpful because this is what's coming.

And the other issue I'm particularly worried about is uh senior poverty in our area.

And if people can't get access to good nutritious food, it's going to be a even bigger problem for seniors.

And so I know that the big ugly bill now makes it so that seniors up to the age of 65 years old will have to show the federal government they are either looking for a job or they can't get food benefits at 65.

I just know who's gonna have to pick up the pieces of all of this are nonprofits, our local governments, you know, things that we don't have in our budgets.

We pay our tax dollars to the federal government so that they can provide basic, basic social services like health care and food.

So I just want to thank you very much for your work.

Uh, we're gonna need you more than ever, unfortunately, while we fight this fight with the federal government.

Um, but highlighting it is more important than ever.

So thank you so much for being here.

Thank you, council member.

Thank you.

Uh I have a couple of questions if there isn't anyone else on the lights.

Um you mentioned that you are a coalition of about 500 food providing groups.

We're a coalition of 500 uh organizations that are stakeholders in the hangar relief sector between uh food assistance pro programs to school districts to elected officials' offices.

We we collaborate with everyone, so we ensure that everyone is aware of the of the food assistance programs.

Oh, that's wonderful.

I I really appreciate what you do, and I can't imagine how difficult it must be, especially nowadays when the 25,000 disenrolled just probably out of fear.

Uh I'm just wondering how would you find those who are eligible?

You had mentioned that there's quite a number of people who economically are eligible for the benefits, but they don't enroll.

Uh how does one go about finding them?

Uh I'm on a much more individual basis.

I think it's very complicated.

I mean, our methodology is able to look at the based on census information of uh income who might be eligible and we subtract for ineligible populations like those that might be on the food distribution program on any reservations or who are receiving basic housing allowances on military, so they're on an uneligible.

Um, but some of the things that we've employed to try to find them are things like the summary BT program, where anybody who's enrolled through a school automatically gets summer ABT, and before that we had CalFresh in schools.

We were going to there's more data on school districts and specific schools who might be eligible.

So we would collaborate with uh different administrators at schools to try to get people enrolled in a specific school, which would then help their funding and also uh summer ABT and CalFresh as well.

Do you know of any uh summer feeding programs for the children?

Uh I know the unified school district here in San Diego no longer uh does the the year-round school, and so that could be a real problem in the summer.

Yeah, that's a great question.

Actually, this is gonna be the third year of uh Sunbucks or summer EBT is a federal program.

So basically the families that are participating in Call Fresh, they are automatically enrolled for, so they will receive 120 dollars uh per student so they can buy groceries during the summer.

So this is a new program, and we uh California opt in.

We needed to opt in for the program, and we are working on creating awareness.

A lot of the families who participate, uh, they are not aware of this program.

So when they receive the EBT card at their house, they don't use it.

So there's a high rate number of people who or cards that go on pin.

And then the other thing it's some families that are not enrolled in Call Fresh, and they can uh there's some fear because probably the parents or someone in their house are not um are on a document uh undocument resident and then uh but it's uh it's uh the parents can opt out from the applicant from the program so the students can receive the money and the food that they need during the summer.

Well, the students can directly no, just the parents can opt out.

But yeah, in case that I the part that we are trying to create awareness is if there's someone in the in the household that is uh undocumented and they'll qualify for this program, they can opt out so that children can still receive the benefits of the food during the summer.

Oh wow.

Mm-hmm.

So it you said it's $120 a student for the whole summer.

40, yeah, it's 40 dollars a month for three months.

Okay.

Well, it's a little bit, but it's helpful for sure.

Um this is a real this is gonna be a real problem.

I think you guys are gonna be so inundated.

Um I I wish that we could just make big public announcements.

Uh folks, you we gotta feed you, you know.

So is the only way people who are hungry can find help is to go online, or is there some other method?

I yeah, I feel so bad for people who are afraid to identify themselves.

Well, we were with different partners to do outreach work and try to reach uh and connect with those people even if they don't have access to the website.

But if someone has any questions, they can connect uh contact us, uh, or all of our information is on the website, and then we'll connect them with someone in the community who provide direct services and can help them to see if they qualify for Call Fresh week, school meals, senior meals, medical tailor meals, and as a last resource, we will offer food banks and food distribution points.

How about the libraries?

Are they able to uh get in touch with you or help people get in touch with you if they're hungry?

They do oftentimes are the only ones seeing the people from the street who are hungry.

Yes, we work with some libraries, and we are aware of some libraries that also have uh the flyer that we that we hand out.

They have that available on their library's uh literature as well, so all like in the community um sorry, uh in the community area so people can can get the flyers.

Good.

And they're in different languages.

Yes, certain languages.

And also, like if someone feels more comfortable in a different language that is not it's not English, they can reach out to us and we'll connect them with someone that speaks their language so they can receive uh the guidance that they need.

That's wonderful.

