Public Safety Committee Meeting Summary - May 14, 2025
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San Diego Public Safety Committee Meeting - May 14, 2025
The Public Safety Committee of the San Diego City Council met on May 14, 2025, at 2:00 PM. The meeting included a consent agenda, information updates on the Family Justice Center and sexual assault evidence kit testing, a discussion item on ambulance billing contract extension, an aquatic safety presentation, and non-agenda public comment. All votes were unanimous.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approval of committee minutes from April 23, 2025.
- Item 2: Ordinance to authorize a contract extension between the City of San Diego and Bryce or LLC for a cloud-based false alarm tracking system for the Fire-Rescue Department.
- Public comment included support for the minutes (with mention of sexual assault kit progress) and support for the fire cloud service. The consent agenda passed unanimously (4-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Several members of the public commented on the Family Justice Center and sexual assault kits, sharing personal survivor stories and urging continued progress. Concerns were raised about the historical backlog of rape kits and the need for CODIS hits and prosecutions. Some speakers criticized the city's past neglect and called for more transparency. On the ambulance billing contract, one speaker questioned the efficiency of the alliance model and requested updates on financial assistance for patients. Non-agenda public comment covered marijuana retail hours, the 4 AM bar bill (AB 342), Tent City conditions, and lifeguard wellness programs.
Discussion Items
- Item 6: Annual Update on Your Safe Place / San Diego Family Justice Center – Presented by City Attorney Heather Ferber and Executive Director Diane Doherty. The center provides comprehensive services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking. In 2024, they served over 7,800 individuals, handled 16,000 phone calls, provided 13,000 services (including forensic medical exams), and assisted with 1,600 housing services. Casa Mariposa emergency shelter housed 177 families (2,450 clients and children) in 60-day stays. A new 24/7 sexual assault response launched last month, already completing 10 after-hours exams. The center also offers teen dating violence education and a victim portal to track evidence kits. Councilmembers praised the work and noted the need for continued funding.
- Item 7: Update on Sexual Assault Evidence Kits – Presented by Captain Burnt Williams and supervisors from SDPD Crime Lab. In response to SB22, the department cleared a backlog of 1,800 kits by outsourcing to vendor Bodie (completed October 2024). Now testing in-house, they have processed 129 kits (as of April 2025) with an average turnaround of 45 days. Of 2,600 total kits tested, 547 CODIS hits were obtained. Staffing increased from 13 to 26 (19 criminalists, 7 lab techs), and lab workspace expanded from 6 to 14 workstations. A victim portal allows survivors to track their kit's status. Councilmembers emphasized the importance of sustaining progress and noted that prosecution data comes from the District Attorney's office.
- Item 3: Contract Extension with Whitman Enterprises LLC – Presented by Deputy Fire Chief Becky Newell. The contract for emergency ambulance transport billing and collection services, originally piggybacked on Chula Vista's contract, is extended for one year to allow a competitive RFP. The city collected over $124 million in a recent 12-month period; projected FY26 revenue is $131.8 million. Whitman charges 3.25% of collected revenue (estimated $4.3 million for FY26). The not-to-exceed amount is increased by $4.8 million to $12.9 million for the contract's life. Councilmembers noted the need for a timely RFP and requested a future info item on the alliance model. Motion passed unanimously (4-0).
- Item 5: Aquatic Public Safety and Drowning Prevention – Presented by Lifeguard Chief James Gartland. In 2024, lifeguards performed 7,385 water rescues, 54 cliff rescues, and 417,000 preventative acts. Estimated beach attendance was 30.7 million. The division's budget is $33.5 million, with cost per visitor about $1.10. The Junior Lifeguard program trains 1,200–1,500 youth annually, with scholarships from the Prevent Drowning Foundation. Grants have funded new fire boats and equipment. The night crew now has 8 personnel for 24/7 response. Councilmembers praised the efficiency and discussed the need for upgraded lifeguard stations. No action required (information item).
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda passed unanimously (4-0).
- Item 3 (ambulance billing contract) passed unanimously (4-0), authorizing a one-year extension and increased not-to-exceed amount.
- Item 4 was continued to the June meeting.
- Committee members expressed support for continued funding and grant-seeking for the Family Justice Center and sexual assault kit testing.
- A future info item on the ambulance alliance model was requested.
- Non-agenda public comment included opposition to AB 342 (4 AM bar bill) and marijuana retail hour extensions, as well as concerns about Tent City conditions and lifeguard wellness programs.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the public safety committee meeting of May 14th, twenty twenty-five. Our committee lays on Sarah Jordan will provide information and instructions to the public on how to participate in today's meeting. Sarah, please proceed. Members of the public who wish to provide testimony via 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. We appreciate the public's cooperation. Chair. Thank you very much. I will now call the public safety committee of May 14, 25 to 2025 to order. Sarah, please call the role. Vice Chair Campio. Here. Committee member Campbell. Committee member Whitburn. Sure. Chair Von Wilpert. Present. Also attending the meeting today is Laura Euston from the office of the city attorney. Pakupatel from the office of the IBA and Coda Zeiser from the office of the mayor. If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it in the box indicated at the table of 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 join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link which is on the online agenda on the city's webpage to join the Zoom webinar by telephone. Please dial 1669-2545252. And when prompted, input webinar ID 161-217-1797 pound. This information is also available on the agenda and it will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Please note that if you're watching via City TV 24 or online, there may be delay. Please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV or computer when it's your turn to speak. If you wish to speak on a particular item, 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 by pressing star nine on your phone. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. Chair. Thank you very much for reviewing the instructions for the public to participate. A quorum is now present. And I'd like to go over um the order today. We're going to take or items out of order so we can accommodate various schedules. Um, first um I'm item four is going to be returned to staff. It's going to be continued for one month and will be heard on our next public safety agenda um next month. And we are going to be hearing um consent for items one and two. Then we'll go to our information agenda. Um items six and seven, followed Ben by discussion item three, and wrap up with agenda item five. So it's item one and two, then to item six and seven. Item three, item four is continue to next month and wrap up with agenda item five. I'm also going to be moving non-agenda public comment to the end of the meeting today so that we can accommodate our city attorney schedule. Um, and we will hear that at the end of the meeting. So we will start with um any mayor, city attorney, or IBA comments. Hearing none, and any requests for continuance. Hearing none, um, we will begin with our consent agenda. Items one and two. Um, do I have any requests to pull an item from consent? Nope. Okay.
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