OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Diego Land Use and Housing Committee Meeting - February 1, 2024

Land Use & Housing Committee — Thursday, February 1, 2024
BodySan Diego, California
SessionLand Use & Housing Committee
DateThursday, February 1, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim
1:09

Good afternoon.

1:09

Uh, welcome to the land use and housing committee meeting of February 1st, 2024.

1:13

Our committee liaison Natalie Kessler will go over instructions for today's meeting.

1:18

Thank you, Chair.

1:19

While 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.

1:29

Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the virtual queue closes.

1:35

The queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes speaking or a five minutes after in-person testimony ends, whichever occurs first.

1:41

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

1:48

We appreciate the public's cooperation.

1:51

I'll now call the land use and housing committee meeting of Thursday, February 1st, 2024 to order.

1:55

Natalie, please call the roll.

1:56

Vice Chair Lacava.

1:58

Present.

1:58

Councilmember Whitburn.

2:00

Sure.

2:00

Councilmember Moreno.

2:02

And Chair, Councilmember Lee.

2:05

Here.

2:06

Also attending the meeting today, we have Chris Ackermann Avila from the Mayor's Office.

2:10

Karin Newfer from the City Attorney's Office, Rashon Chen with the independent budget analysts' office, as well as Natalie Kessler, our committee liaison.

2:17

Natalie, if you will please continue with public comment instructions.

2:21

If you're in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it on top of the box indicated at the speaker's lecture and at the front of the room.

2:28

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

2:31

In-person testimony will conclude before virtual testimony begins.

2:34

Members of the public can also 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.

2:43

To join the Zoom webinar by telephone, please dial 1669 2545252.

2:48

The webinar ID is 161-286-5933 pound.

2:52

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

3:07

And if you wish to speak on a particular item, please wait for that item to be called and then raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon.

3:13

Or if you're a call-in participant, please press star nine on your cell phone or landline.

3:17

If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered.

3:20

Chair.

3:21

Thank you, Natalie, for reviewing those instructions for the benefit of the public.

3:24

A quorum is now present.

3:26

We will now dispense with the approval of the committee actions of January 11th, 2024.

3:30

Natalie, please proceed.

3:34

The public comment period for the committee actions is now open.

3:38

And if you're watching on City TV or the live stream online and would like to call into the meeting to split speak, please call 1669-2545252 when prompted input webinar ID 161-268-5933 pound.

3:49

And Chair, we have not received any speaker slips from those in chambers, so we will move to the virtual queue.

3:56

Again, these are on the past committee actions.

5:04

So we need to be mindful of that.

5:06

If you're gonna push certain things, you can't just be like having an airport that's polluting and not do anything about it and do business with it.

5:13

Thank you.

5:13

This does conclude your time.

5:14

And our next speaker is Laura Saldania.

5:17

Please provide your comments.

5:18

You'll have one minute.

5:20

Yes, good afternoon.

5:21

Thank you.

5:22

And I I wanted to comment on last month's uh on the agenda regarding the comments of Todd Gloria's uh policy lead on housing.

5:30

Uh he noted that they are now working to approve affordable housing projects within 30 days.

5:37

And uh while that sounds like it's moving things quickly forward, the fact is that the approval is only one part of a long-term process.

5:45

Me now we have thousands of people out without housing that need much faster response.

5:51

So I'm hoping that this committee will be looking at uh alternatives to traditional housing, to things that can be done faster, um, provide housing under the emergency situations that we are seeing uh with storms this winter.

6:06

Uh there was a visit last week, uh, the special world cartier from the United Nations on housing, and he was frankly appalled at the conditions he saw at the safe camp sites.

6:17

So the city needs to do better.

6:19

Uh we're we're not meeting the mark on any standards on this housing situation.

6:23

Thank you.

6:24

Thank you.

6:24

Our next speaker is phone number ending in 3837.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Eviction Prevention███████████████████████████27%
Procedural████████████12%
Affordable Housing███████████11%
Cannabis Regulation██████████10%
Homelessness█████████9%
Public Safety██████6%
Public Comment██████6%
Land Use and Planning████4%
Climate Change███3%
Summary of Proceedings

San Diego Land Use and Housing Committee Meeting - February 1, 2024

The Land Use and Housing Committee of the San Diego City Council met on Thursday, February 1, 2024. The agenda included the approval of past minutes, a returned homeless services item, a contract amendment, a lease extension, the adoption of the 2024 work plan, and an informational report on residential evictions. The committee heard extensive public testimony on a potential rodeo ban, the city's cannabis social equity program, and eviction data.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of January 11, 2024 Actions: Approved 4-0 after virtual public comment.
  • Item 1 (CNS Engineers): Fourth amendment to agreement for Airport Master Plan Studies at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive and Brown Field airports. Approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

Non-Agenda Public Comment

  • Ramon Jara, Sophia Ruiz (Kumai Nation), and Jed Pugsley (San Diego Rodeo Alliance) spoke against a potential rodeo ban, framing it as a cultural tradition and asking for an open dialogue.
  • Armand King opposed the mayor's cannabis social equity program, stating it solely benefited industry influencers rather than communities impacted by the war on drugs.
  • Shelby Huffaker, a public health researcher, expressed support for the cannabis social equity program as originally proposed by the Development Services Department.
  • Clint Daniels warned the committee that the city's Historic Resources Board bypassed council authority in nominating the Talmadge neighborhood to the National Register, claiming the move could remove $100 million from the tax roll over time.
  • Becky Rapp and Megan Stewart urged tighter restrictions on marijuana advertising and permitting to protect youth.
  • Lori Saldania encouraged the creation of recuperative care facilities and raised concerns about stormwater infrastructure failures.
  • Joy Signata called for a focus on simpler, cheaper housing options like SROs.