Well, I can't I can't thank you enough for all the wonderful work that you're doing.

It's it's angels' work.

And I want to thank you for the presentation and your leadership in bringing together all these different partners in the region.

It must be a huge task.

The food banks, the schools, the healthcare providers, community organizations, all playing a critical role to address hunger in a meaningful way.

And uh, we appreciate your commitment to connecting more than 150,000 individuals and families to food assistance and identifying residents who are eligible for CalFresh and helping them to get on that.

I think in California, do you have any idea if the state itself has some plans to try to make up for what'll be lost?

There's uh initiative right now.

Uh we don't know exactly when it's gonna uh be voted, but uh it's a one-time budget allocation of 14 million dollars to uh help with the gap that uh California is gonna leave in the outreach side of the program.

That's wonderful.

I'm glad our state is stepping up at least at least that much.

Um 14 million with all the people we have here is not a whole lot, but every single thing helps.

And uh I want to thank you so much for your partnership and expertise and your dedication to make sure that San Diego is hunger-free.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay, so now we are going to uh take up our discussion agenda.

Natalie, uh please introduce item two.

Item two, authorization to receive $850,000 for the clean and safe San Diego Parks Initiative in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Fiscal Year 2024 Economic Development Initiative Community Project Funding.

And if you'd like to call in to speak to item two, please call 1669 2545252.

When prompted the webinar AD is 1604 29, 1678 pound.

Chair.

Thank you.

Please uh introduce yourselves.

Let us know how long time you'll need for your presentation and begin.

Good afternoon, Chair Campbell and committee members.

My name is Tom Tomlinson.

I'm an assistant director with the parks and recreation department.

Besides me, is Ryan Barberg, program manager.

We would like seven minutes if you don't mind for this particular staff report.

That's fine.

Thank you so much.

Please start.

Good afternoon.

We're here to present the uh authorization to receive $850,000 to the Clean and Safe San Diego Parks Initiative.

These funds were received via an FY24 Federal Government Budget Act.

There are no match requirements for this grant, and there are no operating impacts because all the work that would be done would be done on existing parks.

The grant deadline for this is August 31st, 2032.

The Clean and Safe San Diego Parks Initiative will provide funding for lighting improvements at park locations throughout the 50th Congressional District.

This includes council districts one, two, three, five, and six.

The funds will then be used for one of five different lighting improvements.

So either the repair of the existing pole, the converting the light fixture to either LED or solar powered, the removal or replacement of the existing poll with solar powered lighting, or repairing the current lighting infrastructure that serves the pole.

Yeah.

So our first task is staff was to identify what is the congressional district and how does it overlay with our council districts.

So what you're seeing here is a map that we generated that overlays those two circles to create that Venn diagram.

As you can see, if we're trying to cover the entire city, and it's a very small font map.

This is digital.

It is in the staff report as an attachment, and you can scale it up and down so you can see more closely.

What we've also done, and we can share with the affected council districts is we've done one of these per council district.

So for example, this would be council district one, who is not here today, but they can see what um parks are in the congressional district and in their council district.

I think it's loading.

We do.

Would you mind bringing up the ones that are there here would be district two and district five?

I think.

We do, they're gonna be very small.

We'd like to get you either poster size or you can look at the digital so you can look at it as big as you'd like.

Okay, we can pull them up online later.

Yeah.

Some people are pulling them up online right now.

Uh so we're gonna keep going for some reason.

District two is not showing.

District three uh is essentially downtown as you can see.

Belleball park is quite featured quite prominently there, so that would be one thing to consider.

And then in district five, they're mostly community parks versus regional parks, and there are some parks within the congressional district, council member, and some are outside.

Uh and then the last one.

Oh, that's the six.

And then six has the smallest portion of the district that's also in the congressional district.

So if you look at a CD6 map, you'll see just a sliver that is in the congressional district as well.

And I share these maps with you in some detail to help you guys understand what is eligible or not.

Thank you.

I'm gonna turn it back over to Ryan.

So work uh using the fund these funds is anticipated to begin in fiscal year 27.

Uh the $850,000 grant will be the total project cost.

Uh there will be no uh additional funding for this project.

Uh the parks and recreation department will work with transportation department and general services to deliver this work, and the initial phase of this will be uh an assessment to determine the scope of work for each uh location.

The proposed actions uh we're bringing forward to you today.

Uh the general grants uh actions uh appointing the mayor or designee to conduct and sign all grant documents, authorizing uh city to accept and appropriate the funds and establish a special interest bearing account if needed.

With that, that concludes our presentation.

Thank you so much.

We'll now see if there's any public comment.

Thank you, Chair.

The public comment period for item two is now open, and we did receive two speaker slips from two individuals in chambers.

Blair Beekman.

I see he is logged into the virtual queue.

So allegedly, Audra, please approach the lecture, and you'll have one minute to speak to item two.

Blair took off.

That's interesting.

