OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Diego Environmental Committee Meeting - October 22, 2020

Environment Committee — Thursday, October 22, 2020
BodySan Diego, California
SessionEnvironment Committee
DateThursday, October 22, 2020
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:12

Good afternoon.

0:13

I want to welcome you to October 22nd, 2021 Environmental Committee Executive Order 29-20, which suspends certain requirements of the Brown Act.

0:25

Some council members will be participating via Zoom, and no members of the public will be in attendance at this meeting in the interest of public health and safety.

0:36

In addition, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the committee liaison has made arrangements for the public to comment by phone and electronically.

0:48

We appreciate the public's cooperation.

0:59

All members of the committee and staff will be participating virtually via Zoom with the exception of the chair myself and my staff member Miss Lizelle Gloria, the committee consultant to the environment committee.

1:14

For purposes of the roll call, those on Zoom include committee member Bree and Committee Vice Chair Moreno.

1:22

Absent today is Committee Member Sherman.

1:28

Each council member will be watching the meeting from their remote location via City TV, and they are live on our teleconference line over the committee room where they will participate in this meeting remotely.

1:41

Also participating via Zoom are Conrad Weir from the Mayor's Office, Leslie Fitzgerald from the City Attorney's Office, and Angela Colton from the IBA's office.

1:56

The public may call in following the instructions posted on the agenda by calling 619-541-6310 and answering conference ID 877-861 pound to be placed in the queue for public comment.

2:11

You should do this when the item you wish to speak to is introduced.

2:15

Please do not call in prior to that time.

2:24

When the phone queue is open, the public comment period will be closed.

2:28

When you are in the queue, you will be able to hear the meeting and all others that are providing comment.

2:33

You will know that it is your turn to speak when you hear the system prompt saying your phone has been unmuted.

2:39

When you hear the prompt, immediately state your name and make your comment.

2:43

Each speaker will have one minute.

2:45

Also, please meet the volume on your TV or computer before you speak.

2:50

This is not a question and answer period.

2:52

This is a time to provide public testimony to the committee members.

2:56

Once you are finished making your comments in the allotted time, please hang up or your call will be ended.

3:02

If you call in during a non-comment period, your call will not be taken.

3:06

Please monitor the meeting and ensure you are calling at the appropriate time.

3:11

The public may view the meeting on public television on City TV Channel 24 for Cox Communication and Spectrum or Channel 99 for ATT or view the meeting online by going to the City Council Committee's homepage at Sandiego.gov and selecting the City TV Live Webcast blue button on the right hand side of the page.

3:32

We appreciate your patience and participation as we aim to provide the best possible access during this time.

3:39

A quorum is now present.

3:42

We will start with the approval of the committee actions.

3:45

The actions before you for approval are for the meeting of September 24th, 2020.

3:51

Do I have a motion to approve the actions?

3:57

Happy to make a motion.

4:02

Thank you so much.

4:03

We have a motion by Council Member Moreno and a second by Council Member Bree.

4:10

And uh we will now have each council member register their vote.

4:14

Councilmember Bree.

4:17

I vote yes.

4:18

Councilmember Moreno.

4:21

Yes.

4:22

And please meet your phone once you have voted.

4:26

And I also vote yes, and so that passes unanimously.

4:31

Is there any mayor, council, city attorney, or independent budget analyst comment?

4:38

I hear none.

4:39

Are there any requests for continuance?

4:42

I hear no requests.

4:44

We will now take up our consent agenda.

4:47

Staff has requested that item four be returned to staff.

4:51

And do any committee members have an objection?

4:55

Hearing none, item four will be returned to staff.

5:00

Liesel, please proceed.

5:05

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

5:08

I will put three minutes on the clock to give members of the public time to call in.

5:12

Please call 619-541-6310.

5:17

Conference ID 877 861 pound to be placed in the queue.

5:22

On the consent agenda, item one, contract with ACE parking for for the Balboa Park tram operations.

5:29

Item two, transfer of non-exclusive solid waste collection franchise from dependable disposal and recycling to Republic Services Environmental LLC.

5:40

Item three, pure water, second amendment to the agreement with HDR Engineering Incorporated for the Pure Water North City Conveyance System H156508.

5:53

When you hear the prompt that your phone has been unmuted, please state your name, the item number you wish to speak to and begin your comments.

