Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee Meeting – February 8, 2017
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Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee Meeting – February 8, 2017
The Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee, chaired by Vice Chair Bree and Councilmember Ward, met on February 8, 2017, to address a range of public safety and livability issues. The agenda included non-agenda public comments, a consent agenda, a discussion on amending the municipal code for unmanned aircraft systems (drones), and a review of the committee's 2017 priorities and work plan.
Consent Calendar
- The committee unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included three items. Two speakers addressed consent agenda items: Martha Welch spoke about park maintenance concerns related to dogs and shared-use agreements with schools, and Tom Cleary, president of the Linda Vista Town Council, expressed community support for the item but noted the loss of $640,000 in redevelopment funds for a tot lot. The consent agenda was adopted by unanimous voice vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-Agenda Public Comments:
- Laura Rayball (Eastern Area Planning Committee) urged the committee to docket an amendment to the College Area Neighborhoods Ordinance to include eastern neighborhoods, noting that the amendment had been approved at every prior step.
- Barbara Gordon and Carol Green raised concerns about marijuana business signage violations, stating that permitted businesses are not following advertising rules and that enforcement is lacking.
- Martha Welch expressed concerns about public safety, noting that police stations are closed, 911 is a county function, and the city defers low-income housing commitments.
- Public Comments on Consent Agenda:
- Martha Welch opposed the park-sharing agreement, citing dog waste, lack of bags, and maintenance issues.
- Tom Cleary (Linda Vista Town Council) supported the item but highlighted the loss of redevelopment funds for a tot lot.
- Public Comments on Discussion Items:
- Matthew Thompson (District 3 resident) supported the drone ordinance with conditions, cautioning that the FAA's "Know Before You Fly" app may not be fully up-to-date and that the city should provide contact information for local airspace operators.
- Suzanne Morse urged the committee to prioritize addressing the backlog of 2,873 rape kits, citing that only 4% of sexual assault cases are referred for prosecution, which enables human trafficking.
- Martha Welch called for higher police salaries to improve retention and affordable housing for officers.
- Michael McConnell (business owner, downtown resident) pushed for prioritizing homelessness, criticizing the mayor's plan as inadequate and calling for a regional solution with housing-first approaches.
- Richard Melvin (veteran, homeless advocate) requested an end to the criminalization of homeless individuals and proposed making Qualcomm Park a safe place for homeless people.
- Diane Collins (currently homeless) shared her personal experience of being robbed and nearly assaulted, and asked for more strategic help for homeless individuals.
- Carol Green supported the committee's priorities but asked that unfinished parts of the commercialized marijuana regulations (edibles, labeling, butane hash oil safety, background checks) be revisited.
- Martha Sullivan (small business owner) called for using Qualcomm Stadium as an emergency shelter for homeless people, citing a 58% increase in unsheltered homelessness and 117 deaths.
- Stephanie Jennings (Women Occupy) urged the committee to fully implement Measure G (police oversight) with independent counsel, investigators, and subpoena power.
- Kathleen Ferrier (Circulate San Diego) requested that Vision Zero (traffic safety) be included in the committee's priorities.
Discussion Items
- Item 4: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones) Municipal Code Amendment
- Presentation: Tiffany Vincent and John Blanc (Office of Homeland Security) presented a proposed amendment to the municipal code to encourage safe drone operation by mirroring FAA rules. The amendment would allow local law enforcement to cite careless or reckless drone operations. The working group included multiple city departments, FAA, NASA, and other agencies. The policy is based on Los Angeles' model and does not restrict safe, legal drone use.
- Council Discussion: Councilmember Ward raised concerns about enforcement discretion, the definition of "careless or reckless," and the burden on local resources. Councilmember Bree asked about privacy concerns and noted that San Diego is a technology hub. Chair Kate requested an explicit amendment to include current and future FAA exemptions for commercial users. The motion to adopt the ordinance with that amendment was made by Councilmember Ward, seconded by Councilmember Bree, and passed unanimously.
