San Diego City Council Rules Committee Meeting - October 9, 2020
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San Diego City Council Rules Committee Meeting - October 9, 2020
The San Diego City Council Rules Committee met virtually on October 9, 2020, with all members present. The committee approved changes to council policy on conflict of interest waivers and to the Ethics Commission audit manual, and received an informational update from the Performance and Analytics Department. All votes were unanimous.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-agenda public comment: No callers spoke.
- Item 1 – Conflict of interest waivers: Joey Sonata spoke in favor of the proposed changes, praising increased transparency but noting a need for continued collaboration on the details.
- Item 2 – Ethics Commission audit manual: No public speakers.
- Item 3 – Performance and Analytics update: Joyce (last name not given) expressed concern that "city vehicle accidents" were the second-highest category in the ClaimStat dashboard, suggested a mobile app for homeless residents to provide feedback, and congratulated the department on its Prism Eagle Award and Bloomberg What Works Cities recognition.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 – Proposed amendment to Council Policy 00-34 (Conflict of Interest Waivers): Council President Gomez introduced the amendment, which would remove the delegation of authority for conflict of interest waivers and instead require all waivers under the City Council's purview to be brought before the full council for approval, likely as consent items. Ruth Martin, rules committee consultant, explained that the 2017 policy delegated authority to the city attorney's office and that this change aims to increase accountability and public transparency. Deputy City Attorney Ken Stowe presented additional clarifying language to guide waiver decisions, emphasizing flexibility and consideration of risks such as disclosure of confidential information and the need for screening measures in law firms. The committee discussed the possibility of noticing informational items when waivers fall under the mayor's purview; Senior Deputy City Attorney (name) said this could be explored. Council President Pro Tem asked this question. Public comment was limited to one supportive speaker. The motion to approve the amendments and work with the city attorney's office to prepare materials for full council consideration passed unanimously.
- Item 2 – Amendments to the Ethics Commission Audit Manual: Stacy Fulhorst of the Ethics Commission presented proposed changes to the audit manual, last updated in 2007. The amendments adjust audit selection thresholds to account for inflation and increased contribution limits. Under the new structure, committees raising over $100,000 would be audited at a 100% rate, committees raising $50,000–$99,999 at 75%, and committees raising $15,000–$49,999 at 25% (the previous threshold for the bottom tier was $10,000). The commission expects the number of audits to increase by approximately 3–5 per election cycle, with no additional staffing needed because larger committees tend to have professional treasurers and are less labor-intensive. Minor housekeeping updates to legal references were included. The motion to approve passed unanimously.
- Item 3 – Performance and Analytics Department Update: Kirby Brady, director of the Performance and Analytics Department, along with team members Alex Hempton, Andrew, and John, presented an informational update. Highlights included upcoming updates to the Get It Done mobile app (Spanish language support, AI-assisted category selection, improved map functions, and a confirmation page), the COVID-19 emergency needs portal that received over half a million dollars in fair market value donations since April, and the data analytics lifecycle. Examples of data-driven improvements included the Environmental Services Department reducing its container delivery backlog by roughly half in about three months after monitoring dashboard metrics, and the illegal dumping mobile worker app yielding 9.4% higher volume, a 9.4% reduction in closure time, and a 10.6% increase in customer satisfaction. The department also received the statewide Prism Eagle Award for its ClaimStat tool and Bloomberg What Works Cities recognition for three consecutive years. Upcoming initiatives include a COVID-19 sentiment survey using the newly procured Medallia platform (funded by CARES), a pay equity study expected by December 2020, migration of Parks and Recreation onto Get It Done, and a customer service 2.0 plan. Councilmembers offered suggestions, including a near-miss reporting widget from Councilmember Ward and improved "closed referred" status communication raised by Councilmember Montgomery Steppe and the Council President. No vote was taken; the item was for information only.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the amendments to Council Policy 00-34 on conflict of interest waivers, unanimously (5–0).
- Approved the amendments to the Ethics Commission Audit Manual, unanimously (5–0).
- Received the informational update from the Performance and Analytics Department; no action taken.
- The next Rules Committee meeting was scheduled for October 21, 2020, at 2 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
I know she's here. Councilmember I'm here. Council Reward. Councilmember Montgomery. Councilmember Kirsey. And Councilmember President Gomez. Each council member is attending virtually via Zoom. Also on the Zoom call is Jeff Kollar from the Independent Budget Analyst Office. We have Zio Crespo from the mayor's office and Priscilla Dagar from the City Attorney's Office. And entering code ID eight seven seven eight six one pound to be placed in the queue for public comment. You should do this when the item you wish to speak is introduced. Please do not call prior to that time. Please wait until the item you wish to speak on is called. Nothing has changed for the public on how to call in when the public um when to call in or what number to call into. Instructions for call in will be posted as the item is called. Also please mute the volume on your TV or computer before you begin to speak. If you call in during a non-comment period, your call will not be taken. Please monitor the meeting and ensure you're calling at the appropriate time. The public may view the meetings on public television on City TV, channel uh 24 for Cox Communication and Time Warner Cable, or channel ninety-nine for ATT, or view the meeting online by going to the City Clerk's homepage at Sandiego.gov and selecting the City Council live broadcast webcast blue button on the right-hand side of the page. Thank you, Ruth. A quorum is now present. We will now start with the approval of the committee records of action from July twenty-second, twenty twenty. Is there a motion to approve the regret of action? I'll go ahead and I'll second the motion. Thank you. I appreciate it. I'll go ahead and make the motion second by Council President Brookemree. Appreciate that. Um all those in favor, uh please register your vote. Council President Port Embry. I vote yes. Councilmember Ward. Yes. Councilmember Montgomery step. Uh yes. Councilmember Kirsty. Yes. And I am also a yes. Ruth, please call the roll. And that passes unanimously. Thank you. We will now take up a non-agenda public comment. Ruth, please proceed. Per temporary rule two point six, non-agenda public comment is an opportunity for members of the public to comment on items that are not on the agenda. Each speaker will have two minutes. The public comment period for non-agenda public comment is now open. Please call 619-541-62310. Conference ID eight seven seven eight six one pound to be placed in the queue. I will take any callers currently on the line now. Um and we'll keep the line open for three minutes to allow members of the public to phone in.
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