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Record of Proceedings

San Diego City Council Infrastructure Committee Meeting – November 9, 2017

Economic Development & Intergovernmental Relations Committee — Thursday, November 9, 2017
BodySan Diego, California
SessionEconomic Development & Intergovernmental Relations Committee
DateThursday, November 9, 2017
StatusFILED
Video Record
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2:18

All right, good afternoon, everyone.

2:20

Um we have a short meeting today.

2:22

Uh we do have a quorum present, and uh with me now are council members Barbara Bree, David Alvarez, our deputy city attorney, Nate Slagers, um, Jeff Kawar from the independent budget analysts, committee consultant Ryan Purdy, uh Mr.

2:39

Kirsey will be joining us shortly.

2:41

So to start, we have the record of action of October 19 meeting, and that will be approved by unanimous consent unless pulled for discussion.

2:52

Seeing nobody who wants to comment, that is approved by unanimous uh consent.

2:58

We have one non-agenda public speaker, Martha Welch.

3:03

Who has two minutes?

3:05

And when you have thirty seconds, the yellow light goes on.

3:08

Martha Welch.

3:09

The county does sale tax and property tax.

3:13

Now Prop 30 stopped on in in December 19th, 2006.

3:20

The state gets um six cents.

3:23

Now, if you want something else on on tax, um you have to vote for that.

3:28

Now only when I find in two thousand four, a half a cent.

3:32

Where's the other one?

3:33

I don't know.

3:34

It's it's illegal if you have your uh your if you were taxes illegal right now.

3:41

Now on property tax, uh T F P C um regional um transparency.

3:50

Now just started, I think, because I've seen it all over the city right now.

3:54

And also the uh they have to vote for off that now.

3:58

You couldn't vote in two thousand and four, but it'd be on that all those years.

4:02

It hasn't been all those years.

4:03

I believe me.

4:04

Um I didn't it hasn't been that long.

4:06

Another one, you have to um if you want property, um property uh has to be very specific project.

4:13

And it's a bid, and only five years.

4:16

Now, if you don't do that, it's illegal also.

4:19

So everything you do is illegal in this county with your money.

4:21

I know you like the money.

4:27

Um it's all of the city and also MTFs and everywhere and sandag.

4:33

But it's wrong.

4:34

And you're you're illegal what you're doing, Dustin.

4:37

You're making us pay for everything.

4:39

And where does the TOT and all this stuff we have, but we don't see that money.

4:43

All we see is us paying you everything we can.

4:45

And it's gonna affect everybody with property taxes, even renters.

4:49

So it's bad.

4:49

Uh it's bad as this thing is very bad.

4:52

And it's gonna some sooner or later there's gonna be a class actions um suit about this.

4:55

I'm I'm sure about that.

4:57

So I've told the um the county about this also.

5:00

And I think it's wrong what the counties doing to the city and giving you this money away from most people, and we didn't vote for it.

5:06

We have to vote for a property tax.

5:08

That's the rule, and that's the law.

5:12

And Councilmember Kirsey has also joined us now.

5:15

Um we have two items today, two discussion uh action items.

5:19

And the first one is an agreement with Adam Frank Incorporated for artistic consulting.

5:25

Please come on up if you're making a presentation on this Presidio Public Art Project.

5:31

Sounds sounds cool.

5:35

Well, thank you, um Councilmember Zap.

5:38

Um I'm Dana Springs.

5:39

I'm the executive director of the Commission for Arts and Culture.

5:42

Thank you, Councilmember Bree, Councilmember Kirsey, and Councilmember Alvarez.

5:46

Um with me today is the Chief.

5:48

Is your microphone on, Dana?

5:51

Is the red light on?

5:54

Chief of Civic Art Strategies, Christine Jones.

5:58

In addition to the chair of the Commission for Arts and Culture, Janet Poutre, who is a resident of Council District 2, and our Commissioner Michael Brown, who is a resident of Council District 5.

