Rules Committee Meeting of February 19, 2025: Native Flower and Work Plan
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Rules Committee Meeting – February 19, 2025
The Rules Committee, chaired by Councilmember Joe Lacava (District 1), met on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. The meeting included non-agenda public comments, approval of prior consent calendar minutes, and informational presentations on selecting an official native flower for San Diego and the 2025 council work plan. No votes were taken on the informational items; the consent agenda was approved unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of January 29, 2025 minutes: Moved by Chair Lacava, seconded by Councilmember Campillo, with an amendment to correct the spelling of the Chair’s last name. Passed 4-0 (Councilmember Ilo Rivera absent).
Public Comments & Testimony
Non-Agenda Public Comments (2 minutes per speaker):
- Cesar Javier: Raised concerns about air and water pollution from industrial operations near residential zones, alleging lack of enforcement by the Air Pollution Control District and criticizing absenteeism by city officials at that body. Called for stronger environmental oversight.
- Blair Beekman: Discussed tech placement accountability, referencing the Hillcrest LGBTQ festival incident, and urged development of best practices for emergency tech placement and public oversight.
- Lori Saldania: Criticized the administration for lack of transparency in Energy Cooperation Agreement negotiations, stating that public discussions promised by the Mayor’s staff never occurred at the Climate Advisory Board. Requested improved Brown Act compliance.
- Joyce Sunita (District 3): Called for the city to lead on ethical AI governance, referencing the Paris AI Summit and need for bold strategy.
- Terry Ann Skelly (District 1): Urged enforcement of rules against illegal sales of flavored inhaled marijuana products, citing state law (AB 1207) and need for annual code checks.
- Unnamed speaker: Criticized the city for obstructing ICE and urged cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
- Megan Stewart: Stressed enforcement of marijuana industry regulations, including penalties for illegal products and marketing to youth.
- Madison (virtual call-in): Praised virtual participation options, allowing parents to engage, and urged a smoke-free/vape-free multi-unit housing policy to protect children’s health.
Public Comments on Item 2 (Native Flower):
- Cesar Javier: Emphasized the importance of environmental quality and asked city to implement CEQA guidelines.
- Blair Beekman: Supported the proposal, suggested considering medicinal/ceremonial uses by local tribes.
- Lori Saldania: Proposed native milkweed for monarch butterfly support, and urged education on native plants; noted non-native eucalyptus in council chambers pose safety risks.
- Joyce Sunita (District 3): Expressed enthusiasm for the process, noted difficulty applying criteria to her personal favorite flower.
- The Original DRA (virtual): Criticized prioritizing flower selection over pressing issues like homelessness, questioned public awareness of voting process.
Public Comments on Item 3 (2025 Work Plan):
- Cesar Javier: Requested progress metrics from previous work plans, called for city CEQA implementation guidelines.
- Blair Beekman: Emphasized public access and transparency, referencing tech accountability principles.
- Lori Saldania: Urged stronger Brown Act compliance, opposition to weakening CEQA, and pushed back against federal environmental rollbacks.
- Joyce Sunita (District 3): Suggested adding items on digital inclusion for underserved communities, praised the meeting’s lighter moments.
- The Original DRA (virtual): Criticized short speaking times and lack of progress on homelessness, questioned effectiveness of city spending.
- Kelly McCormick (public health educator): Highlighted societal costs of marijuana industry, including youth use disorder, mental health crises, and child poisonings; called for stronger regulation.
Discussion Items
Item 2 – Informational Presentation: Selecting an Official Native Flower
- Presented by Andrew Meyer (Conservation Director), Savannah Stallings, and Haley Matthews of the San Diego Bird Alliance.
- Proposal: Replace the current city flower (carnation, selected in 1964) with a native species to highlight biodiversity, support wildlife, and align with climate goals.
- Stakeholder process: 18 organizations (including Kumeyaay representatives, botanists, master gardeners) developed criteria: native to San Diego County, drought-tolerant, culturally significant (Kumeyaay name), non-endangered, beautiful, and commercially available.
- Public voting: A March Madness–style bracket will narrow candidate species; voting will occur via website and public libraries during March, with results brought to City Council for final approval.
- Chair Lacava and Councilmembers Moreno and Campillo expressed strong support, with Moreno requesting social media engagement for District 8.
Item 3 – Informational Presentation: 2025 Council Work Plan
- Presented by Brian Elliott, Policy Director for Council President Lacava.
- Six goals: responsible budget, improved infrastructure/mobility, more homes, reduced homelessness, enhanced neighborhood services, good governance.
- Committee work plans (six of eight finalized) will feed into the council plan; missing work plans from two committees expected soon.
- Highlighted sub-priorities: audit committee (good governance), budget committee (contract oversight and EEO), economic development (small business), environment (CAP integration), land use (housing preservation), public safety (wildfire, fentanyl, gun violence), and rules (open government, board/commission review).
- No action taken; feedback encouraged before council presentation in March.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved (4-0) with amendment to correct Chair’s name spelling.
- Native Flower Selection: Informational; next steps include public voting in March and a future action item for Council.
- 2025 Work Plan: Informational; final plan to be presented to City Council in March 2025, incorporating committee and public input.
Meeting adjourned at approximately 10:35 a.m. Next meeting: Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good morning. Welcome to the rules committee meeting of February 19th, 2025. I'm Joel Ocalva, Councilmember for District One and Chair of the Committee. Our committee's liaison, Sarah Jordan will go over instructions for today's meeting. Sarah? Thank you, Chair Lakava. Well, members of the public are able to attend the meeting in person. This meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the council administration will continue to make arrangements for the public to continue using the Zoom webinar platform. Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the virtual queue closes. This queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes speaking, or five minutes after in-person testimony ends, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and will ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. We appreciate the public's cooperation. Chair. Thank you, Sarah. I'll now call the rules committee meeting of Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 to order and call the role. Vice Chair, Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee. Here. Councilmember Campillo? Here. Council Member Moreno. Present. And Councilmember Ilo Rivera is going to be absent this morning. I'm present. And uh Council President Pro Tem uh Lee, can you provide your virtual declaration? Uh thank you, Council President. I'm uh notifying the rules committee that I will be attending the meeting today remotely due to just cause related to child care for a sick child. Uh pursuant to the Brown Act. I am disclosing that there are no individuals 18 years of age or older present in the room with me, and we'll update this disclosure if it changes during the course of the meeting. Thank you. All right, thank you, sir. Also attending the meeting today, Amy Lee with the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst, Lead Deputy City Attorney Kathy Steiman, Matt Yayagin with the Office of Mayor Tagloria, Abby Reuter, or committee consultant. Sarah, please continue with public comment instructions. Thank you, Chair. If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of the committee room and place it on top of the box indicated at the table at 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 also 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. If you need to participate by telephone, you may dial 1669-2545252, inputting webinar ID 161-232-7007 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 then raise your hand by tapping the raise your hand icon, or if you are a calling participant by pressing star 9 on your cell phone or landline. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. Chair. All right. Thank you, Sarah, for reviewing those instructions for the benefit of the public. Again, a quorum is present. We will now take up non-agenda public comment. The council members respect and appreciate the public's input and are fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech rights at council and committee meetings. Thank you, Chair.
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