Um, yes, so obviously safe parks are important and um lighting is extremely important.

In fact, rapes happen a lot at parks, unfortunately.

Um but the LED lights are very dangerous.

I feel like all this technology that we want to bring in.

We're not looking at the health effects that that causes, like, especially with children in schools, they have a lot of um behavioral issues because they can't just sit down and be still, and it has a lot to do with the lighting.

It's um you can transmit data through um lighting, and um there's you know radiation and things that come off of it.

So I feel like we need to be more mindful of that.

And if we really want to have space safe places and parks, we need to think about the geoengineering and and spraying of toxic chemicals that is happening because it's like nowhere is safe when our arsenic, graphene, barium, strontium, mercury, aluminum, um, human DNA, carbon black.

The list goes on of things that are being sprayed.

So until we do something about that, we won't have any safe places.

Thank you.

This concludes in-person public testimony.

We will now move to the virtual queue.

I've started the five-minute timer.

There are five hands raised in the virtual queue.

Each speaker will have one minute.

Madison, please unmute and begin.

Okay.

Hi, thank you.

Um, I just wanted to say that for many families, parks are where children should be able to run freely, play sports, and enjoy being outside without parents worrying about what they might encounter on the ground or nearby.

Clean parks are not only about landscaping or appearance, they are a core part of neighborhood safety and public health.

One concern many parents share is the presence of drug use in or near park spaces.

When families encounter discarded vape cartridges, cigarette waste, alcohol containers, or signs of substance use in public recreation areas.

It changes whether they feel comfortable returning.

Children are naturally curious, and even small items left behind can create real safety risks.

Youth need parks that feel secure and welcoming, especially at a time when screen time, anxiety, and isolation are already major challenges for young people.

Safe outdoor spaces encourage healthy activity, social connection, and stronger neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Phone number ending in 870.

Please press star six and begin.

You'll have one minute.

Thank you, Natalie.

Uh Joyce C D 3.

This is a great item.

I think most of you know how much I love grants.

And uh your presentation and the work that you've done on this, all of you thank you.

Thank you so much.

Uh love parks and rec.

Just know how much you are valued and appreciated.

So more thank yous.

Uh thank you to HUD.

Uh, we don't have to match the funds of the grant.

So that's always uh great.

Uh, and thank you to uh congressional represent representative Scott Peters.

He was very instrumental in working with the city and bringing these uh these grant funds available.

So um it's you know, parks.

Uh like the water, you know, we want to be able to go by the water and all underserved communities.

Everybody just counts on that.

So we love our parks too, and our coast.

So thank you, everybody, for working in.

Okay, this does conclude your time.

Mandy, please unmute and begin.

Um good afternoon, Chair and Committee members.

My name is Mandy Havlik, and I'm a candidate for San Diego City Council District 2.

I'm here in support of authorizing the $150,000 in HUD funding for the clean and safe San Diego Parks Initiative.

This is exactly the kind of smart investment we need right now.

Our parks are the heart of our neighborhoods.

They're where families gather, where kids play, and where communities connect, but too many of our parks are falling short of being clean, safe, and accessible.

And district two, we also face a deficit of community park space, especially in areas like Point Loma.

And that makes it even more important that the parks we do have are well maintained, safe and welcoming for everyone.

The funding is not just about maintenance, it's about dignity, public safety, and quality of life.

The funding is not just about maintenance, it's about dignity, public safety, and quality of life, clean and safe parks, support healthier communities.

It reduces a strain on city services, and it makes San Diego a place people are proud to call home.

I respectfully ask for the support.

Thank you so much for the work you do for our city.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Blair Beekman.

Please unmute and begin.

Hi, uh Blair Beekman.

Uh thank you for this item.

I have to travel to the Bay Area to speak on uh Bay Area Ywassi uh items so they can continue the public process.

It's a good fight.

I hope you can look into it.

Um for this item.

Uh thank you.

Uh thank you for the work of Tom Tomlson.

I wrote uh memos to him or letters to him at a December, November uh review time of public park system.

It's really important we practice accountability.

I can't stress that enough that we have to be um clear with each other and not afraid to have a conversation.

You say sports utility lighting for things.

Is that a dog whistle?

Can we learn to move past the dog whistle talk and start and talk directly to what the item is concerned about, and that's biometric tech.

Um we have been working on that uh since COVID, making that a more clear conversation.

But biometric tech is a part of our community lives now.

It needs to be a more clear open conversation uh for our senior centers.

Um thank you.

This does conclude your time.

Our next speaker, Kathleen Lippett, please unmute and begin.

Thank you.

I'd just like to, yes, this is a wonderful initiative, and it's wonderful that you're going to use this money for clean and safe San Diego parks.

But please make sure that the security is adequate.

Without security, public parks become a a place for homeless to hang out, and the more that they do drug dealing, and the more that happens, the less the public feels safe to bring their children.

So thank you.

That's all.

