San Diego Public Safety Committee Meeting on Fire Preparedness and Priorities - January 22, 2025
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San Diego Public Safety Committee Meeting Summary - January 22, 2025
The San Diego Public Safety Committee met on January 22, 2025, to discuss public safety priorities for the year, hear updates on wildfire preparedness, and consider a contract extension. Chair von Wilpert led the meeting, with Vice Chair Campillo, Committee Members Campbell and Whitburn present. City Attorney Laura Easton, IBA representative Boko Patel, and Mayor's office representative Coda Zeiser were also in attendance. The meeting began with a moment of gratitude for first responders who had been battling multiple fires in San Diego over the previous three days, including a fire in Rancho Bernardo that morning.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Committee Minutes (November 20, 2024): Approved unanimously by voice vote. A public commenter, Lori Saldania, expressed confusion about the minutes' content, stating that an item on voting safety appeared to be copied and pasted without relevant detail.
Public Comments & Testimony
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Non-Agenda Public Comments:
- Francine Maxwell (Southeastern San Diego resident) thanked first responders and requested a public hearing on the Community Police Partnership (CPP), citing trust issues and concerns about appointments and staffing.
- Lori Saldania (Claremont resident) highlighted two recent pedestrian deaths near Genesee Avenue and urged traffic calming measures as density increases.
- Terry Ann Skelly (parent) applauded the enforcement of flavored tobacco bans but noted a smoke shop near a high school continues to sell prohibited products, calling for easier complaint processes and stronger enforcement.
- Becky Rapp (parent and planning group member) described a tobacco retailer selling flavored products and psychoactive CBD, urging robust enforcement and zero tolerance policies.
- Catherine Douglas called for a state of emergency during Santa Ana winds and the removal of homeless encampments, citing fire risks.
- Madison (speaker) urged policies to prevent cigarette-sparked wildfires, including education and stricter penalties.
- Peggy Walker, Kathleen Lippett, and Megan Stewart advocated for stronger regulation of marijuana products, citing health and safety risks, including high-potency THC and youth targeting.
- GW (resident of Mariposa/Mission Pacific) requested brush clearing on conservation land and raised concerns about blasting buffer zones near the rock quarry.
- Neil Fisher (resident of Bernardo Chopin, property owner in Carmel Mountain) called for more aggressive brush management on undeveloped lands, citing the Ted Williams fire his area.
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Item 3 - Fire Preparedness:
- Public commenters expressed support for fire prevention and shared personal experiences. Moshe Kraftow presented a silvicultural management plan to reduce fire risk by configuring dead fuels. Lori Saldania supported Kraftow's work and suggested additional apps and indoor evacuation facilities. Bob Ilko urged city council to enact AB 3074 (home ignition zone standards). Judy String requested an update on city reservoirs. Others, including Don Lockhead, described unclosed brush complaints and advocated for increased staffing and a public dashboard on fire prevention progress.
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Item 4 - 2025 Priorities:
- In-person commenter Lori Saldania encouraged prioritizing traffic calming near schools and considering fire prevention measures like home hardening.
- Virtual commenter Joyce (District 3) praised the priorities, highlighting hate crime prevention, EMS updates, and the nurse navigation program savings.
Discussion Items
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Item 3: Informational Update on Fire Preparedness and Mitigation (Presented First):
- Assistant Chief Dan Eddy reported that the city has 52 fire stations fully staffed, with 994 firefighters and 35 recruits in the 100th Academy. He noted that the city has received only 0.16 inches of rain so far this season, compared to an expected 4 inches, and warned of a year-round fire season. The department upstaffed with three strike teams and two water tenders during the Santa Ana winds. Chief Eddy emphasized the importance of aerial resources and regional collaboration. He urged the public to use the Genasys app for evacuation zones and to evacuate when asked.
- Deputy Chief Fire Marshal Tony Tosco described prevention efforts, including a new one-stop wildfire preparedness website, defensible space compliance (100 feet from structures), a proactive program for 46,000 acres in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, and grant-funded projects (San Diego River Conservancy, Greater Fire Safe Council). He requested additional staffing: an Information Systems Analyst, a Program Manager, a Wildfire Prevention Specialist Supervisor, and two additional staff to support community outreach.
- Key questions and discussion:
- Vice Chair Campillo asked about how normal rain would reduce fire risk; Chief Eddy explained that vegetation would be less flammable at 8-15% fuel density.
- Campillo asked about fire hydrant readiness; Chief Eddy explained regular testing and cross-departmental collaboration with PUD for known issues.
- Campillo asked about state partner coordination; Chief Tosco acknowledged challenges with Caltrans on preventative brush clearing and mentioned referral processes.
- Councilmember Campbell referenced the 2023 audit on brush management, noting coordination issues among departments; Chief Tosco stated they had reduced the city-owned land to be managed from 3,023 acres by half.
