* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. UM, [00:00:01] YES, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. OKAY, PERFECT. UM, NATIONAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UH, AS A REMINDER, PLEASE SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES AND DEVICES IN THE CHAMBER. AND WITH THAT, [1. CALL TO ORDER] I'D LIKE TO CALL THE MEETING ORDER A LIVE WEB INFORMATION ON THE CITY OF NASHVILLE CITY'S WEBSITE INFORM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT THEY MAY SUBMIT A GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT ON A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. ONE IN PERSON BY, UH, WITHIN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER BY SUBMITTING ONE THE SALMON COLORED SLIPS IN THE BACK, UH, VIA ZOOM BY PRE-REGISTERING ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. NO LATER THAN TWO HOURS BEFORE THE MEETING OR EMAILING NO LATER THAN FOUR HOURS BEFORE THE MEETING. ALL WRITTEN COMMENTS RECEIVED ARE DISTRIBUTED CITY COUNCIL PRIOR TO THE MEETING AND PUBLISHED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE IF THEY ARE, UH, RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE. WITH THAT, CAN WE HAVE ROLL CALL, PLEASE? COUNCIL MEMBER YAMANI HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA. PRESENT, VICE MAYOR BUSH. HERE. MAYOR MORRISON. PRESENT. WE HAVE A QUORUM. OKAY. WE PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. REMAIN STANDING FOR THE INVOCATION. AND, UH, MEMBER YAMANI WOULD JULIUS PLEASE. THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND IF YOU CAN. READY, BEGIN A PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR DO WE HAVE, HAVE SOMEONE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IT? PRAYER. YEAH, THE PRAYER. YES. THOUGHT THAT LOOKED LIKE YOU. MAYOR. COUNCIL STAFF. MY NAME IS CARLOS CARILLO. I'M THE ASSISTANT PASTOR OF HEART REVOLUTION CHURCH. IT'S A PLEASURE TO PRAY WITH YOU TODAY, THIS BOW OUR HEADS IN PRAYER. FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE YOU ASKING OF YOUR GRACE, ASKING OF YOUR PRESENCE, ASKING OF YOUR PEACE, WISDOM, AND GUIDANCE. AS THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR LEAD THIS WONDERFUL MEETING, THE CITY AND HIS RESIDENTS, I ASK THAT THE SPIRIT OF GRACE WOULD FALL UPON THIS PLACE. LEADERSHIP, LOVE, PEACE. IN THIS ROOM, I THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING IN THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY, AND I ASK FOR YOUR PRESENCE. WE ASK YOU ALL THIS IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS. AMEN. AMEN. AMEN. GOD BLESS YOU. [5. PUBLIC COMMENT] UH, WE WILL NOW HEAR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS OR MATTERS THAT ARE NOT ON THE AGENDA PER CITY COUNCIL. POLICY 1 0 4, UH, CITY CLERK CHAPEL, WILL REPORT THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC COMMENTS IF THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS, UH, AT TWO MINUTES EACH EXCEEDS THE 30 MINUTE, UH, ALLOTTED TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. COUNCIL POLICY 1 0 4 PERMITS THE CHAIR TO REDUCE THE TIME ALLOTTED OR, UH, CONTINUE THE, UH, REMAINING SPEAKERS TO THE END OF THE MEETING WITH THAT. UM, DO WE, I TAKE IT WE HAVE ON BOTH ON ZOOM AND IN PROBABLY WE ARE GONNA TAKE THE IN, IN AUDIENCE ONES FIRST. SO WE GO WITH, UH, EDWARD NETTO TO BE FOLLOWED BY EDDIE PAEZ WILL BE FOLLOWED BY JEFFREY SCHROCK. UM, I COME HERE FREQUENTLY, UM, BUT I DON'T, I JUST WANNA TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, CORRECT MAYBE A MISPERCEPTION OF MY COMMENTS. YOU KNOW, I ONLY GOT TWO MINUTES TO TALK AND SOMETIMES THE COMMENTS GET STRAIGHT TO THE CRITIC PART AND I DON'T GIVE ENOUGH COMPLIMENTS TO WHAT YOU ALL DO. UM, SPECIFICALLY, LIKE IN ONE INSTANCE, MAYBE I MUST HAVE COME A LITTLE TOO HEAVY ON THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CONSULTANT AGREEMENT FOR THE, UM, SOLICITATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL. I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO THINK THAT, UM, MY COMMENTS WERE MEANT TO, UM, SAY THAT STAFF WASN'T WORKING HARD, WASN'T, UH, DOING ENOUGH WORK. UH, IN FACT, IT'S THE OPPOSITE. SO, UM, THOUGH, BUT I ONLY HAVE TWO MINUTES, I WANTED TO JUST CORRECT THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. EDDIE PEREZ BE FOLLOWED BY JEFFREY SCHROCK TO BE FOLLOWED [00:05:01] BY EVA, THE LAST NAME, BUT EVA. OKAY. OKAY. UH, THANK YOU FOR, UM, ALLOWING US IS TIME TO SPEAK. UH, TWO MINUTES IS VERY PRECIOUS. SO I'LL GET STARTED. I WANNA THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR TAKING THE LEADERSHIP, UH, LAST MEETING, UH, TWO WEEKS AGO IN REGARDS TO, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT AND, UH, THE COMMENTS COMING IN, IN WRITING LATE AND THE, THE ZOOM, I THINK YOU WERE RIGHT ON. I THINK SOME OF THE MEMBERS HERE, UM, WERE VERY, UM, SUPPORTIVE OF THOSE THAT WANNA DO ZOOM, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK GUYS WERE A LITTLE TOO SUPPORTIVE. I MEAN, COME ON NOW. I DROVE FROM MANZANITA TO SAN DIEGO TO GET HOME TO EAT, TO GET HERE BY SIX O'CLOCK. OKAY? AND I STAYED PROBABLY LAST TIME TILL 10, UNTIL IT ENDED. AND THESE PEOPLE WANNA DO ZOOM. I UNDERSTAND IF THEY CAN COME DOWN HERE AND SHOW MAYBE SOME DISABILITY, YOU KNOW, LIKE MOST PEOPLE HAVE TO DO WITH A HANDICAP LICENSE, THAT, BUT IF NOT, I I THINK THEY NEED TO GET HERE. I'M NOT EVEN SURE IF ANY OF 'EM ARE FROM NATIONAL CITY, NOT THAT YOU HAVE TO BE FROM NATIONAL CITY TO COME UP HERE AND SPEAK, BUT, UM, I JUST THINK IF IT'S TAKING TIME FROM CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS, THAT THOSE ON ZOOM, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY NEED TO COME HERE IF THEY REALLY, REALLY WANT TO SAY SOMETHING. SO, I, I WANNA COMMEND YOU ALL FOR, UH, WANTING SUPPORT DEMOCRACY AND HAVE PEOPLE SPEAK UP. BUT, UH, UH, ADIDAS, YOU DID MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT PUTTING US ALL TO THE END. AND SO, UH, OF COURSE THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, A SUGGESTION OR MAYBE A WAY TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. BUT, UH, I'M GLAD THAT, UH, THE MAYOR IS GONNA KIND OF PLAY THAT BY EAR, BUT I'M HOPING THOSE THAT COME HERE, WE WON'T HAVE TO BE PUT AT THE END. AND SO, UH, BUT AGAIN, YOU GUYS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB AND, UH, YOU KNOW, NATIONAL CITY'S MY HOMETOWN, AND SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TONIGHT. UH, JEFFREY SCHROCK BE FOLLOWED BY AVA TO BE FOLLOWED BY MARIA SSON. GOOD EVENING MAYOR, COUNCIL STAFF AND NATIONAL RESIDENTS. HOPE EVERYBODY'S DOING GOOD. UH, I'VE GOT SOME GOOD NEWS REPORT FROM DOGE. UH, IF YOU MAKE LESS THAN FOUR OH THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR, YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA GET ABOUT A $5,000, UH, TAX REFUND. SO THERE'S GOOD, WHEN WE FIND IN GOVERNMENT WASTE AND GOVERNMENT SPENDING, THAT'S JUST RIDICULOUS. ONE OF THE THINGS SEAN HANDY SHOW SHOWED THAT, UH, WE SPENT $50 MILLION GIVING CONDOMS TO HAMAS. I, I, I FIND THAT TO BE JUST LIKE, THAT'S LIKE A JOKE. EAT ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. I MEAN, KAMA KAMAS PROBABLY BURNED THE THINGS AND LAUGHED AT US AND THOUGHT, GEE, LOOK AT HOW STUPID WE ARE. DO YOU THINK THEY REALLY USED THEM? NO, I DON'T THINK SO. SO, YEAH, UM, I, I, I AM VERY MUCH THRILLED ABOUT THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF, OF DOGE. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE IT. IT IS CONTROVERSIAL IN SOME WAYS, BUT THE WHOLE IDEA IS GOOD. AND WE SHOULD LOOK AT OUR LOCAL COMMITTEES AND LET'S LOOK AT THE PETITION RATE, THE LOWEST PETITION RATE IN ALL THE COMMITTEES WE HAVE AND SAY, OKAY, WE REALLY NEED THIS COMMITTEE. MAYBE WE SHOULD REPLACE ONE OF OUR COMMITTEES WITH, WITH A NATIONAL CITY DOGE COMMITTEE, WHICH I THINK MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH US CUTTING WASTEFUL SPENDING, YOU KNOW, AT COUNCIL'S DISCRETION. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S SAVINGS TO BE HAD AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND LIKE I WAS SAYING, AFTER YOU DO CHOOSE RETIRE MAYOR MORRISON, I DO BELIEVE THAT MARCUS BUSH, OUR VICE MAYOR, IS THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY. AND HE'LL, HE'LL MAKE OUR CITY SHINE BRIGHTLY JUST LIKE YOU HAVE. AND HE'S LEARNING EVERY DAY. I'M PROUD OF YOU. YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB. THE WHOLE COUNCIL IS DOING GOOD. I'M PROUD OF ALL YOU GUYS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE GRAFFITI REMOVAL CREW, LOOKING TO GET AT LEAST A COUPLE DAYS A WEEK OUTTA MY TIME VOLUNTEERING. I'M REALLY INTO THAT WHOLE PROJECT. LET'S SECURE THAT TRY LINE AND MAKE IT TO WHERE THE GRAFFITI GOES AWAY. IF WE HAD THE GATING UP, THERE'S NO WAYS TO GET IN IT IN IT. THEY CAN'T DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. WE WIN THE TAGGERS LOSE. SO LET'S KEEP ALL THAT IN MIND THAT THE GATING FOR THAT IS WELL SPENT MONEY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. RIGHT, AVA. THERE SHE IS, AVA, AND THEN MARIA SEVERSON, AND FOLLOWED BY ALICIA MORRISON. HELLO EVERYONE. MY NAME'S EVA. I, AND I WANT TO COME ON HERE AS THE CURRENT TREASURER OF EAST LAKES MIDDLE TO, UH, TOPE CLUB. UM, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CURRENT PROBLEMS THAT ARE BURYING MY COMMUNITY AS, UH, AN ADOLESCENT MYSELF, WHITNEY, SEE MY YOUNG PEERS TO GRADE THEIR YOUNG AND THEIR BRAIN WITH EVERY PUFF TO HEARTENS ME AS I WATCH THEM. I WONDER WHERE ARE THEY GETTING ACCESS TO THESE CLEAN DEVICES? I STARTED TO RESEARCH, AND THE MORE I LEARNED, THE WORSE I STARTED TO FEEL FROM MY RESEARCH. AROUND 6% OF MY PEERS HAVE SMOKED OR VAPED ONCE IN THEIR LIFE, OR ARE AN AVID SMOKER. AND THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T ANSWER OR THOSE WHO WERE AFRAID. AS A MIDDLE SCHOOLER MYSELF, I EXPERIENCED SMOKING, SECONDHAND SMOKING [00:10:01] FROM JUST GOING TO THE RESTROOMS BETWEEN PERIODS. WE HAVE TO GET THESE NUMBERS DOWN TO ZERO. AND WHEN WE CAN DO THIS IS BY ENFORCING THE TLR BAN, WE CAN PREVENT THESE YOUNG FUTURES FROM BECOMING OBSOLETE AND PREVENTING THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON THE BRAIN AND LUNGS. IF YOU ASK ANY DOCTOR, THEY COULD TELL YOU ALL THE NEGATIVE EFFECT ABOUT VAPING, BUT I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR THAT. SO WE CAN PREVENT THIS BY NOT ALLOWING, UM, UNDER LIKE UNDERAGE PEOPLE OF GETTING TOBACCO AND VAPING. UM, I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALLOWING ME TO COME UP IN HERE, AND I HOPE YOU APPROVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MARIA SSON, FOLLOWED BY ALICIA MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY NATALIA VILLA BOES. OKAY, GOOD EVENING. MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL MAYOR. AFTER THE LAST, UH, THE FEBRUARY 18TH SESSION, IT WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTING TO HEAR YOU, MR. MAYOR RESORT TO MUD SLINGING AND DISPARAGING A CITIZEN WHO DARED TO BRING AN ACTION TO ENFORCE THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAWS. IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS REQUIRED BY THE GOVERNMENT CODE AND REQUIRED BY THE CONSTITUTION BECAUSE THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT OF ACCESS. NOW, I'VE LOOKED AT THE TRANSCRIPT HERE AND I CAN SEE THE WORDS YOU USE, SO YOU'LL HEAR FROM OTHERS AS WELL RESPONDING TO THAT. BUT YOU, YOU ACCUSED SOMEONE WHO IS ENFORCING PUBLIC RECORDS OF IMAGINED PERSONAL VENDETTA. OUCH. CRAZY CLAIMS OPPOSITE OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM. WHAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM? IS THAT WHAT'S NOT, WHAT'S, WHAT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM IS PRODUCING RECORDS WHEN THEY'RE REQUESTED. WHAT'S CLEAR IS THAT THERE WAS A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST AND NO RECORDS WERE PRODUCED UNTIL A LAWSUIT WAS FILED. THAT IS FACT. WHAT'S ALSO TRUE AS IS IN THIS INTERIM REPORT HERE, I SEE YOU'VE INVITED THE NEWS HERE. THERE'S IRREGULARITIES ABOUT A PROJECT, HOW A PROJECT THAT WAS CONSIDERED A PUBLIC NUISANCE MANY, MANY TIMES OVER, GOD BLESS YOU MANY TIMES OVER AND STILL GOT YOUR AUTHORITY AND YOUR BACKING. WE FINALLY GOT SOME RECORDS THAT SHOWED THERE WERE MEETINGS AND WHAT WAS REVEALED IN RECORDS SHOWED JUST EXACTLY WHAT STILL EXISTS. THAT'S ALL THAT'S AT STAKE HERE. THAT'S IT. AN ENFORCEMENT OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT, SO TO CALL THEM OUTLANDISH, A BUNCH OF LIES TO CALL THE PLAINTIFF IN THAT CASE, RECKLESS AND GLOATING. I MEAN, THOSE ARE PRETTY HARSH WORDS THAT ARE UNBECOMING OF A MAYOR OF SUCH A FINE CITY. WE ASK THE COUNCIL ALICIA MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY NATALIA VELOS BO AND THEN, UH, PATRICIA TERAN. YOU RESTART THAT. YES, THERE YOU GO. GOOD EVENING. JUST BECAUSE WE ARE NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THIS ROOM DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE NOT LISTENING TO THESE MEETINGS. SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF REBUTTAL POINTS. FIRST ABOUT CRAZY CLAIMS. THE STAFF ADVOCATED FOR A PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE PROJECT THAT WAS A PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE. RECORDS SHOW THAT YOU, YOUR ASSISTANT AND THE CITY MANAGEMENT MET WITH THE PROPONENTS OF THE NUISANCE PROJECT AND HAD ADDITIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DURING THE SEVEN MONTHS. THE PROJECT WAS IN PLANNING DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL RECORDS RELATING TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE PROJECT, WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN PRODUCED AND REQUIRED BY OUR STATE CONSTITUTION AND PUBLIC RECORDS. SECOND, DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT. CALL IT A VENDETTA. LAST MEETING, YOU TRIED TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT RECORDS SHOW STAFF ADVOCATED FOR PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE PROJECT THAT YOU MET WITH THE PROPONENTS. THOSE RECORDS HAVE NOT BEEN PRODUCED AS REQUIRED BY LAW. YOUR DEFLECTION BY CALLING IS NO WAY AN HONEST DISCUSSION. YOU HEARD AND REFERRED TO US AS SUPPORTERS. LET ME CORRECT YOU. WE ARE A COALITION WHO CAME TOGETHER TO FIGHT AGAINST A PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE PROJECT. IT IS DISHEARTENING WHEN GREED PLAYS A STRONG ROLE IN POLITICS. IT IS EVEN MORE DISHEARTENING WHEN POLITICS WOULD RATHER HAVE GREED AS A SUPPORT SYSTEM IN THEIR POLITICAL CAREER RATHER THAN THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT WE HAVE NATALIA LES BOAS TO BE FOLLOWED BY BY PATRICIA TERAN, FOLLOWED BY SANDRA SCHULER. GOOD EVENING. UM, I ALSO WATCHED THE LAST PUBLIC MEETING. I WATCHED FROM THE [00:15:01] VIDEO ONLINE, UM, AND I WATCH UNTIL THE VERY LAST MINUTE, AND I HAVE SOME COMMENTS AS WELL, UH, ABOUT IT. UM, FIRST COMMENT IS WHEN YOU SAID, MR. MAYOR, YOU SAID YOU HAD TO PROVE THAT YOU DIDN'T DO SOMETHING. IT'S NOT ABOUT, WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT YOU HAD TO DO PROVE SOMETHING, BUT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO COMPLY WITH THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAW AND PRODUCE IDENTIFY RECORDS REGARDING WHETHER YOU IN YOUR STAFF WE'RE INVOLVED IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE PROJECT. IT IS PROOF, NOT PROOF THAT YOU'RE ASKING. UM, YOU ALSO PRESENT OUTLANDISH CLAIMS. UM, IT'S NOT OUTLANDISH CLAIMS. IT'S OUTLANDISH CONDUCT IN WHICH CITY OFFICIALS FIRST ADVOCATED TO PUT FORWARD A PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE PROJECT. AND NOW WE ARE NOT PRODUCING RECORDS REQUIRED BY THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAW. THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU PATRICIA. PATRICIA TERAN, FOLLOWED BY SANDRA SCHULER, FOLLOWED BY MIKA BLANCO. HELLO. GOOD EVENING. SO I ALSO GOT TO SEE THE VIDEO AND I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED ON YOU NOT ONLY AS A PUBLIC SERVANT, BUT ALSO A FORMER FRIEND OF THE PLAINTIFF. SO IT'S VERY, VERY DISAPPOINTING. BUT, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SAW IN THAT VIDEO THAT YOU SAID IS IF YOU DON'T SAY SOMETHING BACK, MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING TO IT. AND MY COMMENT TO YOUR COMMENT IS THAT IF YOU DO NOT PRODUCE THE RECORDS RELATING TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE PROJECT, PEOPLE WILL THINK THAT THERE IS SOMETHING TO IT. ALSO, YOU MADE A COMMENT SAYING THAT THOSE WERE A BUNCH OF LIES. AND LET ME TELL YOU, MR. MAYOR, THAT LYING TELLING HALF THROUGHS THROUGHS LYING BY OMISSION AND MISDIRECTING, AS YOU SAY, HERE'S THE DEAL. I'M TELLING YOU, THE REAL DEAL IS YOU SAY ALL THESE THINGS TO DEFLECT THE REAL ISSUE, AND IT IS REALLY EASY FOR YOU TO DEFAULT TO THAT PATTERN OF MISINFORMATION. THERE ARE REASONS YOU ARE TRYING TO PROTECT YOUR ASSISTANT AND STAFF. I UNDERSTAND THAT. HOWEVER, TODAY I ENCOURAGE YOU TO MAKE A CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, WHICH IS TO TELL ABSOLUTE THE ABSOLUTE UNVARNISHED TRUTH. PUT EVERYTHING ON THE TABLE AND BE TRANSPARENT BY PRODUCING ALL THE PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE PROJECT DOCUMENTS. PLEASE TAKE THE RIGHT ACTION. AND MY LAST RESPONSE TO ONE OF YOUR COMMENTS IS THAT YOU SAID THAT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR WORDS AND WHAT YOU PUT OUT, PLEASE DO SO. AND THE ISSUE IS NOT WHAT YOU ARE PUTTING OUT, BUT WHAT YOU ARE NOT PUTTING OUT IN THIS CASE, PLEASE PUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE PROJECT RECORDS, WHICH ARE THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT REQUIRED TO BE DISCLOSED UNDER THE LAW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT WE HAVE SANDRA SCHULER TO BE FOLLOWED BY IKA POLANCO TO BE FOLLOWED BY LOUISA MCCARTHY. YOU KNOW, THERE'S THREE THINGS IN THIS WORLD. THERE'S ONE TRUTH, THE OTHER TRUTH, YOU KNOW, LIKE HIS SIDE, THE OTHER SIDE AND THE TRUTH. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HISTORY BEING IN THE MAKING. THIS IS ABSOLUTE HISTORY. AND AT THE END OF THE LAST MEETING, WHICH I'VE BEEN WATCHING, UH, THE ONE ON FEBRUARY 18TH, YOU SAID THERE WERE ALLEGATIONS OF ILLEGALITIES WITHOUT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE. AND THE EVIDENCE IS YOU ARE NOT COMPLYING WITH THE LAW REGARDING YOU TO PRODUCE RECORDS SUCH AS CALENDAR OF MAYOR'S EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, SHOWING MEETINGS WITH THE DEVELOPER OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT OF PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN MAYOR'S, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, AND PROJECT DEVELOPER. REGARDING THE INITIAL SUBMISSION OF THE PROJECT IN JANUARY, 2024. THE MEETING IDENTIFIED IN THE APRIL 22ND, 2024 EMAIL, WHAT WAS MENTIONED IN EMAIL DATES MAY 30TH, AUGUST 14TH, OCTOBER 9TH ON 24TH AND NOVEMBER 7TH, 2024, EMAILS, TEXTS BETWEEN MAYOR, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT AND PROJECT DEVELOPER AND OTHERS BETWEEN NOVEMBER 24TH, 2024 AND DECEMBER 3RD, 2024, REGARDING THE NUISANCE PROJECT AND MAYOR'S EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT AND PROJECT DEVELOPER BETWEEN NOVEMBER 24TH, 2024 AND FEBRUARY 5TH, 2025. THESE DOCUMENTS NEED [00:20:01] TO BECOME TRANSPARENT. IT'S THE ONLY WAY THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MOVE ON WHEN THEY CAN BECOME TRANSPARENT AND THIS PROJECT CAN JUST GET STRAIGHTENED OUT. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. MIKA BONKO, FOLLOWED BY LOUISA MCCARTHY, FOLLOWED BY TED GODSHAW. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL MEMBERS. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. I'M ALSO HERE BECAUSE I'M REALLY APPALLED OF HOW DISRESPECTFUL AND HOW YOU MINIMIZED AND DISMISSED OUR CONCERNS AND THE CONCERNS OF OUR COMMUNITY. LET ME ASSURE YOU THAT THIS IS NOT A GAME, MAYOR. AND LET ME ASSURE YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS, THIS IS NOT A GAME FOR ME. WE HAVE BEEN PUT THROUGH A TURMOIL, A BURDEN BOTH EMOTIONALLY AND FINANCIALLY TO ENFORCE PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY. AND IF YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME, IT IS NOT A GAME. AND I'M GETTING REALLY TIRED OF YOU DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. WHAT, WHY WE ARE ASKING THESE QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE WANT TRANSPARENCY. I'M SPENDING MY TIME HERE BECAUSE WE WANT TRANSPARENCY. THAT'S WHY I'M HERE. I'M SPENDING MY TIME AND MY HARD EARNED MONEY BECAUSE I WANT TRANSPARENCY. AND ALL YOU KEEP DOING IS DEFLECTING THE REAL ISSUES BY MAKING AMBIGUOUS CHARGES AND CLAIMS THAT WERE CRAZY CLAIMS. BUNCH OF LIES. THEY'RE MAKING STUFF UP. WELL, LET ME TELL YOU, WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY STUFF UP. IT'S ALL RIGHT HERE. YOU HAVE IT. YOU ALL HAVE IT. NOW, IF YOU'VE TAKEN THE TIME TO READ IT OR NOT, I DON'T KNOW. BUT WHAT I AM ASKING THE COUNCIL MEMBERS IS TO PLEASE DO AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION. PUT THE MAYOR'S PARTNER ASSISTANT ON LEAVE UNTIL ALL THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH COMES OUT. IF HE HAS GUARANTEED YOU THERE IS NO TRUTH TO ANY OF OUR CLAIMS, THEN HE SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM IN DOING SO. AS HE SAID IN THE LAST MEETING, I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THERE IS NO, NO TRUTH TO ANY OF IT. WELL, IF HE HAS NOTHING TO HIDE, THEN WHY DOESN'T HE PRODUCE ALL OF THE RECORDS? WHY DOES HE SAY HALF TRUTHS? HE'S TELLING PEOPLE, OH YEAH, WE'VE, WE'VE PRODUCED THE PRAS. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SOME OF PRAS, NOT ALL THE PRAS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. MCC THANK YOU, FOLLOWED BY TED GOTCHU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. MAYOR, YOU STATED THAT THE ISSUES WERE RAISED, THAT WERE RAISED WERE ALL A BUNCH OF LIES. WE HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE FROM EIGHT DIFFERENT EMAILS TO SHOW THAT YOU AND YOUR STAFF WERE INVOLVED IN PUSHING THROUGH THIS DISALLOWED PROJECT. WE HAVE AN EMAIL DATED APRIL 22ND, 2024 FROM JOSEPH BRICO THANKING YOU AND YOUR ASSISTANT FOR ALL THE HELP. I HAVE IT RIGHT HERE IN MY HAND. IN FACT, WE HAVE TWO MORE EMAILS, ONE FROM EDDIE BRICO AND ONE FROM JOSEPH BRICO DATED OCTOBER 9TH, OCTOBER 10TH, TELLING YOUR ASSISTANT AND THE BRICO WOULD ONLY BE CHARGED FOR ONE ZONE VARIANCE AND NOT ALL THREE. AND THESE ARE THE EMAILS I'M TALKING ABOUT. IN FACT, WE PUT THESE EMAILS IN A REPORT. WE TOOK THE TIME TO PUT IT IN A REPORT IN WRITING. WE HAVE IT RIGHT HERE. YOU HAVE NOT PUBLISHED ANYTHING IN WRITING. TWO WEEKS FROM TOMORROW. WE'RE GIVING YOU A CHANCE TO GO ON THE RECORD, LIKE YOU SAY, UNDER OATH AT YOUR DEPOSITION. INSTEAD OF FESSING UP, YOU HAVE ENGAGED IN A PATTERN OF DENIALS AND ACCUSATIONS UNLESS YOU OBJECT, WE'LL MAKE THE DEPOSITION AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND THEY CAN DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES WHETHER YOU ARE TELLING THE TRUTH OR NOT. WILL YOU AGREE THAT YOU WILL COME TO YOUR DEPOSITION TO DO JUST THAT? THANK YOU, UH, TED GOTCH. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. GOOD. TED GOTCH HERE. UH, I'VE SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR SO MANY PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THE VIDEO. I DO THAT EVERY MEETING AND AND CAN'T STAY FOR THE ENTIRE MEETING. SO PLEASE PUBLIC CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE THROUGH CALL IN, WRITTEN COMMENTS AND WATCHING ON VIDEO. IF YOU CAN'T ATTEND, UH, I'VE REPORTED, I'VE SUBMITTED COMMENTS FOR 11.4, WHICH IS CHANGING THE [00:25:01] HOURS OF WEED SALES AND 11.5, WHICH IS YOUR DEPARTMENT'S EXPENDITURES. BUT I'M HERE AGAIN TO CONTINUE READING TO YOU ABOUT THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORT ABOUT CANNABIS. LAST TIME WE LEARNED THAT CANNABIS COMPANIES MAKE UNPROVEN HEALTH CLAIMS ABOUT THEIR PRODUCTS THAT PUT CONSUMERS AT RISK. A GROWING NUMBER OF USERS ARE ENDURING ADDICTION, PSYCHOSIS, AND OTHER HARMS. THE TIMES INVESTIGATION FOUND STATES HAVE TAKEN SOME STEPS TO PROTECT CONSUMERS, SUCH AS REQUIRING TESTING FOR CONTAMINANTS, PROHIBITING ADVERTISING THAT MIGHT APPEAL TO MINORS AND CAPPING THE TH LEVELS OF EDIBLES. BUT THERE ARE MANY GAPS IN SOME OF THE EXISTING RULES ARE VAGUE AND UNEVENLY ENFORCED. THE STATE HOUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY SEE CANNABIS LOBBYISTS THAT ARE SUCCESSFULLY RESTRICT, RESISTING ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS, TELLING LAWMAKERS THAT FURTHER CONSTRAINTS ON THAT FURTHER CONSTRAINTS WOULD SEND CONSUMERS TO THE ILLEGAL MARKET AND COST STATES TAX REVENUE. THEY DENY THE SCIENCE. SAID STATE SENATOR JESSE SOLOMON OF WASHINGTON, WHO FOR YEARS HAS SEEN REGULATORY BILLS FALL AFTER INDUSTRY PUSHBACK. THEY UNDERMINE THE SCIENCE. IF THEY CAN'T DENY IT, THEY GO AROUND THE SCIENCE. WHEN STATES BEGAN LEGALIZING MARIJUANA FOR RECREATIONAL USE IN 2012, THEY SET OFF A GREEN RUSH OF VENTURE CAPITALISTS, DISPENSARIES, CULTIVATORS AND TECHNOLOGIES. LARGE COMPANIES OPERATING IN MULTIPLE STATES, ACQUIRED SMALLER ONES AND BEGAN TO DOMINATE THE MARKET WHERE ACTIVISTS AND DOCTORS HAD ONCE ARGUED FOR MARIJUANA'S POTENTIAL. AS A MEDICINE NEWCOMERS WERE DRAWN TO ITS POTENTIAL FOR PROFITS. I'LL CONTINUE THIS WITH YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE, UH, LAURA WILKINSON SENTIN THERE. THERE SHE IS. AND, UH, JACQUELINE RENOSO FOLLOWING HER. THANK YOU. IS IT YOUR BIRTHDAY COUNCIL MEMBER BUSH? OH, YESTERDAY. WELL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELATEDLY. MY NAME IS LAURA WILKINSON SENTIN FROM CALI MOTA. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST CLARITY AND COMMUNICATION FROM THE CITY MANAGER AND FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY REGARDING THE CANNABIS LICENSING PROCESS. AS YOU KNOW, I WAS HERE A MONTH AGO REQUESTING AN UPDATE THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED. I RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR THAT UPDATE STILL AGAIN TO KEEP YOU IN COMPLIANCE WITH YOUR OWN LAWS AND ORDINANCE AND FOR TRANSPARENCY FROM THE CITY. I HATE THE FACT THAT I HAD TO LEARN FROM INDUSTRY INSIDERS THAT ONE OF THEM, UM, MR. NICE GUY HAS DROPPED OUT. AND THEN FIND OUT FROM THE DE AND FROM MEDIA MYSELF, UM, HERE THAT ELEMENT SEVEN HAS BEEN ACCUSED BY THEIR LOCAL OWNER OF FRAUD AND THAT THE CITY HAS GIVEN THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO CURE THAT FRAUD, WHICH I FIND AMAZING. UM, MOST OF THE OTHER LLCS THAT HAVE APPLIED HAVE DISSOLVED THEIR ENTITIES AT THE SECRETARY OF STATE, BUT YOU DO HAVE TWO VERIFIABLE LOCAL OWNERS WHO, YOU KNOW, KELLY MOTA, MY COMPANY BEING ONE OF THEM. WE'VE WAITED TWO YEARS TO INVEST CAPITAL IN THIS CITY AND TO BRING NEEDED CANNABIS TAX REVENUE TO YOUR CITY TO HELP CLOSE YOUR BUDGET DEFICIT. IT WOULD CREATE JOBS. AND WE HAVE INVESTMENT AND WE'VE BEEN KEEPING THAT AT BAY AND IT'S BEEN COSTING US THIS WHOLE TIME. YOUR POLICY DECISIONS REALLY DO MATTER HERE TO PEOPLE LIKE ME. AND I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU MAKE SURE THAT NATIONAL CITY'S SLOGAN THAT YOU ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS APPLIES EQUALLY TO ALL OF THE APPLICANTS THAT WANT TO DO BUSINESS IN THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JACQUELINE OSA. GOOD EVENING, CITY MANAGER BEN MARTINEZ AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. WE WERE HERE LAST MONTH REQUESTING YET AGAIN AN UPDATE ON THE CANNABIS APPLICATION PROCESS. IT'S BEEN FOUR WEEKS TO DATE AND STILL WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED AN UPDATE THUS FAR. IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE WE APPLIED FOR A LICENSE. TODAY THE CITY IS STILL CHALLENGED ECONOMICALLY WITH A BUDGET DEFICIT OF 4 MILLION. THE CITY STILL HAS NOT COMMUNICATED A CLEAR PATH FORWARD TO RECOVER FROM LOST REVENUE. MEANWHILE, WE HAVE A RESILIENT CANNABIS MARKET AND INDUSTRY THAT IS EAGER TO OPEN THEIR DOORS AND WELCOME CUSTOMERS TO YOUR CITY, CUSTOMERS THAT REPRESENT YOUR RESIDENTS, VISITORS, AND PATIENTS FROM THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH COUNTY WHO ARE ALREADY PATRONIZING CANNABIS SHOPS IN NEIGHBORING CITIES. NOW MAYOR AND COUNCIL IS THE TIME TO MOVE SWIFTLY, ACHIEVE YOUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOALS, MITIGATE YOUR EXPOSURE TO FRAUD AND ABUSE, AND DO THE RIGHT THING. WE ARE HAPPY TO SEE FELLOW CANNABIS INDUSTRY MEMBERS SESSIONS BY THE BAY OPENED THEIR DOORS. FINALLY, FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN WE ENVISIONED A THRIVING EQUITABLE AND COMPETITIVE CANNABIS MARKET, THE COMMUNITY SET OUT TO ACCOMPLISH TWO MAIN GOALS. NUMBER ONE, PERMIT A CANNABIS LOUNGE AS THE FIRST IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. AND NUMBER TWO, PRIORITIZE LOCAL OWNERSHIP. AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE GOALS IS BEING MET TONIGHT. WE HOPE THAT THE CITY MANAGER TAKES DIRECTION WELL FROM THE COUNCIL AND CITIZENS OF THE CITY. WHEN WE DEMAND A TRANSPARENT PROCESS IN THE SELECTION OF CANNABIS OPERATORS, THERE CONTINUES TO BE ZERO TRANSPARENCY FROM THE CITY. WHERE ARE YOU CITY WITH [00:30:01] THE VALIDATION OF LOCAL OWNERS? WHAT ARE THE OUTCOMES OF YOUR INVESTIGATION BASED ON ALLEGATIONS MADE BY MS. JASO? ARE THOSE INVESTIGATIONS INDEPENDENT AND FROM A THIRD PARTY? HAVE YOU RE-RANK YOUR APPLICANTS DUE TO APPLICANT FALLOUT? AT THIS POINT, WE KNOW THERE ARE APPLICANTS THAT ARE TRYING TO FLIP THEIR LICENSE AND SOME THAT ARE UNDER SCRUTINY FOR FRAUD AND INABILITY TO MEET CONDITIONS OR ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THEIR NO LO THEIR LOCATION. THEY MAY NO LONGER BE ELIGIBLE TO QUALIFY. SO WHERE ARE WE? THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. I BEFORE WE GO TO ZOOM SPEAKERS, I'M SHOWING WE'RE AT THE 28 MINUTE MARK. CORRECT. SO WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ONE. AND THEN THE REST OF 'EM WILL GO AT THE END OF THE MEETING. CORRECT. OKAY. SO IF YOU BRING ONE UP, UM, YOU HAVE TWO MORE PEOPLE HERE IN THE WE DO. DID YOU HAVE PATRICIA? HUH? DID YOU, WAS PATRICIA CALLED? YEAH. PATRICIA, YOU HAVE THAT SPEAKER SLIP? PATRICIA TN? NOPE, I ALREADY, YOU ALREADY DID. OKAY. YEAH, YEAH, SHE SPOKE. SORRY ABOUT THAT. OKAY. OKAY, NANCY. OKAY, NANCY. ALRIGHT. SO WE CAN BRING, BRING ONE UP OUT YOUR ZOOM ROOM. NANCY DIFFERENT, YOU'RE UNDER A DIFFERENT ITEM. NANCY. SHE, NANCY, DID I HAVE ONE FOR YOU? 11.40, NO, WE'RE NOT. IS IT PUBLIC COMMENT? WE'RE A PUBLIC COMMENT. A PUBLIC COMMENT THAT'S AN AGENDA ITEM. WELL, IT WAS, IT WAS ABOUT CANNABIS. I HAVE TO WAIT. YES, THAT'S, THAT'S AN AGENDA ITEM. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH, BECAUSE OTHERWISE EVERYONE WILL GO UP TO THE FRONT OF THE AGENDA AND, UH, ALRIGHT. OKAY. ONE, UH, ONE COMMENT HERE. MADISON WRAP. HI. GOOD EVENING. I WANNA SHARE AN IMPORTANT ANALYSIS OF HEMP DERIVED THC PRODUCTS. UNREGULATED LAB MADE CANNABINOIDS ARE BEING MISREPRESENTED AS HEMP SOLD OUTSIDE OF BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL OVERSIGHT AND MARKETED AS SAFE, AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVES WITHOUT PROPER LABELING, DOSAGE GUIDELINES AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS. CONSUMERS ARE ESSENTIALLY BEING PUT AT RISK WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE. THIS IS WHY IT'S SO CRUCIAL. WE ADDRESS THE UNREGULATED SALE OF THESE SYNTHETIC THC PRODUCTS BEFORE THE HARM BECOMES EVEN MORE WIDESPREAD. WHAT THE STUDY FOUND IS ALARMING, 95% OF THE HEMP-DERIVED THC PRODUCTS TESTED CONTAIN SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS. SUBSTANCES THAT ARE NOT ONLY PROHIBITED, BUT ALSO LINKED TO SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS. THESE ARE NOT THE NATURAL HEMP DERIVED PRODUCTS CONSUMERS EXPECT, BUT UNREGULATED SYNTHETIC DRUGS MASQUERADING AS HEMP. IN ADDITION, 91% OF THESE PRODUCTS WERE SOLD WITHOUT THE NECESSARY SALES AND USE TAX UNDERMINING FAIR BUSINESS PRACTICES. EVEN MORE CONCERNING, 88% OF THEM FAILED TO MEET CALIFORNIA'S HEMP REGULATIONS AND 56% EXCEEDED FEDERAL THC LIMITS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE LAW. PERHAPS MOST CONCERNING OF ALL 50% OF THE PRODUCTS CONTAINED THCP AS SYNTHETIC CANNABINOID, 30 TIMES MORE POTENT THAN NATURAL THC POSING EVEN GREATER RISKS TO CONSUMERS. HIGH POTENCY. THC, LIKE THE SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS FOUND IN MANY OF THESE PRODUCTS CAN HAVE SERIOUS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH IMPACT CONSUMERS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO MAY BE NEW TO CANNABIS OR USING THESE PRODUCTS RECREATIONALLY, ARE AT RISK OF EXPERIENCING INTENSE ANXIETY, PARANOIA, AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT OVERUSE CAN LEAD TO LONG-TERM ISSUES SUCH AS MEMORY LOSS, IMPAIRED COORDINATION, AND IN SOME CASES PSYCHOSIS. THESE RISKS ARE COMPOUNDED WHEN THC IS CONSUMED IN SYNTHETIC FORMS THAT ARE FAR STRONGER THAN NATURAL CANNABINOIDS, INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF NEGATIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES. I URGE YOU TO TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT NATIONAL CITY CONSUMERS BY ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE HEAD ON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. THE REST OF 'EM WILL GO AT THE END OF THE MEETING AND, UH, THEY'RE ON THE ZOOM. EXCUSE ME, MS. MAYOR, I HAVE A REALLY QUICK COMMENT REGARDING, UM, SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS. IT'S BECOME ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT THIS ISSUE OF YOUR, UH, OFFICE, UM, HAVING SPECIAL FAVORS WITH THE DEVELOPER OR THIS PROJECT IN PARTICULAR IS NOT GOING AWAY. IT CONTINUES TO BE BROUGHT UP BY REPUTABLE INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY. I, I THINK IT'S TIME FOR AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION FROM THE CITY. I'M SURE YOU WOULD. WELL, NO, I THINK ANYBODY THAT IS ACCUSED OF THIS, UM, I THINK WE HAVE TO DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE CAN DISMISS OR PROTECT THE CITY, UM, FROM THIS LEGAL RISK. SO I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO PROVIDE THAT INDEPENDENT, UH, THIRD PARTY AGENCY OR INDIVIDUALS TO, TO ACTUALLY INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE. ALRIGHT. UH, LET ME JUST SAY, NORMALLY WE DON'T MAKE COMMENTS ON DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT SINCE THIS HAS NOW BECOME THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO COME UP AND JUST SAY ANYTHING THEY WANT TO AND THAT NOBODY CAN PROTECT THEMSELF, IS, I'VE GOTTA SAY SOMETHING. UM, THEY KEEP TALKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE [00:35:01] HAVEN'T TURNED IN. WE HAVE SCOURED EVERYTHING TRYING TO FIND ANYTHING. THEY KEEP WANTING US TO PROVIDE RECORDS THAT WE CAN'T FIND THAT EXIST. AND A LOT OF THIS STUFF IS, IS ON, UH, THE CITY COMPUTERS. WE CAN'T DELETE IT IF WE WANTED TO. UH, THAT HAS ALL BEEN SCOURED EVERYTHING ELSE. SO THE, UH, THIS AND CELL PHONE STUFF HAS ALL BEEN TURNED IN. EVERYTHING THAT I'M AWARE OF HAS BEEN TURNED IN. IT'S JUST YOU GUYS KEEP ASKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE AND YEAH. DO WE HELP DEVELOPERS? ABSOLUTELY. WE HELP 'EM TO GET THROUGH A PROCESS. WE DON'T MAKE A DECISION UNTIL IT COMES BEFORE US ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. I REMEMBER ONE PROS, UH, ONE DEVELOPER THAT WAS WANTING TO DO SOMETHING THAT WE WENT WITH THEM AND HELPED THEM ON A COUNTY PROJECT. MATTER OF FACT, IT WAS LA VISTA FOR THEIR CREMATORY. BUT I GUESS THAT WAS, THAT WOULD'VE BEEN SOMETHING THAT WAS EVIL. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, AND THE CHARGES THAT KEEP GETTING MADE AND INFERENCES THAT I'M TAKING MONEY WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER, UH, WHETHER IT'S BUCKETS OR SUITCASES, AND THAT MY ASSISTANT IS GETTING FINANCIAL FAVORS WITHOUT AN OUNCE OF, OF REAL EVIDENCE, THEY KEEP CLAIMING THERE'S THIS EVIDENCE, WE'RE NOT GIVING IT TO 'EM. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S EASY TO SAY ALL THAT STUFF, UH, BUT IT'S DIFFERENT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY TRY TO PROVE IT. AND AS I SAY, WE HELP DEVELOPERS WHETHER IF WE ARE GONNA AGREE WITH THE PROJECT OR NOT, ALL THE TIME TO GET THROUGH THE PROCESS. LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS TIE UP A BUNCH OF STAFF TIME THAT'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE. THAT'S OUR JOB, AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DO IT. SO ANYWAY, THAT'S ALL I'LL SAY AT THIS TIME. NEXT. OH, DI UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THROUGH THE CHAIR, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO DEFEND YOURSELF ON THE DAES. I THINK THAT, I BELIEVE THAT, UM, THERE IS A PROCESS THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE REQUESTING. I UNDERSTAND OUR LEGAL COUNSEL IS WORKING WITH OUR LEGAL COUNSEL. UM, AND SO THERE ARE THINGS THAT THEY ARE REQUESTING. AND SO I BELIEVE THAT, UM, UH, LEGAL COUNSEL, WE DO HAVE A CONSULTANT FOR THIS THAT I BELIEVE WAS HIRED. UM, AND SO LET US WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS NO, UM, YOU, I MEAN LIKE THE BACK AND FORTH FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS AND FROM, UH, YOU, OUR MAYOR. I BELIEVE THAT, UM, LET'S, UH, HANDLE IT PROFESSIONALLY. THERE ARE THINGS THAT THEY ARE REQUESTING. AND I BELIEVE THAT OUR COUNCIL WILL TAKE CARE OF THAT. IS THAT GOOD MR. MAYOR? IF THOSE THINGS EXIST? YES. UH, NO. I, THOSE ARE THE THINGS, MAYOR, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, LET'S, LET'S AVOID THOSE, UM, THOSE COMMENTS THAT ARE UNNECESSARY BECAUSE THEN LET US, LET US THE, LET THE PROCESS WORK THROUGH IT. THEY HAVE PAPERWORK. WE HAVE PAPERWORK. OUR COUNSEL IS HERE. WE, THEY HAVE A LAWYER. WE HAVE A LAWYER. THEN LET IT, LET IT BE, UH, DONE IT PROPERLY. THANK YOU. I KNOW, BUT THEY JUST WANNA MAKE A PUBLIC ISSUE ABOUT IT. THAT'S THE PROBLEM. AND SO THAT REALLY STARTS SLAMMING PEOPLE'S REPUTATIONS UNNECESSARILY. MAYOR, NEXT WE GO ON. WELL, MR. BAY, IF, IF WE DON'T AGREE, UM, AT SOME POINT PUBLICLY, I AM GOING TO, UM, MAYBE REQUEST IN THE FUTURE TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON THIS IN CLOSED SESSION OR OPEN SESSION BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT IT, WE ARE OPEN TO LIABILITY AND I DON'T THINK THINGS ARE BEING AS TRANSPARENT AS THEY SHOULD, EVEN WITH US COUNCIL COLLEAGUES. SO I, I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND I'LL BE PLACING IT ON A FUTURE AGENDA. OKAY. UM, [6.1 Introduction of New City Employees] NEXT WE GO INTO RECOGNITIONS. AND THIS IS INTRODUCTION OF NEW CITY EMPLOYEES. AND LET'S GO DOWN THROUGH OUR LIST HERE OF THEM. UM, CHIEF, WHY DON'T YOU START IT OFF. COME ON UP HERE. COMFORTABLE WITH ME. SO, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, I'M VERY PROUD TO, UH, BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE TWO THAT ARE HERE, FOUR TOTAL, UM, OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE FILLING A LOT OF OUR VACANCIES IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO I'M GONNA START WITH PRISCILLA TORRES. SHE IS OUR FULL-TIME RECORDS CLERK. UH, SHE'S BEEN ON A JOB FOR A WEEK. THREE WEEKS. YEAH. OH MY GOSH. OKAY. SHE'S BEEN WITH US FOR THREE WEEKS. SHE CAME FROM US FROM THE ZOO. UH, SHE'S ALSO A-S-D-S-U GRAD, A HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL GRAD. UH, A GREAT MEMBER TO OUR TEAM. AND SHE'S ALREADY TOLD ME [00:40:01] THAT SHE DOESN'T WANNA GET TOO COMFORTABLE AS A RECORDS CLERK BECAUSE EVENTUALLY SHE'S GOING TO BE A POLICE OFFICER. I FULLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO THAT. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR APPLICATION. NEXT. RAMEL LONGTIME NATIONAL CITY RESIDENT, UH, RAMEL SERVED OUR NATION IN THE US ARMY, UH, WHERE HE WORKED AS A MATERIAL CONTROL AND ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST. UH, SHAI GRAD, I DUNNO IF I MENTIONED THAT. IN 22 YEARS OF ACCOUNTING. SO VERY PROUD OF RAMEL. HE'S NOW OUR POLICE OPERATIONS ASSISTANT. A POSITION THAT WE'VE BEEN IN DIRE NEED OF. AND NOW HE'S HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. HE'S BEEN WITH US FOR A COUPLE WEEKS. SINCE THE FOURTH. SINCE THE FOURTH. UH, THE OTHER TWO POSITIONS, ONE IS A DI TWO OF 'EM ARE DISPATCHERS. UH, ONE IS AIDEN. AIDEN, UH, USED TO WORK WITH US AS A VOLUNTEER AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DOWN IN PROPERTY AND EVIDENCE. UM, HE WORKS SOME SMALL JOBS, SO NOW HE'S, UH, WORKING AS A DISPATCHER AS WELL AS MAX AVILA. AND MAX'S CONNECTION TO NASHVILLE CITY IS, HE WAS WORKING AT CHICK-FIL-A WITH THE MANAGER DENISE, WHO'S, UH, WORKED REALLY CLOSELY WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO NOW MAX IS ALSO ONE OF OUR DISPATCHERS. SO YOU GOT HALF THE CREW HERE. THE OTHER ONES ARE PROBABLY WORKING, UH, NIGHT SHIFT. SO WITH THAT, PRISCILLA, A FEW COMMENTS. . UM, I AM NOT USUALLY FROM NATIONAL CITY, SO I'M KIND OF EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THE CITY. I ORIGINALLY, UM, DESIGNATE IN LIKE SAN DIEGO CITY HEIGHTS AREA. SO BEING HERE, I'M EXCITED. RAMEL, UH, GOOD EVENING. COUNCIL MEMBER, MAYOR AND COMMUNITY. UM, JUST THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY HELLO. AND, UM, I'M PROUD TO BE A PART OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WORKING IN THIS NEW POSITION, SO THANK YOU. YOU, YOU DIDN'T MENTION THAT YOU GOT THE, UH, THE KEY FROM THE CITY. OH, YEAH. SO I, I DID MENTION THAT I'M GONNA SWEARING IN AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT, UH, BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL, UH, I WAS PART OF THE BASKETBALL TEAM AND WE WON THE CIF CHAMPIONSHIP, REMEMBER THAT? AND I WAS AWARDED A KEY TO THE CITY, WHICH I NEVER USED FOR ANYTHING. SO , IT'S, IT'S STORED AWAY IN MY GARAGE. YOU HAVEN'T TRIED IT? ANY OF THE LOCKS? OH MY GOD, I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE ALL, ALL MY LIFE. SO, YOU KNOW, I, I'LL STILL RESERVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY. THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. WELL, UH, AND I KNOW YOU HAD TWO OTHERS AND, UH, WITH, UH, WITH MAX AND ALSO WITH, UH, AIDEN AND MAX SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO A GREAT JOB. 'CAUSE IF HE CAN HANDLE THE LINE AT, UH, CHICK-FIL-A, HE CAN PROBABLY HANDLE POLICE DISPATCH. I, I CERTAINLY HOPE SO. FOR SURE. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. AND WE HAVE ONE FOR MAINTENANCE. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, STEVE MANGANELLI, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING PUBLIC WORKS. UM, TONIGHT I'M HAPPY TO INTRODUCE TO THE COUNCIL IN THE PUBLIC, UH, ROBERTO CONTRERAS, UH, DUE TO HIS WORK SCHEDULE, HE COULDN'T BE HERE THIS, THIS EVENING. SO I HAVE A BRIEF BIO I'D LIKE TO READ. UH, ROBERTO GREW UP IN NATIONAL CITY AND PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS A TELECOM TOP HAND. HIS PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDED INSTALLING, MAINTAINING, AND REPAIRING TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT ON TOWERS, OFTEN AT SIGNIFICANT HEIGHTS. THIS WORK REQUIRED EXPERTISE IN RIGGING, CLIMBING TECHNIQUES AND A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF VARIOUS ANTENNA SYSTEMS AND WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE WITH STRICT ADHERENCE TO SAFETY PROTOCOLS. UH, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO WELCOME ROBERTO TO OUR TEAM AS A MAINTENANCE WORKER FOR OUR PUBLIC WORK STREETS AND WASTEWATER DIVISION. AND HIS, UH, EXPERIENCE WORKING IN OUR CITY AND GROWING UP HERE, I THINK WILL, UH, SERVE REALLY WELL, UM, FOR OUR, OUR STREETS AND WASTEWATER CREWS. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED AND TO WELCOME, WELL, REALLY EXCITED TO WELCOME HIM TO OUR TEAM. AND IF YOU'VE PROBABLY NOTICED OVER THE LAST FEW MEETINGS WE'RE WE'RE FINALLY STARTING TO FILL SOME MUCH NEEDED VACANCIES. AND WHENEVER WE CAN DO IT WITH LOCAL FOLKS, IT'S, IT'S A BONUS. SO, UH, WITH THAT WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE, UH, ROBERTO AND WELCOME HIM TO NATIONAL CITY PUBLIC WORKS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I THINK THAT'S ALL. EXCUSE ME. UM, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE ON THAT WE NOW GO INTO APPOINTMENTS. THIS IS APPOINTMENTS FOR THE BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES. MAYOR, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION. FIRST. WE [7.1 San Diego Community Power Presentation] HAVE A PRESENTATION. OH, DEPARTMENT. YOU ARE RIGHT. SORRY. OKAY. YES, WE DO HAVE COUNTY POWER. COME ON UP, CHARGE US UP. DON'T NO, I DON'T CHARGE US. JUST, I JUST WANNA GET THAT RIGHT, [00:45:05] RIGHT. THANK YOU MAYOR MORRISON. AND GOOD EVENING HONORABLE COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS KAREN BURNS. I'M THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER HERE AT SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY POWER AND TODAY'S PRESENTATION WILL COVER SOME BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION, OUR 2025 RATES, OUR INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS, OUR OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS. BUT JUST A BRIEF REFRESHER ON HOW THIS ALL WORKS. COMMUNITY POWER PURCHASES WHOLESALE ENERGY THROUGH SHORT AND LONG-TERM CONTRACTS. WE THEN TRANSMIT THAT ENERGY THROUGH THE POLES AND WIRES OF SAN DIEGO GAS AND ELECTRIC. AND FINALLY, THAT POWER IS DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME. ASSUMING YOU'RE ONE OF OUR CUSTOMERS, UH, YOU RECEIVED ONE BILL FROM SDG AND E THAT BREAKS APART YOUR ELECTRIC GENERATION, YOUR TRANSMISSION DISTRIBUTION, AND YOUR GAS USAGE CHARGES. WE ARE THE ELECTRIC GENERATION PORTION. UH, BEFORE WE EXISTED, THIS WAS ALL DONE, UH, THROUGH SAND DIEGO GAS AND ELECTRIC. AND THEN 20 YEARS AGO, STATE LEGISLATION PASSED, WHICH ENABLED THE CREATION OF COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATORS. NOW, UH, FAST FORWARD TO TODAY, THERE ARE 25 CCAS OPERATING ACROSS CALIFORNIA IN 200 CITIES, 20 COUNTIES, AND WE SERVE ALMOST 40% OF THE LOAD IN THE ENTIRE STATE. OKAY. WE, IN 2019, AND WE STARTED SERVING CUSTOMERS IN 2021, AND, UH, NATIONAL CITY JOINED US IN 2022. WE WERE THRILLED TO HAVE YOU. AND NOW WE SERVE NEARLY 1 MILLION CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS. WE WERE ONE OF THE LAST CCAS IN THE STATE TO FORM, BUT TODAY WE ARE ALREADY THE SECOND LARGEST BEHIND ONLY COMMUNITY, UM, CLEAN POWER LINES IN LA. WE ARE GOVERNED BY A BOARD OF DIRECTORS, COMPRISED OF ONE ELECTED OFFICIAL APPOINTED FROM EACH MEMBER AGENCY. I WANNA THANK COUNCIL MEMBER I AND VICE MAYOR BUSH, UH, FOR THEIR SERVICE ON OUR BOARD. THE BOARD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTING OUR STRATEGIC DIRECTION, OVERSEEING POWER PURCHASING, ENSURING OUR FINANCIAL STABILITY, ENABLING COMPETITIVE RATE SETTING, AND OVERSIGHT OF OUR CUSTOMER PROGRAMS. IN ADDITION, WE ALSO HAVE A COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND WE APPOINT TWO FOLKS FROM NATIONAL CITY TO SIT ON THAT COMMITTEE. OUR STAFF WILL BRING SELECT ITEMS TO THAT ADVISORY COMMITTEE BEFORE THEY'RE BROUGHT TO THE BOARD. AND WE WANNA THANK AIDA CASTANEDA AND LARRY EMERSON AND LARRY'S HERE TONIGHT FOR PROVIDING THEIR TIME AND TALENTS TO THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UNLIKE INVESTOR OWNED UTILITIES, OUR RATES ARE SET BY OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS. SO WE HAVE SEVERAL RATE OPTIONS AND A SUITE OF SERVICES TO GIVE CUSTOMERS A CHOICE SO THEY CAN BALANCE AFFORDABILITY WITH THEIR SUSTAINABILITY GOALS. FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, WE HAVE REDUCED ELECTRIC CHARGES FOR OUR CUSTOMERS TO PROVIDE A DISCOUNT COMPARED TO SDG AND E. MOST CUSTOMERS, WHEN THEY'RE OPTED IN, OPTED INTO OUR POWER ON SERVICE LEVEL, THAT'S THE LIGHT BLUE, WHICH IS AT LEAST 50% RENEWABLE ENERGY. AND CURRENTLY IN 2025 IS 3% LESS EXPENSIVE THAN SDG E'S RATE. THIS PAST SUMMER, RESPONDING TO AFFORDABILITY CONCERNS, WE INTRODUCED A NEW SERVICE POWER BASE, WHICH PROVIDES THIS YEAR A 5% DISCOUNT TO SDG E. IT'S THE MOST AFFORDABLE OPTION AVAILABLE. NOW FOR CUSTOMERS WHO WISH TO HAVE THEIR HOME OR BUSINESS POWERED BY 100% CLEAN AND RENEWABLE ENERGY ON AN ANNUALIZED BASIS, THEY CAN OPT UP TO POWER 100, WHICH PROVIDES 100% RENEWABLE AND CARBON FREE. AND LAST YEAR WE ALSO INTRODUCED POWER 100 GREEN PLUS, WHICH IS DESIGNED FOR BUSINESSES WHO ARE, IT'S A CERTIFIED PRODUCT AND IT'S DESIGNED PRIMARILY TO SUPPORT LEAD CERTIFICATION FOR BUILDINGS. WHILE WE ARE PARTIAL TO OUR SERVICE, YOU CAN ALWAYS OPT OUT. UM, BUT WE'RE PROUD TO REPORT THAT WE HAVE AN AVERAGE PARTICIPATION RATE OF 95%, WHICH MEANS THAT LESS THAN 5% ACROSS MEMBER AGENCIES HAVE OPTED OUT ACROSS OUR TERRITORIES. OKAY? COSTS ARE DYNAMIC. UM, AND COMMUNITY POWER IS BUILDING A COMPREHENSIVE POWER PORTFOLIO THROUGH LONG-TERM POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS. THESE ACT AS PHYSICAL HEDGES TO HELP US STABILIZE POWER COSTS AND THEREFORE OUR RATES. WE ARE ALWAYS BALANCING THREE THINGS, FISCAL PRUDENCE, CUSTOMER AFFORDABILITY, AND BUILDING THAT RENEWABLE POWER PORTFOLIO. IT TAKES YEARS TO GET THAT TO COME ONLINE. SO OUR POWER TEAM ENSURES PORTFOLIO, UH, COMPLIANCE, VALUE AND RISK MANAGEMENT. TO DATE, WE HAVE SIGNED 13 LONG-TERM POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS FOR OVER 1.6 GIGAWATTS OF NEW RENEWABLE ENERGY, ENOUGH TO POWER ALMOST 800,000 HOMES. AND WE HAVE SIGNED 14 CONTRACTS FOR ALMOST TWO GIGAWATTS OF ENERGY STORAGE CAPACITY THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO ALMOST HALF A MILLION HOMES, PEAK USAGE, AND WE'RE NOT DONE. ALSO, ONE OF OUR MANDATES IS TO BUILD LOCAL ENERGY SUPPLI TO PROVIDE GREAT JOBS HERE, AS WELL AS ENERGY RESILIENCE AND RELIABILITY HERE. [00:50:01] AND SO WE HAVE SOME LOCAL ENERGY AND, UH, ENERGY CAPACITY GOALS, INCLUDING DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN JUST A MINUTE. EVERY YEAR WE SHARE OUR POWER CONTENT LABEL WITH OUR CUSTOMERS. THAT'S EFFECTIVELY A NUTRITION LABEL. IT TELLS YOU WHAT, IT'S A BREAKDOWN OF OUR ENERGY PRODUCT, WHETHER THAT'S SOLAR, WIND, GEOTHERMAL, NUCLEAR, LARGE HYDRO, AND OR NATURAL GAS. WE ALSO PROVIDE A JOINT RATE MAILER IN COORDINATION WITH SDG E, WHICH COMPARES OUR SERVICE TO SDG E SO THAT CUSTOMERS CAN MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE ABOUT THEIR ELECTRIC, UH, SERVICE PROVIDER. CLEAN POWER AT COMPETITIVE RATES IS A CORE ASPECT OF OUR ORGANIZATION, BUT IT'S NOT THE ONLY THING WE DO. WE ARE ALSO FOCUSED ON PROVIDING PROGRAMS TO OUR CUSTOMERS THAT CAN HELP REDUCE THEIR ENERGY CUS CONSUMPTION AND PROVIDE BILL RELIEF. A FLEX LOAD STRATEGY DRIVES THE BULK OF HOW WE BUILD OUT THESE PROGRAMS BECAUSE THE BASIC IDEA IS THAT WHEN YOU USE POWER IS AS IMPORTANT AS HOW MUCH POWER YOU ARE USING. THE VAST MAJORITY OF CUSTOMERS IN CALIFORNIA, ACROSS CALIFORNIA ARE ON SOMETHING CALLED A TIME OF USE RATE, WHICH MEANS THAT ENERGY COSTS VARY DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF DAY. WITH ENERGY BEING MORE EXPENSIVE FOR US AS WELL AS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. BETWEEN THE HOURS OF FOUR AND 9:00 PM SOLARS COMING OFF, WIND HASN'T COME ON. YOU HAVE THAT GAP. BATTERIES ARE STARTING TO FILL THAT GAP, BUT RIGHT NOW, THAT'S STILL WHEN PEAK LOAD IS OCCURRING AND WE HAVE MORE EXPENSIVE POWER. SO WHAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON IS TRYING TO SHIFT THAT LOAD, SHIFT THE ENERGY OUT OF THAT EXPENSIVE PEAK PERIOD. IT LOWERS BILLS, IT LOWERS OUR COSTS, AND IT REDUCES STRESS ON THE GRID. SO IT'S A WIN-WIN WIN. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE'VE LAUNCHED A COUPLE OF PROGRAMS. WE HAVE, UH, TWO NEW PILOT PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT TODAY. ONE IS CALLED SMART HOME FLEX, THAT ALLOWS COMMUNITY POWER TO OPTIMIZE A CUSTOMER SMART THERMOSTAT SETTINGS TO SHIFT THEIR ENERGY AWAY FROM PEAK DEMAND. WE INCENTIVIZED TO DO THEM TO DO THAT, AND THEY HAVE A LOWER ENERGY BILL, LIKEWISE WITH THE EV OR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CONNECT. THAT SIMILARLY SUPPORTS THE GRID BY OPTIMIZING CHARGING SCHEDULES FOR DRIVERS WHO CHARGE THEIR EVS AT HOME. AGAIN, BOTH OF THESE ARE REDUCING A CUSTOMER'S ENERGY BILL, REDUCING PEAKED USAGE OVERALL WHEN WE SCALE THOSE TYPES OF PROGRAMS. AND IT'S REDUCING THE STRESS ON THE GRID. THIS PAST SUMMER, WE LAUNCHED ANOTHER PILOT PROGRAM THAT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. IT'S CALLED THE SOLAR SOLAR BATTERY SAVINGS PROGRAM. IT'S VERY INNOVATIVE AND WAS EVEN RECOGNIZED BY THE US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY BY STORING POWER DURING THE DAY. THROUGH HOMES THAT HAVE SOLAR, WE ADD THE BATTERIES AND THEN USING THAT STORED ENERGY WHEN RATES ARE HIGHEST. AGAIN, IT REDUCES COSTS FOR CUSTOMERS, IT REDUCES RESOURCE ADEQUACY OR COST THAT WE HAVE TO PAY DURING THAT PEAK TIME, AND IT REDUCES PRESSURE ON THE GRID. OF NOTE. APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD OF THE BATTERY INSTALLATIONS FOR THIS PILOT PROGRAM WERE IN COMMUNITIES OF CONCERN, OR FOR CUSTOMERS ENROLLED IN LOW INCOME RATE PROGRAMS SUCH AS CARE OR FARA. WE HAD DIFFERENT INCENTIVE STRUCTURES TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE GOT LEFT BEHIND AND THAT WE CAN ENSURE ALL FOLKS CAN PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM. IT ALSO PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT WORK TO THE LOCAL SOLAR INDUSTRY AND HAS BEEN, THAT HAS BEEN REALLY NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THE CPU'S MANDATE TO SHIFT FROM NM 2.0 NET ENERGY MEETING, NET ENERGY METERING 2.0 TO NET BILLING TARIFF THAT CHANGE REDUCED COMPENSATION. AND IT HAD A REALLY NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR SOLAR INDUSTRY. IT'S ONE OF OUR BIG INDUSTRIES HERE. AND SO, UH, THIS WORK ALSO HELPED TO SUPPORT THAT INDUSTRY. AND OVER HALF THE PROJECTS WERE WITH CONTRACTORS THAT ARE SMALL BUSINESSES, UNION OR DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTITIES. ANOTHER WAY WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO INVEST BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITIES IS THROUGH OUR CLEAN ENERGY GRANT AWARDS. WE HAD OVER 1.2 MILLION INTO 16 LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS SO FAR. AND JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF THOSE. HAMMOND CLIMATE SOLUTIONS HAS PUT A SOLAR AND STORAGE, UH, FACILITY ONTO OLIVE WOOD GARDENS LEARNING. OLIVE WOOD GARDENS LEARNING CENTER HERE IN NATIONAL CITY. GREAT ALTERNATIVES HAS WORKED ON, UM, HOMES, ROOF REPLACEMENTS AND REPAIRS. WE ALSO HAD SBCS, SAN DIEGO, SAN DIEGO THREE 50 CREATING HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS. AND I AM GREEN WITH HIS WEATHERIZATION AND EQUITY PROGRAM NOW IN NATIONAL CITY. SPECIFICALLY SIX NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE PROGRAMS OPERATING HERE. WE'RE GIVEN CLEAN ENERGY GRANTS TOTALING ALMOST HALF A MILLION DOLLARS THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. WE'VE ONLY BEEN OPERATING A FEW YEARS, SO WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CAN. UH, ONE OF THE THOSE GRANTED WAS TO BUILD THAT 16.4 KILOWATT SOLAR AND 35 KILOWATT STORAGE PROJECT ON THE NATIONAL CITY BASED OLIVE WOOD GARDENS. I WENT AND SAW THAT WAS PART OF THE RIBBON CUTTING. IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE. THAT PROJECT WILL SAVE OVER $400,000 OVER THE, LIKE NEXT 10 TO 12 YEARS OF THAT PROJECT FOR THAT COMMUNITY, WHICH MEANS THEY [00:55:01] CAN REINVEST THAT MONEY. THEY'RE NOT SPENDING ON THEIR ENERGY BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. THAT'S THE KIND OF WORK WE WANNA DO AND WANNA CONTINUE TO BUILD OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. LASTLY, NATIONAL CITY RECEIVED A $50,000 GRANT FROM US TO SUPPORT YOUR CLIMATE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. AND WE HAVE A FEW OTHER THINGS ON A REGIONAL LEVEL THAT ARE HAPPENING. 124 MILLION FOR THE SAN DIEGO REGIONAL ENERGY NETWORK AND AN EQUITABLE, EQUITABLE BUILDING DECARBONIZATION PROGRAM. IT'S A BIG REGIONAL PROGRAM ACROSS SOUTH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET SOME FUNDING FOR THAT FOR HERE IN THE REGION. OKAY. GOING, OKAY. SO THIS IS THE SAN DIEGO REN OR REGIONAL ENERGY NETWORK. IT'S COLLECTING 124 MILLION IN THE REGION FOR NEW ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. WE'LL BE LAUNCHING 10 PROGRAMS OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF TO FOCUS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS THAT DON'T EXIST TODAY THAT ARE IN HARD TO REACH AREAS, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND CODES AND STANDARDS. ALSO, WE WANNA SEEK OUT OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND MEET THEM WHERE THEY'RE AT. SO LAST YEAR WE HAD OVER 150 EVENTS TO MEET CUSTOMERS AND ANSWER QUESTION QUESTIONS REGION-WIDE. 67% OF THOSE WERE IN COMMUNITIES OF CONCERN, AROUND 15 TO 20 OF THOSE WERE HERE IN NATIONAL CITY. COMMUNITY POWER STAFF REGULARLY SPEAK AT CONFERENCES, PANELS, COMMUNITY EVENTS. WE'RE MEMBERS OF MORE THAN 20 ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE REGION. AND, UH, WE HOST A NUMBER OF ENERGY RELATED EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO HEAR FROM MEMBER AGENCIES ON EVENTS YOU'D LIKE US TO PARTICIPATE. SO PLEASE DO REACH OUT THROUGH OUR BOARD MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER ANI. AND LASTLY, WE WANT YOU TO MAKE SURE FOLKS CAN GET ACCESS. WE'RE VERY TRANSPARENT, JUST LIKE HERE. SO YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER, YOU CAN VIEW OUR BILL EXPLAINER. YOU CAN REACH OUR CONTACT CENTER, UH, WHICH CAN BE REACHED MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. AND OF COURSE, ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC CAN ATTEND OR WATCH OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS OR COMMUNITY ADVISORY MEETINGS. THEY'RE OPEN. WE WELCOME PARTICIPANTS. A HEARTFELT THANK YOU AGAIN TO THE STAFF OF NATIONAL CITY AND OUR BOARD REPRESENTATIVES, COUNCIL MEMBER DIAZ, JIM AND VICE MAYOR MARCUS BUSH. THANK YOU. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. OKAY. I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU. UM, ONE BEING WE, WE HEAR THAT YOU'VE MADE A COUPLE OF, OF REDUCTIONS AS FAR AS RATE REDUCTIONS, AND YET OUR BILLS ARE GOING THROUGH THE ROOF. SO THE QUESTION COMES UP AND I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PROCUREMENT AND THE TRANSMISSION, AND IT SEEMS THE TRANSMISSION IS GOING THROUGH THE ROOF. UH, TWO YEARS AGO, I HAVE A LARGE HOUSE WITH A LOT OF STUFF AND IT WAS, I WAS UP IN LIKE IN THE HIGH NINETIES TO MAYBE ONE 50 AT A EXCEPTIONAL MONTH. NOW I'M FOUR OR $500 AND HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENT. UH, SO, AND I KNOW OTHER PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME THING. SO WHY IS THE TRANSMISSION GOING UP ASTRONOMICALLY? IS IT BECAUSE OF THE, THE WILDFIRES AND THEY HAVE TO PUT A LOT OF MONEY INTO THOSE SHUTOFF SYSTEMS AND, AND LAWSUITS, EVERYTHING? WHAT'S, WHAT'S CAUSING THAT? YEAH, UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN'T REALLY SPEAK TO THAT BECAUSE IT IS SDG NEWS PORTION OF THE BILL. I THINK A LOT OF WHAT YOU MENTIONED IS PROBABLY HAPPENING. UM, BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO REACH OUT TO THEM AND MAYBE ASK THEM WHAT'S, WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS DRIVING THAT COST? BUT I SAY, I THINK IN YOUR RELEASES YOU NEED TO ADDRESS THAT SOMEWHAT BECAUSE THEY, EVERYONE GETS A DEAL. OH, THEY'VE REDUCED IT, BUT THEN MY BILL JUST WENT UP ANOTHER A HUNDRED DOLLARS. HOW DID THAT WORK? AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU NEED TO DISTINGUISH YOURSELF FROM THE TRANS THE TRANSMISSION. JUST JUST AN IDEA BECAUSE AS I SAY, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE, UH, THE PURCHASE OF, OF THE, UH, ELECTRICITY. UM, THE OTHER THING IS, YOU KNOW, YOU TALKED ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS AS FAR AS ELECTRICITY AND LITHIUM AND ALL THAT KINDA STUFF. AND TRYING TO PUT IT AT THE LOWEST RATES. PUT IT AT THE TIME WHEN YOU, WHEN THE RATES ARE THE LOWEST. SO NOT PAYING SO MUCH. AND YET WE HAVE THE PORT INDEPENDENT OF US BECAUSE THEY'RE AN INDEPENDENT AGENCY PUTTING A CHARGING STATION ON THE WEST SIDE DIRECTLY UPWIND FROM OUR CITY FOR 18 WHEELER TRUCKS ELECTRIFIED. AND SO ALL THE TRUCKS FROM THE TWO PORTS AND ANY, ANY ELECTRIC TRUCKS IN THE COUNTY WOULD ALL GO THERE. AND THEY NEED, FOR A FULL CHARGE, THEY NEED A MINIMUM OF 12 HOURS. SO WHAT'S THAT GONNA DO TO, UH, WHEN THEY START DRAINING ALL THAT OFF A, AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE, I'M, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT SPECIFIC PROJECT AND THE SPECIFICS. UM, BUT I WOULD VERY MUCH ENCOURAGE YOU TO SPEAK TO THE PORT AND OKAY. AND ASK THEM THOSE QUESTIONS. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YEAH. YES, PLEASE, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU. UM, WE, WE REALLY CANNOT TALK ABOUT S STT AND PORTION OF THAT BILL. AND THEN WITH REGARDS TO THE, UH, [01:00:01] BATTERIES THAT ARE GONNA BE, UM, THAT, THAT IS A CURRENT OR THAT IS A PROPOSED PROJECT AT THE PORT, UM, IT, IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE ARE NOT, UM, UM, A PARTICIPANT TO. UM, WE REALLY ARE, UM, PROVIDING THE CLEAN ENERGY, UM, WITH AFFORDABLE RATES TO OUR RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESSES. AND THAT IS THE, THE PROGRAM THAT, UM, COMMUNITY POWER, UM, IS HERE TO PROVIDE TO, UM, FULFILL, UM, THE CLEAN ENERGY, UM, IN 20 20, 20 35. SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR CEO MS. KAREN BURNS. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, UM, AVAILABLE TO REPORT TO, UH, SISTERS, UM, TO PARTICIPATING CITIES OF, UM, THE SUCCESS STORY THAT, UH, COMMUNITY POWER, UM, IS DOING RIGHT NOW FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I WOULD ALSO WOULD LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE TO THANK OUR, UM, ADVISORY COMMUNITY ADVISORY, UM, PARTICIPANTS, MR. LARRY EMERSON AND AIDA CASTANEDA FOR REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, UM, REVISITING OR RELOOKING AND, AND STUDYING ALL THIS, UM, VERY, VERY COMPLICATED. UM, UM, UM, UH, PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE, UM, AT THE COMMUNITY POWER AND, UH, THE TEAM FROM COMMUNITY POWER. UM, THEY'RE ALWAYS THERE IN OUR MEETINGS. WE, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING OUR CEO AND THANK YOU MS. KAREN FOR, UH, MAKING THIS REPORT FOR, UH, NATIONAL CITY. THANK YOU MA'AM. YES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT, NEXT WE GET INTO APPOINTMENTS. AND THE FIRST SET IS, UH, MAYOR, WE HAVE REGIONAL BOARDS, HUH? OH, WE DO REGIONAL BOARDS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS. WHY AM I MISSING THAT? OKAY. REGIONAL BOARDS, I START [8. REGIONAL BOARDS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS] DOWN HERE. ANY REGIONAL BOARD REPORTS, UH, NOTHING TO REPORT. MR. MAYOR, WE HAVE A SHORELINE PRESERVATION WORKING GROUP MEETING AT SANDAG THIS THURSDAY, WHICH WAS POSTPONED UNFORTUNATELY. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONE. AND WE HAVE THE MTS PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING THIS FRIDAY, UH, MARCH 7TH. THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN. UH, WOULD LIKE TO REPORT ON, UH, SOME, UM, SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY. I'M IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY. THE BOARD APPROVED AN INCREASE APPORTIONMENT TO 50% UP, UP FROM 40% OF THE TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION'S REVENUE REQUIREMENT ON THE ANNUAL FIXED BASIS. UM, TRANSPORTATION FIXED RATE ALLOCATED TO MEMBER AGENCIES BY A SEVEN YEAR AVERAGE IN WATER DEMANDS AND CONTINUE PROGRESS ON THE ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION. THE VOLUMETRIC BASED TRANSPORTATION RATE WILL BE SET TO RECOVER THE, THE REMAINING 50% OF THE, OF THE DETERMINED ANNUAL REVENUE REQUIREMENT. ADDITIONALLY, THE BOARD ALSO DIRECTED THE GENERAL MANAGER TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP OF THE MEMBER AGENCY GENERAL MANAGERS AND DEVELOP A TIMELINE STRUCTURE ON RATE STRUCTURE AND BUSINESS MODEL POLICY CHANGES FOR BOARD CONSIDERATION. UM, THE BOARD ALSO ADOPT POSITIONS ON VARIOUS BILLS. THE BOARD ADOPTED A POSITION OF SUPPORT ON HR 8 31 CALVERT TO ESTABLISH AN INTEREST-BEARING ACCOUNT FOR NON-FEDERAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER MULTIP CONSERVATION PROGRAM. UM, ALSO, UM, SENATE BILL 2 9 1 BY ALEX LIA, A BILL THAT IS SIMILAR TO, UM, HR 8 31, UH, AB 2 59 BLANCA RUBIO, OPEN MEETINGS LOCAL AGENCIES, TELECONFERENCES. THIS IS, YOU KNOW, REGARDING THE BROWN ACT. AB FIVE 14 PETRI NORRIS WATER EMERGENCY WATER SUPPLIES AND SB 72 CABALLERO. THE THE CALIFORNIA WATER PLAN, LONG-TERM WATER TARGETS, UH, FOR COMMUNITY FOR SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY POWER. UH, YOU HAVE HEARD OUR CEO JUST MADE A, UH, A REPORT, UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO, UM, REPORT THE MID-YEAR BUDGET UPDATE. UM, THE BOARD APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE FISCAL YEAR 24 25 OPERATING BUDGET, UM, TO INCREASE TOTAL NET OPERATING REVENUES. THE BOARD APPROVE AMENDMENT TO, UM, ITS CAPITAL BUDGET TO INCREASE TOTAL EXPENSES AND, AND AMENDMENT TO THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN. UM, THAT'S MY REPORT. UM, METRO WASTEWATER. MY MEETING IS ON THE SIXTH AND, UM, SWEETWATER AUTHORITY. UM, THERE'S NOTHING TO REPORT THERE, MAYOR. THANK YOU. OKAY, GO DOWN HERE. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, UH, BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT SANDAG MET ON FRIDAY AND WE HAD, UH, LONG DISCUSSION REGARDING THE KICKOFF TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, UH, STUDY FOR THE RELOCATION OF THE TRAIN TRACKS OFF OF, UH, THE DEL MAR BLUFFS. AND, UH, THERE WAS A LOT OF COMMUNITY INPUT, UH, BOTH WRITTEN COMMENT AND, [01:05:01] UH, PER PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP TO THE MEETING AND PRESENTED THEIR, UH, PETITIONS. THE BOARD DID VOTE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PLAN TO BEGIN, UM, THE FEASIBILITY OF THE PROPOSED. UM, I THINK THERE'S FOUR OR FIVE PROPOSED ROUTES. UH, BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THOSE ARE THE ONLY FIVE. THERE'S GONNA BE VIA THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT PROCESS, UM, THERE IS POTENTIAL TO CONSIDER OTHER OPTIONS. ALSO, I WAS APPOINTED BY THE, UH, DIRECTOR BY THE CHAIR OF, UH, SANDAG TO BE A PART OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE AT SANDAG. SO I WILL BE, UH, VICE CHAIR OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE AT SANDAG, AND I'M PRETTY EXCITED TO JOIN THE FIRST MEETING THIS FRIDAY. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. GOOD JOB. YES. NOTHING REPORT. NOTHING REPORT. OKAY. UH, COUPLE OF THINGS. YES. I'M ON THE, UH, PLANNING, EXCUSE ME, PLANNING POLICY COMMITTEE WITH SANDAG. WE HAD A MEETING LAST WEEK, UH, BETWEEN THE PLANNING, UH, THE TRAFFIC AND WHAT'S THE OTHER ONE? LET'S SEE. IT WAS THREE OF 'EM. TRAFFIC PLANNING SAND. YEAH, I, WITH THE, THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. YEAH. WHAT WAS THE THIRD? OFFICER BORDERS? WELL, THAT WAS REGIONAL. WE HAD REGIONAL PLANNING BORDERS. THAT WAS THE OTHER ONE. BORDERS, PUBLIC SAFETY. THERE WAS THREE OF US. WE ALL, YOU KNOW, THREE DIFFERENT GROUPS. WE ALL GOT TOGETHER AND HAD BASICALLY OVER A HALF DAY PRESENTATIONS AND, UH, UM, AS A, UH, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF STRUGGLES, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO DEAL WITH, WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE AND THE SHORTAGE OF MONEY. THEN ON THE DEAL WITH SWEETWATER AUTHORITY, AS I UNDERSTAND THE RAISE THAT COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY HAS DONE RIGHT NOW, SWEETWATER AUTHORITY, WE PRODUCE ALMOST ALL OF OUR OWN WATER. IN FACT, MOST TIME WE, WE PRODUCE ALL OF OUR WATER AND IT COSTS US ABOUT $250 AN ACRE FOOT. IF WE BUY IT FROM COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY, IT COSTS US $1,300 AN ACRE FOOT. SO BASICALLY FIVE TIMES MORE. SO NOW THEY'VE DONE THIS DEAL SO THAT THERE WILL BE A BASE AMOUNT THAT WE WILL PAY WHETHER WE GET ANY WATER OR NOT. SO THAT'S GONNA RAISE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE GOTTA PAY THEM FOR NOT TAKING WATER. SO, UH, IT'S THE, UH, ECONOMIC MATH IS A LITTLE ON THE CRAZY SIDE. SO WE WILL, UH, WE WILL DEAL WITH SOME OF THAT STUFF. ALRIGHT, WITH THAT, NOW [9.1 Appointments: Board of Library Trustees; Community & Police Relations Commission; Parks, Recreation & Senior Citizen’s Advisory Committee; and, Public Art Committee] WE GO INTO APPOINTMENTS. THIS IS, UH, NINE ONE. AND THE NINE ONE IS MERRILL APPOINTMENTS. WE HAVE ONE SEAT AVAILABLE ON THE, UH, LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES. AND, UH, THERE'S OPEN, UH, PATRICIA MCGEE IS THE CURRENT ALTERNATE, AND SO I WOULD, UH, I WOULD APPOINT HER TO THAT POSITION. SECOND, AND I GUESS I SHOULD DO THIS. ROLL CALL VOTE. HUH? ROLL CALL. VOTE IF YOU WANT TO. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER IMANI AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA? YES. VICE MAYOR BUSH? YES. MAYOR MORRISON. AYE. MOTION PASSES. OKAY. [9.2 Appointments: City Boards, Commissions, and Committees – City Council Interview and Appointment for the Civil Service Commission and Planning Commission.] ON THE COMMUNITY AND POLICE RELATIONS COMMISSION, WE HAVE TWO SEATS THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH 2028 AND ONE THAT'S THROUGH 2027. UM, FOR THE TWO, FOR 2028. DANIEL OR, AND, UH, WILLIAM PHILLIPS. AND THEN FOR THE ONE FOR 2027, UH, JAKE ULKA. I THINK THAT'S HOW YOU PRONOUNCE HIS NAME. ULKA. I SECOND THE MOTION. SOUNDS CLOSE. OKAY. AND, UH, THOSE WOULD BE, THOSE WOULD BE MY APPOINTMENTS TO THAT, TO THAT BOARD. I SECOND. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER YAMANI AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA? YES. VICE MAYOR BUSH? YES. MAYOR MORRISON? UH, YES. MOTION PASSES ON PARKS RECREATION, SENIOR CI, UH, CITIZENS ADVISORY. UH, WE HAVE A SURRENDER SANTOS, SHE'S CURRENTLY ON THERE AND LOOKING FOR A SECOND TERM AND I WOULD, UH, BE APPOINTING HER. AND THAT ONE GOES THROUGH 2027. SECOND, MR. CHAIR. OKAY, SO WE HAVE A MOTION. A SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER YAMANI AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA? YES. VICE MAYOR BUSH? YES. MAYOR MARSON. OKAY. UH, PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE. MAYOR MORRISON. WE HAVE ONE SEAT, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE ANY APPLICATIONS. YOU HAVE TO, I THINK SHE NEEDS TO, UH, VOTE YES, PLEASE. OH, TO, TO BRING THAT BACK? NO, JUST, JUST AN I FROM YOU WOULD BE I. OH, AYE. ALRIGHT. YES. THANK YOU. . OKAY. I'M TRYING TO GET AHEAD HERE. I KNOW. UH, SO PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE, WE GOT ONE SEAT TO SUE 2027, BUT WE HAVE NO APPLICANTS YET, SO WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL WE GET APPLICANTS ON THAT. SO WITH THAT, WE GO OVER TO THE, UH, [01:10:01] PLANNING COMMISSION AND THAT IS A COUNCIL APPOINTMENT. UM, THERE IS A CIVIL SERVICE OPENING ALSO, BUT THERE'S NO APPLICATIONS FOR THAT. SO WE JUST HAVE PLANNING COMMISSION. WE HAVE, UH, FOUR, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE UP FOR THAT. AND, UH, SO THAT IS MAYOR. WE HAVE THREE NOW. ONE PULL ONE WITHDREW TODAY. ANOTHER ONE. I, I ALREADY PULLED THE ONE DOUGLAS NESS. SO WE HAVE BRANDON BOWIE, SHERRY GOGI, AND CLAUDIA VENEZUELA. OKAY. SO SUSAN MEYER IS OUT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND CLAUDIA IS VIA ZOOM IS OKAY. AND SHE IS THE INCUMBENT? YES. SHE'S AT A PLANNING COMMISSION ACADEMY. HUH? SHE'S AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION ACADEMY. OH, OKAY. THAT'S A GOOD REASON TO NOT BE HERE TONIGHT. OKAY. UM, SO WITH THAT, THAT IS A COUNCIL APPOINTMENT. I THINK WE NEED TO PASS OUT SLIPS ON THAT. DO WE NOT? YES. DO YOU WANNA DO THE INTERVIEWS? WE CAN DO THAT ONE. OKAY. AND, UH, UH, WE CAN INTERVIEW EACH PERSON. WE GIVE THEM LIKE THREE MINUTES AND THERE'S ONLY THREE OF THEM. AND THEN WE UH, UH, AND WE'RE ALLOWED TO ASK TWO QUESTIONS, CORRECT. OF EACH CORRECT. WAY IS LAID OUT. ALRIGHT. SO IF WE HAVE, UH, DO WE HAVE BRANDON IN THE AUDIENCE POSITION? JUST ONE. OKAY. I'M NOT SEEING BRANDON. THERE'S BRANDON IN THE AUDIENCE NOT SEEING SHERRY GOGI. I SEE SHERRY GOGI THERE. PLEASE COME UP. . SORRY. . GOOD EVENING. THIS IS MY THIRD RUN FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION. 'CAUSE I THINK I CAN DO A LOT FOR THE CITY, SO I'M NOT GOING TO WIN. I'M TELLING YOU, , I HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE 1984. I'VE SEEN THE CITY GROW IN DIFFERENT WAYS, AND I SEE IT NEEDS TO GROW MORE. IT NEEDS MORE DIVERSITY. HE NEEDS A LOT. AND I THINK I CAN BRING THAT TO THE TABLE. UM, I'VE DONE A LOT IN THE CITY. I'M INVOLVED IN THE CHAMBER, THE NATIONAL CITY POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT, LITTLE LEAGUE. I'M A RETIRED MEMBER THERE FOR LIFE. UM, AND SO THERE'S A LOT IN THE CITY THAT I THINK WE CAN STILL DO BEING IN INSURANCE. I ALSO KNOW THE NECESSITIES THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHEN WE ARE BUILDING, PLANNING ON BUILDING AND SEEING WHAT WE'RE GONNA PUT THINGS, WHERE WE'RE GONNA PUT THINGS. AND I THINK I'M ALSO GOOD AT THAT. SO I AM PUTTING MY HAT IN THE RING AGAIN, PLEASE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, WAIT A SECOND. GET TO ASK A COUPLE QUESTIONS. DO YOU WANT MIKE TO ASK A QUESTION? ANYBODY? OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SHERRY, THANK YOU FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE WORK THAT YOU WANT TO DO FOR NATIONAL CITY. UH, MY QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH ATTENDING THE MEETINGS. UH, PERHAPS IT'S NOT SO SUCH A PROBLEM WITH PLANNING COMMISSION, BUT I KNOW SOME OF OUR OTHER BCCS, UH, WILL HAVE, UH, QUORUM ISSUES, MEANING THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE MEETINGS. AND SO THEN THE, EVEN THOUGH THERE IS, UM, A DISCUSSION TO BE HAD, IT CAN'T HAPPEN BECAUSE THERE'S NO QUORUM. SO, UH, I'M CURIOUS WHETHER YOU ARE AWARE OF WHEN THE MEETINGS ARE TAKING PLACE FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION, AND DO YOU FORESEE ANY PROBLEMS MAKING IT TO THOSE MEETINGS? GOOD QUESTION, BECAUSE I DO OWN MY OWN BUSINESS AND I AM A STICKLER FOR MY CALENDAR. ONCE IT'S ON THE CALENDAR, I DON'T MISS A MEETING. THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE IN NATIONAL CITY CAN TELL YOU ATEST TO IT. UNLESS I AM TOTALLY OUT WITH THE FLU OR SOMETHING, I MAKE EVERY MEETING BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S A COMMITMENT. ONCE I'VE MADE MY COMMITMENT, I STAND BY IT 100%. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? RIGHT? THANK YOU. WELL, OKAY. I HEARD SHERRY SAID I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE. I SAID THAT TOO. SHERRY . SO YOU'LL GO MY FRIEND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, UH, NEXT I THINK WE HAVE ON ZOOM. YES. CLAUDIA VALENZUELA. CLAUDIA? YES. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF. OKAY. I'M LOOKING, JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE I TURN ON MY CAMERA. ONE SECOND. I APOLOGIZE. IT'S OKAY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO TURN IT ON. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. YOU ARE WELCOME. HI, MY NAME IS CLAUDIA VALENZUELA. UM, I AM A 25 YEAR RESIDENT OF NATIONAL CITY. UH, I'VE RAISED MY FAMILY SEVEN, UM, IN NATIONAL CITY. AND, UH, MY CAREER HAS BEEN IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS, UH, WITH THE UTILITY. FOR 17 YEARS I WAS WITH SDG AND E AND CURRENTLY I WORK, UM, AS A DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS FOR HOLDINGS, [01:15:01] WHICH IS A HOUSING CONSULTANT AND, UM, EDUCATION. UM, AND DOES EDUCATION AND, UM, CLASSES, I MEAN, SORRY, EDUCATION SEMINARS AROUND HOUSING AND, UM, HOMELESSNESS. UM, I HAVE SERVED ON THE NATIONAL CITY PLANNING COMMISSION FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS. IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE TO DO SO. UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE STAFF'S TIME AND ENERGY THAT THEY PUT INTO, UM, THE PROFESSIONALISM AND THE, THE EFFORT THEY PUT IN, INTO MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE PREPARED. UM, AND I, YOU KNOW, I REALLY, UH, HAVE ENJOYED MY TIME. UH, WOULD LIKE TO BE REAPPOINTED. I AM CURRENTLY, I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO, UH, BE PRESENT WITH YOU TODAY, BUT I, I WILL BE ATTENDING THE PLANNING COMMISSIONER'S ACADEMY UP IN, UM, SANTA ROSA THIS WEEK. IT STARTS TOMORROW. SO, UM, THAT'S WHY I'M NOT PRESENT TODAY. SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. AND, UM, AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY THE LAST FOUR YEARS, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO POTENTIALLY, UM, SERVING ANOTHER FOUR. UH, CLAUDIA, DO YOU THINK THAT ANY OF YOUR OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT MIGHT CAUSE ANY CONFLICTS WITH BEING ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION? NO, I DON'T. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M NO LONGER WITH UTILITY. I THINK IF ANYTHING, UH, HAVING BEEN AT SDG E AND, AND SEMPRA, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S ALWAYS BEEN VERY HELPFUL AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR IN WHAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT COULD BE A CONFLICT. UH, BUT NO, I DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING THAT I DO NOW WOULD BE A CONFLICT. UM, THANK YOU MR. CHAIR. UM, MS. VALENZUELA, I SAT IN THE COMMISSION FOR YEARS, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UM, HOUSING AND PLANNING. AND, UM, I HAVE, UM, SEEN HER DEDICATION, UH, AND HER COMMITMENT, UM, IN, UH, IN CONTINUING TO SERVE, UM, OUR CITY. SO, THANK YOU. CLAUDIA, CAN I ASK QUESTION? THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ANI. UH, THANK YOU CLAUDIA. I HOPE YOU CAN HEAR ME. UM, I CAN, I'M GONNA ASK YOU THE SAME QUESTION REGARDING ATTENDING THE MEETINGS. UH, OF COURSE THIS IS A, YOU KNOW, WE ASK A LOT OF OUR VOLUNTEERS AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION IS CERTAINLY ONE THAT DOES REQUIRE QUITE A BIT OF ATTENDANCE. UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE A, A RECORD FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE. THERE'S SEVERAL ABSENCES HERE. UH, CAN YOU, CAN YOU GIVE US SOME IDEA ABOUT WHAT YOU PLAN, YOU KNOW, YOUR PLAN FOR ATTENDING THESE MEETINGS AND PERHAPS MAYBE, UH, A REASON FOR THE ABSENCES FROM 2024? YEAH, 2024, I CAN TELL YOU THERE WAS A COUPLE REASONS. ONE WAS, UM, I HAD A TRIP PLANNED, A FAMILY TRIP PLANNED, UM, THAT, UH, TOOK ME OUTTA THE COUNTRY. SO THAT MADE IT DIFFICULT. AND THEN I AM A SINGLE MOM, SO THERE'S THE LAST, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A COUPLE OF TIMES WHERE I AM THE ONLY PERSON THAT CAN GET MY KID TO AND FROM EITHER PRACTICE OR WHATEVER. THAT, UM, HAPPENS A LOT OF TIMES. I DO HAVE HELP FROM MY MOM AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WHO HAVE HELPED, BUT THERE'S BEEN TIMES WHERE IT JUST HASN'T, HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO HAPPEN. AND ONE TIME I WAS PRETTY SICK, UM, YOU KNOW, FLU OR WHATEVER IT WAS. SO, UM, BUT I, YEAH, YOU KNOW, I DO HAVE, UM, MY COMMITMENT IS THERE. I AM PRESENT. I DO, YOU KNOW, UM, I DO READ THE INFORMATION. I AM PREPARED WHEN I COME TO MEETINGS, AND SO I, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT LIFE, UM, LIFE GETS IN THE WAY SOMETIMES AND, BUT I REALLY DO, UM, DO MY BEST TO MEET ALL MY COMMITMENTS. UM, NOT ONLY JUST WITH THE CITY, BUT ALSO WITH MY FULL-TIME EMPLOYER AND ALSO WITH MY FAMILY. THANK YOU. OKAY. THE VOTES ARE AS FOLLOWS. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ VOTED FOR CLAUDIA VENICE, VAL MARCUS BUSH FOR CLAUDIA. COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA FOR SHERRY. UM, MAYOR MORRISON FOR CLAUDIA. AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER YAMANI FOR CLAUDIA. SO, CONGRATULATIONS, CLAUDIA. THANK YOU EVERYONE. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR, UM, TOTAL CONFIDENCE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO REPRESENT THE CITY. AND I WOULD JUST SAY TO SHERRY, KEEP COMING BACK. GOING ANYWHERE. THERE'S A CIVIL, CIVIL SERVICE. HOW'S IT OPENING? ? YEAH, I JUST, UH, YEAH. CONGRATULATIONS, UH, CLAUDIA. YEAH. AND I WANT, AND JUST SAY TO, UH, MISS SHERRY, PLEASE, UH, KEEP, UH, TRYING, UH, THAT IT WAS KIND OF A DIFFICULT DECISION FOR [01:20:01] ME. UM, BUT CLAUDIA, I THINK HAS DONE A, A DECENT JOB AND, YOU KNOW, SHE'S, SHE'S THE INCUMBENT. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, THAT'S MEANINGFUL. SO JUST PLEASE KEEP APPLYING. REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR DEDICATION AND, AND VOLUNTEERING FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO, UH, SO YEAH, JUST KEEP TRYING. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. OKAY, NEXT WE GO ON TO 10 SECTION, [10. CONSENT CALENDAR] WHICH IS OUR CONSENT CALENDAR. TEN ONE THROUGH TEN SIX. AND I DON'T THINK I'VE GOT LIMIT. THERE'S A TEN SIX HERE. OKAY. SO WE HAVE A TEN SIX. AND THAT'S BEEN ASKED TO BE PULLED. WHAT? CIVIL SERVICE? NOBODY APPLIED. OKAY. WELL, DID, CAN WE CLARIFY? HUH? CAN WE, SORRY. SO MY QUESTION WAS, UH, WHY WE DIDN'T, UH, GO OVER CIVIL SERVICE, BUT WE HAD NO APPLICANTS. HAD NO APPLICANTS. WELL, SHERRY, DID YOU CHECK OFF ANY INTEREST IN OTHER COMMITTEES? SO, CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, UH, NO. I, I'VE DONE ALREADY. SO YOU REALLY WANT PLANNING, SO YOU DON'T WANT TO GO FOR CIVIL SERVICE? NO. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, ALRIGHT. UM, SO WE DO HAVE, ON OUR CONSENT CALENDAR, WE HAVE A REQUEST TO PULL TEN SIX, UH, ANYTHING ELSE FROM ANYONE? I MAKE A MOTION, MAYOR TO APPROVE CONSENT CALENDAR. ITEM 10, ONE TO 10, FIVE. SECOND. SECOND. OKAY, SO THERE, THEY'RE NOW PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. ALRIGHT, NEXT WE HAVE, UH, [10.6 Warrant Register #26 - #28 for the Period of 12/20/24 through 1/9/25 in the Amount of $3,873,857.43] TEN SIX. UM, THIS IS, OH, I THOUGHT YOU WERE DOING TEN FIVE. UM, TEN SIX IS THE, UH, WARRANT REGISTRY, UH, NIETO. I'M, UM, LOOKING AT THIS WARRANT REGISTER AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN A WHILE. UM, I LOOKED AT IN COMPARED, I REMEMBER HOW LOOKED LIKE IN THE BEGINNING, YOU KNOW, SO IT WASN'T VERY DETAILED. SO YOU'VE ADDED A COUPLE MORE COLUMNS THAT MAKES IT MORE INFORMATIVE. BUT AS I'M LOOKING AT THIS, YOU HAVE CATEGORIES, NICE CATEGORIES, YOU KNOW. BUT AS I'M LOOKING AT THIS, YOU KNOW, A GOOD PORTION OF THESE, THESE CHECKS, FIRST OF ALL, THEY'RE ALL IN ONE BIG, THERE. TWO FROM THE PERIOD PAY PERIODS, 26 THROUGH 28 BEFORE YOU HAD 'EM SEPARATED. I THINK IT'D BE MORE INFORMATIVE IF YOU KEEP IT BY, BY THE, BY THE DATES. UH, YOU CAN SEE THE PROGRESSION AS AN EXAMPLE. I LOOKED IN THIS WARRANT REGISTER, AND I'M LOOKING AT THIS, AND ABOUT HALF OF THESE ENTRIES IS AS IT IS OUR PURCHASE ORDER. I MEAN, OUR PURCHASE, PURCHASE CARD ORDERS. YOU KNOW, IT SORT OF MAKES YOU THINK YOU, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THE CONTROLS OVER PURCHASE ORDERS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE, FROM THE CONTROLS OVER CREDIT CARDS. MM-HMM . SO HALF OF THESE THINGS ARE CREDIT CARDS. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE ABOUT CREDIT CARDS, EXPENDITURES. AND IT'S NOT ONLY FOR THIS ENTITY MUNICIPALITY, IT'S FOR ALL MUNICIPALITIES. YOU KNOW, I WORK FOR THE COUNTY. THEY HAVE A WHOLE SET OF, OF, UH, I WORKED FOR THE COUNTY, I'M RETIRED, BUT THEY HAD A WHOLE SET OF PROCEDURES FOR, FOR, UH, CREDIT CARDS, WHOLE SET OF, UH, APPROVAL PROCESSES. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICED, FOR INSTANCE, THAT, YOU KNOW, HERE WE ARE AND, AND, AND THE, AND, UH, WE'RE HERE, WE'RE MARCH. AND THESE, THESE DATES HERE INDICATE AUGUST 22, 24. SO WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG? YOU KNOW? AND IT SAYS DATES, DATES, I MEAN, DATES THAT, PAID, DATES THAT WOULD AUTHORIZE WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? SO THESE ARE THE THINGS I THINK THAT THE TYPE OF ISSUES THAT WE HAVE TALKED IN THE PAST FROM A PERSON WHO DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS. IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHY, YOU KNOW, WHY WAS SOMETHING SUBMITTED, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS AGO AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S BEING PAID NOW. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT AND WHAT WERE THE ISSUES BEHIND IT? THANK YOU. OKAY, EVERYONE, WE DO HAVE, UH, TEN SIX. PLEASURE, PLEASURE. MOVE FOR APPROVAL. MR. MAY SECOND. OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. UH, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. OKAY. [11.1 POLICY105 REQUEST- Presentation on National City Urban Forest Management Plan] NEXT, WE COME UP WITH A PRESENTATION [01:25:01] ON NATIONAL CITY URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN COME FORWARD. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU EVERYONE. STEVE MANGANELLO, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING PUBLIC WORKS. UH, BEFORE WE, WE TALK ABOUT THE PLAN AND, AND PROGRESS WE'VE MADE SINCE THE PLAN WAS IMPLEMENTED. UH, I DO WANNA START WITH SOME ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND JUST PUT IN THE CONTEXT AS FAR AS YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE OUT IN NATIONAL CITY RE CITY REGARDING OUR URBAN FOREST. SO, UM, OUR PUBLIC WORKS PARK DIVISION TEAM, THEY ARE TASKED WITH MAINTAINING ALMOST 10,000 TREES, UM, THAT THE CITY OWNS IN OUR PARKS AND ALONG OUR STREETS. UM, I DO WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEDICATION, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, INSPECTING THESE TREES, MAINTAINING THESE TREES, RESPONDING IN EMERGENCIES. UH, WE HAVE ONE TREE TRIMMING CREW IN, IN-HOUSE. UM, OUR LEE TREE TRIMMER, MILLA HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME. OUR FORMER TREE TRIMMER, WHO RECENTLY GOT A INTERNAL PROMOTION AND IS NOW ONE OF OUR, UM, EQUIPMENT OPERATORS, JAMES BEECHER. HE, HE AND MACK WERE, WERE DOING OUR WHOLE CITY FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. AND, UM, IT'S JUST AN INCREDIBLE SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDE TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND, UM, OUR PARK SUPERINTENDENT, VICTOR REBE, HE COULDN'T BE HERE TONIGHT. HE'S BEEN UNDER THE WEATHER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. HE WANTED TO BE HERE. UM, HE, HE JUST AMAZES ME EVERY DAY. HE TRULY LEADS BY EXAMPLE. UH, WHENEVER THERE'S AN EMERGENCY, DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S TWO IN THE MORNING, HE WILL BE THE FIRST ONE ON SITE. HE'S DONE AN AMAZING JOB, UM, WITH, WITH LIMITED RESOURCES. NOT, NOT ONLY IS IT A SMALL TEAM, BUT WE'VE HAD A LOT OF VACANCIES THIS YEAR. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HE'LL BE OUT THERE MOWING THE FIELDS. THAT'S, HE'S VERY HANDS ON. UH, WHEN A RESIDENT HAS A QUESTION OR AN ISSUE, HE WILL STOP WHAT HE'S DOING, GO TO THEIR HOUSE AND MEET THEM AND ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS. UM, AND I JUST WANT PUT THAT IN THE CONTEXT BECAUSE, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. THERE'S A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, GOALS AND, AND POLICIES, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU, YOU HAVE A VERY SMALL DEDICATED GROUP THAT HAS TO MANAGE THESE TREES AND MAINTAIN THEM, UH, FOR THE HEALTH AND FOR THE, THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR RESIDENTS. UM, WITH ME TONIGHT, I, I HAVE, UM, MICHAEL PALATE. HE'S THE VICE PRESIDENT OF WEST COAST ARBORISTS. HE'S ALSO AN ISA BOARD CERTIFIED MASTER ARBORIST. UM, THEY'VE BEEN UNBELIEVABLE PARTNERS TO, UM, TO THE CITY AND TO OUR, OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. UH, YOU KNOW, MIKE AND HIS TEAM HAS BEEN ASSISTING OUR CREWS, UM, WITH SOME OF THE MORE CHALLENGING, UM, TREE REMOVALS. UM, SOME OF THE, THE MORE CHALLENGING TREE TRIMMING ACTIVITIES, HELPING US WITH OUR INVENTORY, SETTING US UP WITH A GIS BASED WORK ORDER AND TREE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, UH, AND TRAINING OUR, OUR, OUR TEAM ON HOW TO USE THAT AND ALSO LENDING THEIR EXPERTISE AS ARBORISTS. UM, SO I THINK, AGAIN, NORMALLY WE WAIT TO DO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AT THE END, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SET THE TONE THAT WHILE WE HAVE A SMALL TEAM DEDICATED TO THE HEALTH OF OUR URBAN FORESTRY, IT'S BEEN AN AMAZING PARTNERSHIP AND EVERYBODY HAS A ROLE. SO, WITH THAT, UH, I'M GONNA JUMP INTO THE PRESENTATION. UM, WHAT I LISTED HERE IS REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT THE KEY GOALS WERE, UH, OR ARE OF OUR URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN. UH, I'M NOT GONNA READ 'EM, BUT REALLY TO TRY TO SIMPLIFY, UH, WHAT'S IN THIS, THIS LONG DOCUMENT, I WOULD JUST TAKE A STEP BACK AND, AND, YOU KNOW, PRESENT, WHY, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS DOCUMENT? WHY DID WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS? WELL, ONE, WE WANNA UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY TREES DO WE HAVE? WHERE ARE THEY LOCATED? ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES TO PLANT NEW TREES? AND WHERE WOULD THOSE GO? WHAT'S THE HEALTH AND CONDITION OF OUR TREES? WHAT SPECIES DO WE HAVE? WHAT SPECIES SHOULD WE HAVE? UM, DO WE HAVE A LOT OF INVASIVE SPECIES THAT ARE CAUSING ISSUES? UM, SO BY GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND, AND REALLY STARTING WITH YOUR INVENTORY, WHICH [01:30:01] IS A BOOTS ON THE GROUND, UH, ASSESSMENT OF EVERY TREE THE CITY OWNS IN OUR, IN OUR PARKS, IN OUR MEDIANS, IN, IN OUR PARKWAYS ALONG THE STREET, UM, THAT'S THE FIRST STEP. IT HELPS US UNDERSTAND. AND THIS WAS TAKEN ON BACK IN 2016. WE HAD ABOUT 9,400 TREES, UM, YOU KNOW, DUE TO PLANTINGS AND REMOVALS. WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE, COUPLE HUNDRED MORE THAN THAT. AND WE'LL GET INTO SOME OF THOSE STATISTICS. BUT REALLY, IT, IT'S, THE OTHER PART OF THIS PLAN IS TO, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CODIFYING BEST PRACTICES FOR MAINTENANCE, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UM, HOW RESIDENTS CAN REQUEST TREES AND HOW THEY CAN HELP, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT NEW TREES AND, AND THE HEALTH OF OUR URBAN FOREST. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA SEE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE, THE CALCULATIONS THAT THAT WAS DONE IS IT, THERE'S SO MANY BENEFITS TO TREES, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS REDUCING, YOU KNOW, CARBON DIOXIDE, UH, AESTHETICS, AIR QUALITY, AND JUST SHADE, QUALITY OF LIFE IF PEOPLE ARE WALKING AND DRIVING AROUND THE CITY, . SO THIS DOCUMENT REALLY TAKES ALL THAT INFORMATION, HELPS WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE COUNCIL ON IMPLEMENTING SOME POLICIES. YOU'LL SEE THAT WE ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTED A TREE PRESERVATION ORDINANCE, WHICH DOES A GREAT JOB KIND OF TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE BENEFITS OF, OF MAINTAINING AN URBAN FOREST, UH, WHAT THE RESPONSIBILITIES ARE OF THE CITY, OF THE RESIDENTS, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. THESE ARE JUST A FEW, A FEW, UM, SNAPSHOTS FROM THE DOCUMENT AS FAR AS THE INVENTORY IN 2016. UH, I KNOW SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP IN THE PAST ARE, WHAT ARE OUR METRICS? YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE OUR GOALS? ARE WE MEETING 'EM? SO ONE OF THE INTERESTING FINDINGS WHEN WE COMPLETED THE INVENTORY IN 20 16, 1, YOU KNOW, A, A VERY TYPICAL AND IMPORTANT GOAL IS OUR CANOPY COVERAGE. AND THAT INCLUDES NOT ONLY THE CITY OWNED TREES, BUT TREES THAT ARE ON PRIVATE PROPERTIES. AND OUR PERCENTAGE OF CANOPY COVERAGE WAS 18%. UM, WHAT THE GOAL IS, UM, FOR SIMILAR GEOGRAPHIC AREAS AND CLIMATES BY THE AMERICAN FORESTS, UM, WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE 1875 IS 15%. SO RIGHT OFF THE BAT, AS FAR AS JUST OUR CANOPY COVERAGE, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE MEETING, YOU KNOW, A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TARGET, AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. BUT WHAT THE INVENTORY ALLOWS US TO DO IN THE ASSESSMENT IS ALSO SAY, WELL, IF PART OF THAT, UH, CANOPY COVERAGE ARE INVASIVE SPECIES, UM, THAT HAVE NEGATIVE, YOU KNOW, UM, IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT, UM, THEN IT KIND OF SKEWS THE NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT. SO REALLY, AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT IDENTIFYING TREES AND MAKING SURE THAT WHILE WE'RE MAINTAINING AND REMOVING TREES AND PLANTING NEW TREES, THEY'RE THE RIGHT TYPES OF TREES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. WE DID HAVE A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS AND, AND ONLINE SURVEYS. UH, I JUST CLIPPED A FEW QUESTIONS. YOU KNOW, I, I THOUGHT THIS FIRST ONE IS PRETTY INTERESTING. UM, WHAT ARE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT BENEFITS? SO THESE ARE ALL BENEFITS TO TREES, AND YOU CAN SEE EVERYONE PRETTY MUCH AGREED. YEAH, THESE ARE ALL GREAT BENEFITS. I MEAN, IT SHOWS YOU THAT, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, TREES ARE A GOOD THING. AND THEN ANOTHER QUESTION I THINK WE PROBABLY KNEW THE ANSWER TO IS, YOU KNOW, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH TREES? TOO MANY ABOUT THE RIGHT? MOST, MOST RESIDENTS THAT TOOK THE SURVEY SAID, NO, WE, WE NEED MORE TREES. ONE OF THE, THE DELIVERABLES THAT CAME OUT OF THIS WAS WHAT, WHAT WE'RE CALLING A MONITORING PLAN. AND THIS IS WHERE YOU'LL START TO SEE SOME OF OUR MEASURES AND TARGETS. UM, SO WE TALKED ABOUT IN 2016, OUR CANOPY COVERS WAS 18%. UM, YOU KNOW, THE TARGET WAS FOR OUR CLIMATE IS, IS 15%. AND WHAT CAME OUT THIS WAS, CAN WE GET TO 20%? AND THAT WOULD ROUGHLY BE, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER 1500 TREES WITH PROPER CANOPY COVERAGE. WE ALSO LOOK AT, UM, HAVING A DIVERSE, UH, SPECIES, UM, AND ADHERING TO, YOU KNOW, PROPER MAINTENANCE, UM, STANDARDS FROM, YOU KNOW, INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF, OF, OF ARBORISTS AND, AND SO ON. UH, THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION IN HERE. WE, UM, HAVE TAKEN THIS TO HEART. I, I THINK, YOU KNOW, VIC VICTOR, OUR PARK SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS TEAM, THEY HAVE BEEN DOING, UH, A LOT OF THIS PER THESE STANDARDS FOR A LONG TIME. AND, AND IT'S GOOD TO, TO KIND OF CODIFY THIS AND, AND THEN AGAIN, MAKE SURE THAT AS BEST PRACTICES CHANGE WE'RE, WE'RE IMPLEMENTING THEM. TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TREE PRESERVATION ORDINANCE. THIS IS [01:35:01] JUST, YOU KNOW, AN EXCERPT FROM THE PURPOSE OF IT. UM, IT'S CHAPTER 13 POINT 18, OUR MUNICIPAL CODE. IT'S ALSO INCLUDED AS AN ATTACHMENT TO THE FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PLAN. DEFINITELY LOOK THROUGH IT. UM, IT'S VERY DETAILED. IT, IT PROVIDES A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION, AGAIN, ABOUT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. WHAT, UM, WCA AND MIKE'S TEAM HELPED US WITH IS, UM, AGAIN, UM, THEY USE THE SAME APP THAT, THAT THEY'VE, UM, PROVIDED TO OUR CITY CREWS. AND EVERY TIME WE DO MAINTENANCE OR REMOVE A TREE OR PLANT A NEW TREE, UM, WE LOG IT INTO THE SOFTWARE AND WE CAN RUN STATISTICS. SO THESE ARE JUST SOME OF, OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT ARE RIGHT AT OUR FINGERTIPS AT ANY TIME. SO WHAT WHAT THIS IS, IS, UM, JUST A, A RECENT TREE INVENTORY. UM, YOU KNOW, FOR LAST YEAR SHOWS WE HAD ABOUT 9,500 TREES, UH, LOOKS AT THE CONDITION OF THE TREES, THE HEIGHT, UM, WHAT OUR, WHAT OUR, UH, TOP 10 SPECIES ARE. AND THEN THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TOOLS AND CALCULATIONS THAT ARE FED INTO THIS TO COME UP WITH ESTIMATED VALUES. SO LOOKING AT, UM, AGAIN, OUR CURRENT INVENTORY, UM, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO PLANT MORE TREES. UM, YOU KNOW, MIKE, MIKE WILL BE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. I THINK THE MOST NOTABLE THING WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS IS MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE CITY. MIKE CAN EXPLAIN WHY THAT WAS THE CASE WHEN THEY DID, DID THE INVENTORY. UM, ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK FOR MORE OPTIONS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY? ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, THE THING ABOUT THIS, IT'S A LIVING DOCUMENT. UM, YES, IT WAS DONE, YOU KNOW, ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, SEVEN, EIGHT YEARS AGO NOW. BUT AT ANY TIME WE CAN RE INVENTORY AT ANY TIME. WE CAN REPRIORITIZE WHERE WE WANT TREES AND, AND THE TYPES OF TREES, UH, BASED ON INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND WHAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR, FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND, AND FOR THE CLIMATE WE LIVE IN. AND THIS ALSO SHOWS WHERE WE'VE REMOVED TREES OVER THE YEARS THAT WERE EITHER INVASIVE OR UNHEALTHY OR CAUSING, UM, PROBLEMS WITH LIFTED SIDEWALKS. AGAIN, A FEW PHOTOS OF OUR TREE TRIMMING CREW IN ACTION. UM, THIS IS SOME MORE STATISTICS. GOING BACK TO 2016. WE TRIMMED OVER 18,000 TREES. WE PLANTED OVER 1300, BUT WE REMOVED A LOT. SO YOU WOULD SAY, WELL, WE ONLY GAINED 300 TREES, BUT IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT TO REMOVE INVASIVE SPECIES AND DISEASE TREES IS THAT CAN SPREAD TO OTHER TREES. SO WE, THAT'S JUST AS IMPORTANT AS LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO PLANT NEW TREES. AND NOTABLY, UM, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL HAD SUPPORTED BUDGET THIS, THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR FOR US TO PURCHASE A, A NEW, UM, BOOM TRUCK FOR OUR TREE TRIMMING CREW. OUR CURRENT TRUCK WAS ALMOST 20 YEARS OLD. IT BROKE DOWN A LOT. IT, IN IT, IT, IT IMPACTED OUR OPERATIONS. UH, AGAIN, FORTUNATELY WE HAD, UH, WCA IN OUR CONTRACT TO HELP CLOSE THAT GAP. BUT THE GUYS ARE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW TRUCK, UH, WHICH SHOULD BE ON THE STREETS PRETTY SOON. ONE OF THE THINGS WE IMPLEMENTED, UM, ABOUT THE TIME THAT WE WERE DOING THIS PLAN WAS, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE PROVIDE A CONSISTENT PLAN FOR TREE TRIMMING AND TRANSPARENCY TO THE COMMUNITY AS TO WHEN IS, ARE THE TREES ON MY STREAK GONNA GET TRIMMED? SO WE IMPLEMENTED, UM, UNDER VICTOR'S LEADERSHIP A GRID SCHEDULE, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE. WE UPDATE THIS, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE CALENDARS, IT'S POSTED ON OUR PARKS DIVISION WEBSITE. YOU KNOW, WHAT THIS SHOWS IS THAT IT, IT TAKES US WITH OUR CURRENT RESOURCES, UM, ROUGHLY TWO AND A HALF YEARS TO GET THROUGH ALL THE CITY OWNED TREES IN THE CITY, WHICH I ASKED THE QUESTION, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE DOING? IS THAT GOOD? IS THAT BAD? WELL, THE INDUSTRY STANDARD IS TWO TO FOUR YEARS, SO WE'RE CLOSER TO THE FRONT END OF THAT, WHICH IS GREAT. AND WE'RE DOING THAT WITH, WITH ONE CREW AND SUPPORT FROM THE WCA TEAM. SO I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S NOTABLE. ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS THAT, UM, OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH WCA HAS BEEN HELPFUL. 'CAUSE WHAT IT DOES IS, IS IT ALLOWS OUR CREWS TO STAY ON SCHEDULE. AND THEN WHEN WE HAVE LIKE OUR PALM TREES THAT NEED TO REALLY GET TRIMMED ANNUALLY, THEY CAN JUMP ON SOME OF THOSE HIGHER TREES WITH MORE MANPOWER AND RESOURCES SO THAT OUR CREWS CAN STAY ON GRID. IT ALSO FREES UP OUR CREWS FOR EMERGENCY, UH, RESPONSE. AND THEN CONVERSELY, WHEN WE HAVE MORE DIFFICULT JOBS, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE, HAVE A PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH, WITH WCA. [01:40:01] SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THEM, THIS IS JUST, UM, SOME OF THE SERVICES THEY, THEY PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, NOTABLY, UM, THEY ARE PROVIDING TREE MAINTENANCE AND INVENTORY AND, AND THESE TYPES OF SERVICES FOR, I BELIEVE, MIKE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, EVERY AGENCY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, I BELIEVE MAYBE THERE'S ONE OR TWO. THAT'S CORRECT. THAT'S CORRECT. SO THEY'RE VERY REPUTABLE. WE'VE BEEN REALLY HAPPY, UH, TO WORK WITH THEM. AND IT'S JUST BEEN, UH, AN UNBELIEVABLE PARTNERSHIP. AND WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UH, SOFTWARE, UH, THAT HELPS US WITH OUR INVENTORIES, OUR GIS, OUR WORKLOAD TRACKING CALLED ARBOR ACCESS. UM, IT'S, IT'S, UH, WELL SUPPORTED IN THE INDUSTRY AND IT'S BEEN A GAME CHANGER FOR US BEING ABLE TO REALLY DOCUMENT EVERY TIME WE WE DO MAINTENANCE OR PLANT A NEW TREE AND, AND HAVE THAT HISTORY AND BE ABLE TO PULL THOSE STATISTICS. SO WITH THAT, AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE BOTH HERE, UH, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'LL END WITH IS, IS REALLY JUST CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES. UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, TO WORK WITH NONPROFITS OR GO AFTER GRANTS THROUGH CAL FIRE AND OTHER AGENCIES TO GET TREES AND TO PLANT NEW TREES. AND THAT'S A GOOD THING, BUT IT'S JUST A PORTION OF THE COST AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO ESTABLISH A, A HEALTHY TREE. SO A LOT OF THESE, ALL OF THESE GRANTS, AND WE'VE HAD MEETINGS WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH TREE SAN DIEGO AND, AND CAL FIRE AND, AND OTHERS THAT, UM, HAVE ACCESS TO THE, THESE TYPES OF FUNDS. IT REALLY ONLY FUNDS THE TREE. IT DOESN'T FUND REMOVAL OF THE DEAD TREE OR THE STUMP GRINDING. UM, IT CAN HELP PREPARE THE SOIL. YOU CAN PLANT THE TREE AND THEN THE FUNDING WILL USUALLY GIVE YOU ENOUGH TO MAYBE WATER IT FOR THREE MONTHS. AND THEN THE CITY'S ON THEIR OWN. YOU KNOW, AND WHAT I LEARNED FROM VICTOR AND MIKE IS THAT THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE IN NATIONAL CITY, ESPECIALLY IN OUR PARKWAYS, WE DON'T HAVE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. SO AT A MINIMUM, YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO WATER THESE TREES CONTINUOUSLY FOR THREE YEARS. NOW, OUR PARKS CREWS HAVE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES, NOT ONLY TRIMMING OUR EXISTING TREES, THEY'RE MAINTAINING OUR PARKS, OUR MEDIANS, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR STORM WATER BMPS AND OUR BUSINESS DISTRICTS. SO THOSE ARE, THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. IT'S GONNA REQUIRE ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT LIKE A TRAILER MOUNTED, YOU KNOW, WATER TANK. UM, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WHEN THE CITY GOT INITIAL CAL FIRE GRANT TO DO A PLANT JUST OVER A THOUSAND TREES, UM, WE HAD TO HIRE TWO SEASONAL PARK CARETAKER, WORK SEASONAL PARK CARETAKERS FOR TWO YEARS JUST TO DO WATERING FOR THOSE TREES. AND IT STILL WASN'T ENOUGH. SO THAT'S A CHALLENGE. UM, AND THEN THE MAINTENANCE IN ITSELF IS A CHALLENGE. 