Thank you.

The five-minute timer has concluded.

We have one hand remaining in the queue.

We will take no additional callers.

Francine Maxwell, please unmute and begin.

Good afternoon, Francine Maxwell, Southeastern resident.

Thank you so much for the presentation in full support again to upkeep our parks.

Um, our seniors, quality of life.

There's nothing like seeing a senior and their dog, their companion, their friend, and the socialization that a lot of our seniors are having with other seniors when they're coming out to dog parks, not only to just continue to walk in their community, but they have a system now where people that drive and other seniors that have having their keys taken away, they can all get together and come to a um come to one of our local parks.

And so again, just really happy about this and looking forward to what can happen, especially maybe an upgrade or two in some of our restrooms for our families.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And chair, this concludes public comment on item two.

Thank you so much.

I'm going to turn it over to committee members uh for any questions or comments, and I will first call on Councilmember Von Wilbert.

Uh thank you, and thank you for the presentation and great news about getting grant funding, uh, especially when the city doesn't have to do matching funds.

Um, and we certainly need uh funding for parks, as we know.

Um, so I appreciate all the work that you've done on this and great job overlaying the congressional map onto the districts that's not easy.

Uh, I do have um a question about you know how I know in the presentation there's a slide that stated we'll work with the local districts to decide what to do and where, but you know, what's the timeline for getting this out?

Uh fortunately, the uh federal grant time deadline is 2032, so we do have a little time.

We are gonna look at get it then data, obviously as a data source, but we would do want to interact with the individual council offices to see what complaints you are hearing as well.

So we do have a little time.

We are going to reach out to you.

We can go over the maps together and exchange information.

Okay.

Fantastic.

Um, Tom, and you and I have been through the trials and tribulations of getting park lighting up for our little leagues.

So I would be happy to make sure that we do have uh lighting for little leagues in our parks as well.

Um, but happy to talk offline.

Thank you again for this great work.

I'll make the motion to accept staff recommendation.

Thank you.

Uh, do we have a second?

Uh we have a second from council member Campio.

Um seeing no one else on the lights.

I I just like to thank you very much for the presentation.

It is absolutely thrilling any time we get a grant, especially one that'll provide more light when needed.

So thank you so much for your presentation for all the work involved in this.

And uh we will now be uh taking the vote.

We have the motion by council member von Wilpert, the second by council member Campio, and please vote.

Thank you.

And the motion passes unanimously four zero.

Thank you so much.

And uh congratulations.

Good work.

Uh so that concludes item number two, and now Natalie, please proceed with item number three.

Item three is authorization to accept four million three hundred thousand dollars in state grant funds for Grove Neighborhood Park CIP.

Chair.

Thank you so much.

So we have our staff already seated and they have already uh identified themselves, but I think they need to do it again and let us know about how many minutes you will need.

Sure.

We are still here.

My name is Tom Tomlinson, assistant director in parks and recreation with me is Ryan Barberick, program manager in parks and recreation.

And we would like five minutes for this presentation.

Wonderful.

Please proceed.

Thank you.

So we're here to uh present the authorized authorization to accept 4.3 million dollars in state grant funds for Grove Neighborhood Park.

Uh the this funding was allocated via the state budget uh AB 105, the budget acts of 21, 23, 24, and 25, and awarded to Grove Neighborhood Park.

The California Parks and Recreation Department's Office of Grants and Local Services is managing the grant.

Again, there are no uh match fund requirements for this grant.

Uh any general fund impact wouldn't be uh uh occur until FY29 or FY 30 when this project is complete, and the grant deadline is March 30th of 2030.

So phase one project scope for Grove Neighborhood Park includes uh the creation of a new park with amenities such as a children's play area, picnic facilities, water sewer, electrical, security lighting, uh walkways, stormwater infrastructure, uh right-of-way improvements, and remediation of any current on-site safety hazards.

If there are additional funds remaining, we would look to put in a conversation and on-site parking.

Uh there will be a eventually a phase two of this project, which would include the sports field and any remaining amenities that are featured in the GDP, but that is dependent on the identification of future funding.

Uh this slide shows the GDP for the park.

Uh the bottom right-hand corner is what we're talking about today, and the large portion in the top left hand would be uh future phases uh that's dependent on that future funding.

Currently, the project is in design with anticipated completion in the fall of this year.

It'll go out to bid an award in the spring of 2027, then start construction in the summer of that year.

Right now the total project cost is 12.1 million dollars.

There's 7.84 million in the project, and the shortfall in the project will be eliminated with the use of the grant.

The grants will fund uh construction of phase one improvements.

So the proposed actions we split this uh between what is required by the Office of Grants and Local Services and what the city requires.

The Office of Grants and Local Services asks us to do things like approve the filing of the application, uh, that we have sufficient funds to complete the project.

We understand the procedural guide.

It appoints the mayor designee to sign and negotiate all grant contracts and paperwork, and that will apply with any actival state and federal and local laws.