Item 3 (Chesapeake Drive Lease)

  • Lori Saldania questioned the absence of solar panel requirements in city leases, commenting on the climate and utility cost impacts.

Item 4 (2024 Work Plan)

  • Clint Daniels urged a critical review of the Mills Act program, citing specific properties in La Jolla and Hillcrest that removed significant revenue from the tax roll.
  • Lori Feiler (Building Industry Association) recommended historic review reforms, expansion of self-certification, and fee deferrals to lower housing costs.
  • Lori Saldania noted the absence of the Climate Action Plan and short-term vacation rental impacts from the work plan priorities.
  • Saad Asad supported modernizing the municipal code and promoting modular housing.

Item 5 (Eviction Analysis)

  • Melanie Woods (California Apartment Association) cautioned against generalizing survey findings, disputing the claim that 50% of surveyed renters reported landlord harassment, and noted the exclusion of industry stakeholders from discussions.
  • Multiple housing providers and advocates, including the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, the San Diego LGBT Community Center, and ElderHelp, strongly supported the study and its recommendations for increased upstream funding.

Discussion Items

  • Item 2 (Returned to Staff): Chair Lee announced the item was returned to staff so that Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department personnel could focus on protecting vulnerable populations during ongoing storms.
  • Item 3 (Fourth Amendment to Lease, 9370 Chesapeake Drive): The Department of Real Estate presented a six-year lease extension for the Stormwater Department, adding 4,700 square feet (totaling 25,550 sq ft) with a first-year cost of $634,000 and a total expenditure not to exceed $4.7 million. The motion passed unanimously.
  • Item 4 (2024 Land Use and Housing Committee Work Plan): Chief of Policy Angely Hoyos presented the annual work plan, developed from member memos and a public survey, outlining five goals and six priority themes focused on affordable housing, homelessness, and process efficiency. Councilmember Whitburn highlighted recent affordable housing projects and the need for streamlining. Vice Chair LaCava stressed the importance of addressing the core funding gap for affordable housing rather than over-relying on legislation. The committee voted unanimously to adopt the work plan.
  • Item 5 (Analysis of Residential Evictions): The San Diego Housing Commission and HRNA Advisors presented a study finding approximately 3,700 unlawful detainer cases annually pre-pandemic. Evictions are concentrated in central and southeastern San Diego, disproportionately impacting Black and Hispanic renters in areas facing the highest rent increases. Recommendations included implementing a tenant termination notice registry and increasing upstream prevention funding. The report was received as information.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of consent calendar (4-0).
  • Item 2 returned to staff.
  • Items 1 (CNS Engineers) and 3 (Chesapeake Drive Lease) passed unanimously.
  • Item 4 (2024 Work Plan) adopted unanimously.
  • Item 5 (Eviction Study) received as information; no vote required.
  • The next regularly scheduled committee meeting will be held on March 21, 2024, at 1:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. Uh, welcome to the land use and housing committee meeting of February 1st, 2024. Our committee liaison Natalie Kessler will go over instructions for today's meeting. Thank you, Chair. While 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 must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the virtual queue closes. The queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes speaking or a five minutes after in-person testimony ends, 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. We appreciate the public's cooperation. I'll now call the land use and housing committee meeting of Thursday, February 1st, 2024 to order. Natalie, please call the roll. Vice Chair Lacava. Present. Councilmember Whitburn. Sure. Councilmember Moreno. And Chair, Councilmember Lee. Here. Also attending the meeting today, we have Chris Ackermann Avila from the Mayor's Office. Karin Newfer from the City Attorney's Office, Rashon Chen with the independent budget analysts' office, as well as Natalie Kessler, our committee liaison. Natalie, if you will please continue with public comment instructions. If you're in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it on top of the box indicated at the speaker's lecture and at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. In-person testimony will conclude before virtual testimony begins. Members of the public can also 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 2545252. The webinar ID is 161-286-5933 pound. This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. And if you wish to speak on a particular item, please wait for that item to be called and then raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon. Or if you're a call-in participant, please press star nine on your cell phone or landline. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. Chair. Thank you, Natalie, for reviewing those instructions for the benefit of the public. A quorum is now present. We will now dispense with the approval of the committee actions of January 11th, 2024. Natalie, please proceed. The public comment period for the committee actions is now open. And if you're watching on City TV or the live stream online and would like to call into the meeting to split speak, please call 1669-2545252 when prompted input webinar ID 161-268-5933 pound. And Chair, we have not received any speaker slips from those in chambers, so we will move to the virtual queue. Again, these are on the past committee actions. So we need to be mindful of that. If you're gonna push certain things, you can't just be like having an airport that's polluting and not do anything about it and do business with it. Thank you. This does conclude your time. And our next speaker is Laura Saldania. Please provide your comments. You'll have one minute. Yes, good afternoon. Thank you. And I I wanted to comment on last month's uh on the agenda regarding the comments of Todd Gloria's uh policy lead on housing.

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