6:10

So Christine is going to go ahead and proceed with the presentation for you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Airport Development█████████████████████████████████████████████56%
Arts And Culture██████████████████23%
Procedural██████7%
Noise Pollution███4%
Public Comment██3%
Land Use and Planning██3%
Tax Policy██2%
Tourism█1%
Transportation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

San Diego City Council Infrastructure Committee Meeting – November 9, 2017

The Infrastructure Committee met on November 9, 2017, to address two action items: approval of an artistic consulting agreement for the Presidio Public Art Project and an informational update from the San Diego Regional Airport Authority. The meeting was chaired by Councilmember Zap, with Councilmembers Barbara Bree, David Alvarez, and Chris Kersey present, along with Deputy City Attorney Nate Slagers, IBA representative Jeff Kawar, and committee consultant Ryan Purdy.

Consent Calendar

  • The record of action from the October 19 meeting was approved by unanimous consent.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Martha Welch (non-agenda public speaker) voiced concerns about the county's use of sales and property taxes, claiming that tax measures were not properly voted on and were illegal. She warned of a potential class action lawsuit.
  • Martha Welch (speaking in opposition to the airport update) criticized the airport's expansion, citing noise and safety issues for residents under flight paths. She stated there should be fewer planes, not more, and noted that despite noise mitigation programs, outdoor activities remain impacted.

Discussion Items

Presidio Public Art Project – Agreement with Adam Frank Incorporated

  • Dana Springs, Executive Director of the Commission for Arts and Culture, and Christine Jones, Chief of Civic Art Strategies, presented the item.
  • The project is funded by the Public Art Fund, which receives in-lieu fees from private developers (0.5% of total building permit valuation) as an alternative to on-site art or cultural space.
  • Current fund balance is approximately $1,350,000.
  • After a year-long planning process, seven projects were prioritized; the Presidio project and 'Here Comes the Neighborhood' were the top two, with the latter involving four neighborhood iterations resulting in 13 public artworks.
  • The Presidio project will commission an artist to create a permanent or semi-permanent new media artwork (e.g., augmented reality, data visualization, lighting) exploring the layered legacy of Presidio Park.
  • A call for artists in June 2017 received 66 responses. A seven-member ad hoc selection panel recommended artist Adam Frank.
  • The contract amount is $525,000, covering design, fabrication, transport, and installation oversight.
  • Timeline: procurement in 2017, artwork development completed by fall 2018, installation by winter/spring 2020. Multiple public feedback cycles are planned.
  • Dan Springs noted that the procurement process is similar to how architects are contracted before a product is seen.
  • Councilmembers expressed support for the project, with Councilmember Alvarez asking about the project's origin, confirming it was not tied to a CIP but initiated by the Commission.
  • Councilmember Alvarez noted the fund balance would be drawn down, and the 'Here Comes the Neighborhood' project has a budget of $1,050,000, requiring time to accumulate funds.
  • Motion made by Councilmember Bree, seconded by Councilmember Alvarez, to authorize the proposed actions. The motion passed unanimously.

