San Diego Environment Committee Meeting - April 21, 2022
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San Diego Environment Committee Meeting - April 21, 2022
The City of San Diego Environment Committee met on Thursday, April 21, 2022, at 6:02 p.m. (after an evening start) under Chair Joe LaCava. The meeting covered consent items, a youth-led resolution to end oil and gas drilling, a Pure Water Program update, a software contract amendment, and a seasonal closure of Point La Jolla. All votes were unanimous 4-0. The meeting lasted about 2 hours.
Consent Calendar
- Committee Actions (March 17, 2022): Approved 4-0 after no public comment.
- Consent Items 1–4: All approved 4-0:
- Item 1: Second amendment with Corolla Engineers for North City Pure Water Facility design.
- Item 2: Amendment with CH2M Hill for North City Metropolitan Biosolid Center design.
- Item 3: Amendment with Kleinfelder and HDR Engineering for as-needed engineering services.
- Item 4: As-needed environmental services agreements with Recon Environmental and Helix Environmental Planning.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-Agenda Public Comment: Speakers addressed:
- John Bodor (CleanEarth4Kids.org): Urged clean air actions, noted San Diego’s ‘F’ grades for ozone/particulate matter from American Lung Association, and requested bans on fire pits and building gas lines.
- Peggy Walker (environment advocate): Supported flavor tobacco ban and AB 1690 to ban disposable e-cigarettes/cannabis vaporizers due to hazardous waste.
- Ann Fage (urban forester, CFAB chair): Urged fast-tracking tree board nominations and scheduling committee meetings not to conflict with Park and Recreation Board.
- Kelly McCormick (parent, public health educator): Highlighted litter from cigarette butts and e-cigarettes as hazardous to wildlife; noted 3 million pounds of litter collected in 20 years of Creek to Bay cleanup.
- Becky Rapp (parent, resident): Questioned the inclusion of a cannabis fair (Cannabis Row) at Balboa Park’s Earth Fair, citing city ordinances limiting cannabis sales near parks and schools.
- Item 5 (Resolution – Ending Oil & Gas Drilling): 13 in-person speakers, all in support, almost entirely youth from Youth vs Oil. Speakers included high school students (Zoe Geller Alfred, Catherine Duby, Nicole Kirsten, etc.), a school board member (Richard Barrera), John Bodor, and Ann Fage. All emphasized health, environmental, and equity harms from drilling/fracking and urged passage.
- Item 8 (Pure Water Update): No public comments.
- Item 6 (PM Web Software Contract): No public comments.
- Item 7 (Point La Jolla Closure): One virtual speaker (John Bodor) in support of protecting sea lions.
Discussion Items
- Item 5 – Resolution Supporting End of Oil & Gas Drilling: Youth from Youth vs Oil (Natalia Armenta, Elisa Delamonique, Kiala Minacho) presented. They noted: fracking uses up to 9.6 million gallons of water per well; toxic chemicals harm health (asthma, cancer); CalGEM proposed 3,200-foot buffer but doesn’t cover existing sites; the resolution calls on Governor Newsom to cease new permits, implement setbacks, and create a just transition plan. The resolution had passed San Diego Unified School District, County Board of Education, Sweetwater Union, and UC Berkeley. Over 30 organizations and 1,300 petition signatures supported it. Councilmember Campbell asked about dates; students replied the state plans to stop fracking by 2024 and oil drilling by 2045, but they want faster, enforceable timelines.
- Item 8 – Pure Water Program Update: Juan Guerrero (Interim Director, Public Utilities) and James Nagelvort (Capital Projects) presented. Phase 1 (North City) will produce 30 MGD by 2025; Phase 2 (Central) will add 35 MGD by 2035. Phase 1 has 10 construction contracts worth over $1 billion; 8 are under construction. Challenges include lawsuits (resolved), COVID, supply chain, Ukraine war impacts, and utility relocations. A Project Labor Agreement (first in city history) includes 35% local hire goal and targeted worker programs. Outreach includes door hangers, hotlines, and community meetings. Phase 2 planning includes reservoir options (Lake Murray vs. San Vicente) and procuring a test facility and program management consultant. Regulatory updates: industrial waste control sampling began; Point Loma permit dates revised due to lawsuit delay; proposed federal legislation (OPRA 2) remains in Senate committee.
- Item 6 – PM Web Software Contract Amendment: Amy Dorman (Assistant Director, Public Utilities) requested a 5-year extension (to August 2026) at no cost increase ($1M projected spend) for construction management software used on Pure Water. Noted the contract had lapsed in August 2021 due to management transition; corrective actions taken to centralize oversight.
