Rules & Government Open Government Committee Meeting - April 1, 2026
Rules & Government Open Government Committee Meeting - April 1, 2026
The Rules and Government Open Government Committee met on April 1, 2026, at 2:00 PM to review council agendas, approve consent items, and discuss two action items: an emergency interim housing siting policy and the Al Fresco 2.0 program. All votes were unanimous (4-0) with members Candelas, Foley, Cohen present, and one absent.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the final review of the council meeting agenda for April 7, 2026, including consent items, establishment of the governing AI coalition, Willow Rock Long Duration Energy Storage Agreement, San Diego Community Power Resource Adequacy Trade, Story Road Business Improvement District, a loan commitment for VTA's Capital Station Affordable Housing Development, and amendments to the annual action plan and lower income voucher and equity program.
- Approved the first review of the council agenda for April 14, 2026, including items on multifamily housing bonds, transportation priorities for VTA under SB63, a consultant agreement with Brown and Caldwell, and an agreement with Santa Clara County Housing Authority.
- Approved four consent items with no items pulled.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Brian (public comment on consent): Suggested using AI to harvest non-private information from public emails to generate automated responses, citing lack of timely responses. He also raised concerns about upcoming budget cuts affecting people with disabilities and mental health issues.
- Jordan Moldale (District 3) (on Al Fresco 2.0): Expressed strong support for the Al Fresco program, citing positive outdoor dining experiences in San Francisco. Questioned whether parklets are included, noted cost barriers like cinder block requirements, and urged studying other municipalities' "by right" approaches.
- Brian (during open forum): Proposed a day of recognition for crime victims, sharing personal experiences of being victimized. Also reiterated concerns about budget cuts and their impact on vulnerable populations.
- Jordan Moldale (District 3) (during open forum): Questioned existing rules that require standing committee work referrals to go through the Rules Committee instead of directly to council, suggesting a rule change to streamline the process.
Discussion Items
- Emergency Interim Housing Siting Policy (Item 1): Received a green light from workload analysis; can proceed under existing housing department capacity. Approved unanimously.
- Al Fresco 2.0 (Item 2): Also green-lit by workload analysis. Vice Mayor Foley expressed concern that the policy is limited to downtown, urban villages, and business improvement districts, excluding small businesses in other parts of the city (e.g., District 9). She suggested a potential memo to address this. The item was approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- All votes were 4-0 in favor, with no opposition or abstentions.
- The emergency interim housing siting policy and Al Fresco 2.0 program will proceed to council for further consideration.
- For Al Fresco 2.0, Vice Mayor Foley indicated she may submit a memo to expand eligibility to all areas of the city.
- No formal action was taken on public comments, but they were received and acknowledged.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, it's two o'clock. So we're going to call the April first meeting of rules and government open government committee to order. So let's start with roll call, please. Candelas. Here. One. Here. Foley. Here. Come here absent. Cohen. Here. We have a quorum. Thank you. And we will start by reviewing the final review of our council meeting agenda for next Tuesday, April 7th, with a 9 30 closed session and a 1 30 regular session. We have consent starting on page four. Continuing on pages five, six, seven, eight. Nine. Section three, we have the uh establishment of the governing AI coalition. Section six, Willow Rock Long Duration Energy Storage Agreement, and San Diego Community Power Resource Adequacy Trade. Section eight, Story Road Business Improvement District, and a loan commitment for VTA's Capital Station Affordable Housing Development. Also second amendment to the annual action plan for 2526 and lower income voucher and equity program amendment. Do we have any members of the public? No public comments. Okay, back to the committee. Sorry. All right, it's been moved and seconded, so we'll vote. Okay. Motion carries 40. And now we do our first review of the council agenda for Tuesday, April 14th. With a 9 30, 13 closed and open session, the cancellation of the evening session. Section three, we have issuance of taxes at multifamily housing bonds. In section five, we have transportation priorities for VTA under SB63. Section six, consultant agreement with Brown and Caldwell. Section eight, we have an agreement with Santa Clara County Housing Authority. No, that's not a land use consent item. I guess that's the if proposed item where's 10.1. Oh 10.1 is on the later in the agenda. Oh down here. Yes, there's one item on land use consent. And after that, we will hear the housing authority item followed by eight along with 8.1. All right. No public comment. No public comment. Back to the committee. Any questions or comments? We have a motion and a second, so we'll vote. Motion carries four zero. Got a little confused by all that end of the agenda. All right.
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