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Record of Proceedings

San Diego Environment Committee Meeting, October 15, 2026

Environment Committee — Thursday, October 15, 2026
BodySan Diego, California
SessionEnvironment Committee
DateThursday, October 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:55:26

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

2:39

All right.

2:40

Uh good afternoon, everyone.

2:41

Welcome to the environment committee meeting of October 15th, 2026.

2:44

Our committee liaison, Sarah Jordan, will provide information and instruction for the public to participate in today's meeting.

2:50

Sarah, please proceed.

Speaker 2

2:52

Thank you, Chair.

2:52

Well, members of the public are able to attend the meetings in person.

2:55

This meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the council administration will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform.

3:02

Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony via a call-in or an 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.

3:14

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

3:33

Also attending the meeting this afternoon is City Attorney Representative Dominic Gugliama, Mayor Representative Randy Wilde, and IBA representative Jordan Moore.

3:41

If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of the committee room and place it in the speaker slip box on the table in the front of the room.

3:46

Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management.

3:53

We have not received any organized presentations this afternoon.

3:56

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

4:04

Please dial 1669, two five four five two five two.

4:07

And when prompted, input webinar ID one six zero, three seven three two, nine six three eight pound.

4:12

This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for the each agenda item.

4:17

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

4:21

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

5:00

Each speaker will have two minutes.

5:02

We will begin with in-person testimony, starting with Max Schmidt.

5:05

You will be followed by Joyce Sanyata and allegedly Audra.

5:09

We will be putting up the timer slides.

5:11

The clock right in front of the lector and is not working right now.

5:14

So your time will be displayed on the screen and City TV will still air your speaking.

5:19

Please begin.

Speaker 3

5:21

Zionist and atheist and communist in America are using science to try to push their socialist progressive agenda.

5:31

And I'm uh very excited and honored to expose the Mesophere hoax.

5:36

A large group of Americans have been working for years to expose this, and I'm glad to be the one to finally do it.

5:43

When you search the Mesophere um on Google AI, it says that when you search the Mesophere conspiracy on Google AI, it says it's called ignorosphere from the um lack um the coincidental lack of information about it.

6:00

And I'm happy that the United States of America is also the country that has been um that um has been working to expose this lie, even though it's also the one um perpetuating this lie, and that um the United States of America has some of the most evil Zionist working on Capitol Hill to spread the one world government, but we also have some of the biggest freedom fighters here, and I'm glad to be working with with them to expose the Mesophere lie.

6:34

Um

Unassigned speaker

6:35

the

Speaker 3

6:35

Mesophere constantly um burns up 300 million pound meteors.

6:42

Um and these meteors um weigh so uh such a um

Unassigned speaker

6:52

these

Speaker 3

6:52

meteors compared to the average spaceship, which only weighs 10,000 pounds, um, is such a massive discrepancy that this hoax is finally going to become common knowledge among people across the world.

7:06

If you look up into the sky at night, you can see shooting stars.

7:10

And these are actually 300 pound meteors of solid rock getting destroyed by the mesophere.

7:17

And it is um common knowledge, it is becoming common knowledge, a 10,000 pound spaceship.

7:23

Nothing man-made has gone through the mesophere, and Elon Musk is going to prison.

7:28

So you heard it here first.

Speaker 2

7:30

Thank you very much.

7:30

Elon Musk

Speaker 3

7:31

did his

Speaker 2

7:33

next speaker is Joyce Sanyata.

Unassigned speaker

7:44

Okay.

Speaker 4

7:45

All right.

7:46

Uh we're just starting me now.

7:48

Okay, so from the UT, uh, an article by Palm Palomar, excuse me, Aguary and Moore, and Michael Zuquet.

8:00

And I'll be mixing my own comments in with it.

8:02

Hope that's okay.

8:03

In 2021, the port adopted the maritime clean air strategy, and it has been a great success for cleaner air.

8:12

You can see and smell the changes, and these are these are my two heroes.

8:19

The two very tall, very tall electric harbor cranes.

8:24

They are the first uh port in the North in North America to invest in those cranes.

8:32

Uh, go see them if you haven't.