- Item 7 – Seasonal Closure of Point La Jolla and Boomer Beach: Karen Dennison (Assistant Director, Parks & Recreation) proposed closing May 1 to October 31 to protect California sea lion pupping season. Tools: signs, barriers, year-round park rangers (daily presence starting April 25). An ocean access corridor will be maintained. The Coastal Commission approved a permanent CDP on April 8. Municipal code amendment modeled after Children’s Pool rules (prohibits dogs year-round, seasonal closure). Councilmember Campbell asked about non-closure season enforcement; staff confirmed year-round ranger presence and monitoring/reporting to Coastal Commission.
Key Outcomes
- Item 5: Motion passed 4-0 (Chair LaCava moved, Vice Chair Von Wilpert seconded) with additional language supporting just transition and workforce, and directing the City Clerk to transmit the resolution to the Governor and State Legislature. The resolution will go to full City Council as soon as April 26.
- Item 6: Contract amendment approved 4-0.
- Item 7: Ordinance and resolution approving seasonal closure and addendum to negative declaration approved 4-0.
Other Updates
- Mayor’s staff Randy Wilde and Alyssa Muto (Director, Sustainability & Mobility) announced hiring of Chief Sustainability Officer Shelby Roosevelt (previously CSO of Atlanta). Climate Action Plan public outreach continues; municipal energy implementation plan and zero-emissions building policy are in progress; a public power feasibility study RFP closed April 1, with work starting around end of fiscal year.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:10 p.m. The next regular meeting is May 26, 2022, at 1 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
All right, we're gonna get started. We actually it's 602-ish, 601-ish, and we've got a full compliment. Thank you to my committee members willing to come to an evening meeting. Certainly was worthwhile looking at the crowd here. So and thank you to city staff that uh adjusted your schedules accordingly. So good evening and welcome to the April 21st, 2022 meeting of the City of San Diego Environment Committee. I'm Joe Lacava, Councilmember for District 1 and Chair of the Committee. Until further further notice, committee meetings will be conducted pursuant to the provisions of California Government Code Section 54953E, added by Assembly Bill 361, which allows the city to use teleconferencing and to provide the public an opportunity to address the city council via call-in option or an internet-based service option during a proclaimed state of emergency. While the public is allowed to attend the meetings in person, we encourage you to maintain six feet of social distance as well as follow California Mass Guidelines where maths are strongly recommended. If you guys are cool. Additionally, members of the public who wish to provide testimony via call-in or internet-based service option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after the conclusion of in-person public testimony or before the virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the council, or the committee in this case, is able to manage and conduct its city business. We appreciate everyone's cooperation. Present. When I introduce the item you would like to comment on, please raise your hand by either tapping the raise your hand button on your computer, tablet, or smartphone, or by pressing star nine on your phone. You'll be taken in the order in which you raise your hand. You may only speak once on a particular item. When I indicate it is your turn to speak, I will call you by your name as it appears on the Zoob webinar attendee list or read out the last four digits of your phone number if you have called in to the meeting. That is how you will know it is your turn to speak. If you are in person, please come up to the reserve seats at the front of the room when is you when your name is called and be prepared to come up to the electern in the order called. If you have joined the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone, you will receive a pop-up notice to select the unmute on your device. If you have called into the meeting by cell phone or landline, press star six on your phone to unmute yourself. We will review these instructions briefly again when the public comment period on an item is open. Please wait until the item you wish to speak to has been called before raising your hand to speak. If you raise your hand before during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. When you are announced as the next speaker, please unmute yourself and offer your comments. Also, please mute the volume on your TV or computer before you begin to speak. Chair Lakava. Thank you, Brian. A quorum is now present. We will now dispense with the approval of the committee actions of March 17, 2022. Do we have any public comment on this item? Chair, the public comment period for this item is now open. If you are in person, please be sure to have your speaker slip submitted and come up to the reserve seats in the front of the room when your name is called and be prepared to come up to the lectern in the order called. Members of the public who wish to provide testimony via call-in or internet-based service option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after the conclusion of the in-person public testimony or before the virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. If you have already joined the Zoom webinar online or by phone, please raise your hand if you wish to speak. If you are watching on City TV or the live stream online and would like to call into the meeting to speak, please call 1669-254-5252. When prompted, input webinar ID 161-532-0355 pound. As a reminder, virtual speakers, please raise your hand to speak. You can do so by selecting the raise your hand button or input star nine if by phone. Chair, we have no speakers here in chambers. And we have two speakers uh to speak on the committee actions of March 17th, 2022. On the oh, we have one speaker. I'll uh Peggy Walker. Uh you have oh actually we have no speakers. Uh Chair, uh no more speakers in the queue, and that concludes the public testimony in this item. Uh thank you, Brian. I'll now turn it over to the committee members for a motion and member con comment on the approval of the committee actions of March 17th, 2022. I'll move approval of the minutes. Chair.
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