Land Use and Housing Committee Meeting - January 25, 2021

This meeting of the San Diego City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee, chaired by Councilmember Whitburn, was held virtually. The committee approved its November 12, 2020 actions, heard non-agenda public comment, received general comments from members, and then took up the primary agenda item: establishing committee priorities for 2021. A motion to direct the chair to draft a work plan based on those priorities passed unanimously. The meeting transcript opens with a statement that the meeting was called to order on January 21, 2021, but the provided meeting date is January 25, 2021; this discrepancy is noted.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of November 12, 2020 Committee Actions: Motion by Councilmember La Cava, seconded by Vice Chair Ilo Rivera. Approved unanimously (4-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

Non-Agenda Public Comment:

• Terry Ann Skelly (San Diego resident, mother of three) expressed concern about marijuana billboards near schools in City Heights and urged the committee to dial back predatory advertising and the proliferation of marijuana businesses.
• Becky Repp (lifetime resident, mother) cited a recent hash oil explosion in City Heights and urged policies for smoke-free apartment buildings (tobacco and marijuana), referencing San Francisco’s policy.
• Kathleen Lippett (concerned community member) stated that past councils listened to marijuana industry voices while ignoring community voices. She urged the committee to put action behind priorities that support communities, not just permit more marijuana businesses.

Public Comment on 2021 Priorities:

• Juliana Maxim (District 9, member of DSA Housing Justice Work Group) called for an expanded vacancy inventory that counts homes deliberately held off the market (second homes, vacation homes, wealth storage) and advocated for taxing units unoccupied over six months. She urged better data on vacancies to diagnose the housing crisis.
• Kelly McCormick (director of a youth mentoring program) welcomed focus on equity and affordable housing but urged caution on cannabis equity due to health, safety, and social justice harms. She stated that communities of color already overburdened with unhealthy businesses, and that racial disparities in arrests persist even in regulated marijuana states.
• Becky Repp again spoke, thanking Councilmember La Cava for child care facility concerns, but opposing Councilmember Ilo Rivera’s cannabis equity priority, citing a Mount Hope community’s strong opposition to a proposed marijuana outlet and collection of over 1,000 signatures against it.
• Andre Leon noted that from 2011–2020 the city fell 46,000 units short of its housing element target; most units built were only affordable to those at 120% AMI. He urged aggressive expansion of social housing, acquisition of buildings, and support for Councilmember La Cava’s proposal to update the right-to-know ordinance and expand relocation payments for no-fault evictions (citing Portland, San Francisco, Seattle as examples).
• Joy Sanyata (District 3) requested another report from the Real Estate Asset Management Department on city properties available for affordable housing, and urged prioritization of preservation, prevention, and powering (3 Ps) for housing, referencing a previous preservation report by the Housing Commission.
• Scott Barr (District 2) supported many proposals, emphasized tough decisions on resources, and doubled down on recommendations for a vacancy survey and establishing a Department of Housing and Community Development.
• Mark Wells argued that HUD is missing, the Housing Commission doesn’t do its job because financial audits are lacking, and more housing for low- and moderate-income and seniors is needed.

Discussion Items

Chair Whitburn opened the discussion, thanking colleagues for their memoranda. He stated his priorities include robust review of real estate contracts (in wake of 101 Ash and Navigation Center issues), speeding up entitlements while pursuing on-site affordable units, expanding permanent supportive housing citywide, identifying city-owned property near transit for affordable housing, and emphasizing that over half of renter households spend more than 30% of income on housing.

Vice Chair Ilo Rivera framed his priorities with a racial equity and justice lens, noting historical racism in San Diego’s built environment. He highlighted preventing displacement during the pandemic, providing homes for unsheltered neighbors, preserving affordability, creating homeownership opportunities, and shaping land use for equitable outcomes. He expressed interest in modular construction (responding to Councilmember La Cava), innovative funding like land value capture, and expansion of child care facilities. He also echoed Councilmember Moreno’s concerns about protecting tenants during the pandemic and building infrastructure in underinvested communities.

Councilmember La Cava acknowledged the city’s failure to deliver moderate- and low-income housing. His priorities included: (1) consolidating city office space to save rent; (2) re-evaluating third-party leases for compliance; (3) holding a “Housing Day” narrowly focused on delivering moderate- and low-income housing; (4) tracking the homelessness Community Action Plan and maintaining momentum from the Convention Center shelter; (5) updating tenant protections (right-to-know ordinance, relocation payments); (6) regulatory reform to expand child care facilities; (7) completing a street vending ordinance; (8) updating Council Policy 600-24 for community planning groups and recreational advisory groups.

Councilmember Moreno emphasized increasing housing supply and aiding those hit hardest by the pandemic. Her stated priorities included: (1) monitoring the eviction moratorium; (2) expediting the emergency rental assistance program—criticizing the Housing Commission’s planned three-month delay of $5 million in CARES Act CDBG funds, urging release by February 1; (3) developing rental assistance for immigrants ineligible for federal funds; (4) a vacancy tax feasibility study; (5) affordable housing preservation updates; (6) expanding the first-time home buyer program—noting only 18 people assisted in Q4 FY20, and pressing for more state/federal funding (e.g., CalHome) and help for Section 8 voucher holders to become homeowners; (7) engaging with CalHFA; (8) creating an incentive program for infrastructure tied to affordable housing; (9) receiving updates on housing production relative to the 108,036-home RHNA target; (10) creating an economist position in the Planning Department to analyze zoning impacts.

General Comment: Earlier in the meeting, Councilmember Moreno stated that the San Diego Housing Commission was delaying the release of $5 million in rental assistance by up to three months, which she called unacceptable. She released a memo requesting the funds be made available by February 1. Chair Whitburn echoed the need for haste.

Key Outcomes

• Motion to direct the chair to draft a committee work plan on 2021 priorities was made by Councilmember La Cava, seconded by Vice Chair Ilo Rivera, and passed unanimously (4-0).
• The work plan will be based on the priorities discussed and is expected to be brought back to the committee for consideration.
• No other votes were taken.