Special Public Safety Committee Meeting, December 12, 2025
Special Public Safety Committee Meeting, December 12, 2025
The San Diego Public Safety Committee convened on December 12, 2025, to address routine approvals, honor outstanding first responders, and deliberate on critical departmental changes. Due to the Chair's illness, Vice Chair Councilman Campillo presided, with Councilmembers Campbell and Whitburn present and voting. The meeting proceeded with unanimous approval of the consent agenda and the Information Item honoring the 2025 Public Safety First Responders of the Year, followed by two discussion items regarding police department restructuring and fire rescue surveillance policies.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes: Unanimous approval of the November 12, 2025 committee minutes.
- Code Adoption: Unanimous adoption of the 2025 California Fire Code, 2025 Wild Urban Interface Code, and associated municipal code amendments.
- Contract Extension: Unanimous first amendment to extend the contract with Lexapool LLC.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Blair Beekman (Consent Item): Expressed strong concern regarding the Lexapool/Lexus Nexus contract, stating that the organization is uncomfortable to work with and demanding principled ideals in data collection. Argued that the committee should begin immediate conversations about reducing reliance on the Flock surveillance system, rather than delaying until February.
- Connor Robbins (Item 6): Expressed full pride in representing the City's lifeguards and offered congratulations to honorees Pat McVan and Austin Mathis.
- Blair Beekman (Item 6 & Non-Agenda): Expressed appreciation for recognizing first responders but raised concerns regarding the Joint Operations Center; requested regular, open conversations about data collection at the federal level and advocated for the creation of clear, understandable language regarding data collection at the local level.
- Catherine Douglas (Item 4): Expressed full support for Chief Wall's reorganization proposal and the Independent Budget Analyst's comments.
- Catherine Douglas (Non-Agenda): Expressed gratitude to the committee for their support of automated license plate readers (ALPR), citing their role in the successful investigation of a homicide in Linda Vista.
- Blair Beekman (Non-Agenda): Clarified understanding that UASI funds camera use rather than controlling it, and reiterated the need for the police department to establish a clear, local language for data collection that takes precedence over state-level frameworks.
Discussion Items
- Police Department Reorganization (Item 4): Chief Scott Wall presented a proposal to exempt a Police Commander and Deputy Director position from the classified service to strengthen the Special Operations Branch (SWAT, canine, air support) and balance the Finance Department's chain of command. The Independent Budget Analyst emphasized the operational need for these unbudgeted positions, noting potential service level reductions in the upcoming fiscal year. Proposed changes include eliminating a Captain position and converting a Captain and Lieutenants to Police Officer II roles to manage a natural window of retirements in early 2026.
- Surveillance Report & Policy Modifications (Item 5): Lifeguard Chief James Garland presented the Annual Surveillance Report, noting that the UASI camera system has been non-operational for over five years with no data breaches. Proposed policy modifications clarify data access, removing CBP personnel and naval warfare specialists from viewing privileges. Data will be restricted to the Lifeguard Communication Center and the Joint Harbors Operations Center (Coast Guard), ensuring compliance with privacy directives before the system goes online.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Passed unanimously with all members present.
- Item 6 (First Responders of the Year): Informational item concluded; no vote required. Awardees recognized: Lieutenant Terrence O., Sergeant David Wong (Police), Special Operations Captain Eric Falk (Fire), Lifeguards Austin Mathis and Patrick McVan, and Dispatcher Bethany Otter.
- Item 4 (Police Exemptions): Approved by a unanimous roll call vote of 3-0 (Campillo, Whitburn, Campbell). The two positions are now exempted from classified service.
- Item 5 (Surveillance Policy): Approved by a unanimous roll call vote of 3-0 (Campillo, Whitburn, Campbell). Modifications to the UASI use policy were adopted, and the committee directed the Finance Department to ensure proper funding for the upcoming fiscal year.
- Adjournment: Meeting adjourned to January 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Check one two three, one two three. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the special public safety committee meeting of December twelfth, twenty twenty-five. Um, I am the chair of this committee and very proud to hear it, but it is my allergy season, and I'm losing my voice. And so I have asked my kind friend and colleague, the vice chair of the committee, Council Rao Campillo to read the script and share the meeting today, but I'm excited to be here, and we're gonna have a great meeting. Thank you. Thank you, Chair. I hereby assigned Council Member Whitburn to do the job now. Just kidding. I like I appreciate uh the trust. Our committee liaison Sarah Jordan will provide information and instruction for the public to participate in today's meeting. Sarah, let's please proceed. 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. Vice Chair. We will now call the special public safety committee meeting of December 12th, 2025 to order. Sarah, please call the role. Vice Chair Campio. Here. Committee member Campbell. Here. Committee member Whitburn. Here. Chair Von Wilbert. Also attending the meeting today is Daniel Orloff from the Office of the City Attorney. Baku Patel from the Office of the IBA and Coda Seiser with 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 at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. Members of the public can 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. Inputting 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 is your turn to speak. If you wish to speak to 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 and participant by pressing star nine on your phone. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. Vice Chair. Thank you for reviewing the instructions for the benefit of the public. A quorum is now present as a note for the public. We will hear our agenda out of order today. We'll begin by taking our consent agenda items number one through three, followed by the information item number six, then discussion items four and five. Non-agenda public comment will be taken at the end of the meeting after the agenda items. Uh first, are there any committee member, mayor, city attorney, or independent budget analyst comments? Seeing none, do we have any requests for continuances? Seeing none, we'll now dispense with the approval of our consent agenda. Do we have any requests to pull from the consent agenda? Seeing none, we will now move forward with the public comment on the consent agenda. Sarah, please proceed. Thank you, Vice Chair. The public comment period for the consent agenda is now open. The consent agenda includes items number one through three.
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