Uh our city requirements are to authorize the acceptance or appropriation of the funding, uh, create a special interest bearing account if needed, and increase the CIP budget in the project to appropriate and expend the 4.3 million dollars.

With that, that concludes our presentation, and we're happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you so much.

Uh Natalie, uh, would you check for any public comment?

Thank you, Chair.

The public comment paper item three is now open, and we did receive two speaker slips here in chambers.

Allegedly, Audra, please approach the lectoran.

We also received a speaker slip from Blair Beekman, who is now in the virtual queue.

Of course, you got speakers.

Come on.

Um, yes, this is interesting.

12 million dollars for this park.

I feel like that's a lot of money for a park.

And like what who are we contracting with as far as like providing a children's play area that would cost so much money.

I mean, obviously, you guys get into you know doing business with people, and you always say that you get overcharged or charged more, but you still capitulate to that and go ahead and pay it.

That's why, because it's a good racket for people to go.

I'm gonna provide this, but I'm gonna provide it for the government, and then I'm gonna overcharge them because then I want to pocket the money.

I just feel like that is a a very large amount of money for I don't even know how big that space is.

Um, but this would be an opportunity too to provide like I feel like children would enjoy going in planting a garden somewhere where they go and um enjoy the park.

You know, it'd be like an activity getting them um you know just active in their community.

So I feel like those are things that we that would be beneficial to spend the money on as well.

Thank you.

This concludes in-person public testimony.

We will now move to the virtual queue.

I've started the five minute timer.

We have five four hands raised in the virtual queue.

Phone number ending in 870, please press star six and begin.

Uh thank you, Natalie.

Uh, Joyce and yeah, the CD3.

A chair, Dr.

Campbell.

Uh I noticed when the hunger item came forward, just like me.

I I felt your sadness in the tone of your voice and your face.

Uh thank you for that.

And yet, as the meeting has gone on, I'm very observant.

Had to be at the massage therapist.

I I noticed that you're coming back, and I got a smile from you.

And uh, and your face is your patient tone is different.

So parks help, don't they?

So thank you so much, everybody.

Presentation's great.

Uh state uh California State Assembly member David Alarez, Alvarez, Mishu, thank you so much for what you do for all of us.

You you do great work.

Uh four million three hundred thousand dollar grant funds, no matching needed.

So uh thank you for this item look to all.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Catherine Rhodes, please unmute and begin.

Hello, this is Catherine Reds.

And again, I wanted to um ask you guys to um listen to the rules committee and look at our item three, sub item A, or the two measures regarding the TOT, because that is where you could find some identified funding to actually do the phase two of this project.

You know, the first thing when I first looked at it, I saw that they're gonna have a dog park and a um playing field and basketball courts.

And I was like, oh wow, good for them.

You know, it's not just a playground.

Um, and then you also need money for a comfort station or a restroom.

And um, if you guys look into this um you and put it on the ballot, you will actually have money that you could actually direct to give to the neighborhood um for this beautiful park that's right um right near the interstate five.

And so um please just look into it because there is money available if the the voters vote to um think some changes to the TOT.

Thank you.

This is conclude your time and our final speaker with their hand raised, Blair Beekman, please begin.

Hi, thank you.

Uh Blair Beekman.

Um, yeah, this is uh OTA Mesa Parks.

Uh this is uh what uh council president Moreno has really been working on, I guess.

Is this your good stuff?

The additional parks are coming through, or is this I know there was an initial tape Mesa Park coming through.

Um for this item.

Um uh the parks department did an awesome job at the beginning of the Trump administration to the brakes on their technology use uh and and development for their park systems.

They wanted to kind of review where Trump was gonna be coming from and what's going to be going on with that.

I hope that taught really important lessons that we can go slow and still do the same good things.

We just need the checks and double checks.

And that means community help.

That means community participation.

And in this time of war, um, we don't have to keep things secret.

We practice as a community our best practices, and that creates peace.

I can't say that enough.

Good luck in those efforts.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And Chair, this concludes public comment.

Thank you so much.

Um I don't see any of my colleagues on the lights at this time.

I'd like to ask you a couple of questions.

Um what's the state of this park at this time?

Sure.

So the park site is about 11 acres, a little more.

Uh the city owns the site.

We have conducted our general development plan.

It is approved.

We are in design.

There is an active CIP, and we have partial funding.

And so this additional funding will allow us to complete a significant amount of work, an actual phase that will result in tangible product for the children in recreation.

So we're very excited about it.

As Ryan mentioned, there are two components that will be subject to what when the bids come in, and if we can afford the cover station in the parking lot.

But what we will get is right-of-way improvements along that street on 27th.

We will get a phase of a park, we'll get a playground, we're going to get another park in Otaime Semester, which is sorely needed.

Yes, I'm sure.