- Councilmember Whitburn emphasized the audit's recommendation for the fire department to monitor city-owned land compliance and asked about hiring; Chief Tosco said they could fill positions immediately with funding but faced budget constraints.
- Chair von Wilpert asked about preparedness improvements since 2003/2007; Chief Eddy cited enhanced regional collaboration, technology (FLIR images), and training.
- Chair von Wilpert also mentioned plans to expedite construction of new fire stations (48 and Otay Mesa) and thanked the committee's support for helicopter funding and pilot pay raises.
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Item 2: Ordinance to Authorize Contract Extension with Brycer LLC:
- Deputy Chief Fire Marshal Tony Tosco and Deputy City Attorney Dana Orloff presented. The contract for the cloud-based compliance engine (TCE) by Brycer LLC had an original term ending January 2, 2025, but due to an error in the effective date, the city sought a six-month extension to June 30, 2025, at no extra cost. The extension would allow time to potentially switch to the city's 3DI software. No public comments other than a brief question from a caller. The committee unanimously approved the ordinance (4-0).
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Item 4: Public Safety Committee Priorities for 2025:
- Chair von Wilpert noted alignment on issues like gun violence prevention, wildfire preparedness, fentanyl, and behavioral health. Memos from committee members were discussed:
- Councilmember Campbell prioritized supporting first responders, replacing the North Mission Beach and Ocean Beach lifeguard stations, and improving the county's SB 43 conservatorship implementation.
- Councilmember Whitburn highlighted emergency preparedness and wildfire prevention, specifically implementing the brush management audit's recommendationschers; also police recruitment and updates on neighborhood policing and the unsafe camping ordinance.
- Vice Chair Campillo highlighted technology like smart street lights and automated license plate readers, noting a 50% reduction in car thefts in Mid-City, and behavioral health collaboration with the county.
- Chair von Wilpert noted alignment on issues like gun violence prevention, wildfire preparedness, fentanyl, and behavioral health. Memos from committee members were discussed:
Key Outcomes
- Approved the minutes from November 20, 2024 (voice vote).
- Approved the ordinance to extend the contract with Brycer LLC through June 30, 2025 (4-0 vote).
- Directed the fire department to provide a follow-up update on progress in filling brush management staffing positions (accepted by the chair).
- Requested the fire department's presentation on wildfire preparedness be scheduled for a full City Council meeting.
- Agreed to compile a 2025 work plan for the committee based on member priorities.
Next regular meeting: Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 2 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Purchasing our first building right now. And so this is this idea that community can hold the land for perpetual affordability for whatever we want to use it for. And no decisions are made about the land that isn't communal. So it's true community stewardship. I think it just speaks volumes to who you are as a person about the work that you're doing in the community. People whose lives are gonna change through this land trust. It's amazing. I mean, what comes next? What do you hope the future holds for you and me? I want to be able to hand this work off and rest in honor of our mother, and maybe this could be where our family stops migrating, you know. Like we could build roots here and begin to just rely on each other. I grew up in San Jose, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. My mom's Mexicana and my dad's Filipino. We were lucky enough to grow up across the street from my abola, my mom's mom, and then my aunt. So I really had three moms growing up. All three of them are really strong Latino women. They taught me of like the value of service. My mom would give you the shirt off her back. And so I think that's what I take, especially now as a public librarian, is like I have this position where I can be of service to others. I grew up in a Mexican family, so I know that was really big on us that we were always there to help each other. And my mom's saying was always you don't deny a taco to anybody. So I don't know, maybe that's a culture thing. Yeah, I see, so that's why we get along so good. I see so. Okay. So Francesca, did you face any challenges growing up? Yeah, I would say like a lot of challenges. I'm a career trans person. I just remember from a really young age being really cognizant that I was different than others. But my mom would always make space for who I was in their whole movies. She would have like curlers in my hair, like those pink ones, and then like I had a neon purse, and so my mom was great. When I would come out at 18, she said, I love you for your, which was awesome. My dad took a little longer to like address, but now he's really cool and super accepting and super proud of me. You're so great, and you're wonderful. Your parents should absolutely be proud of you, and they should be proud of themselves. I remember in like elementary school in the middle school, just being super isolated, but then in like high school, I connected with other queer people. And so I thought I was free. I didn't have to hide my secret anymore. But I always had like body image issues. One of my best friends said, if you want to lose weight, you could do this, which was a controlled substance. So from 18 to 20, I did really battle with drug addiction. And I went to rehab at 20. And then I came back home and started drinking. And that just led to like a decade of, I mean, it was fun in the beginning, but today I'm an alcoholic. I'm proud to say though, since last week May 6. I celebrated 11 years of being sober. My life today is not perfect. I still struggle, but for the most part, I get to lead a really beautiful life today. And I get to have purpose. You are a role model, right?
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