- Item 5: Committee Priorities and Work Plan for 2017
- Chair Kate outlined a theme-based approach for meetings (fire, homelessness, police) and emphasized the committee's goal of being a policy-oriented body of action. Councilmember Ward highlighted the need to address homelessness, police-community relations (Measure G), and Vision Zero. Councilmember Bree stressed the importance of a national search for a new police chief and enforcement of Proposition 64 (recreational marijuana). The report was accepted by unanimous motion.
Key Outcomes
- Item 4: The committee voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt the drone ordinance, with the City Attorney's Office and Office of Homeland Security including a catch-all provision for current and future FAA exemptions for commercial users.
- Item 5: The committee unanimously accepted the report on the 2017 work plan and priorities, with a commitment to hold theme-based meetings and pursue actionable policies.
- Next Meeting: The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8, 2017, at 2:00 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everybody. Like to call the February 8th 2017 meeting of the Public Safety and Limboule Neighborhoods Committee to order. Let the record reflect we have a quorum consisting of Vice Chair Bree and Councilmember Ward. We also have with us City Attorney Ken So from the Independent Budget Analyst Office, Chris Olson and from the Mayor's Office, Jonathan Herrera. We're going to go into non-agenda public comments. And our first speaker will be Laura Rayball. And you have two minutes. Hello, I'm here from Eastern Area Planning Committee and all of the neighborhoods in the Eastern area. On November 14th, the City Council adopted the ordinance for the college area neighborhoods to put in regulations so that the single residential family homes couldn't be turned into mini dorms. And the uh background on that started a few years before, like many ordinances do. And the eastern area was supposed to be included in the boundaries, at least some of the neighborhoods that were very much impacted. Many of the neighborhoods and eastern area boundaries are considered college neighborhoods. And every step along the way, it was even at this committee, it was recommended that amendment to the ordinance be followed the ordinance to include our neighborhoods. And I believe the first page on the packet I gave you is from the November 14th minutes. And under staff recommendations, um sub item B, it says that um the there it is. Um was the ordinances to addition to include additional areas, specifically eastern area, to the appropriate city council committee for docketing. I think that's this committee because this is pretty much where we started. So can we please get the amendment to the college neighborhoods ordinance docketed so we can get get that in action and get it moving? Um every committee we went to of your committee, planning commission, even the city council all approved the amendment. We just need to get it formalized. So who do I talk to to get that done? You want to say anything more? You have some time left. I just can work with you on that who to best approach and talk to you about it, and then we can go from there. But we can't take any action today on the case. Oh, I know. I know. Just who can I contact about that? The committee consultant will rejust. Our next speaker is Barbara Gordon. Um, Barbara Gordon, thank you for letting me speak um today. Um I'm here today. I'm concerned about the marijuana, the permitted marijuana businesses that seem to continue to have sign um violations. You've got marijuana green crosses, you've got big graphics that are on the side of a wall, you've got marijuana leaves that are on their signage. Um, you know, whatever happened to businesses following following um the rules when they were asking for a permit, they were all about regulations, about doing the right thing. Yes, we're gonna follow the rules, and they're not. So again, I am concerned because now that as we roll into the recreational use of these um stores of selling marijuana, I think it's going to get worse. And so I had asked that again if somebody would with the files the complaints have been filed with um code and nothing still has happened. So just expressing my concern thank you very much. The next speaker is Carol Green. A strange coincidence that I would follow Barbara because I have a similar concern. I have with me some um pictures of the signage for the commercialized marijuana um facilities that we have in San Diego. And um what I'm concerned about is as we move forward. Um I don't I understand that the law is the law, but as a parent of three and as a person that works with young people often, I'm concerned about the commercialization and the message that we're sending. And um I would like to just share with um this committee these pictures of um huge billboard signs um advertising uh marijuana commercialized facilities. Um so I don't know who to give that to. Thanks. And um, so I just um not to reiterate um what's already been said, but we do um we did go through a painstaking process to have regulations for these um commercialized facilities, and um uh everyone was in agreement that that they should be um not um overly advertised, and we want to keep things um simple and not direct to our kids, and then when it comes down to it, um kind of anything goes. So thank you very much for your consideration. Thank you very much.
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