Can you tell us uh will you be able to start right away, or do you have to wait till the funding actually comes in or what's the timeline?

So the good news is we have existing local funds in the CIP.

Design is actively underway.

The consultant has already been retained, and we are close to finishing that design if we look at our schedule.

So it is actually underway by the time well, knock on wood.

If City Council does approve this grant and we complete our grant agreement with the state and get it booked into SAP, that should happen seamlessly in the park should not be delayed at all.

Oh, that's really wonderful.

And there will be restrooms as well.

Depending on the bids.

Okay.

Let's hope so.

It's pretty hard to have a park with kids and no restrooms.

Let's hope let's hope for the best.

Um I'm gonna go ahead and make a motion uh to accept staff's recommendation.

And I see a second from uh Councilmember Von Wilbert, and uh therefore we will go ahead and take the vote.

It is absolutely thrilling that this grant has been given by the state.

Thank you so much.

Everyone vote.

And the motion passes 4-0.

That's great.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks, you guys, so much.

Okay, wonderful.

So now we're going to uh go ahead with uh our item number four.

And Natalie, would you uh please introduce item number four?

Thank you, Chair.

Item number four, resolution in support of AB 2525 surplus lands, Mission Bay.

And if you're watching on TV or the less you and wish to call in to provide comment on item four, please call 16692545252.

Webinar ID is 160429-1678 pound.

Chair.

Wonderful.

Hi, Manny.

Please introduce yourself and let us know how long it would take to present.

Hi, uh Manny Reyes, a senior policy advisor for Council Member Campbell.

I will need about five minutes.

Please proceed.

All right, so today I'll be presenting on an item in support of AB 2525, surplus lands, Mission Bay Park.

So background.

In 2025, the issue of the surplus land act and its potential impact to Mission Bay Park came before the City Council as a part of the review process for some expiring long-term commercial leases within the park.

While Mission Bay Park has a long history of commercial visitor use, the surplus land requires local governments to offer properties to affordable housing developers through a first right of refusal process whenever a property is deemed surplus, including when a new or renewed long-term lease is issued.

While the surplus land act is an important statewide house housing purpose, it press its procedural requirements are not feasible where housing is legally prohibited, such as within Mission Bay Park.

As you know, visitor commercial uses in Mission Bay Park operate on long-term ground leases with the city.

As some of these leases approached expiration or renegotiation, city staff brought forward a proposal asking the city council to formally declare it declare some leasehold parcels in Mission Pay as Mission Bay Park as surplus land to comply with state law.

Staff indicated that this step was intended to ensure the city remain compliant with state requirements when elevating future redevelopment or lease negotiations.

The item was ultimately returned back to staff.

So what is this state bill?

California Bill 2525, surplus lands Mission Bay Park is authored by Assemblymember Chris Ward and sponsored by Mayor Todd Gloria.

AB 2525 proposes amendments to the California Surplus Land Act to clarify that land within Mission Bay Park should not be subject to surplus land designation.

In other words, the surplus land act would not conflict with the city charter protections because converting lands in Mission Bay Park to private residential use would require amending city charter section 55 for legal clarity.

This would require a vote of the people, and it would need a two-thirds majority to pass, which is neither feasible nor supported by city leadership or the community.

So why is this important?

The bill is important to protecting park space because once again it clarifies that land within Mission Bay Park is not subject to the surplus land act.

AB 2525 would exploit that modernization of facilities within Mission Bay Park by providing a narrow exemption from the Surplus Land Act for Mission Bay Park.

Most importantly, it provides legal clarity that Mission Bay Park will continue to be managed for public recreation, environmental stewardship, tourism consistent with the Mission Bay Park master plan adopted in 1994.

AB 2525 ensures new leases will focus on waterfront access and recreation and protect the park's public use and fully implements the vision of the master plan.

So the action before you today is to request that council district two staff work with the city attorney's office to draft a resolution in support of Assembly Bill 2525 surplus lands, Mission Bay Park for City Council consideration.

That concludes my presentation.

Thank you.

Natalie, please uh let us know if there's any public comment.

Thank you, Chair.

The public comment period for item four is open, and we did receive we did receive speaker slips here in chambers.

I have four slips.

We will begin with Fred Taiko.

If you could please approach the lector, and if the others can please come to the reserve seats at the front of the room.

Robert Audaly, allegedly Audra, and Stephanie Satov.

Each speaker will have one minute to speak to item four.

Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the committee.

My name is Fred Tick, and I'm with the San Diego County Lodging Association here in support of AB 2525.

This bill provides a narrow exemption from the State Surplus Lands Act for Mission Bay Park.

Mission Bay Park is one of California's most iconic coastal recreation destinations, attracting millions of visitors each year.

The park also includes carefully planned visitors' uses such as hotels, conference centers, as well as events spaces that complement the recreational mission.

Because Mission Bay is dedicated to parkland under the city charter and limited to recreational and visitor serving purposes, residential development is not permitted.