'CAUSE IT IS, IT IS A LOT FOR ONE CREW, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUPPORTED WITH WCA, IT, IT'S A LOT TO STAY ON TOP OF. AND, AND THE ONE THING I APPRECIATE ABOUT VICTOR AND, AND OUR, OUR INTERNAL PROCESSES, IF WE RECEIVE, UM, AN EMAIL OR A PHOTO THAT FROM A RESIDENT OR BUSINESS OWNER THAT SAYS, THIS TREE IS OVERHANGING, UM, UTILITY LINE OR THE SIDEWALK, DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S, IF IT'S, IF WE'RE NOT SCHEDULED TO GO TO THAT GRID, WE DROP EVERYTHING AND WE GO DEAL WITH IT IMMEDIATELY. AND IT'S IMPORTANT. IT'S IMPORTANT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING OUR RESIDENTS AND, AND YOU ALL ON THE COUNCIL AS OUR EYES AND EARS IS REALLY HELPFUL. BUT AGAIN, IT, THIS ALL TAKES MORE RESOURCES. UM, SO WITH THAT, I'LL STOP. I'VE BEEN TALKING FOR A WHILE. UM, AGAIN, I JUST TRIED TO PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHAT'S IN THIS DOCUMENT, WHY IT'S IMPORTANT, AND SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES AND WE'RE, WE'RE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, STEVE. A COUPLE OF THINGS, IF WE COULD GO BACK TO SLIDE NUMBER EIGHT. THAT ONE. OKAY. SO I'M LOOKING AT THAT AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A VERY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF PLANTING SITES UP IN THE, UH, NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE CITY AND ALSO IMMEDIATELY WEST OF HERE GOING OVER TO THE FREEWAY. UM, WHICH IS INTERESTING BECAUSE THE LAST URBAN ARBOR GRANT THAT WE GOT WAS FOR 5,000 TREES AND IT WAS IN THOSE AREAS, DIDN'T GET ANYTHING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. AND SO IT WAS ALL IN THAT AREA. AND YET NOW YOU'RE SAYING IT'S BASICALLY ALMOST VOID OF TREES. WE GOTTA, WE GOTTA GO IN AND PUT IN MORE TREES. UH, SO THE QUESTION IS WHAT ALL IS WRONG THAT, THAT IS CAUSING THAT TO HAPPEN? AND I KNOW THE, THE SURVEY THAT WAS [01:45:01] DONE, THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT PEOPLE SAID THEY WANT MORE, HOW DID THEY PUT IT? UH, THEY WANT, UH, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TREES ON CITY PROPERTY, SO ONCE AGAIN, THEY'RE NOT GONNA TAKE CARE OF 'EM. BUT THEY, THAT WAS THEIR NUMBER ONE DEAL, NOT ENOUGH TREES. AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND EVEN AFTER THREE YEARS, THEY STILL WOULDN'T TAKE CARE OF 'EM. AND, UH, SO IT WAS, AND I'M NOT AGAINST TREES. ANYONE KNOWS MY PROPERTY. I'VE GOT PROBABLY GOT MORE TREES ON MY PROPERTY, NOT ON CITY PROPERTY, MY PROPERTY THAN JUST ABOUT ANY, ANY HOUSE IN THIS, IN THIS CITY. I, IT'S ON. YEAH. I HAVE TO GET CLOSER. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, MY QUESTION IS WHY AFTER WE DID THE 5,000 IN THAT AREA, IS IT NOW BASICALLY DEVOID OF TREES AND NEEDING TO HAVE SO MANY TAKEN OUT AND IT'S NOT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF 8 0 5 WHERE WE DIDN'T PUT IN TREES? YEAH. SO, SO ONE THING I I, I DID ASK MIKE EARLIER TODAY, CAN YOU, CAN YOU GET ME A MAP OF WHERE WE'VE PLANTED THESE 1300 TREES OVER THE LAST SEVEN, EIGHT YEARS? UM, A LOT OF THEM WERE IN THAT SAME AREA, BUT BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THEY'RE IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. UM, IT, THERE IS A HIGH CAPACITY FOR, FOR MORE TREES IN THAT AREA. UM, WHAT I WOULD LIKE MIKE TO, TO KIND OF RESPOND TO IS WHEN THEY GO THROUGH AND DO THE INVENTORY, WHY IS THERE CONTINUE TO BE A HIGH CAPACITY FOR NEW TREES ON THE WEST AREA OF THE CITY AND NOT SO MUCH ON THE EAST AREA OF THE CITY? AND IS THERE TRULY OPPORTUNITIES TO RE INVENTORY AND LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES MORE CITYWIDE? SO MIKE, I'LL I'LL LET YOU SPEAK TO THAT. SURE. UM, HI, SO I'M MIKE POWELL. I'M VICE PRESIDENT OF WEST COAST ARBOR. GRATEFUL TO BE A PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY FOR YOUR MANAGEMENT OF YOUR URBAN FOREST. SO TO SPEAK TO YOUR QUESTION, THE INVENTORY COLLECTION IS DONE WITH SUB-METER ACCURACY. SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE DOTS, IF YOU WERE TO ZOOM IN, YOU WOULD ACTUALLY SEE THAT THERE WERE TREES ALL AMONGST THOSE VACANT SUITABLE SITES. SO THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF IT. UM, WHEN THE INVENTORY WAS COLLECTED, THE GUIDANCE WAS GIVEN TO FOCUS IN ON WHERE THERE WAS THE PLANTER STRIP PARKWAYS MM-HMM . SO THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THAT LOCATIONS ARE, WHAT WE IDENTIFIED AS SUITABLE VACANT SITES. SO THAT'S WHY IT'S KIND OF VERY DENSE IN THAT SEGMENT. WHEN YOU LOOK ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE 8 0 5 FREEWAY, THERE'S A, A LACK OF THOSE PARKWAYS, WHICH THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY IS A POTENTIAL SUITABLE PLANTING SITE. AND LIKE WE MENTIONED, MAINTAINING ALL THE AGENCIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY HERE, WE DO HAVE SOME INVENTORIES THAT THEY MAXIMIZE THOSE TREE PLANTING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY IN THOSE, YOU KNOW, FRONT YARD SCENARIOS. YEAH. BACK WHEN WE DID THE 5,000, WHICH WAS PROBABLY A GOOD 20 YEARS AGO, UH, WE FOUND THAT THERE WERE SOME AREAS, I DON'T CARE HOW MANY TIMES WE PLANTED, THEY DIED IMMEDIATELY. AND, AND SO WHAT WE FOUND, THOSE WERE IN THE OLDER AREAS. AND SO IT WAS MORE BACK WHEN PEOPLE USED TO CHANGE THEIR OWN OIL OUT ON THE STREET AND WHAT THEY WOULD DO, THEY DUMPED THE OIL ON THE PARKWAY, NOTHING WILL GROW IN IT. AND SO WE WOULD PLANT TIME AND TIME AGAIN UNTIL THEY FINALLY DID SOME SOIL TESTS AND FOUND OUT IT, IT, IT'S NOT GONNA GROW ANYTHING. IT IS A, IT IS A VERY CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT. THE URBAN, STATISTICALLY THE AVERAGE LIFESPAN OF AN URBAN TREE IS EIGHT YEARS. AND IT'S A LOT GOING BACK TO THAT, JUST LIKE YOU JUST GAVE ONE EXAMPLE. UM, BUT, BUT WATERINGS A CRITICAL PIECE AND LIKE WE, LIKE HE MENTIONED, THE, UH, THE PROCESS TO, TO GET THESE THINGS ESTABLISHED IS, IS AN INVESTMENT THAT THAT TAKES TIME AND, AND TAKES, UM, YOU KNOW, EFFORT. FOR SURE. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THIS, UH, VERY THOROUGH PRESENTATION. UH, THANK YOU STEVE. UH, WEST COAST ARBORIST, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS A, UM, UH, UNION SHOP. YEAH. YES, CORRECT. UH, SIGNATORY TO LOCAL 89. OH, FANTASTIC. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU TO YOUR STAFF FOR HELPING PREPARE THIS, UH, STEVE. VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING THE TREE INVENTORY, THAT SAME, UM, SLIDE. UH, THESE ARE POTENTIAL PLANTING SITES IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY, CORRECT? YES. THESE ARE, UM, COLLECTED, IDENTIFIED, SUITABLE VACANT SITES. YES. AND, AND THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY IS HOW MANY FEET FROM THE, UH, BEGINNING OF THE STREET? IT VARIES. THERE'S A RULE OF THUMB. IT'S GENERALLY 10 FEET FROM THE CURB FACE IS KIND OF THE, IS THAT ABOUT WHERE YOU GUYS ARE? YEAH, SO ABOUT 10 FEET FROM THE CURB FACE IS WHAT THE STANDARD IS. AND IT VARIES BASED ON RIGHT OF WAY WIDTH. YEAH. AND I THINK AS MIKE MENTIONED, SO IF, YOU KNOW, UM, TYPICALLY YOU'LL HAVE YOUR CURB AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE WHAT WE CALL A PARKWAY. IT'S USUALLY A LANDSCAPE THERE. IT COULD HAVE NATURAL GRASS IN IT, DEPENDING ON THE WIDTH OF THAT. IF IT'S WIDE ENOUGH AND THE SOIL IS ACCEPTABLE, THEN THESE GUYS IDENTIFY THAT AND THAT MIGHT BE AN APPROPRIATE PLACE. [01:50:01] AND OFTENTIMES YOU'LL HAVE THE SIDEWALK AND THEN THE PROPERTY LINE. CERTAIN AREAS OF THE CITY, YOU DON'T HAVE THAT PARKWAY OR YOU MAY HAVE A WIDER SIDEWALK. SO IT, IT, IT VARIES, BUT I WOULD AGREE IT'S PROBABLY ON AVERAGE ABOUT 10 FEET FROM YOUR CURB LINE TO GET TO THE PROPERTY LINE. SO THAT 10 FOOT AREA, IF THERE'S LANDSCAPE AVAILABLE IN SOIL, COULD BE A POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR TREES. WHAT IS, UM, LET'S SAY FOR A PROACTIVE COMMUNITY GROUP, UM, OR, OR NEIGHBORS, HOW CAN THEY GET A MORE COMPREHENSIVE, UM, UH, UH, JUST TREE PLANTING IN FRONT OF THEIR HOME OR THEIR, OR THEIR NEIGHBOR'S HOME AS WELL? WHAT'S THE PROCESS LIKE AT THE CITY? WELL, SURE. SO TO BE HONEST, IF, IF WE'RE AWARE OF, UH, AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, IF A RESIDENT IS INTERESTED OR, UM, YOU KNOW, A GROUP OF PEOPLE ON A BLOCK ARE INTERESTED, THEY SAY LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TREES ON OUR BLOCK OR THEY'RE DYING. VICTOR WILL GO OUT THERE, HE'LL DO AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT, HE'LL TALK TO THE, TO THE RESIDENTS, AND THEN, UH, IF WE NEED TO PULL IN, YOU KNOW, MIKE'S TEAM OF CERTIFIED ARBORISTS AND WE'LL MAKE A RECOMMENDATIONS. AND THEN WE'LL ALSO SET 'EM UP WITH A PROCESS FOR HOW, UM, WE CAN REMOVE SOME OF THE DEAD TREES AND, AND PLAN 'EM WITH APPROPRIATE TREES. AND WE HAVE A FAIRLY COMPREHENSIVE TREE PALETTE. WE'LL PROVIDE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS, MAKE SURE THE RESIDENTS ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTIVE OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, PER ORDINANCE, UH, WHETHER THE, THE IT'S ON THE HOMEOWNER TO, TO PAY FOR THOSE SERVICES OR IF WE CAN DO IT AS PART OF A CAPITAL PROJECT. SO WE ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO DO AN ASSESSMENT ON A, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A GROUP OF RESIDENTS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD OR A BLOCK. AND AGAIN, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, MIKE'S TEAM OF ARBORISTS TO SUPPORT US IF WE NEED PROFESSIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS. UM, BUT VICTOR, HE'S BEEN DOING THIS A LONG TIME AND OFTEN HIS RECOMMENDATIONS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS AS, AS WHAT MIKE'S TEAM PROVIDES. YEAH. AND HOW CAN WE, AS INDIVIDUAL ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND I'M GLAD WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, UH, AT THE ENTIRE COUNCIL, HOW DO WE AS, UM, ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OUR COUNCIL STAFF, UH, HOW CAN WE HELP, UM, YOU KNOW, ATTAIN, UH, UH, OUR GOALS WHEN IT COMES TO OUR TREE PLANTING? UM, I, I'LL, I MEAN, I'LL BE HONEST, AND THE MAYOR TOUCHED ON IT, IF, UM, WHAT WOULD REALLY HELP THIS BE SUCCESSFUL IS IF RESIDENTS ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING A TREE PLANTED, WE'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PLANT THAT AT NO COST, DO SOME OF THE INITIAL, YOU KNOW, WATERING AND MAINTENANCE. BUT IF THEY WERE WILLING TO TAKE ON THE LONG-TERM WATERING OF THAT TREE AND WE CAN GIVE 'EM INSTRUCTIONS ON WHAT TO DO, THAT'S REALLY, I THINK, THE ONLY FEASIBLE WAY THAT, THAT THIS BE BECOMES A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM. AND I KNOW THERE'S A COST TO THE HOMEOWNER TO HAVE TO WATER TREE, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE IMMEDIATELY GETTING THAT BENEFIT. IT IMPROVES PROPERTY VALUE, IT PROVIDES ALL THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND AESTHETIC BENEFITS TO THEIR BLOCK. SO FOR THAT, YOU KNOW, COST OF WATERING ONCE A WEEK, YOU KNOW, EVERY COUPLE WEEKS AFTER THE FIRST FEW YEARS THROUGH THOSE FIRST 3, 4, 5 YEARS, SO THAT NOW WE HAVE A HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE TREAT, AND WE DON'T HAVE TO BE SENDING CREWS OUT THERE WEEKLY TO ALL THESE SPOTS THAT WOULD MAKE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE. AND IF I COULD, IF I COULD SPEAK TO THAT FOR ONE SECOND. SO JUST STATISTICALLY, HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK IT COSTS IN WATER TO WATER ONE OF THOSE TREES FOR A YEAR? I GOTTA GUESS, GIMME A NUMBER. COME ON. 20 BUCKS. 20 BUCKS. ANYBODY ELSE? EIGHT, EIGHT BUCKS A YEAR FOR ONE OF THOSE TREES TO GET ESTABLISHED. SO WHEN IT COMES TO THAT COST, IT'S GOOD FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE THAT FRAME, YOU KNOW, MIND FRAME. YEAH. THAT'S FIVE GALLONS A WEEK OR HOW YEAH, YEAH, ROUGHLY, YEAH. FIVE TO 10 GALLONS A WEEK. YOU DO THE MATH, IT'S ABOUT EIGHT, EIGHT, MAYBE NINE BUCKS MM-HMM . FOR A YEAR. YEP. SO, SO CON CONVERSELY, MIKE, IF, IF WE HAVE TO HIRE ONE OF OUR, UH, UH, SOME ADDITIONAL STAFF IN-HOUSE, OR HAVE YOU DEPLOY, UM, ONE OF YOUR, YOU KNOW, UM, TREE SPECIALISTS TO GO OUT THERE AND, AND WATER A TREE OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR, WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT DOES THAT COST ? WELL, WITH LABOR AND EVERYTHING ELSE? YEAH. IT'S A LOT MORE THAN $8, OBVIOUSLY. UM, YOU KNOW, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT WE'RE DOING, BUT IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, 20 BUCKS OF WATERING, 10, YOU KNOW, $15 PER WATERING, MULTIPLY THAT OUT. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT THAT CHEAP, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A REALITY. SO I THINK, I MEAN, [01:55:01] I'M GLAD HE BROUGHT UP THE NUMBERS. THAT'S, IT'S STAGGERING, YOU KNOW, 10 BUCKS A YEAR FOR A RESIDENT TO, TO WATER, WATER THAT TREE ON A ROUTINE SCHEDULE VERSUS $10 A WATERING. AND, AND REALLY I THINK THIS, THIS REALLY COULD BE ONE OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, TRUE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITY TYPE PROGRAM. SO IF, IF WE CAN FUND THE, THE PLANNING AND THAT SHORT TERM ESTABLISHMENT, AND THEY CAN COMMIT TO DOING THAT ROUTINE WATERING TO GET IT THROUGH THAT ESTABLISHMENT PERIOD, IT'S A WIN-WIN. FANTASTIC. I THINK THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE WAY THIS COULD BE SUCCESSFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I, I, MYSELF AS A, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT TWO, AS WELL AS OUR STAFF COMMIT TO, UH, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THAT GOAL IS, IS ACTUALLY MET AT LEAST WITHIN, WITHIN MY DISTRICT. UM, SO I CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH COMMUNITY ALONGSIDE WITH STAFF AND WEST COAST ARBORISTS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A BIGGER TREE CANOPY. UM, I KNOW SOME OF THE RESIDENTS HERE LIVE IN SOME AREAS THAT NEED, UH, A TREE CANOPY, AND THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE VERY ESTABLISHED, AND AS WE ALL KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NIGHT AND DAY WALKING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD FULL OF TREE CANOPIES AND ONE THAT IS BARREN AND OFTENTIMES DURING SUMMER TIMES FIVE OR 10 DEGREES HOTTER. AND SO, UM, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. I ALSO, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE ALWAYS IN A FINANCIAL CRUNCH AS A CITY. UM, BUT, UH, WE HAVE BEEN HAVING INITIAL CONVERSATIONS WITH TREE SAN DIEGO TO HOPE TO BRING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO THE CITY TO HELP ESTABLISH TREES AND, AND HELP THEM, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO BECOME MATURE. SO I, I AM ALSO COMMITTED TO TRY TO GET ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE PROGRAMS ARE SUCCESSFUL FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. CAN WE GO BACK TO THE SLIDE THAT HAS THE LIST OF, UH, TYPES OF TREES OR THE ACTUAL YEAH, THAT ONE AT THE VERY BOTTOM, THE TOP 10 TREES ON THERE. I'M CURIOUS WHETHER, UM, THESE ARE NATIVES, UM, SPECIES, OR I CAN SPEAK TO THAT. NONE OF THEM ARE NATIVES. OKAY. AND IT'S, IT'S, BUT THEY ARE, THEY ARE GOOD DI YOU KNOW, IN GENERAL, DIVERSE DIVERSITY IS A GOOD THING. YOUR NUMBER ONE SPECIES IS, UM, A LITTLE OVER 10%. SO THAT'S LIKE THE MAX YOU WANNA SEE ON ONE GIVEN SPECIES. JUST FROM A, UM, HEALTH STANDPOINT OF AN URBAN FOREST, YOU REALLY WANT DIVERSITY. THERE'S A LOT OF PESTS ISSUES THAT COME IN, CAN WIPE OUT TREE POPULATIONS. SO TO HAVE THAT BE THE NUMBERS, THE WAY THEY LOOK, IT'S MM-HMM . IT'S A GOOD THING FROM THAT STANDPOINT. OKAY. UH, DO WE HAVE COMPARABLE TREES THAT ARE NATIVE THAT TO PLANT IN THE FUTURE THAT, THAT WE COULD SELECT? I'M SURE, I'M SURE THERE'S, THIS IS JUST THE TOP 10, SO I'M SURE THERE ARE SOME NATIVE, I'M FOR SURE THERE IS SOME NATIVES IN THERE. RIGHT. THERE ARE SOME, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH YOUR, SOME OF THE LIMITATIONS ON PARKWAY WIDTH, SOME OF THE NATIVES CAN BE PRETTY, UM, INVASIVE ROOT SYSTEMS THAT CAN CONFLICT WITH INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE THAT. SO THE RIGHT TREE IN THE RIGHT PLACE IS WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM TO HELP IDENTIFY AND MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE'RE SUITABLE FOR THE TREES ARE PLANTED. OKAY. VERY GOOD. AND THEN MY, MY OTHER QUESTION IS, I RECALL ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A, A COMMUNITY INITIATIVE TO, UM, INVITE NEIGHBORS, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR, UH, VOLUNTEERS TO GO AND INVITE NEIGHBORS TO MAKE THAT COMMITMENT THAT THEY WOULD RECEIVE A TREE THAT WOULD BE PLANTED ON THEIR PROPERTY OR ON THE SIDEWALK. UM, AND THAT FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO WATER IT, LIKE YOU JUST DESCRIBED, STEVE. UM, AND, AND I THINK, UH, THIS, THIS INITIATIVE, UM, I, I REMEMBER MUNDO GARDENS WAS ONE GROUP THAT WAS SORT OF DRIVING THIS, UH, WHAT BECAME OF IT? DO YOU KNOW? I KNOW A LITTLE BIT OF THAT. SO ACTUALLY WE, UM, WE PARTNERED WITH THEM. I, IT WAS AN EFFORT TO TRY AND GET, UH, CONNECTION TO COMMUNITY THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY SEEM TO HAVE A, A NETWORK. SO, UM, THERE WAS AN OUTREACH CAMPAIGN TO GET THAT SUITABILITY, AND THERE WERE SOME INITIAL SUCCESS WITH SOME OF IT, BUT SOME OF THAT LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE, YOU KNOW, TRENDED DOWN. SO THE CITY DID STEP FORWARD AND BEGIN WATERING THE TREES THEMSELVES TO, TO HELP OFFSET SOME OF THAT MM-HMM. AS THAT WANNA KEEP THE TREES ALIVE. RIGHT, RIGHT. WELL, I THINK THIS IS FANTASTIC INFORMATION. A LOT OF THIS I WASN'T AWARE OF, AND IT IS VERY DETAILED. YOU KNOW, I, I LIKE ALL OF THE DETAIL IN HERE. AND, UM, I DO ALSO OFFER MY COMMITMENT TO SPREAD THE WORD, UM, TO LET RESIDENTS KNOW, IF YOU WANNA TREE, YOU HAVE TO COMMIT TO WATERING IT, BUT WE CAN, WE CAN GET YOU A TREE. SO, UH, THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO KNOW. THANK YOU. YEAH. SO AGAIN, UH, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE DATA, ALL THE INFORMATION AND GIVING, GIVING THIS TO US. SO THIS IS REALLY HELPFUL. SO FOR DISTRICT FOUR, THE SOUTHEAST PARK, NATIONAL CITY, THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST TREELESS PARTS. UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I DO THINK [02:00:01] SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED. I KNOW IT'S A CHALLENGE WITH THE, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE AND YOU MIGHT HAVE, THERE'S PROBABLY GONNA BE SOME EXCAVATION, BUT I DO THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD AT LEAST CONSIDER BECAUSE IT'S REALLY, IT'S BAD. UM, AND I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES EVEN IN THE MEDIANS. UM, SO YEAH, I WOULD LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. UM, AND I WANT TO SECOND WHAT, UM, WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA SAID ABOUT THE NATIVE TREES. I MEAN, THERE'S COAST LIVE OAKS, THERE'S OTHER SPECIES, AND I HEAR A LOT THAT, OH, THOSE TREES AREN'T GOOD BECAUSE THEY MIGHT HAVE INVASIVE ROOT SYSTEM, BUT I'VE NEVER REALLY SEEN A GENUINE ATTEMPT TO TRY TO MAKE THEM, UH, ESTABLISH THEM. AND THE BENEFIT FOR THEM IS YOU DON'T HAVE TO REALLY ALTER, ALTER THE SOIL OR ANYTHING. AND, YOU KNOW, IT HELPS THE, UH, NATIVE PLANTS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WATER THEM AS MUCH. SO I WOULD LIKE US TO, YOU KNOW, MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION WHERE WE'RE BEING MORE INNOVATIVE AND WE ARE CONSIDERING, UH, NATIVE, NATIVE TREES, LIKE I SAID, COASTAL LIVE OAKS. I THINK THERE'S WESTERN SYCAMORES. THERE'S, THERE'S DIFFERENT KINDS. UM, SO, UH, I THINK, I THINK I'D LIKE THAT CONSIDERED, BUT OTHERWISE, YEAH, I THINK THIS IS SOLID INFORMATION. OKAY. YOUR MONEY. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU STEVE. AND THANK YOU, UM, SIR, UM, FOR THIS REPORT, UM, STEVE, I KNOW IN DISTRICT THREE, WE HAVE A LOT OF TREES THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE STREETS, AND VICTOR ALWAYS ARE VERY, UM, YOU KNOW, AND FAST IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR STREETS THERE MOST SPECIALLY, UM, THE ONE THAT'S WELL TRAVELED, UM, ARE, ARE, UH, TRIM PROPERLY. BUT I ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO OUR ELON'S, UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN ENHANCEMENT THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE WILL HAVE MORE TREE CANOPIES THERE. UM, RIGHT NOW THE GREEN BELT, UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN WE HAD THREE, WE HAVE PLANTED TREES THERE, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT FROM, UH, PLAZA BOULEVARD TO, UH, THE EL TO ON FOURTH. AND THEY'RE REALLY WONDERFUL. I, I, I HOPE THAT THEY LIVE AND, AND, UH, THAT WE TAKE CARE OF IT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I WILL HELP, I CAN WATER THEM. DON'T, DON'T JUST SHOOT ME AWAY, , BECAUSE IF NOBODY'S WATERING THEM, I WILL WATER THEM. THANK YOU. NO, AND THE GOOD NEWS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE DOING A, A LARGE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, ESPECIALLY A, WHEN WE HAVE THE SPACE, THOSE ARE, THOSE HAVE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS THAT WE INSTALLED. SO THEY, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A MUCH HIGHER SUCCESS RATE OF SURVIVING AND, AND THRIVING. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WHEN WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, CAPITAL DOLLARS AND WE CAN PUT IN AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM, UM, IT GIVES IT A, A MUCH HIGHER SUCCESS RATE. THANK YOU. AND I LIKE THE GRADE SYSTEM THAT YOU HAD, UM, SCHEDULED HERE. UM, AND SO WE'RE GONNA MONITOR THAT WITH YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, STEVE. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. CONGRATS ON $20 MILLION IN TREES. ALRIGHT. ALL RIGHT, NEXT WE [11.2 Report on Sewer Rate Study and Proposed Rate Increase. ] GO TO 11 TWO. THIS IS ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS. AND SO SEWER RATE STUDY TWO. EXCITING STUFF. GOOD EVENING. IT'S TIME TO STAND UP. I'VE BEEN SITTING THERE TOO LONG. EVERYBODY SHOULD GET A STANDING BREAK. GO FOR IT. UM, UH, HELLO, MARTA JUAREZ, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS. AND I AM, UH, JOINED TODAY BY ONE OF OUR, UH, EXTENSION OF STAFF CONSULTANTS. REALLY, THIS IS, UH, CARMEN KANER. SHE WORKS FOR OUR DURA AND SHE'S THE SOUTHWEST OPERATIONS DIRECTOR AND HAS BEEN WITH THE CITY ACTUALLY SUPPORTING US WITH OUR SEWER, UH, RELATED WORK AS A CONSULTANT FOR, FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME. SO WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE HER ON OUR TEAM. UM, SO TODAY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SEWER RATES. UH, THIS IS A REPORT ON SEWER RATE STUDY AND THE PROPOSED RATE INCREASE, UH, THAT WE ARE BRINGING FORWARD TO YOU. THIS IS JUST THE FIRST STEP, AND I'LL GO OVER PROCESS A LITTLE BIT MORE IN A SECOND. SO, A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND FIRST. UM, THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY DOES OPERATE ITS OWN MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM. MUNICIPAL SEWER SYSTEM, SORRY, NOT WATER WASTEWATER SYSTEM OR SEWER. UM, AND WE HAVE ONLY A COLLECTION SYSTEM. WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 100 MILES OF PIPE. AND I DO ALSO, UM, WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, AT THIS POINT THE WORK, THE INCREDIBLE WORK OF OUR PUBLIC WORKS OPERATIONS TEAM. UH, WITHIN THE STREETS AND WASTEWATER DIVISION. WE HAVE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, ONLY EIGHT PEOPLE THAT DO ALL OF THE SEWER AND STORM WATER WORK FOR THE CITY. UM, SO IT, IT'S A LOT TO DO OUT THERE. UM, SO IT'S A TREMENDOUS TEAM. SOME OF YOU HAVE MET THEM AS WELL WHEN WE'VE HAD TO DO, UH, EITHER ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OR UNFORTUNATELY OCCASIONALLY, UH, RESPONDING AS, YOU KNOW, SEWER SPILLS AND SO ON. UM, BUT DOING A LOT OF THE PREVENT [02:05:01] AND MAINTENANCE WORK OUT THERE, FLUSHING, ROTTING, DOING CCTV, ET CETERA. SO I DO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE TREMENDOUS WORK THAT THE TEAM DOES THERE. UH, WE HAVE, AGAIN, NOT ONLY JUST PIPES, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A TWO LIFT STATIONS FOR OUR SYSTEM. AND THROUGH THAT, UM, COLLECTION SYSTEM, WE SERVE A TOTAL OF MORE THAN 17,000 CUSTOMERS, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE RESIDENTIAL, INCLUDING SINGLE FAMILY, MULTI-FAMILY, AND, UH, A SMALL AMOUNT OF MOBILE HOME. UH, AND THEN COMMERCIAL, UH, CUSTOMERS AS WELL. UH, AS I SAID, WE DO NOT TREAT OUR OWN SEWAGE. WE HAVE TO SEND IT OVER TO THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO. AND SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE ARE A MEMBER AGENCY OF THE METROPOLITAN JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY METRO, JPA FOR SHORT. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER YAMANE REPRESENTS THE CITY ON THAT, ON THAT BOARD, UH, AND THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO AT THE, UM, POINT LOMA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT TREATS OUR SEWAGE AFTER THEY COLLECT IT. SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND. UM, SO IN ORDER TO, UH, PAY FOR THE, THE SERVICES, RIGHT, AND, AND RUN THE SYSTEM, WE, WE HAVE TO CHARGE FEES. UM, SO THE LAST TIME THAT NATIONAL CITY DID A RATE STUDY WAS IN 2017. AT THAT POINT, WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, INCREASE RATES AND ADOPTED RATES FOR A FIVE YEAR PERIOD AS ALLOWED FROM FISCAL YEAR 2018 THROUGH 2023. UM, AND THEN WE HAD A COUPLE OF YEARS WHERE WE HELD STEADY. SO THE LAST TIME WE CAME TO YOU, WE, WE HELD IT STEADY FOR TWO YEARS IN 2023. AND SO NOW IT'S TIME, IT WAS TIME TO, TO HAVE A MUCH CLOSER LOOK BECAUSE OF A LOT OF FACTORS IMPACTING THE COST OF OUR OPERATION. AND SO WE ARE COMING TO YOU, UM, AT THIS FIRST STEP WHERE WE ARE PROPOSING TO INCREASE THE RATES BY 3% PER YEAR. UM, SO A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT AS FAR AS THE FACTORS. SO WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE THE LAST TIME WE DID A RATE STUDY, THERE'S BEEN SOME SIGNIFICANT, UM, FACTORS THAT INCREASE, UM, THE COST OF OPERATING AND MAINTAINING THE SYSTEM. UH, WE HAVE, UH, CAPITAL NEEDS THAT ARE NECESSARY DUE TO THE AGING OF OUR SYSTEM AND, YOU KNOW, DENSIFICATION MORE SEWER, LATERALS, ET CETERA. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A LOT MORE COSTS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DECADES THAT HAVE COME UP DUE TO, UH, REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, STATE AND FEDERAL RULES THAT WE HAVE TO MEET. UM, AND IN INCLUDED IN THAT IS ALSO PROGRAMMATIC COSTS. SO I, I KNOW WE'VE COME TO YOU WITH THINGS LIKE THE FOG ORDINANCE, THE FAT SOILS AND GREASE. THAT IS PART OF THE PROGRAMMATIC EFFORTS WE HAVE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN OUR SEWER SEWER SYSTEM IN GOOD WORKING CAPACITY. AND IT'S ALSO REQUIRED THROUGH SOME OF THOSE REGULATIONS. UM, OF COURSE, PERSONNEL COSTS HAVE INCREASED BOTH HERE AT THE CITY OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, AS WELL AS WITH CITY OF SAN DIEGO SUBSTANTIALLY. THAT'S A PASS THROUGH TO US BECAUSE WE ARE PAYING FOR THEIR OPERATING COSTS AT THE, AT THE TREATMENT PLANT. UM, RECORD INFLATION IN 2021 THROUGH 22, 23, AS YOU ALL KNOW. SO THAT GENERAL IMPACT, UH, OF INFLATION INCREASES THE COST OF EVERYTHING FROM MATERIAL SUPPLIES, OUR SERVICES, CONTRACTS, EVERYTHING THAT WE, THAT WE DO RELATED TO SEWER. AND THEN OF COURSE, AS WE MENTIONED, UH, WE DO HAVE TO PAY THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO OR, UM, REALLY, UH, JPA METRO, RIGHT, FOR, FOR THE COST OF TREATMENT. UH, AND THEN THEY ARE UPGRADING AND MAINTAINING THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE, ADDING THE, UH, PURE WATER, UH, PROGRAM AS WELL. SO A LOT OF, A LOT OF FACTORS THERE. SO, UM, SO WE HAD TO DO THIS RATE STUDY, WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO THAT. UM, I'LL GO OVER THIS VERY, VERY QUICKLY AS FAR AS WHAT THE GOALS OF THE RATE STUDY WERE, AND THEN I'LL HAND IT OVER TO CARMEN TO GET INTO THE NITTY GRITTY AND THE DETAILS. BUT, BUT EFFECTIVELY, WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT THE PROJECTED REVENUES, SO WE HAD TO LOOK AT THE EXISTING PROJECT, UH, THE EXISTING REVENUES, AND THEN THE PROJECTED REVENUES TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S ADEQUATE TO COVER, YOU KNOW, THAT YOUR REVENUES MATCH YOUR EXPENSES, AND, UM, AS WELL AS DEVELOP A COST OF SERVICE RATE MODEL FOR BOTH THE OPERATIONAL COSTS AND THE CAPITAL COSTS. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT FUTURE, UM, REPLACEMENTS, IMPROVEMENTS, CAPACITY UPGRADES, ET CETERA. FOR THE FIVE-YEAR TIMEFRAME. WE ALSO HAVE TO EVALUATE HOW WE'RE CHARGING CUSTOMERS. WE HAVE RESIDENTIAL AND NON-RESIDENTIAL, SO THAT'S ALSO PART OF THE STUDY. UM, AS FAR AS THE, THE EQUITABILITY OF THE, AND THE PROPORTIONALITY OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF, OF, UH, SEWAGE THAT GOES INTO OUR SYSTEM. UH, WE ALSO HAD TO DEVELOP A FIVE YEAR SEWER SERVICE CHARGE, UH, WHERE THE REVENUE WILL MEET THE OPERATIONAL COSTS AND THE CAPITAL NEEDS. AND THEN AGAIN, UM, [02:10:02] AS PART OF THE CAPITAL PROGRAM, SINCE IT TAKES CAPITAL, PROJECTS ARE LONG-TERM, UH, IT TAKES MULTIPLE YEARS TO PLAN, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT. SO WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE APPROPRIATE RESERVE LEVELS FOR THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT. SO I'M GONNA HAVE CARMEN CONTINUE HERE WITH THE REST OF THE PRESENTATION OR PART OF THE PRESENTATION. LEMME GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MARTHA. UM, MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, AS SHE SAID, I'M CARMEN KANER WITH ARTURA, AND IT'S MY PLEASURE TO, UM, HAVE ASSISTED THE CITY ON THIS STUDY. UM, GREAT TEAM TO WORK WITH HERE. SO THERE ARE THREE BASIC STEPS THAT WE NEED TO GO THROUGH, AND WE DO A RATE STUDY. UM, STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT THE COSTS ARE COVERED, APPORTIONED PROPERLY TO THE DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS BASED ON THE COST TO PROVIDE THEM SERVICES. SO EACH COST INCURRED IS EVALUATED BASED UPON WHETHER IT APPLIES TO THE DIFFERENT CUSTOMER CLASSES BASED UPON THE FLOW GENERATED BY THAT CLASS. SO A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE, THEIR WASTEWATER GENERATED IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN A RESTAURANT THAT HAS A LOT MORE FOOD WASTE GOING INTO IT. SO WE APPORTION THE COST APPROPRIATELY THEREOF, THEN WE NEED TO EVALUATE THE REVENUE NECESSARY TO DETERMINE AND WHETHER RATE, STUDY RATE INCREASES NEEDED OR NOT. AND THEN WE NEED TO APPLY THOSE REVENUES TO THE DIFFERENT CUSTOMER CLASSES, AND WE ADJUST THE RATE DESIGN. SO EACH CUSTOMER IS PAID, PAYS APPROPRIATE AMOUNTS. SO THERE'S THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF YOUR COST, OF YOUR REVENUE NEEDS IS YOUR TREATMENT AT THROUGH METRO, WHICH IS 47%. WE'RE PROPOSING SOME VERY LARGE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROJECTS. YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF NEEDS, YOUR SYSTEM'S AGING. YOU'VE GOT, UM, AGING SYSTEM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S MORE TO SAY THAN THAT. I MEAN, IT'S, AND WE'RE, WE'RE IMPACTING IT MORE. I MEAN, THERE'S, PEOPLE DO A LOT MORE ARE FLUSHING FOG DOWN THAT THEY SHOULDN'T, YOU KNOW, FAT SOILS AND GREASES THAT THEY SHOULDN'T, THAT ADDS WEAR AND BUILD UP ON THE PIPES. UM, YOU ALSO HAVE PERSONNEL COSTS AND YOU HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. AND THEN, AND THAT'S MY, THE MAJORITY OF YOUR LITTLE OTHER MAINTENANCE, UM, THINGS. SO THIS GRAPHIC IS A WAY TO SHOW YOUR COSTS VERSUS YOUR REVENUE VERSUS YOUR RESERVE. SO IN THE DOTS, WE HAVE YOUR DIFFERENT CASH RESERVE AMOUNTS OVER TIME. SO FISCAL YEAR 24 IS ALREADY PASSED. WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF FISCAL YEAR ENDING 25. SO WE THINK WE'RE AT THE PEAK. WE WANNA DRAW THOSE RESERVES DOWN. UM, YOU HAVE SOME PRETTY LARGE RESERVES COMPARED TO THE EXPENDITURES. HOWEVER, WITH ALL THE CAPITAL NEEDS YOU HAVE, THAT'S GONNA BE GOING AWAY. SO WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IS, YOU KNOW, IN GREEN I'M SHOWING THE SOURCES OF YOUR FUNDS, WHICH IS HOW MUCH REVENUE WE BRING IN. THE RED IS THE EXPENDITURE. UM, AND THEN THE, THE BLACK WINE IS YOUR TARGET RESERVES OVER TIME. SO WHILE MY RATE STUDY IS ONLY FOR FIVE YEARS, I, I DID A 10 YEAR PROJECTION, BECAUSE WHAT CAN HAPPEN IS IF YOU DRAW DOWN THE RESERVES TOO FAST AND YOU'RE NOT GETTING YOUR RATES GOING UP AT THE SAME TIME, YOU CAN CRASH AND ULTIMATELY NEED TO HAVE TOO BIG OF RATE INCREASE, WHICH IS WHY WE ENDED UP HERE WITH A 3% INCREASE FOR EACH OF THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. WE DON'T WANT TO PUSH, KEEP PUSHING IT OFF TOO LONG, BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOU NEED TO MAKE REALLY BIG INCREASES. AND I THINK A 3% INCREASE FOR EACH OF THE NEXT FIVE YEARS IS KIND OF A BALANCE POINT FOR YOU. AND AS YOU CAN SEE FROM MY GRAPHIC HERE, UM, IT KIND OF BRINGS IT INTO A SOFT LANDING AND GETS YOU MATCHED UP GOING, YOU KNOW, SET UP TO THE FUTURE, ASSUMING THAT THE ESTIMATES FOR OUR, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE BIDS YET ON THESE CAPITAL PRICE PRO COSTS. YOU'RE GONNA HAVE, UM, INCREASED MAINTENANCE EFFORTS WITH STAFF. UM, BUT THIS WAS OUR BEST ESTIMATE BASED UPON THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION. UM, YOU KNOW, DRAW DOWN THE RESERVES, BUT THEN MAKE SURE WE'RE KEEPING UP BECAUSE WE REALLY DO WANT, YOU DO WANT YOUR GREEN AND YOUR RED TO BE VERY CLOSE. YOU DON'T WANT THE RED TOO MUCH ABOVE THE GREEN OR VICE VERSA. SO THAT'S THE BALANCE POINT WE DID. UM, SO WHAT A RESIDENTIAL BILL WOULD BE, IF WE WERE TO NOT USE SOME OF THE RESERVES, IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE, WE WOULD ADD ANOTHER $13 TO THE BILL. WE'RE ACTUALLY PROPOSING, UM, TO NOT HAVE TO HAVE THE BILLS INCREASED BY THAT MUCH BECAUSE WE WANT TO DRAW DOWN THE RESERVES. SO WHAT WE'RE SHOWING HERE ON THIS SPREADSHEET IS THAT YOUR, UM, [02:15:01] WE'RE PROPOSING 3% INCREASES FOR EACH OF YOUR SINGLE FAMILY RATES AND YOUR MULTI-FAMILY HOMES OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, 3% EACH YEAR. MOBILE HOMES, AGAIN, TO BE EQUITABLE, THEY ARE STARTING, THEY'RE USING LESS WATERS. AND SO THEIR INCREASES TO CARE FOR THEIR APPORTIONMENT, BECAUSE WE DO A FLAT RATE FOR THEM, IS ONLY 1% INCREASE PER YEAR. UM, IT HAS TO DO WITH THEY'RE USING LESS WATER PROPORTIONATELY. AND SO BECAUSE OF WE HAVE A FLAT RATE FOR THEM, THEIR BILL NEEDS TO INCREASE LESS. UM, AND THEN YOUR COMMERCIAL RATES VARIED BASED UPON THE CUSTOMER CLASS. SO THE COMMERCIAL LOW TENDS TO BE YOUR OFFICE SPACES. AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S A TYPICAL COMMERCIAL LOW COMMERCIAL HIGH TENDS TO BE YOUR RESTAURANTS. UM, AND WE USE STANDARD S SECURE SIC, UM, SECURITY, THE, THE CLASS CLASSIFICATION CODE, I'M SORRY, I'M DRAWING A BLANK AT THE MOMENT, UM, TO CLASSIFY HOW YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE BILLED. SO BOTTOM LINE, THIS RATE STRUCTURE MEETS THE INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND YOUR FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS. WE DIDN'T DO A CHANGE TO YOUR STRUCTURE. YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T GO FROM DOING FLAT RATES TO DOING FLOW RATES. THIS IS HOW YOU WERE STRUCTURED IN THE PAST. NOW YOU'RE, WE RECOMMEND CONTINUING. UM, THE SLIGHT INCREASES IN THE CHANGES IN THE PERCENTAGES HAVE TO DO WITH THEIR USAGES, UM, THAT THIS IS ALWAYS ONE EVERYONE WANTS TO SEE IS HOW DO YOU COMPARE TO EVERYONE ELSE IN THE, IN THE COUNTY. UM, AND THESE WERE AS OF JANUARY, I KNOW OF, I KNOW SPECIFICALLY THE CORONADO IS CONSIDERING A CITY RATE UPDATE. I KNOW THEY'RE AT LEAST, AT LEAST EVALUATING IT. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY'RE GONNA ENACT IT. UM, BUT YOU'RE STILL SOME OF THE LOWEST RATES, EVEN IF WE DO THIS 3% A YEAR. YES, YOU'RE NOT AS LOW AS THE COUNTY OR OTAI, BUT, UM, RIGHT IN THERE, 15% LOWER THAN OTHERS, BUT THAT, OKAY. AND SO AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, WE DID ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT A RESERVE POLICY. SO, UH, AS PART OF THIS PRESENTATION, WE'RE ALSO BRINGING TO YOU, UH, THE REVISIONS WE RECOMMEND MAKING TO POLICY 2 0 1, WHICH IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY THAT THE CITY HAS, UH, THROUGH THE FINANCIAL SERVICES, UH, DIVISION FOR, UM, MAINTENANCE OF RESERVE FUNDS. WITHIN IT, IT INCLUDES THE SEWER SERVICE FUND, UH, DESIGNATION. SO GENERALLY THIS RESERVE POLICY EXISTS TO PROTECT THE FINANCIAL INTEGRITY OF OUR SEWER SERVICE FUND. AS WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU WANT THOSE LINES TO THAT LINE MAKING THAT SOFT LANDING. YOU WANT THAT, THAT TO REMAIN PRETTY STEADY ONCE YOUR REVENUES AND EXPENSES, UM, NORMALIZE AND, AND EQUI EQUILIBRATE A BIT. SO IT'S, WE NEED TO PROVIDE A SUFFICIENT CUSHION, RIGHT, FOR ALL OF THE CAPITAL EXPENSES THAT ARE COMING. UM, AND WE DO EXPECT THEM TO FLUCTUATE, BUT EVENTUALLY NORMALIZE. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE, WE HAVE SO MANY UNCERTAINTY, UH, FACTORS WITH THE COST OF CAPITAL PROJECTS IN THE FUTURE. SO WE, WE NEED TO MAINTAIN A VERY HEALTHY RESERVE LEVEL FOR THAT. SO WE'RE RECOMMENDING SOME VERY MINOR CHANGES THAT REALLY EFFECTIVELY, UM, BRING US TO, YOU KNOW, THAT CURRENT NEW PROJECTION FOR THE FUTURE PROJECTS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN UPSIZE OUR SEWER SYSTEM WHERE WE HAVE CAPACITY ISSUES REPLACE WHERE, UH, SEGMENTS OF THE SYSTEM HAVE REACHED THEIR END OF LIFE AND SO ON. UM, THIS, I'M NOT GONNA READ, BUT IT'S, UH, JUST VERY SPECIFIC, THE RED LINE. YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S VERY MINIMAL CHANGES. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. UM, AND EFFECTIVELY WHAT THIS DOES IS IT GIVES US MORE CLARITY AND A MORE ROBUST, UM, RESERVE POLICY TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN MATCH THOSE REVENUES EXPENSES AND KEEP THE REVENUE, THE RESERVE LEVELS, UM, AT AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL. AND IT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE CALCULATIONS THAT WERE DONE, UH, AS PART OF THE RATE STUDY. UM, THE NEXT STEPS WILL BE, UH, PUBLIC NOTICING AS, UH, WE MENTION AT THE BEGINNING HERE. SO, UH, WE ARE SUBJECT TO STATE PROP TWO 18 LAW, WHICH, UH, HAS BEEN IN EFFECT FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS, AND IT MANDATES THAT WE HAVE A PUBLIC NOTICING PROCESS. SO AS WE INCREASE SEWER RATES, WE HAVE TO NOTIFY ALL CUSTOMERS, REALLY ALL PROPERTY OWNERS, THEY'RE ALL SUBJECT TO, TO SEWER CHARGES. UH, WE HAVE TO MAIL OUT 45 DAYS IN ADVANCE ABOVE PUBLIC HEARING. WE'LL DO THAT NEXT WEEK WITH YOUR AUTHORIZATION. WE'LL HAVE A FIRST READING AT THE MAY 6TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING, UH, WHERE WE CAN COUNT, VOTE IF, IF THERE ARE ANY PROTESTS. WE CAN COUNT THAT AND, AND THEN RECEIVE FURTHER, UH, GUIDANCE FROM YOU. IF, IF WE ARE APPROVED TO PROCEED, WE'LL GO TO THE SECOND READING DURING [02:20:01] THE SECOND MEETING IN MAY. UM, AND THEN 30 DAYS AFTER THAT, IF APPROVED, UH, THE ORDINANCE WILL BE ADOPTED, AND WE WILL INCLUDE THE NEW SEWER RATES ON THE SEWER TAX ROLL FOR 25 26, WHICH WILL COME TO YOU IN THE JUNE MEETING, UM, ASSUMING ALL OF THAT MOVES FORWARD. SO, UM, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. AND THEN JUST TO, UM, CLARIFY, THE, THE ACTION THAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER THIS EVENING IS TO ACCEPT THE SEWER RATE STUDY THAT WE'VE PRESENTED, UH, TO ACCEPT THE REVISIONS TO POLICY 2 0 1 AND TO, UM, DIRECT STAFF TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PUBLIC NOTICING AND HEARING PROCESS PER PROP TWO 18. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR MOTIONS? HAVE A QUESTION? YES. UH, NO, WE DON'T HAVE ANY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INFORMATION. THANK YOU FOR THIS. UM, YOU KNOW, THE INFORMATION BEING SET OUT SO CLEARLY, UH, I FEEL LIKE I'M AN EXPERT NOW ON HOW TO ASSESS SEWER RATES. UM, THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALL OF THIS. IT, IT'S VERY INFORMATIVE, YOU KNOW, IT, IT IS A, WE ARE ASKING THE COMMUNITY TO PAY ESSENTIALLY FOR, YOU KNOW, BETTER SEWER SYSTEM. AND IF YOU CAN GO BACK TO THE SLIDE THAT HAS THE RED AND THE GREEN BARS, I WANTED TO ASK SOMETHING ABOUT, UM, OH, SORRY, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD CLICKED OFF OF IT. THE, UM, I UNDERSTAND THE RESERVES AND I, AND I DO APPRECIATE THE UPDATES TO THE RESERVE POLICY SO THAT WE DO CONTINUE TO HAVE A HEALTH HEALTHY RESERVE IN THIS. UM, I WANNA ENSURE THAT THE COSTS, WHICH ARE THE, THE RED BARS THAT INCLUDES THE, THE CIP PROJECTS, WHICH WOULD REPLACE THE AGING PIPES OR EXISTING PIPES THAT ARE, HAVE COME TO THE END OF THEIR LIFE, THE WAY MARTHA PUT IT. SO DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE PLAN TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE A FULL NEW SYSTEM BY FISCAL YEAR 35? NO, EVEN CLOSE. OH, NOT EVEN CLOSE. OH, WELL, WE'LL HAVE A HEALTHY SYSTEM. MM-HMM . I, I CAN TELL YOU THAT CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE, RIGHT? SO WE HAD, UM, TWO MAJOR SEWER, UH, REPLACEMENT PROJECTS BETWEEN 21 AND 23. BY EARLY 24, WE COMPLETED THE SECOND ONE. YOU MAY HAVE BEEN WITNESS TO THAT BECAUSE IT HAPPENED RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR HOME. MM-HMM . IT WENT THROUGH UND D THE, YEAH, UND D THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE BASEBALL FIELDS AT SWEETWATER WAS THE FIRST PHASE IN 21, 22, AND THEN THE SECOND PHASE WE DID ON 30TH AND THROUGH, UM, THAT OPEN FIELD MM-HMM . THAT CONNECTS UP MM-HMM . SO, SO JUST THOSE TWO LITTLE PROJECTS, WHICH IS, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE IT WAS JUST OVER A THOUSAND FEET, MAYBE 1200 FEET OF, OF SEWER PIPE REPLACEMENT. SOME OF IT SIZED FROM AN EIGHT INCH OR 12 INCH. UM, JUST THOSE TWO PROJECTS COST OVER $3 MILLION. AND, UM, AND WE HAVE ANOTHER PROJECT, A SEWER REPLACEMENT PRO PRIORITY PROJECT UNDER DESIGN THAT'S GONNA UPSIZE, UM, SEWER LINE PRIMARILY ON FOURTH STREET. AND WE'VE COMPLETED A PORTION OF IT THROUGH EL TOON PARK, UM, BECAUSE OF THE TIMING OF THE EAST SIDE IL FIVE PROJECT. SO THAT ALREADY COST US ALMOST HALF A MILLION DOLLARS JUST FOR THAT TO TINY LITTLE SEGMENT. THE REST OF THAT PROJECT ON FOURTH STREET, UM, WE THINK IS GOING TO COST FIVE, $6 MILLION. SO IT'S VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE. SEWER PIPES RUN VERY DEEP UNDERGROUND MM-HMM . SO THAT IS PART OF THE COST MM-HMM . UM, AND THEN WHEN YOU DO SEWER PIPE REPLACEMENTS, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH RESIDENTIAL AREAS, WE'VE GOTTA REPLACE ALL THE SEWER LATERALS AT OUR COST. SO THERE'S A LOT OF COMPONENTS TO SEWER CIP PROJECTS. IT COST A LOT. UM, I WOULDN'T VENTURE TO GUESS WHAT IT COSTS TO REPLACE A HUNDRED MILES OF SEWER PIPE. YEAH. WELL, I WON'T GO TOO FAR IN THAT, UH, IN THAT DISCUSSION, BUT I DO APPRECIATE THE, THE, THE PLANNING MM-HMM . THAT HAS TO BE DONE FOR THIS AND, AND THE REASON WHY YOU'RE PROPOSING A RATE INCREASE, AND IT IS A PRETTY MODEST INCREASE. I MEAN, I, I DON'T WANT TO CATEGORIZE IT IN ANY WAY BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WHAT'S MODEST TO ME MIGHT ACTUALLY BE VERY, UH, CHALLENGING FOR SOMEBODY ELSE. SO, UH, I DO WANT TO JUST, UH, BE AWARE OF THE METHODOLOGY THAT YOU HAVE USED, THE JUSTIFICATION FOR WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING AND WHY. SO, UH, I DO APPRECIATE ALL OF THAT, AND I AM IN FAVOR. UM, AND CERTAINLY WE ARE ADDING DENSITY TO OUR CITY. THAT MEANS MORE TOILETS BEING FLUSHED, RIGHT? MORE, UH, FOLKS SHOWERING AND WASHING THEIR HANDS. SO IT, IT IS NECESSARY. IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. SO I DO, UH, AGAIN, APPRECIATE, UH, ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE. THANK YOU. AND I DO, UH, MAYOR, IF YOU'RE READY FOR A MOTION, I MAKE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RATE STUDY, APPROVE THE REVISIONS TO POLICY NUMBER 2 0 1, AND TO SCHEDULE A PUBLIC HEARING AND DIRECT STAFF TO MAIL OUT [02:25:01] THE PUBLIC HEARING AND NOTICES AS REQUIRED BY, UH, PROP TWO 18. OKAY. YOU HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. OKAY. ALRIGHT, SO YOU KNOW WHAT, DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET'S, LET'S, LET'S TAKE A BREAK, BUT A LITTLE, CAN YOU, A LITTLE, CAN YOU SPEAK TO MIC RON? YEAH, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BREAK, BUT WE ARE GONNA START AT 20 MINUTES BEFORE, SO COUNCIL MEMBERS, THAT DOESN'T MEAN OUT THERE TALKING THE AUDIENCE. WHAT'S UP HERE? ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA CALL THE MEETING BACK TO ORDER, UH, SILENT ROLL CALL WITH, UH, MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL, ALL, ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THE DIOCESE. OKAY. WITH THAT, WE GO TO [11.3 Staff Report on the Establishment of a Tobacco Retail License Program.] 11 THREE STAFF REPORT ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM AND PRESENTATION. FIVE MINUTES, THESE LONG-WINDED STUFF. SORRY, . YEAH. YEAH, THEY'RE GOING ON PRETTY LONG. YEAH, IT'S GETTING RIDICULOUS. OKAY, I'LL GET GOING. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK COUNCIL, PUBLIC MARTIN READER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS, UH, OF COURSE A FOLLOW UP TO A, A POLICY 1 0 5 REQUEST FROM LAST MONTH, OR ACTUALLY TWO MONTHS AGO, JANUARY NOW, UH, FROM THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH IN SAY, SAN DIEGO, TO DO WITH THE TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM. JUST AS A QUICK RECAP, WE DO HAVE CODE SECTIONS RELATED TO RESTRICTION OF SALE, DISPLAY AND PROMOTION OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO CHILDREN OR TO MINORS. THAT WAS ADOPTED IN 2000, HAS BEEN AMENDED SINCE, UH, MOST RECENTLY IN 2018, UH, RELATED TO DEFINITIONS OF VAPES. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A SECTION ON TOBACCO SPECIALTY BUSINESSES IN THE ENTITLED 18, THE ZONING CODE, WHICH IS, UH, THAT REQUIRES A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT. SO, UH, ALSO TO RECAP STATE LAW, OF COURSE, UH, CALIFORNIA DOES PROHIBIT THE SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS. SO THOSE UNDER 21 ALSO, UH, AND, UH, FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS, THERE IS A REQUIREMENT FOR TAX AND LICENSING WITH THE STATE AS WELL. SO THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH IN COLLABORATION WITH SAY SAN DIEGO, HAS, UH, PROVIDED A DRAFT ORDINANCE BASED ON, UH, UH, SORT OF THE, THE, THE TOP TIER, WHICH IS, UH, CONSIDERED TO BE THE COUNTY ORDINANCE. AND IT'S, UH, HAS SEVERAL MAIN COMPONENTS, MOSTLY DISTANCES FROM YOUTH ORIENTED FACILITIES TO OTHER TOBACCO RETAILERS, TO CANNABIS RETAILERS, ET CETERA. ALSO, UH, RECOMMENDING LIMITING THE NUMBER OF RETAIL LICENSES TO ONE PER 2,500 RESIDENTS, WHICH BASED ON THE POPULATION OF APPROXIMATELY 55,000 OR SO IS GONNA BE, UH, OVER 50, 54, 55, NO SALES OF TOBACCO, UH, FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE STATE PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS. ALSO CONSISTENT WITH THE STATE, UH, AND AN ANNUAL RENEWABLE PERMIT, WHICH WOULD BE CALLED A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE. AND THERE WOULD BE CONDITIONS RELATED TO NO TRANSFER BETWEEN LOCATIONS OR PERSONS. AND ALSO, UH, ROUTINE COMPLIANCE MONITORING. SO ALL OF THOSE 55 RETAIL LICENSES THAT I MENTIONED, WHICH IS ANYTHING FROM A STORE TO A GAS STATION TO A SEVEN 11, ET CETERA, THEY WOULD ALL BE CONSIDERED DEEMED APPROVED, UH, AS LONG AS THEY HAVE THEIR APPROPRIATE STATE LICENSE, OF COURSE, AND THEY WOULD'VE TO MAINTAIN, UH, THE, THE LICENSE THAT THE CITY WOULD GIVE THEM, THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO STOP SELLING FOR MORE THAN 60 DAYS. AGAIN, NO CHANGE IN OPERATION OR PREMISES, AND, UH, WE ALREADY TALK ABOUT THAT. SO BASICALLY BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE THAN THE 22, IF WE WERE TO TAKE THAT LANGUAGE INTO ACCOUNT, WE WOULDN'T HAVE ANY NEW RETAIL LICENSES, ONLY THE EXISTING ONES, AND WE WOULD ONLY BE, UH, WE'D, WE'D BE LOSING EXISTING ONE THROUGH ATTRITION MOST LIKELY. SO THERE'S TALK IN THE CODE LANGUAGE RELATED TO PREMISES CHECKS AND COMPLIANCE CHECKS. THE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO REQUIRES, UH, ONE EVERY YEAR. UH, I'M SORRY, LET ME, I'M GONNA BACK UP. I'M SORRY. AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE NINE OTHER CITIES AND THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, UH, IN, IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY THAT HAVE A TRL OR TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM IN THEIR ORDINANCE, WE LOOKED AT THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, AND THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA S ARE OUR NEIGHBORS. THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA IS A POLICE, UH, DEPARTMENT PERMIT. SO A LITTLE OVER $300 AND REQUIRES CHECKS, UH, COMPLIANCE CHECKS EVERY TWO YEARS. [02:30:01] THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO WAS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EXPENSIVE. IT'S $730, BUT THAT DOES REQUIRE COMPLIANCE CHECKS, INCLUDING HAVING A DECOY OPERATION CONDUCTED ON EACH, UH, PROGRAM ONCE A YEAR. SO WE DO, OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE, UM, DIFFERING, UH, AMOUNTS OF STAFF AND, AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE. SO WE WOULD USUALLY TEND TO, UH, LOOK AT THE HIGHER FEE, JUST BE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN COVER THE PROGRAM, UH, COMPLIANCE SCHEDULES, UH, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S POLICY AND, AND THE MORE, THE BETTER, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH ABSOLUTELY INGRAINED IN THE CODE FOR FEAR OF NOT BEING ABLE TO COMPLY WITH THAT BASED ON HOW MUCH MONEY WE HAVE AT THE TIME, OR HOW MUCH STAFF WE HAVE. BUT WE ARE RECOMMENDING, UH, CLOSE TO, YOU KNOW, ONCE EVERY TWO YEARS WOULD BE, WOULD BE GOOD. UH, BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT'S ALREADY BEEN ATTAINED BY, SAY SAN DIEGO AND, AND THE, UH, NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR HEALTH, UH, THEY HAVE SUGGESTED THAT AT LEAST 80% OF THE FACILITIES IN THE CITY ARE ROUGHLY WITHIN COMPLIANCE. SO WE COULD TALK ABOUT ANYTHING FROM A TEST PROGRAM TO ADDRESS THE 10 TO 20% THAT MAKE UP THAT DIFFERENCE. WE WOULD OF COURSE TRACK ANY COMPLIANCE, ANY BUDGET, UH, AND STAFF RESOURCES AND DETERMINE IF THERE'S AN INCREASE THAT WOULD BE NEEDED OVER TIME. AND THERE'S ALSO THE NEED FOR A DISCUSSION ON WHO IS GONNA BE THE, UH, WHO'S GONNA PARTICIPATE IN THAT PROGRAM, WHETHER IT BE THE CODE ENFORCEMENT, NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES, DEPARTMENT PLANNING, OR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THAT DOES, UH, CONCLUDE STAFF'S REPORT, UH, SAY SAN DIEGO AND THE, UH, NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH ARE HERE. AND THEY DO HAVE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IT. SO IT, BUT THAT CONCLUDES STAFF'S REPORT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR STAFF, OTHERWISE, I CAN TURN IT OVER TO THE MAYOR AND SPEAKERS. OKAY. THINK QUESTIONS? HUH? QUESTIONS? YOU HAVE A QUESTION? NO. OKAY. I DO HAVE QUESTIONS. OKAY. ARE WE GONNA CONTINUE WITH THE, I WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SPEAKERS ON THIS. OKAY. SO CAN I ASK MY QUESTION, SIR? YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU, MARTIN. UH, THE TEST PROGRAM, THAT IS A POTENTIAL, YOU'RE SAYING THAT THAT WOULD, ONE OF THE WAYS TO START THIS, IF IT'S NOT A TEST PROGRAM, THEN IT'S JUST BOOM, EVERYBODY REQUIRES A LICENSE. WELL, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY UP, UP FOR DISCUSSION. THAT'S WHY WE'RE THE, THE, UH, PROPONENTS CAME FORWARD TO THE COUNCIL TO ASK YOUR OPINION. AND WHILE STAFF IS ASKING AN OPINION AS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'D LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD, IF WE'D LIKE TO ADDRESS IT INCREMENTALLY OR ALL AT ONCE. OBVIOUSLY WE, WE HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF STAFF, FULL-TIME POSITIONS, PART-TIME POSITIONS IN CODE ENFORCEMENT, WHICH WOULD BE THE DRIVING, UH, FORCE BEHIND, UH, INFORMANTS, ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCE. UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S UP TO YOU. I MEAN, WE DO, WE DO HAVE, I BELIEVE WE, WE HAVE A HALFTIME POSITION THAT'S STILL BUDGETED THAT WE HAVEN'T FILLED YET. AND WE HAVE, UH, MOST OF THE OTHER CODE ENFORCEMENT STAFF IS CURRENTLY, UH, UH, FAIRLY BUSY WITH THEIR CURRENT SCHEDULE, SO WE'D HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT. BUT IF, UH, ONE OTHER THING I DIDN'T, UH, MENTION WAS THE, THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE HAS SOME FUNDING THAT WOULD, UH, COMING UP THAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR, YOU KNOW, COMPLIANCE RELATED, OH, UH, WORK THAT COULD BE DONE, HOPEFULLY IN, IN THE SECOND YEAR, POTENTIALLY MM-HMM . IF NOT SOONER. OKAY. THAT'S PROMISING. YEAH. UM, I, I'M CURIOUS ALSO ABOUT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF RETAIL LICENSES LIMITED TO ONE PER 2,500 RESIDENTS. WHERE DID THAT, UM, FIGURE COMPANY THAT WAS IN, THAT WAS IN THE DRAFT ORDINANCE THAT WAS PRODUCED BY THE PROPONENTS? SO THEY MAY BE BETTER, UM, THAT, THAT MAY BE TYPICAL OF OTHER JURISDICTIONS. OH, OKAY. TYPICAL OF OTHER JURISDICTIONS BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, I SEE THAT THAT LEAVES THE POTENTIAL FOR UP TO 22 NEW LICENSEES. UM, AND I, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO MAKE THAT A WIDER AMOUNT, YOU KNOW, SO THAT THERE'S FEWER NEW LICENSEES, UM, PERHAPS THEY CAN ADD MORE TO IT. BUT IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT, THAT IF WE WERE STARTING FROM SCRATCH, THAT THAT'S HOW MANY WOULD BE, WOULD BE POSSIBLE. OKAY. I MEAN, WE ALREADY HAVE 55, SO IT BE MY READ OF THAT IS THAT THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY NEW ONES AVAILABLE WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT ATTRITION OR REMOVAL OF EXISTING LICENSES. MM-HMM . OKAY. THIS OBVIOUSLY 65, I GUESS, I GUESS I WAS FOCUSING ON, ON THE PIECE. IT SAYS BASED ON ONE LICENSE PER 2,500 RESIDENTS, UH, 22 NEW LICENSEES COULD BE APPROVED. OH, THAT'S 22 IN ADDITION TO THE 54. WELL, I WOULD, CAN I JUST CLARIFY QUICKLY ON THAT? SO WE DON'T HAVE A LICENSE PROGRAM CURRENTLY, SO IN FACT, THEY WOULD BE NEW LICENSES. SO WE WOULD ISSUE, WE WOULD WANT TO TARGET OR GET TO 22 LICENSES. WE WOULD GRANDFATHER WHOEVER'S THERE NOW, AND THEN WORK THROUGH ATTRITION OR THROUGH THOSE THAT DON'T QUALIFY TO GET TO THE 22. GOT IT. SO WE WOULD START AT 55 AND THEN THROUGH A PROCESS OF ATTRITION, GET TO THE 22 2 LICENSE IN TIME. UNDERSTOOD. SO IT'S NOT 54 GRANDFATHERED IN PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 22 POTENTIAL. THAT'S CORRECT. UNDERSTOOD. THAT'S VERY CLEAR [02:35:01] NOW. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU. I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY QUESTION. OH, THE OTHER ONLY OTHER QUESTION IS, UM, IS THIS PROGRAM FULLY FUND, NOT FUNDED, BUT FULLY MANAGED BY THE CITY? IT'S NOT MANAGED BY ANY OTHER RESOURCE, LIKE SAY SAN DIEGO, NONE OF THAT. THE INTENTION AT THE MOMENT IS FOR F UH, FEES GARNERED FROM THE PERMITS TO PAY FOR, FOR THAT AS, AS THE PROGRAM MOVES FORWARD WITH THE, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY GET FUNDING IN THE FUTURE TO OFFSET THAT. BUT THE, THE, THE MANAGEMENT OF ALL OF THIS WOULD BE CITY, POTENTIALLY STAFF? YES. THAT'S HOW IT'S CURRENTLY PROPOSED. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. OKAY. WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF SPEAKERS AND THIS IS MR. ANDRATI. THAT'S, UH, MR. ANDRATI WAS THE ONE THAT PROVIDED THE POWERPOINT. OKAY. CAN COME UP. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, PRESENT TO YOU THE WORK WE'RE DOING, THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION. FIRST I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, FIRST I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT CAME AS STUDENTS, UH, FAMILY, UH, THESE STUDENTS AND OTHER, UH, SUPPORTERS OF THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH. UH, YOU WANT PLEASE JUST WAVE. UH, THE SECOND THING I WANT TO, UH, UH, CLARIFY IS THAT WE'RE NOT AGAINST TOBACCO RETAILERS OR SMOKERS OR ANYONE THE OTHER WAY AROUND. WE'RE IN SUPPORT OF PEOPLE WHO SMOKE AND WANT TO QUIT. WE'RE IN SUPPORT OF, UH, UH, BETTER BUSINESS PRACTICES. UH, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THAT'S AN ISSUE, UH, WITH ACCESS AND, AND USAGE OF LOCAL TOOLS WHEN, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, UH, NICOTINE ADDICTION AND, UH, THE SERIAL YOUTH EPIDEMIC LOCALLY, UH, BASICALLY, I'M GONNA GO REAL QUICK SINCE WE ARE, UH, STRAINED WITH TIME, BUT BASICALLY, UM, UM, WE HAVE 54 TOBACCO RETAILERS VERSUS 16 SCHOOLS. UH, THE PROBLEM IS THAT ABOUT 80% OF SCHOOLS ARE WITHIN A THOUSAND FEET FROM, UH, FROM TOBACCO RETAILERS. SOME OF THE SCHOOLS HAVE UP TO FIVE, SIX TOBACCO RETAILERS AROUND THE SCHOOL PERIMETERS. SO, UH, THAT IS, UH, THAT IS A CONCERNING. THIS VISUAL TELLS YOU THAT SAN DIEGO COUNTY, UH, WITH MORE THAN 2300 TOBACCO RETAILERS. AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, NATIONAL CITY RIGHT IN THE CENTER. UM, AND AGAIN, THE PROBLEM, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH, UM, TOBACCO RETAILERS CLOSE TO SCHOOL IS ONLY NORMALIZES, UH, USAGE AND, UH, AND, AND, AND PRODUCTS. UM, SO WHO'S AFFECTED, OF COURSE, UM, YOUTH ARE THE ONES THAT PAY THE BILL HERE? UH, MOSTLY THEY'RE, UH, OF COURSE, SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM EFFECTS. UH, THE FIRST THING IS THAT, UH, KIDS, UH, GET, UH, UH, ADDICTED. ONCE KIDS GET ADDICTED, THEY OPEN THE DOORS TO OTHER ADDICTIONS. UM, AND OF COURSE IT CHANGES THE FAMILY DYNAMICS. BEHAVIOR, MEMORY CONCENTRATION AFFECTS EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING, UH, THIS AFFECTS THE, UH, FRONTAL CAR CORTEX OF THE BRAIN. UM, HERE WE HAVE, UH, UH, UH, A SCAN OF A BRAIN, UH, FROM A KID, YOU KNOW, NON-SMOKER, AND THEN SIX WIDTH LATER YOU CAN SEE IN THE LEFT HAND SIDE, UH, HOW THE BRAIN ACTIVITY, UH, FUNCTIONS. AND THEN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, SIX WEEKS LATER, OR SIX TO 12 WEEKS LATER, THAT THAT BRAIN ACTIVITY, UH, KIND OF FADE AWAY. UH, THAT'S WHAT ADDICTION DOES, IS JUST TOTALLY, UH, UH, UM, HOOKS THE BRAIN AND, AND DISTRACT THEM FROM IT. ANOTHER, UM, UH, CONCERN THAT WE HAVE IS THE VALUE OF THE, UH, THE, UH, SEVERE LUNG DAMAGE, UH, OR CHAMPION FOR THE SAFE ACT WAS 17 YEARS OLD WHEN HE ENDED UP NINE DAYS IN COMA HERE IN SAN DIEGO. WE HAVE MORE THAN A HUNDRED PEOPLE, UH, SUFFERING FROM THESE, UH, BASED ON COUNTY REPORTS. UH, THIS IS, AGAIN, VERY, VERY CONCERNING 'CAUSE KIDS, UH, TEND TO, UH, ABUSE THESE PRODUCTS. AND YOU MIGHT HEAR SOME STORIES, UH, FROM STUDENTS, BUT IT'S JUST CRAZY HOW, HOW JUST, YOU KNOW, YOUNG, UH, UH, UH, MIDDLE SCHOOLERS AND HIGH SCHOOLERS, THEY, THEY USE THESE PRODUCTS. UM, OF COURSE, UH, THE WORK THAT WE DO INCLUDES A LOT OF DATA COLLECTION. UM, UH, SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY, UH, UH, IN COLLABORATION WITH SWEETWATER UNIT HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, DID A SURVEY ON THE, UH, ACCESS AND USAGE. THEY FIND OUT THAT, UH, 40% OF, UH, KIDS GET THEIR TOBACCO PRODUCTS FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS, ANOTHER 42% FROM, UM, UH, CORNER STORES, AND THEN THAT 18% ONLINE OR, UH, THROUGH THEIR, UH, SMARTPHONES. SO IT'S A LOT OF WORK THAT WE ALL HAVE TO DO. UH, WE REDUCED SMOKING RATES, UH, FROM 30% TO LESS THAN 6% [02:40:01] IN, IN 30 YEARS, UH, OF LEGISLATION. EDUCATED EDUCATION AND PREVENTION WERE THE, THE, THE KEYS TO DO THAT. AND, UH, E-CIGARETTE JUST CAME TO REVERSE ALL THE WORK DONE IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. UM, WE ALSO, UH, DID A TOBACCO PURCHASE SURVEY. NATIONAL CITY, WE FOUND THAT CLOSE TO 20% OF, UH, TOBACCO RETAILERS. SO ONE IN FIVE SOLD TO OUR, UH, UM, UM, UNDERAGE VOLUNTEERS. UM, ABOUT 26% OF STORE CLERKS FELL TO US, UH, OR VOLUNTEERS FOR AN ID, UH, THAT STATE LAW THAT'S BEEN FOREVER. AND THEY, THESE PEOPLE, THEY STILL DON'T, DON'T, DON'T GET IT. UH, THANKFULLY THE MAJORITY OF TOBACCO RETAILERS, UH, OR 80% OF THOSE, UH, WERE IN COMPLIANCE AT AT LEAST NOT SELLING TO 'EM. THERE WERE OTHER COMPLIANCE ISSUES THAT WE FOUND. UH, UH, BUT THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE TOBACCO LICENSE PROGRAM THAT WE ENSURED THAT THESE, UH, PEOPLE, UH, TRULY, UM, UH, FOLLOW, UH, THE LAW. SO, UM, OOPS, SORRY, I'M, I DON'T KNOW WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS. YOU'RE, YOU'RE OUT OF TIME NOW. OKAY. WE'LL GO ON TO THE NEXT SPEAKERS. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. AND, UM, MARTHA VILLANOVA. MR. MAYOR, IS HE, I, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THEY'RE GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO DO A PRESENTATION. THAT'S WHY IT WAS SENT TO US. WELL, TO BE HONEST, WITH A LOT OF THIS STUFF IS JUST BEING REPEATED AND WE DID FIVE MINUTES AND, YOU KNOW, IT JUST, IT JUST, IT IS DRAGGING ON. SO I'M ASSUMING YOU GOT OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE SPEAKING ABOUT THAT KNOW YOU DO. SO LET'S HEAR FROM THEM. WOULD YOU ALLOW 'EM TO JUST DO FINAL THOUGHTS? OKAY. IS THAT OKAY? HUH? WOULD YOU ALLOW 'EM TO JUST DO FINAL THOUGHTS? I THINK WE GOT 30 SECONDS. I'M SORRY. WE JUST CAN'T KEEP ADDING ON THAT. NO, THAT'S OKAY. I, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU, UH, OF ALL OF YOU FOR, FOR THE, CONSIDERING THESE IMPORTANT, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, POLICY. UH, A LOT OF CITIES HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE PROGRAM FOR A REASON. UH, IT'S KNOWN THAT IT WILL, UH, HELP REDUCE, UH, UH, BABY RATES AND ACCESS AND, UH, AND THEN ALSO GET THESE, UH, TOBACCO RETAILERS IN COMPLIANCE. UH, I GUESS WE WANT MORE OF YOUTH PROGRAMS AND LESS, UH, ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO POINTS OF CELL. THAT'S, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. BOTTOM LINE. THANK YOU. NEXT WE GO WITH MARTHA VILLANO. VIVA MARTHA SPEAK. HUH? SPEAK SUPPORT. OKAY, LET'S GO WITH JOHN. DALE NORIEGA. WE TRYING TO GET THESE THINGS A LITTLE SHORTER SO PEOPLE AREN'T ALL LEAVING. UH, MARIA G. MARTINEZ, HUH? NOT TAKING SUPPORT. OKAY. OKAY. UH, GLORIA ALS HAVE YOU FOLLOWED BY IRMA HERNANDEZ, COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH [02:45:12] NATIONAL CITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY. WE HAVE THE TRANSLATION ON THAT, PLEASE. YES. I YOU, YEAH. WE'LL HAVE A TRANSLATORS, UH, CARLOS OR LUISA, CAN YOU TRANSLATE PLEASE? YES. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD EVENING. UH, UH, MY NAME IS GLORIA SILAS AND I AM VICE CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH. I'VE RECITED A NATIONAL CITY FOR OVER 12 YEARS, AND I AM ALSO A SOCIAL ACTIVIST WHO ADVOCATES FOR BETTER HEALTH FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND FOR OUR YOUTH. I WORK ON ISSUES SUCH AS CANCER PREVENTION AND AVOIDING TOBACCO USE. SO WHAT BRINGS US HERE AS COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, WE USUALLY ADVOCATE TO EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO PREVENT ALL TYPES OF AILMENTS, INCLUDING, UH, TOBACCO ADDICTION. AND WE'RE HERE BECAUSE WE HAVE A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE WITH OUR YOUTH WHEN IT COMES TO USING AND ACCESSING VAPE PRODUCTS AND OTHER FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS AROUND SCHOOLS. WE ARE ADVOCATING, UH, BECAUSE OF, OF THEY'RE CLOSE TO SCHOOLS, WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR TOBACCO LICENSE PROGRAMS SO THAT WE CAN PREVENT ILLEGAL PRODUCT SALES. OUR COMMUNITY, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE ALL CONCERNED BECAUSE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BECOMING ADDICTED TO FLAVOR TOBACCO PRO PRODUCTS. I HAVE PERSONALLY WITNESSED YOUNG PEOPLE AT KIMBALL PARK USING VAPES AND THAT ARE EITHER, UH, TOBACCO PRODUCTS OR OTHER DRUGS. AND THIS IS HIGHLY CONCERNING. OVER 500,000 PEOPLE WHO ARE SMOKERS END UP SUFFERING DAMAGES. AGAIN, THE NAME OF OUR GROUP IS THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH. AND, UH, THE REASON FOR OUR COMING TODAY IS TO ASK FOR THIS ORDINANCE AND TO HAVE THE ORDINANCE INCLUDE, UM, UH, MINIMUM DISTANCES FROM SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, PARKS, WE WANT LESS TOBACCO RETAILERS IN NATIONAL CITY AND ENFORCING OUR LAWS IN NATIONAL CITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. WE FOLLOWED BY, EXCUSE ME, CORINA HERNANDEZ ES UM, UM, [02:50:33] THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT, CARLOS TRANSLATION, PLEASE. THANK YOU. MY APOLOGIES. IT ALWAYS TAKES ME A COUPLE OF SECONDS TO SHIFT FROM ONE TO THE, TO THE OTHER. GOOD EVENING, AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND FOR LISTENING TO OUR CONCERNS HERE IN NATIONAL CITY. I AM IMA HERNANDEZ AND I CHAIR THE COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH. I AM ALSO A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER, SO I WORK ON DIFFERENT HEALTH RELATED ISSUES AMONG THEM SECOND AND THIRD HAND SMOKE. THE MISSION OF THE COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH IS TO WORK IN CREATING A HEALTHIER AND SAFER COMMUNITY AND AVOID THE HARMS OF THINGS LIKE, UH, TOBACCO USE AND RESOLVING OTHER SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH FOR THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE AND WORK IN NATIONAL CITY. PARENTS, SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITY ARE EXTREMELY WORRIED BECAUSE THERE IS A HUGE PROBLEM WHEN IT COMES TO E-CIGARETTES. THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF REPORTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE USING E-CIGARETTES AND OTHER VAPES AT RESTROOMS AT SCHOOLS, FOR EXAMPLE. AND THE MISSION FOR THE COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH IS TO ADVOCATE, IN THIS CASE FOR A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM. AND THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM WOULD BE TO AVOID THE ILLEGAL SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO OUR YOUTH AND NATIONAL CITY. THE SOLUTION WILL, THROUGH THIS, UH, TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR, WOULD ALLOW US, AGAIN, TO AVOID ILLEGAL SALES OF THESE PRODUCTS TO OUR YOUTH AND NATIONAL CITY. IN ADDITION, IT WOULD, THE PROGRAM WOULD ALSO YIELD, UH, SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS. ONE OF THESE BENEFITS WOULD BE, WOULD BE TO ESTABLISH A RATE THAT WOULD BE HIGH ENOUGH IN ORDER FOR THE CITY TO HAVE THE RESOURCES THEY WOULD NEED TO ENFORCE THE ORDINANCE. THE PROGRAM OVERALL WILL INCLUDE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS THAT WOULD PROTECT OUR YOUTH, SUCH AS PROHIBITING MARKETING TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO UNDERAGE PEOPLE IN THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH. UM, WOULD LIKE TO ASK THIS COUNCIL TO HELP US PROTECT OUR YOUTH THROUGH THE APPROVAL OF THIS, UH, TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. WE HAVE CARINA HERNANDEZ. YOU NOT HERE? OKAY. UH, SOPHIE SOPHIA HERNANDEZ. OKAY. UM, CAMILLA HERNANDEZ. WHO? CAMILLA HERNANDEZ. . OKAY. AVA, SHE WAS HERE UP, SPOKE EARLIER. SHE'S, SHE, MARK, SHE'S NOT SPEAKING. OKAY. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE. MARK, NOT SPEAKING. OKAY. UH, CYNTHIA KNAPP. GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. MY NAME'S CYNTHIA KNAPP. I'M A SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER WITH STATE SAN DIEGO'S ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND OTHER DRUG PREVENTION PROGRAM, AND I'M A PROUD MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH. TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAMS ARE PROVEN TO PROTECT YOUTH. TOBACCO RELATED DISEASE IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF PREVENTABLE DEATH IN THE COUNTRY. TOBACCO PRODUCT WASTE, LIKE CIGARETTE BUTTS, IS THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE OF LITTER WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING HERE IN NATIONAL CITY. NICOTINE ADDICTION IS A DISEASE THAT BEGINS IN ADOLESCENCE. BIG TOBACCO KNOWS THAT IF SOMEONE MAKES IT TO AGE 18 WITHOUT USING THEIR PRODUCTS THAT THEY MOST LIKELY NEVER WILL. AND THAT'S WHY THEY CONTINUE TO PUSH EXCITING FLAVORS AND SLEEK DESIGNS TO ENTICE OUR KIDS TO USE THEIR PRODUCTS. PERHAPS YOU'VE SEEN THE FLAVORED VAPING DEVICE THAT HAS THE BUILT-IN TETRIS GAME IN IT. NO. SO YOU CAN PLAY YOUR VIDEO GAME AND [02:55:01] GET YOUR NICOTINE HIT AT THE SAME TIME. THIS PRODUCT WAS NOT MADE FOR ME, AND IT WAS NOT MADE FOR YOU, BUT IT WAS MADE FOR OUR CHILDREN. STATE OF SAN DIEGO HAS HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING ALONGSIDE NATIONAL CITY COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND YOUTH, AND IN DOING SO, HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE BURDEN TOBACCO IS PLACING ON SWEETWATER HIGH SCHOOL. THEY'RE TRYING THEIR BEST, UM, BUT STAFFING IS LIMITED AND VAPING RATES ARE HIGH. STUDENTS HAVE ACCEPTED THAT WHEN THEY USE THE RESTROOM, THAT THEY WILL BE EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE. AND PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT SECONDHAND SMOKE IS TOXIC AND RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER 40,000 DEATHS IN THE US EACH YEAR. WHEN SWEETWATER UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNERED WITH SDSU TO SURVEY THEIR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, THEY FOUND THAT OF THE STUDENTS WHO USE NICOTINE PRODUCTS, 40% PURCHASE THEIR PRODUCTS FROM LOCAL STORES. SO OF THE STUDENTS WHO USE NICOTINE, THEY ARE PURCHASING THEM AT OUR LOCAL, LOCAL BRICK AND MORTAR LOCATIONS. TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAMS SUPPORT RETAILERS IN BEING COMPLIANT WITH LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL TOBACCO SALES LAWS. AND IN DOING SO, REDUCE YOUTH ACCESS TO TOBACCO. EFFECTIVE TLS ARE COST NEUTRAL PROGRAMS FOR THE CITY. RETAILERS WOULD PAY AN ANNUAL LICENSE FEE FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF SELLING THESE DEADLY PRODUCTS IN THE CITY, AND THESE FEES ARE INTENDED TO COVER 100% OF THE PROGRAM EXPENSES FROM BACKGROUND CHECKS TO ANNUAL COMPLIANCE CHECKS TO RETAILER EDUCATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, JACOB, CHARLES GLOVER. HELLO, Y'ALL. MY NAME IS JACOB CHARLES GLOVER. I REPRESENT NATIONAL CITY, AND MOST OF ALL, I REPRESENT THE CHILDREN IN NATIONAL CITY. I REPRESENT A SCHOOL CALLED OLYMPIAN HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH HAS HAD A BIG VAPE PROBLEM. THERE IS A, THERE IS A BATHROOM ON THE FIFTH BUILDING CALLED CANDYLAND. IT IS CALLED CANDYLAND. FOR THE REASON THAT THERE IS SMELL SUCH A STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE AND THE PROVINCIAL FLAVOR CARAMEL, THE, THESE VAPES IN THESE, THESE VAPES IN THESE SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN PASSED AROUND AND END UP IN CANDY LAND BECAUSE OF ONE THING THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE SELLING TO CHILDREN. IN THE GOOD BOOK, IN ONE CORINTHIANS SIX 19, IT SAYS, DO NOT KNOW THAT YOUR BODY ARE TEMPLES. AND WHAT WE ARE TELLING THESE KIDS THAT IT, IT'S ALL RIGHT TO TAKE A BREAK OUT OF THAT TEMPLE, FORGET TO ROLL UP THE CARPET, OR EVEN FORGET TO PAINT THE WALLS. WE ARE TELLING THEM BY, BY NOT, BY NOT PERMITTING THIS, THAT YOU, THAT YOU CAN PUMP YOURSELF FULL OF CHEMICALS. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE DOING. FOR SOME EVIDENCE OF HOW MUCH IT HURTS YOUR BRAIN, IT ERODES THE HIPPOCAMPUS IN THE FRONTAL CORTEX, LIKE MY COLLEAGUES WERE TALKING ABOUT. IT LITERALLY ERODES YOUR DECISION MAKING AND YOUR MEMORY. WORST OF ALL, IT IS HAD NEUROLOGICAL EFFECTS. IT CAN MAKE TUMORS AND MUSCLE TWITCHES AS WHAT HAPPENED TO ONE OF MY FRIENDS WHO TRIED HOLDING IN THE VAPE SMOKE AS A CHALLENGE FOR 20 MINUTES. BY THE END OF THAT 20 MINUTES, HE WAS COUGHING, WHEEZING, AND HAVING SEIZURES. HIS OWN MUSCLES WERE RILING ON THE GROUND. I LIKE YOU TO, I LIKE YOU TO IMAGINE THAT IN THE MIDDLE CLASS SO PEACEFUL. HE JUST FALLS ON THE GROUND, PRACTICALLY, ALMOST DYING FROM THE LOOK OF IT. THESE, THESE MINDS ARE STILL GROWING. SO LET THEM GROW WITHOUT THESE CHEMICALS KILLING, KILLING THEIR MINDS. IN CLOSING, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T THINK THIS AS A RESTRICTION OR A LIMITATION OF ANYTHING, BUT INSTEAD, AS A LEG UP TO THOSE MINDS AND A HELP TO OUR FUTURE, THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS Y'ALL. THANK YOU. UH, EDEN LAZARUS BE FOLLOWED BY EDO. IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN. UM, MY NAME IS ANA BUNES, UM, AND I'M STANDING BEFORE YOU AS A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE SWEETWATER UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM WILL HELP ENSURE THAT STUDENTS ACROSS VARIOUS HIGH SCHOOLS WILL NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS TO TOBACCO. TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSES HELP ENFORCE PENALTIES FOR SELLING TO MINORS. AND WITH THAT, A BURDEN ON THE STORE IS GIVEN. FOR STUDENTS LIKE ME, I'VE OFTEN SEEN MY PEERS GO TO SCHOOL WITH A VAPE OR CIGARETTE IN THEIR HAND. THEY'LL SMOKE IN BATHROOMS AND SOMETIMES EVEN IN THE CLASS HIDING IT BY EXHALING INTO THEIR BACKPACK. BUT BY HOLDING THE STORES ACCOUNTABLE FOR SELLING TO MINORS THROUGH A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE, WE PUT A HALT TO ANY ADDICTION THAT ARISES AS A RESULT OF TOBACCO USAGE. AS YOU'VE HEARD FROM OUR MONTHLY CONCERNS AND ADVOCACY OVER TOBACCO, TOBACCO HAS A LOT OF IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY. IN FACT, WE'VE CONDUCTED SURVEYS STATING THAT MOST OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE BEING ESTABLISHED OF 113 NATIONAL CITY CONSTITUENTS. 