6:00

You will receive one minute per item.

6:09

Time to phone in.

6:19

And our first caller is Richard Diaz.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Stormwater Management███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Public Comment██████████████████████22%
Procedural████████████12%
Wetlands Mitigation█████████9%
Urban Forestry██████6%
Animal Welfare████4%
Public Safety██2%
Climate Change██2%
Summary of Proceedings

San Diego Environmental Committee Meeting - October 22, 2020

The San Diego City Council Environmental Committee met virtually on October 22, 2020, to consider consent agenda items, receive an annual stormwater operations update, and hear public comments. The meeting was held under Executive Order 29-20 suspending certain Brown Act requirements due to COVID-19, with public participation available by phone and online. Committee members present: Chair Campbell, Committee Member Bree, and Vice Chair Moreno. Member Sherman was absent.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the committee actions from the meeting of September 24, 2020, unanimously.
  • Approved consent agenda items (1-3) unanimously: Item 1: contract with ACE Parking for Balboa Park tram operations; Item 2: transfer of non-exclusive solid waste collection franchise from Dependable Disposal and Recycling to Republic Services Environmental LLC; Item 3: Pure Water second amendment to agreement with HDR Engineering Inc. for Pure Water North City Conveyance System. Item 4 was returned to staff at staff's request.

Public Comments & Testimony

Consent Agenda Public Comments:

  • Richard Diaz called about the stormwater maintenance plan, which was not on the consent agenda, and was directed to call back for Item 5.
  • Martha Wells opposed Items 2 and 3, expressing distrust regarding solid waste and Pure Water.
  • Jim Pugh (San Diego Audubon Society conservation chair) was redirected as he was calling about a non-agenda item.

Item 5 – Annual Stormwater Operations Update Public Comments:

  • Victor Avina (Falcon Strategies, on behalf of BioMed Realty) expressed support for the Municipal Waterways Maintenance Plan (MWMP) and urged swift Coastal Commission approval to mitigate flooding in Sorrento Valley.
  • Vicky Estrada (landscape architect, board of Groundworks San Diego and Chollas Creek Coalition) thanked the Stormwater Division for listening to community concerns regarding land use, trails, and revegetation.
  • Melanie Cohn (Director of Regional Policy and Government Affairs, Biocom) supported the MWMP, noted persistent flooding in Sorrento Valley, and requested short-term mitigation measures.
  • Richard Diaz (President of Oak Park Community Council, member of Chollas Creek Watershed Coalition) supported a regional water park vision for Chollas Creek and praised staff transparency.
  • Matt O'Malley (San Diego Coastkeeper, member of Chollas Creek Coalition) thanked staff but stressed the need for significant investment in green stormwater infrastructure and reminded the committee of the upcoming long-term funding strategy to address a over $1 billion funding gap.
  • Martha Wells expressed distrust, claiming checks are missing and that stormwater goes untreated.
  • Nicole Burgess (member of Chollas Creek Coalition) supported funding for stormwater management and cited personal rain harvesting.
  • Paula Gandalfo (Pacific Beach resident) asked about retaining native plants and using collection devices to manage velocities in Chollas Creek.

Non-Agenda Public Comments:

  • Robin Davidoff (Sierra Club Seal Society docent) requested year-round park rangers at Point La Jolla and Boomers Beach to address sea lion harassment, presenting statistics showing 193 wildlife harassment incidents in September and 171 by mid-October.
  • Ann Feige (urban forester, chair of Community Forest Advisory Board) advocated for increased tree planting in underserved neighborhoods to support the Climate Action Plan.
  • Tommy Howe (Rewild Mission Bay) celebrated the Regional Water Quality Control Board's approval of a supplemental environmental project and urged the committee to prioritize wetland restoration in Mission Bay.
  • Jim Pugh (San Diego Audubon Society conservation chair) supported the Rewild project, referencing state wetland protection goals.
  • Kristen Victor (Pacific Beach resident and business owner) supported the Rewild Mission Bay project and thanked the committee for collaboration.
  • Martha Wells criticized the city's waste management and recycling practices.
  • Andrew Meyer (Director of Conservation, San Diego Audubon Society, program manager for Rewild Mission Bay) urged the committee to ensure resources and direction for a resilient, community-supported plan and requested progress updates twice yearly.