However, the procedural requirement of the State Surplus Lands Act can unintentionally delay monetization and reinvestment in projects that are consistent with the park's mission.

AB 2025 recognizes the park's unique status and we urge your support.

Thank you.

Robert Audley, please approach the lectern.

Good afternoon.

I'm a former member of the San Diego Park and Record.

I'm a former chair of the Mission Bay Park Committee.

In 2008, I teamed up with Donham Fry, Kevin Faulkner, Mike Turk, and Roger Hedgecock to draft and then pass Measure C, which provided that all new revenues in Mission Bay Park from our visitor focused leases would stay in the park systems for park maintenance.

That was buttressed by Measure J approximately a decade later.

I've had an opportunity to speak with all four of my co-authors from Measure C.

They're not here today, but they all support this exemption.

We all believe that without the exemption, we have a very real possibility that we could end up with housing in Mission Bay Park, and we can't have that.

Thank you very much for supporting us.

Thank you.

Allegedly, Audra.

Yeah, I think it's important to keep this as parkland.

Uh because the way you guys are doing things, you're building so densely everywhere.

It's really kind of destroying neighborhoods that people moved into, hoping that it would be like a single family home residence area, not something with a bunch of stack and pack um ADUs.

And so if we did this to Mission Bay, you guys would potentially be setting yourself up for litigation from all of the people who want to preserve that and keep it something that people can go and visit and not see a bunch of who knows, high rises or different things.

I mean, it would be great waterfront property, that's for sure.

And people would want to go and build there, but I think that we need to ensure that we keep a lot of parts of San Diego what they were intended to be for, um, and not just change it so much that people, you know, like want to leave here.

So I'm sure you guys will pass it.

Who knows?

Um, but I just think whatever is beneficial to our communities is best.

And our final speaker in chambers, Stephanie.

Hi, I'm Stephanie Saitov here today from Mission Bay Lessees Association.

Um thank you to Council District 2, uh, Mission Bay and in your district, but to all of us.

It's it's everyone's mission bay.

And as your lessees, we appreciate council committee hearing it.

We look forward to bringing this to full council.

Thank you to the mayor, and of course, to assemblymember ward.

Um, we'll be here to support this all the way to the governor's desk.

This clarity is essential for this very unique place in the world.

So we appreciate the staff work.

We're happy to help um wherever we can, but it is very important that we move this forward.

So thank you for your consideration today.

This concludes in-person public testimony.

We will now move to the virtual queue.

I've started a five-minute timer for those in the queue to indicate that they have public comment on item four.

We have four hands raised.

Catherine Rhodes, please unmute and begin.

Wonderful.

I do support this new law just in case.

Thank you to Assembly Member Chris Ward.

However, I do not agree that surplus land expired leases have to be prioritized for affordable housing, especially on state public trust tide lands that are not owned by the city of San Diego, but instead are owned in trust by the citizens of the state of California.

Surplus lands are to be used first for affordable housing, park and recreation purposes or open space purposes.

Surplus land is not automatically have first priority for affordable housing.

Park and recreation purposes and open space purposes are also allowed by law as priorities.

Also, within the coastal zone that includes Mission Bay Park, you do not have to dispose of surplus land because the land is in the coastal zone and it's already exempt and prioritized specifically for open space.

So government code section 54220 legislator, the legislator housing for persons of family and low moderate income.

Is it fair to addressing statewide housing?

Thank you.

This does conclude your time.

Our next speaker is Mandy.

Please unmute and begin.

Good afternoon.

Mandy Havlik, candidate for San Diego City Council District 2.

I'm here today in strong support of AB 2525 and the preservation of surplus lands in Mission Bay Park.

I'm a big believer in coastal access.

These are public lands that belong to all of us.

And we need to do everything we can to protect them.

Mission Bay is not just a regional asset, it's a critical part of our environmental resilience and our quality of life.

In District 2 and surrounding communities, we already face a deficit of community parks and usable open space.

That makes preserving Mission Bay even more important.

These are the spaces where families gather, where residents recreate, and where visitors experience the best of San Diego.

Protecting these lands, ensure we continue to provide accessible, open, and sustainable spaces for both our residents and the millions who visit our city each year.

Please support the adoption of AB 2525 and help us preserve Mission Bay for generations to come.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, phone number ending at 870.

Please press star six and begin.

Now I don't mean this lightly.

I mean it seriously.

When we go into the kitchen and we sit at the table of one family, everybody gets to decide on this decision.

We have to get the big picture and collaborate it together.

And that can be difficult, but that's what's required.

So thank you, everybody.

Hang in there and please uh consider my suggestion for how to move forward with this.

Move to all.

Great day.

Thank you.

And our final speaker in the queue, Blair Beekman.

Hi, Blair Beekman.

Um, yeah, this item has been here for a long time now.

I hope our council persons are learning the graciousness and how to talk about it.