8:34

I celebrate our port of San Diego.

8:36

I love our working waterfront.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Energy and Sustainability███████████████15%
Utilities Undergrounding█████████████13%
Public Comment█████████████13%
Environmental Protection█████████9%
Procedural███████7%
Public Utilities███████7%
Climate Change██████6%
Energy and Utilities██████6%
Homelessness█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

San Diego Environment Committee Meeting, October 15, 2026

The Environment Committee of the San Diego City Council, chaired by Elo Rivera, met on October 15, 2026. The committee unanimously approved a consent agenda for a wastewater pumping contract and received a comprehensive annual presentation from SDG&E covering climate equity, customer equity, and the undergrounding program. Public testimony addressed a wide range of issues including conditions at homeless shelter sites, sea level rise, tobacco waste policy, and concerns over the potential grid and rate impacts of a proposed massive data center.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1: Approval of the committee minutes of September 17, 2026.
  • Item 2: Authorization of a contract with Patriot Environmental Services for as-needed vacuum pumping services at public utilities wastewater treatment facilities.
  • Public Comment: Joyce Sanyata raised concerns about workforce diversity reporting on the contract. John Stump criticized the staff report format. Hector expressed support for private contracting to avoid long-term municipal pension liabilities.
  • Council Discussion: Council President Joe Lakaba moved the items, defending the staff report and clarifying the scope of the pumping contract.
  • Outcome: Motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

Non-Agenda Public Testimony:

  • Multiple speakers (Amy Wiedenhoff, Cecilia Portal, Daniel, and others) described severe environmental and health hazards at the city's safe sleeping site, including flooding, rat infestations, and inadequate tents. Chair Rivera committed to following up on the concerns raised.
  • Joyce Sanyata celebrated the Port of San Diego's Maritime Clean Air Strategy and its new electric harbor cranes.
  • Lori Saldania linked recent street collapses and sewage leaks in the Midway area and La Jolla Shores to sea level rise and groundwater intrusion, urging the committee to consider these factors when approving new housing.
  • Becky Rapp urged the committee to address the exclusion of cannabis single-use vapes from state ban AB 762.
  • Terry Ann Skelly and Judy Strang requested the Environment Committee's support for a citywide ordinance banning smoking and vaping in outdoor dining areas.
  • Hector requested a live, 24-hour webcam at the Tijuana River to monitor sewage flows.

Consent Agenda Testimony:

  • Speakers reiterated concerns about infrastructure neglect, contracting processes, and sea level rise risks as they related to the pumping contract.

Item 3 (SDG&E Presentation) Testimony:

  • Joyce Sanyata praised the undergrounding and wildfire safety programs but questioned how SDG&E parent company Sempra's mission of "Building America's leading utility growth business" translates to real customer equity.
  • Allegedly Audra strongly condemned the clean energy narrative as toxic and unworkable, citing lithium battery fire risks and non-recyclable infrastructure, and expressed deep distrust of SDG&E's cost structure.
  • John Stump criticized the staff report for lacking required Equal Opportunity details and key stakeholder input, demanding workforce zip code data for climate accounting.
  • Lori Saldania questioned the wisdom of coastal undergrounding given rising groundwater and noted her family's six-year wait in Claremont.
  • Hector criticized SDG&E's delivery charges as 80% of the bill and the utility's opposition to rooftop solar.
  • Lori Lipsman asserted that SDG&E's actions lack climate and customer equity.
  • Natalie Ratchke expressed concern about underground trenching harming tree root systems.
  • Jay Powell questioned the city's capacity to lead the undergrounding program given budget cuts and criticized IOUs for opposing plug-in solar.