Airport Update from the San Diego Regional Airport Authority

  • A representative from the San Diego Regional Airport Authority (likely a board member) presented the update, covering operations, construction, and plans.
  • Governance: nine-member board with appointments from the city (3), county (3), and regional mayors (4). The board oversees the airport and has land use authority over 16 airports in the county.
  • New CEO Kim Becker started in March 2017, replacing retiring Thella Bowens.
  • Passenger numbers: nearly 21 million annually, a significant increase. However, operations (flights) are lower than in the past due to airlines using larger, fuller planes.
  • International passengers increased 348% since 2010, driving the need for a new Federal Inspection Station (FIS) facility.
  • FIS facility construction: located on the west end of Terminal 2, will increase capacity from 350 to 1,000 passengers per hour, expand customs booths from 7 to 16, and allow three wide-body aircraft gates (up from two). Project approved in March 2017, expected completion summer 2018, at a cost of $250 million.
  • Terminal 2 parking plaza: will add approximately 3,000 parking spots, with public art; also expected summer 2018.
  • Airport Development Plan: primarily the replacement of Terminal One, which would add 10 additional gates. Concerns about Harbor Drive congestion led to a working group including city, county, and port; a traffic study is delayed awaiting SANDAG modeling decisions.
  • Funding: Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) is $4.50 per departing passenger, unchanged since 2000 and not indexed to inflation. The federal government authorizes the PFC, and the airport supports an increase. Councilmember Zap noted the airport has requested the city to include PFC increase in its legislative agenda.
  • The airport has completed 15 of 16 Airport Land Use Plans (ALUCPs). The city has not adopted its plan, causing projects in the overlay to require airport review. Councilmember Kersey asked for an update on city adoption, noting mayor's staff was absent.
  • Quieter Home Program: retrofitted 3,400 homes, about one-third done.
  • Expansion targets: international to Asia, Oceania, South America; domestic expansions by Alaska, Frontier, and Southwest airlines.
  • Economic impact: airport contributes over $9 billion annually; visitors spend $2.3 billion; each domestic flight brings $30 million, each international flight $90 million.
  • Councilmember Bree questioned capacity: current operations ~200,000, potential ~280,000, indicating room for growth.
  • Councilmember Kersey noted airline opposition to PFC increase, partly due to concerns about airport spending.
  • No formal action was taken on the airport update; it was informational.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved the agreement with Adam Frank Incorporated for the Presidio Public Art Project (unanimous).
  • No votes on the airport update; it was informational.
  • The committee noted the airport's request for city support on a PFC increase.
  • The meeting was adjourned, with the chair noting it was the last meeting of the year.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good afternoon, everyone. Um we have a short meeting today. Uh we do have a quorum present, and uh with me now are council members Barbara Bree, David Alvarez, our deputy city attorney, Nate Slagers, um, Jeff Kawar from the independent budget analysts, committee consultant Ryan Purdy, uh Mr. Kirsey will be joining us shortly. So to start, we have the record of action of October 19 meeting, and that will be approved by unanimous consent unless pulled for discussion. Seeing nobody who wants to comment, that is approved by unanimous uh consent. We have one non-agenda public speaker, Martha Welch. Who has two minutes? And when you have thirty seconds, the yellow light goes on. Martha Welch. The county does sale tax and property tax. Now Prop 30 stopped on in in December 19th, 2006. The state gets um six cents. Now, if you want something else on on tax, um you have to vote for that. Now only when I find in two thousand four, a half a cent. Where's the other one? I don't know. It's it's illegal if you have your uh your if you were taxes illegal right now. Now on property tax, uh T F P C um regional um transparency. Now just started, I think, because I've seen it all over the city right now. And also the uh they have to vote for off that now. You couldn't vote in two thousand and four, but it'd be on that all those years. It hasn't been all those years. I believe me. Um I didn't it hasn't been that long. Another one, you have to um if you want property, um property uh has to be very specific project. And it's a bid, and only five years. Now, if you don't do that, it's illegal also. So everything you do is illegal in this county with your money. I know you like the money. Um it's all of the city and also MTFs and everywhere and sandag. But it's wrong. And you're you're illegal what you're doing, Dustin. You're making us pay for everything. And where does the TOT and all this stuff we have, but we don't see that money. All we see is us paying you everything we can. And it's gonna affect everybody with property taxes, even renters. So it's bad. Uh it's bad as this thing is very bad. And it's gonna some sooner or later there's gonna be a class actions um suit about this. I'm I'm sure about that. So I've told the um the county about this also. And I think it's wrong what the counties doing to the city and giving you this money away from most people, and we didn't vote for it. We have to vote for a property tax. That's the rule, and that's the law. And Councilmember Kirsey has also joined us now. Um we have two items today, two discussion uh action items. And the first one is an agreement with Adam Frank Incorporated for artistic consulting. Please come on up if you're making a presentation on this Presidio Public Art Project. Sounds sounds cool.

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