Um this is for truly affordable housing.

Uh it is of interest to myself.

Otherwise, if this is just gonna be serving people with incomes at 80 and 90,000 dollars, um, that's not too cool, I don't think.

Um, so that's my feelings on this item.

I don't think it's to be serving our our higher income people if you're going to go through with it.

Uh housing should be for we should really be working on uh uh very need needed housing for truly affordable housing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And Chair, this concludes public comment on item four.

Thank you so much, and thank you, manage for the presentation.

And uh I'd like to ask my colleagues, council members on our committee if they have any comments or questions, and we'll start with Councilmember Campillo.

Thank you, uh Chair Campbell, uh, and thank you to your staff for bringing this forward.

This is something that we had been talking about as part of our legislative platform, uh, and it's something that we deliberated quite at length at council uh to make sure that we was very clear that Mission Bay uh should continue to remain recreation and uh really reflecting on the fact that the surplus lands act, while well intentioned because of the um specificity of the words within the act itself, create a bit of uh uh well they let me put it this way they put councils between a rock and a hard place because if we have land that we would like to develop that and because development often requires financing and financing often requires a more than a 15-year commitment uh to get that financing, uh we have to put the land out for longer than 15 years for leases.

Uh, and then that triggers the surplus land act.

Surplus land act says we have to go into a good faith negotiation uh with developers or applicants who would like to take that land uh and prioritize their housing uh proposals.

Um so as I pointed out, uh, and I believe Councilmember Whitburn pointed out uh at that specific hearing.

We noted that the act itself is really, really tricky and can lead down roads that we don't necessarily want to go down.

But thanks to uh Assemblymember Ward, AB 2525 would give us the ability to avoid that problem with Mission Bay so that we can live out the Mission Bay Park Master Plan, which had uh decades of community input, stakeholder input, uh, and it is a plan that was adopted by this council.

So uh I really appreciate your staff bringing this forward.

Uh I'm in full support.

Um councilmember Campbell, would you like to make the motion on your own item?

And I would second it.

Just kidding, I make the motion.

No, I'm just checking.

Thank you so much.

Are you making your making the motion?

No, I'll I'll be happy if you make the motion.

You're very kind.

Well, then I will make the motion.

I will move staff's approval, uh, staff's recommendation.

And thank you very much, Mr.

Clotis.

Thank you so much.

Uh we will now go to Councilmember Von Wilbert.

Uh, may want to second the motion, which would be fine.

Okay, well, I would love to second the motion.

Uh thank you very much, and thank you for all the great work on this item.

Thank you to Assemblymember Ward and to the Mission Bay Park Tenants Association for the incredible work because it was very hard for us to be here at City Hall thinking we have to open up our public parkland for private development.

Um very glad to see this is getting done.

Um we also need to make sure that we have other fixes to other land.

I have agricultural preserves in my district, for example, that would not be suited for the surplus lands act that we need to uh accept as well.

But right now, um I'm very grateful to Councilmember Campbell for your work to preserve the Mission Bay area because as Stephanie said, it's all of our bay uh and it attracts thousands and thousands of people from the county every year.

So um thank you very much and happy to support the motion.

Thank you so much.

And I I would like to just make a few comments.

First of all, I want to thank Vanny for the presentation, all his work on this, and Assemblymember Chris Ward, our mayor Gloria, who also helped help sponsor this for the state assembly, and of course, our Mission Bay lessees.

God bless them, and thank you for all your help with this.

Uh it's very important that we continue to have Mission Bay Park as a park for everyone, as was suggested by our public speakers, and we so appreciate them uh weighing in on this as well.

So that's why our office has worked so hard on this in favor of AB 25 in the state assembly provides important clarity to protect Mission Bay Park, which largely lies within District 2.

It is one of the largest aquatic parks in the United States.

I think it's second only.

It has long been protected as dedicated parkland, and it should stay that way.

The state lands law, our city charter, the Mission Bay Park Master Plan, the voter-approved measures, everything made clear that this land must remain devoted as a park space and residential development is not allowed.

While the surplus land act always plays an important role in addressing our housing needs, its requirements simply do not fit places like Mission Bay Park where housing is already legally prohibited.

AB 2525 provides the clarity that the land within Mission Bay Park should not be subject to the Surplus Land Act, and the Mission Bay Park remains a protected park for future generations.

Supporting this bill means respecting the will of San Diego voters who have repeatedly chosen to safeguard the park.

And uh I want to thank you uh Councilmember Campillo for the motion and Councilmember Von Wilford for the second.

And let's take the vote.

Thank you, Chair, and that passes unanimously.

4-0.

Wonderful.

This brings us to the end of today's agenda.

And I want to thank members of the public for your participation.

And I will now adjourn this meeting of the Community and Neighborhood Services Committee to our next regularly scheduled meeting, which will be Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026 at 2 p.m.

Thank you so much.

We are adjourned.