Discussion Items

Item 3: SDG&E Annual Update on Climate Equity, Customer Equity, and Undergrounding

  • Presentation: SDG&E (Megan Ong, Alex Moffitt, Kelly) presented on their work under the Energy Cooperation Agreement. Topics included support for the Climate Action Plan (CAP) via electrification of 41 city sites, customer assistance programs (CARE at 267k customers, 98% eligible enrollment), and the undergrounding portfolio (31 active projects covering 220 miles, $39 million spent in FY26, $78 million projected for FY27).
  • Council Discussion & Positions:
    • Chair Elo Rivera challenged SDG&E on the contradiction between equity goals and rate increases, specifically questioning the utility's attempt to exit the regional energy efficiency program (denied by the CPUC).
    • Chair Rivera raised a recent Voice of San Diego report regarding a developer request for an engineering study for a 400-megawatt data center at the Naval Training Center. SDG&E representatives stated they were unaware of the specific request but acknowledged that major grid upgrades required to serve such a load would likely be absorbed by all ratepayers through standard rates. Chair Rivera called the prospect of ratepayers subsidizing such a project "incredibly alarming" and stated it would likely be "offensive" to San Diegans. She committed to following up with SDG&E for a formal public response.
    • Council President Lakaba discussed customer equity, noting the connection between 211 calls for energy bill assistance and homelessness, and encouraged better program enrollment coordination. He also discussed undergrounding project delays and the frustration caused by premature notices sent to residents.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar (Items 1 & 2): Approved unanimously.
  • Item 3 (SDG&E Update): Received and filed as a formal information item to the committee.
  • Directives & Next Steps:
    • Chair Rivera will follow up with city staff on conditions at the safe sleeping site.
    • Chair Rivera committed to following up directly with SDG&E regarding the proposed data center and its potential impact on residential ratepayers and the climate action plan.
    • Council President Lakaba will follow up with the city's UUP team on the specific status of the Muirlands undergrounding projects.
    • The next Environment Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 1:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Uh good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the environment committee meeting of October 15th, 2026. Our committee liaison, Sarah Jordan, will provide information and instruction for the public to participate in today's meeting. Sarah, please proceed. Thank you, Chair. Well, 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 the 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 via a call-in or an 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 committee is able to manage and conduct city business. Also attending the meeting this afternoon is City Attorney Representative Dominic Gugliama, Mayor Representative Randy Wilde, and IBA representative Jordan Moore. If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of the committee room and place it in the speaker slip box on the table in the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. We have not received any organized presentations this afternoon. Members of the public can join the webinar by computer tablet or smartphone by accessing the link which is listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's webpage to join the Zoom webinar by telephone. Please dial 1669, two five four five two five two. And when prompted, input webinar ID one six zero, three seven three two, nine six three eight pound. This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for the each agenda item. Please note that if you're watching via City TV twenty-four or online, there may be a delay. Please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV or computer when it's your turn to speak. Each speaker will have two minutes. We will begin with in-person testimony, starting with Max Schmidt. You will be followed by Joyce Sanyata and allegedly Audra. We will be putting up the timer slides. The clock right in front of the lector and is not working right now. So your time will be displayed on the screen and City TV will still air your speaking. Please begin. Zionist and atheist and communist in America are using science to try to push their socialist progressive agenda. And I'm uh very excited and honored to expose the Mesophere hoax. A large group of Americans have been working for years to expose this, and I'm glad to be the one to finally do it. When you search the Mesophere um on Google AI, it says that when you search the Mesophere conspiracy on Google AI, it says it's called ignorosphere from the um lack um the coincidental lack of information about it. And I'm happy that the United States of America is also the country that has been um that um has been working to expose this lie, even though it's also the one um perpetuating this lie, and that um the United States of America has some of the most evil Zionist working on Capitol Hill to spread the one world government, but we also have some of the biggest freedom fighters here, and I'm glad to be working with with them to expose the Mesophere lie. Um the Mesophere constantly um burns up 300 million pound meteors. Um and these meteors um weigh so uh such a um these meteors compared to the average spaceship, which only weighs 10,000 pounds, um, is such a massive discrepancy that this hoax is finally going to become common knowledge among people across the world. If you look up into the sky at night, you can see shooting stars. And these are actually 300 pound meteors of solid rock getting destroyed by the mesophere. And it is um common knowledge, it is becoming common knowledge, a 10,000 pound spaceship. Nothing man-made has gone through the mesophere, and Elon Musk is going to prison. So you heard it here first. Thank you very much. Elon Musk did his next speaker is Joyce Sanyata. Okay. All right. Uh we're just starting me now.

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