Discussion Items

Item 5: Annual Stormwater Operations Update Staff presented the work of the Stormwater Division (200 professionals) preparing for winter 2020-2021, including:

  • Core services: flood prevention, clean water, environmental restoration, community benefits, and public stewardship.
  • Municipal Waterways Maintenance Plan (MWMP): approved by council earlier in 2020; annual inspections of over 200 channel locations; prioritization process incorporating public input; mitigation challenges due to rarity and cost.
  • Proactive storm preparation: 1,000 miles of street sweeping annually, inlet/outlet cleaning, pipe replacement, pump station upgrades, deployment of 350 staff and 24 bypass pumps during rain events.
  • Relaunch of 'Think Blue' branding.

Committee members commented:

  • Councilmember Bree acknowledged the flooding issues in Sorrento Valley affecting the biotech industry and looked forward to the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Project.
  • Vice Chair Moreno highlighted specific channels (Chollas Creek National 1 & 2, Alpha 1, Nestor Creek, Tijuana River Valley) needing maintenance, expressed disappointment over delays due to mitigation and staffing, requested coordination with Public Works on Hollister Street drainage improvements, and thanked staff for community cleanups.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approval of September 24, 2020 committee actions and consent agenda (Items 1-3). Item 4 returned to staff.
  • Item 5 was informational; no vote required. The committee acknowledged staff's efforts and directed staff to follow up on specific district concerns raised by Vice Chair Moreno.
  • The next scheduled Environment Committee meeting is November 19, 2020, at 1:00 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. I want to welcome you to October 22nd, 2021 Environmental Committee Executive Order 29-20, which suspends certain requirements of the Brown Act. Some council members will be participating via Zoom, and no members of the public will be in attendance at this meeting in the interest of public health and safety. In addition, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the committee liaison has made arrangements for the public to comment by phone and electronically. We appreciate the public's cooperation. All members of the committee and staff will be participating virtually via Zoom with the exception of the chair myself and my staff member Miss Lizelle Gloria, the committee consultant to the environment committee. For purposes of the roll call, those on Zoom include committee member Bree and Committee Vice Chair Moreno. Absent today is Committee Member Sherman. Each council member will be watching the meeting from their remote location via City TV, and they are live on our teleconference line over the committee room where they will participate in this meeting remotely. Also participating via Zoom are Conrad Weir from the Mayor's Office, Leslie Fitzgerald from the City Attorney's Office, and Angela Colton from the IBA's office. The public may call in following the instructions posted on the agenda by calling 619-541-6310 and answering conference ID 877-861 pound to be placed in the queue for public comment. You should do this when the item you wish to speak to is introduced. Please do not call in prior to that time. When the phone queue is open, the public comment period will be closed. When you are in the queue, you will be able to hear the meeting and all others that are providing comment. You will know that it is your turn to speak when you hear the system prompt saying your phone has been unmuted. When you hear the prompt, immediately state your name and make your comment. Each speaker will have one minute. Also, please meet the volume on your TV or computer before you speak. This is not a question and answer period. This is a time to provide public testimony to the committee members. Once you are finished making your comments in the allotted time, please hang up or your call will be ended. If you call in during a non-comment period, your call will not be taken. Please monitor the meeting and ensure you are calling at the appropriate time. The public may view the meeting on public television on City TV Channel 24 for Cox Communication and Spectrum or Channel 99 for ATT or view the meeting online by going to the City Council Committee's homepage at Sandiego.gov and selecting the City TV Live Webcast blue button on the right hand side of the page. We appreciate your patience and participation as we aim to provide the best possible access during this time. A quorum is now present. We will start with the approval of the committee actions. The actions before you for approval are for the meeting of September 24th, 2020. Do I have a motion to approve the actions? Happy to make a motion. Thank you so much. We have a motion by Council Member Moreno and a second by Council Member Bree. And uh we will now have each council member register their vote. Councilmember Bree. I vote yes. Councilmember Moreno. Yes. And please meet your phone once you have voted. And I also vote yes, and so that passes unanimously. Is there any mayor, council, city attorney, or independent budget analyst comment? I hear none. Are there any requests for continuance? I hear no requests. We will now take up our consent agenda. Staff has requested that item four be returned to staff. And do any committee members have an objection? Hearing none, item four will be returned to staff. Liesel, please proceed. The public comment period for the consent agenda is now open.

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