79% SUPPORT A LAW ENDING THE SALE OF ANY FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCT. AND ABOUT 88% AGREED THAT STORE OWNERS IN THE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO HAVE A LICENSE TO SELL TOBACCO PRODUCTS THE SAME WAY THEY'RE LICENSED TO SELL ALCOHOL. LET'S PUT AN END TO CANDY LAND PEOPLE. THE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH TOBACCO CANNOT BE IGNORED EITHER. FOR AN ADULT WITH A DEVELOPED MIND, IT'S EASY TO SMOKE FOR A MINOR WITH A NOT SO DEVELOPED MIND, THESE SMOKING HABITS CAN TEAR A CHILD'S LIFE APART. [03:00:01] THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. AND NEXT WE HAVE WITH EDWIN NETO. I THINK A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS I INITIALLY HAD ARE BEEN ANSWERED BY THE PREVIOUS SPEAKERS, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THE STAFF IN TERMS IN TERMS OF, UH, FOR INSTANCE, IS THIS A FULL COST RECOVERY PROGRAM? THEY SET THE, SOMEBODY IN BACK SAID THE FEES SHOULD COVER ALL THIS, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD SOMEBODY FROM THE CITY SAY THAT. THE OTHER ISSUE I HAVE IS, I, I THINK EVERYBODY IN AGREEMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, SMOKING'S BAD, BUT WHAT'S THE METRIC TO MAKE SURE WHEN THE LICENSE, IF SHOULD BE APPROVED WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL? IS IT DOING WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DOING? THEY TOOK A SURVEY AND THEY GOT A, AN ASTRONOMICAL RESPONSE FROM THE STUDENTS. DOES THAT MEAN A YEAR FROM NOW AFTER THE LICENSE COMES ON BOARD, YOU TAKE ANOTHER SURVEY AND YOU MEASURE WHETHER THERE'S BEEN A DIFFERENCE? WHAT, WHAT'S THE EFFECT? WHAT'S THE EFFECT OF THE, OF THE, OF THE, OF THE LICENSING? BECAUSE TO HAVE A LICENSING PUT IN WITH, WITH A FEE WITH NO EFFECT, IT REALLY DOESN'T DO ANYTHING. WHY ISN'T THE, ISN'T THE PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE? WHY ISN'T THE COUNTY DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS? MAYBE THE CITY'S LEADING THE WAY FOR THE COUNTY, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M SORT OF IN FAVOR OF THIS, BUT I THINK SOME DETAILS OF WHAT THE EXPECTED OUTCOME NEEDS TO BE DEFINED. THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING. THANK YOU. UM, THAT'S THE LAST OF OUR SPEAKERS. UH, WE HAVE SPEAKERS ON ZOOM. WE GOT SOME ZOOM SPEAKERS. OKAY. LET'S HEAR THEM. PEGGY WALKER, THANK YOU. JUST BRIEFLY, AS A YOUTH ADVOCATE AND HEALTH EDUCATOR, I STRONGLY SUPPORT A TRL TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT TOBACCO REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT. AND I ASK YOU TO ADDRESS TWO ISSUES. FIRST, STRONG ASSESSMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE AND ADEQUATE ENFORCEMENT. A PARTICULAR CONCERNS THE CONTINUED SALE OF PROHIBITED FLAVORED PRODUCTS, ESPECIALLY FLAVORED E-CIGS AND VAPES USING BOTH TOBACCO AND MARIJUANA. THESE ILLEGAL FLAVORED PRODUCTS CONTINUE TO BE SOLD BROADLY. I HOPE THE TRL WILL ADDRESS STRONG FINES FOR THIS AS E-CIGS AND VAPES HAVE BEEN ENGINEERED TO MAXIMIZE ADDICTIVENESS BY DELIVERING HIGHLY CONCENTRATED FORMS OF BOTH NICOTINE AND THC. I ALSO WANNA CALL ATTENTION TO NEWER TRL MODELS THAT REGULATE TOBACCO, BUT ALSO INCLUDE MARIJUANA AND HEMP-BASED SMOKED PRODUCTS. ALSO, OTHER EMERGING, EMERGING NEW BUT UNAUTHORIZED INTOXICATING PRODUCTS THAT ARE FREQUENT, FREQUENTLY SOLD WITHOUT AGE CHECKS AND SMOKE SHOPS, GAS STATIONS, AND OTHER RETAIL OUTLETS THAT SELL TOBACCO. ACCORDING TO THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, THESE PRODUCTS ARE GENERALLY MISLABELED AND OFTEN CONTAINED DANGEROUS INGREDIENTS LIKE THC MUSHROOM DERIVATIVES AND CRAD AND K*M. AN EFFECTIVE REGULATORY APPROACH WOULD BE TO IDENTIFY INTOXICATING PRODUCTS THAT ARE AND ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR SALE BY TRL LICENSEES WITH CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF PENALTIES FOR THE SALE OF UNAUTHORIZED PRODUCTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, BARBARA GORDON . UM, GOOD EVENING. UM, I AM HERE TONIGHT. I WORK WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND E-CIGARETTE REMAINS A CONCERN AMONG OUR YOUTH. AS THESE OUTSTANDING YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE SAID TONIGHT, IT'S THE PERFECT TIME TO PASS A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSING ORDER AS IT CAN PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN REDUCING TOBACCO USE THROUGH SEVERAL MECHANISMS. AGAIN, LIKE WE'VE SEEN DATA SHOWS, YOUNG PEOPLE ACQUIRE E-CIGARETTES THROUGH SOCIAL SERV SOURCES, FOLLOWED BY RETAIL SOURCES IN NATIONAL CITY. IMPLEMENTING A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM CAN REDUCE YOUTH ACCESS THROUGH LIMITING DENSITY AND NEARNESS TO SCHOOL AND OTHER YOUTH SENSITIVE AREAS. A STRONG REGULATORY FRAMEWORK WILL HELP ENSURE RETAILERS COMPLY WITH LOSS, PROHIBITING THE SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO MINORS, AND INCLUDE REGULAR INSPECTIONS AND PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS, MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR TEENS TO ACCESS THESE PRODUCTS. AGAIN, REQUIRING MANDATORY TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES ON RESPONSIBLE TOBACCO SALES PRACTICE WILL ALSO PREVENT UNDERAGE SALES. AGAIN, SETTING [03:05:01] STANDARDS AND ENFORCING THE RULES THROUGH A TRL CAN EFFECTIVELY CURB ILLEGAL SALES OF THESE PRODUCTS. I URGE THIS COUNCIL TO CONSIDER A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE ORDINANCE. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK. THANK YOU, BECKY. WRAP. BECKY WRAP. MADISON RAP, KELLY MCCORMICK. HELLO, THIS IS KELLY MCCORMICK. AS A PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATOR WITH A FOCUS ON YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION, I APPLAUD THIS PROPOSAL TO ADOPT A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSING PROGRAM. THERE ARE NUMEROUS ADVANTAGES, INCLUDING REDUCTIONS IN THE NUMBER OF UNDERAGE SALES, A SMALLER NUMBER OF YOUTH WHO BEGIN USING TOBACCO FUNDING FOR COMPLIANCE CHECKS SUCH AS MINOR DECOY OPERATIONS, AND FEWER TOBACCO RETAILERS CLUSTERED TOGETHER OR LOCATED NEAR YOUTH ORIENTED FACILITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, ACROSS 33 CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES, SALES TO MINORS DROPPED BY 26%. AFTER IMPLEMENTATION OF A LICENSING PROGRAM, YOUTH WERE 33% LESS LIKELY TO INITIATE CIGARETTE USE AND 26% LESS LIKELY TO BEGIN VAPING. A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSING PROGRAM ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO HEALTHIER AND SAFER COMMUNITIES BY GIVING CITIES THE AUTHORITY TO CREATE A COMPLIANCE FRAMEWORK. THIS IS CRUCIAL BECAUSE WITHOUT ENFORCEMENT, RETAILERS CAN SELL TO UNDERAGE BUYERS AND CONTINUE TO SELL FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS DESPITE THE STATEWIDE BAN. FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT, A TRL HELPS TO PROTECT LAW ABIDING RETAILERS FROM UNFAIR COMPETITION BY STORES THAT PROFIT FROM MAKING ILLEGAL SALES. A TRL WOULD BE A GREAT STEP TOWARD MAKING NATIONAL CITY A HEALTHIER PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND DO BUSINESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JUDY STRANG. JUDY STRANG, MEGAN STEWART. HI. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. AS SOMEONE WHO WORKS WITH YOUTH, I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY STRONG SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSED TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM AS IT IS A NECESSARY STEP IN PROTECTING OUR YOUTH. FROM THE DANGERS OF TOBACCO AND NICOTINE ADDICTION, WE KNOW THAT PREVENTION IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO COMBAT SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, AND THIS POLICY WILL STRENGTHEN OUR CITY'S ABILITY TO KEEP HARMFUL PRODUCTS OUT OF THE HANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE. DESPITE CALIFORNIA'S BAN ON FLAVORED TOBACCO, E-CIGARETTES REMAIN A MAJOR THREAT WITH ENTICING FLAVORS AND DECEPTIVE MARKETING DESIGNED TO LOWER IN TEENS. THE CDC FOUNDATION AND TRUTH INITIATIVE FOUND A 47% INCREASE IN E-CIGARETTE SALES BETWEEN 2019 AND 2023 WITH THE VAST MAJORITY BEING FLAVORED PRODUCTS THAT ATTRACT YOUNG USERS. THE 2024 NATIONAL YOUTH TOBACCO SURVEY ALSO REPORTS THAT NEARLY 40% OF YOUTH WHO VAPE DO SO FREQUENTLY HIGHLIGHTING THE SEVERITY OF NICOTINE ADDICTION AMONG TEENS. THE TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM WILL GIVE OUR CITY THE TOOLS NEEDED TO ENFORCE EXISTING LAWS REGULATE WHERE AND HOW TOBACCO PRODUCTS ARE SOLD, AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF RETAILERS NEAR SCHOOLS, PLAYGROUNDS, AND COMMUNITY SPACES. BY LIMITING THE DENSITY OF TOBACCO RETAILERS IMPLEMENTING COMPLIANCE CHECKS AND ENSURING THAT BUSINESSES FOLLOW THE LAW, YOU WOULD BE SENDING THE MESSAGE THAT THE YOUTH OF VISTA MATTER MOST. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. MADISON WRAP. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, THANKS. OKAY. I ALSO WANT TO ADDRESS THE URGENT NEED TO PROTECT OUR YOUTH FROM THE HARMS OF FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND WHY THIS ISSUE MUST BE ESSENTIAL. FOCUS IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM. FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS, INCLUDING E-CIGARETTES, VAPES, AND SMOKELESS TOBACCO HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY MARKETED TO ATTRACT YOUNG PEOPLE. THESE PRODUCTS COME IN A WIDE RANGE OF APPEALING FLAVORS, SUCH AS FRUIT, CANDY AND MINT, MAKING THEM MORE PALATABLE AND ENTICING TO KIDS WHO MAY HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED SMOKING OR USING TOBACCO. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT FLAVORED TOBACCO IS NOT ONLY MORE ATTRACTIVE TO YOUTH, BUT ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF THEM BECOMING LIFELONG USERS. THE DANGERS OF YOUTH TOBACCO USE ARE WELL-DOCUMENTED. [03:10:02] NICOTINE, THE ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE IN TOBACCO CAN HARM THE DEVELOPING BRAIN, IMPAIR COGNITIVE FUNCTION, AND INCREASE THE RISK OF ADDICTION FOR MANY YOUNG PEOPLE. EXPERIMENTING WITH FLAVORED TOBACCO CAN LEAD TO REGULAR USE, WHICH OFTEN EVOLVES INTO SMOKING CIGARETTES AND FACING A LIFETIME OF HEALTH RISKS, INCLUDING CANCER, HEART DISEASE, AND RESPIRATORY ILLNESS. MOREOVER, THESE PRODUCTS ARE OFTEN SOLD IN A WAY THAT TARGETS MINERS THROUGH EYE-CATCHING, PACKAGING FLAVORED VARIETIES, AND RETAIL PLACEMENT NEAR AREAS FREQUENTED BY YOUTH. THESE TACTICS CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT MAKES IT EASIER FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO ACCESS THESE HARMFUL PRODUCTS. BY INCORPORATING A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM, WE CAN TAKE A SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARDS REGULATING THE SALE, DISPLAY, AND PROMOTION OF THESE DANGEROUS PRODUCTS TO MINORS. A WELL-DESIGNED LICENSING PROGRAM CAN ENFORCE STRICTER AGE VERIFICATION PRACTICES, LIMIT THE SALE OF FLAVORED TOBACCO, AND HOLD RETAILERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ACTIONS THAT PUT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AT RISK. IN CONCLUSION, FLAVORED TOBACCO IS NOT JUST A HEALTH THREAT. IT'S A MARKETING TOOL AIMED DIRECTLY AT OUR YOUTH. I URGE YOU TO GIVE DIRECTION TO STAFF TO ENCOURAGE THAT ANY NEW TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM TAKES AGGRESSIVE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS OF TOBACCO ADDICTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LAURA MEDINA. HI, MY NAME IS LAURA MEDINA AND I'M A PUBLIC HEALTH STUDENT AT UC, SAN DIEGO, AND AN INTERN FOR THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION. AND I'M HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS MY STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TOBACCO RETAILER LICENSE. I PERSONALLY HAVE WITNESSED FIRSTHAND THE HARMFUL IMPACT OF TOBACCO USE AMONG MY FAMILY MEMBERS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, MY GRANDFATHER GOT CUT UP IN TOBACCO USE IN HIS TEENAGE YEARS, WHICH LATER BECAME A SERIOUS ADDICTION. THIS EVENTUALLY LED TO HIS DIAGNOSIS OF LUNG CANCER AND COPD, CAUSING HIM TO LIVE A LIFE RESTRICTED BY AN OXYGEN MACHINE AT HIS SIDE AND TAKING HIS LIFE LATER ON. THE EASY AVAILABILITY OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND ADVERTISEMENTS TO TEENAGERS HAVE HEAVILY IMPACTED COUNTLESS INDIVIDUALS. AS A RESULT, MANY FAMILIES MUST FACE THE EMOTIONAL TRAUMA OF LOSS DUE TO THEIR LOVED ONES FALLING INTO THE TRAP OF NICOTINE ADDICTION. THESE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES HAVE SHOWN ME THE URGENT NEED FOR STRICTER REGULATIONS ON THE SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS. A TOBACCO RETAILER LICENSE WOULD ENSURE THAT RETAILERS ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND THAT THESE HARMFUL PRODUCTS ARE NOT EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO OUR YOUTH. WE MUST PUSH TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF OUR LOVED ONES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SHARI. AIDEN. GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS SHUKRI AIDEN, AND I'M AN ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY INTERN AT THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION, AS WELL AS A RECENT PUBLIC HEALTH GRADUATE FROM UC, SAN DIEGO. AND I WAS HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS MY STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A TOBACCO RETAILER'S LICENSE. IN MY EXPERIENCE WORKING IN PUBLIC HEALTH, I HAVE WITNESSED HOW TOBACCO PRODUCTS HAVE GREATLY IMPACTED THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY. I WORKED AS A RESEARCH ASSISTANT AT THE CALIFORNIA SMOKERS HELPLINE IN ORDER TO HELP AID HELP AID SMOKERS WITH RESOURCES TO QUIT SMOKING. DURING MY TIME AT THE HELPLINE, I SPOKE WITH HUNDREDS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO WANTED TO QUIT SMOKING, BUT STRUGGLED GREATLY DUE TO THE ADDICTIVE PROPERTIES OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS. MANY OF THEM STARTED SMOKING AT A YOUNG AGE IMPACTING THEIR HEALTH, FINANCES, AND OVERALL WELLBEING. A TOBACCO RETAILER'S LICENSE IS A NECESSARY STEP TO ENSURE THAT RETAILERS ARE BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR RESPONSIBLY SELLING THESE PRODUCTS. I URGE YOU TO SUPPORT THE NATIONAL CITY TOBACCO RETAILERS LICENSE TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF OUR YOUTH IN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. BECKY. WRAP, JUDITH STRANG. OKAY, THAT CONCLUDES OUR ZOOM, MR. MAYOR. OKAY. THANK YOU. . EXCUSE ME, MR. MAYOR. YEAH, I THAT IS NOT A SMOKER'S COUGH. I GOT A COLD THAT HAS SETTLED IN MY THROAT TODAY. . YEAH. YEAH. I, I WANNA MAKE A COUPLE COMMENTS. I REALLY LIKE THE TITLE AND RESTRICTING THE SALE, DISPLAY AND PROMOTION OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS OR CIGARETTES TO MINERS. THAT'S THE TITLE. A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE ORDINANCE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MINORS. AND THAT'S, THAT'S A LITTLE CONCERNING TO ME. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS IS YOU'RE DOING ENTIRELY ON A POPULATION BASE FOR THAT 2,500. OKAY. NATIONAL CITY HAS 55,000 PEOPLE, APPROXIMATELY. POWAY HAS 55,000 PEOPLE. THEIR DAYTIME POPULATION IS CLOSE TO 20,000. NATIONAL CITY'S DAYTIME POPULATION IS CLOSE TO 125,000. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE DO HAVE MORE CONVENIENCE STORES, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, FAST FOOD, THINGS ALONG THAT LINE BECAUSE WE HAVE WAY MORE PEOPLE [03:15:01] THAN WHAT OUR CENSUS SHOWS. AND, UH, AND SO I NOTICED LIKE SOME OF THE RESTRICTION WAS A THOUSAND FEET, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. I THINK EVEN THE CANNABIS WAS ONLY 250 FEET. UH, SO, AND THE OTHER THING IS RIGHT NOW THE LARGEST, UH, REVENUE GENERATED FOR NATIONAL SEATS SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE SERVICES, INCLUDING STUFF LIKE THIS, UH, HAPPENS TO BE WALMART. UM, LUCKILY WE ALREADY HAVE 'EM BECAUSE A COUPLE OF THINGS. ONE THING THIS WOULD NEVER ALLOW THEM TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, IF A WALMART WAS TO COME IN OR SOME OTHER, UH, SOME OTHER BIG STORE, SOME OTHER GROCERY STORE, EVERYONE HERE IS WANTING A MAINLINE GROCERY STORE. THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FIT IN THE, UH, THE OTHER THING IS THAT WALMART PROBABLY, IF, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE A WALMART, THEY PROBABLY WOULD NEVER WOULD COME HERE AND PROVIDE ALL THAT REVENUE SO THAT WE CAN DO SERVICES, BECAUSE WE WOULDN'T BE ALLOWING THEM TO SELL CIGARETTES. OKAY. AND THEY'VE NEVER HAD A, BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THEY'VE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT. AND WE DO, THEY ARE, THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, THEY ARE THE ONLY WALMART IN CALIFORNIA THAT DOES NOT, IS NOT ALLOWED TO SELL BEER OR LIQUOR, THE ONLY ONE. SO IF THEY WERE TO TRY TO COME IN TODAY, THEY WOULD PROBABLY SAY, NO WAY. WE'LL GO OVER TO CHULA VISTA, WE'LL GO OVER TO ONE OF THE OTHER CITIES AND PUT ALL THE REVENUE THERE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I LIKE SOME THINGS IN HERE. I SAY THAT I, I LIKE THE IDEA OF BEING ABLE TO HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE, BUT I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS IN HERE ARE COOKIE CUTTER AND DON'T REALLY APPLY TO NATIONAL CITY. UH, WE'RE A DIFFERENT ANIMAL THAN, SHALL WE SAY, A POWERWAY. UM, AND SO IT'S, UM, YEAH. SO AS I SAY, IT'S, IT, IT'S SOMETHING I THINK WE DEFINITELY NEED TO LOOK AT, BUT I JUST TO TAKE IT IN ITS ENTIRETY, A LOT OF IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MINORS. IT'S JUST TRYING TO DO AWAY WITH CIGARETTES. WELL, EITHER THE CALIFORNIA OR THE, OR THE FEDS NEED TO DO AWAY WITH CIGARETTES. UH, I DON'T THINK THAT CAN BE SO MUCH JUST AN INDIVIDUAL CITY THING. UM, AND, BUT I SAY I THINK WE DO KNOW, HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS SAYING. THAT'S SAYING WE'RE GONNA HOLD ACCOUNTABLE, BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE STORES. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF, A LOT OF VACANT STORES AND, YOU KNOW, AND THEN WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL OF THAT? AND NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE REVENUE WITHIN OUR CITY TO PROVIDE SERVICES. NICE. WE GOT ALL, ALL THE PEOPLE COME OUT AND SAY, HEY, DO THIS, BUT THE ONLY ONLY REVENUE THAT'S GONNA BE FOR THIS IS GOING TO BE TO DO THE CHECKUPS ON 'EM, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE FEWER STORES. THERE WILL BE, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTRACT LARGER STORES IN THE FUTURE. UM, SO I, I THINK WE NEED TO TWEAK THIS. I THINK IT'S GOT A LOT OF GOOD IDEAS IN IT, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T FEEL LIKE THE COOKIE CUTTER EFFECT ON THIS ONE. UH, YES. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. MS. RODRIGUEZ, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO DIRECT STAFF TO ESTABLISH A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM IN CONJUNCTION WITH, SAY, SAN DIEGO, UH, TO BRING FORTH AN ORDINANCE IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND TO INCLUDE A FEE, UH, AT THE COUNTY LEVEL OF $730 PER YEAR REQUIRING COMPLIANCE CHECKS EVERY YEAR. SECOND THAT, MR. MAYOR? OKAY. YES. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I AM IN FAVOR OF THIS. UH, THE VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY ARE LOUD AND CLEAR. UH, IT, IT IS, UH, UM, IT, IT STANDS OUT THAT WE HAVE SO MANY FOLKS URGING US TO IMPLEMENT THIS, UH, SOME TYPE OF RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM, AND WE HAD ZERO IN OPPOSITION OF IT. SO, UH, I DO, AND THEN ALSO, I, I HAVE BEEN AT SWEETWATER HIGH SCHOOL, UH, AND, AND I'VE LISTENED FIRSTHAND FROM STUDENTS AND, AND IT SADDENED ME. WE WERE IN A ROOM, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE IN THE ROOM, BUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE STUDENTS, UH, SAID THAT, YEAH, THEY COME INTO CONTACT WITH KIDS AT SCHOOL ON SCHOOL GROUNDS THAT ARE VAPING DAILY. AND, UM, IT, IT WAS VERY SHOCKING TO HEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE I'M KIND OF SHELTERED, OR AT LEAST I WAS SHELTERED WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL MYSELF. AND I KNOW VAPING PRODUCTS DIDN'T EXIST BACK THEN. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IF I, IF, IF I HAD TO BE IN HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, TODAY AND, AND HAD TO PUT UP WITH VAPING AND, AND I THINK ONE OF THE COMMENTERS SAID, UM, NORMALIZING IT, YOU KNOW, IT HAPPENS. SO IT, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST A THING THAT HAPPENS IN HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, THAT BREAKS MY HEART. IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT WAY. FIRST OF ALL, I DO BELIEVE THE LANGUAGE THAT A LOT OF THE CHEMICALS IN THESE DEVICES ARE CARCINOGENS. SO YEAH, IT IS ABSOLUTELY OUR TASK HERE TO DO WHAT WE CAN, UH, ESPECIALLY WITH THE LOUD VOICE FROM THE COMMUNITY URGING US TO DO SO. AND I DO AGREE, UM, WITH THE MAYOR AS FAR AS TIGHTENING SOME OF THESE PROVISIONS, YOU KNOW, UH, I FEEL LIKE THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE FOR STAFF TO PROVIDE US SOME TYPE [03:20:01] OF A DRAFT THAT, UM, OF AN ORDINANCE OR OF A, OF A PROGRAM THAT WE WILL THEN GET A CHANCE TO REVIEW AND ANALYZE AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, REQUEST CHANGES ON. SO, UM, YEAH, I DON'T WANT A COOKIE CUTTER PROGRAM, RIGHT. WE ARE NATIONAL CITY, WE ARE UNIQUE. UH, AND I DO AGREE WITH THE MAYOR THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO, UH, CREATE A PROGRAM THAT IS SPECIFIC TO NATIONAL CITY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, UM, THINKING ABOUT, UH, I THINK, MANNY, YOU SAID AT THE VERY START, YOU KNOW, THE, THE AIM OF THIS PROGRAM IS NOT TO PREVENT PEOPLE THAT ARE LAWFULLY ALLOWED TO PURCHASE AND USE TOBACCO OR VAPING PRODUCTS. IT'S, IT'S NOT TARGETING THAT POPULATION, RIGHT? YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WHEN YOU'RE AN ADULT, BUT IF THERE ARE KIDS THAT ARE GETTING ACCESS TO THIS STUFF AND, YOU KNOW, USING IT ON SCHOOL PROPERTY, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, I, I GET THE FEELING THAT PROBABLY SCHOOL OFFICIALS, UH, I'M SURE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT INTENDING TO BE COMPLACENT. I'M SURE THAT ANY HELP THAT THEY CAN GET TO CURB, SOME OF THIS WOULD BE WELCOMED. I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY SPOKEN TO SCHOOL OFFICIALS DIRECTLY ABOUT THAT, BUT, UM, AGAIN, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO AND WE HAVE THE POWER TO DO IT, WE SHOULD. SO I AM IN FAVOR OF THIS MOTION. AND I JUST, REAL QUICK, UM, I DO WANNA THANK, UH, JACOB, I BELIEVE IS THE NAME OF THE GENTLEMAN FROM OLYMPIAN HIGH SCHOOL AND, UM, EDEN. I KNOW EDEN HAS BEEN BEFORE US MULTIPLE TIMES, I THINK FIVE OR SIX TIMES. SO, UM, ESPECIALLY HEARING FROM, FROM THE YOUTH, YOU KNOW, IT IS, UH, DOES ADD TO THE SEVERITY HERE, SO THANK YOU. YEAH. JUST REALLY WANT TO COMMEND THE EFFORTS OF OUR CITY STAFF OF, SAY, SAN DIEGO, UH, STAFF ITSELF, THE ORGANIZERS, THE COMMUNITY, UH, MEMBERS THAT WERE PERSISTENT IN BRINGING THIS FORWARD MANY MONTHS AGO, UH, IN, IN THE BROADER COALITION AS WELL AS MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES THAT WERE WILLING TO LISTEN AND HAVE A SERIES OF VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETINGS. UM, SIMILAR TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA, I WAS SHOCKED TO REALIZE HOW BIG OF A PROBLEM THIS WAS. UM, AND AFTER SPEAKING TO A LOT OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, WE REALIZED IT IS A, AND TEACHERS REALIZE IT IS A VERY SEVERE ISSUE AT, IN OUR ONE HIGH SCHOOL. AND WE HAVE TO DO BETTER TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN, UM, FROM SOMETHING THAT IS SPECIFICALLY TARGETING THEM AND, UM, UH, SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR VERY HARD WORK. I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, UH, AN ORDINANCE BEING BROUGHT BACK. I GUESS A, A QUESTION FOR, UH, STAFF. UM, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION, UH, WHEN, WHEN DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD COME BACK TO US, AND I UNDERSTAND, SAY, HAS BEEN WORKING ON ORDINANCES THEMSELVES AS WELL? SURE. MM-HMM . THANK YOU, UH, THROUGH THE CHAIR. THE, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE GOT SOME WORK TO DO. WE NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE EXISTING BUSINESSES, WHETHER OR NOT THOSE ARE EVEN LICENSED WITH THE STATE, UH, WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN. PROBABLY GENERATE SOME MAPS SHOWING WHERE THE LICENSE BUSINESSES ARE, WHERE THEY'RE NOT, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT WHAT THE STAFF NOTIFICATIONS WOULD BE SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THE FEE IS APPROPRIATE. AND, UH, WE'LL BRING THAT INFORMATION BACK IN A REPORT. UM, MAY PROBABLY, I'D SAY, BASED ON THAT INFORMATION, I MEAN, I HATE TO PUT TWO, TWO FINE A POINT ON IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY LOTS OF THINGS KEEP HAPPENING AND WE HAVE A LOT TO DO. SO I WILL DO MY VERY BEST TO GET THAT BACK TO YOU AND FIRST MEETING IN MAY, IF NOT THE SECOND. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU. UM, MR. READER, MAYBE WE CAN, UM, GET SOME LITERATURE OR SOME, UH, POLICIES THAT SAY AND THE COALITION HAVE ALREADY, UM, HAVE IN PLACE AND WE CAN, YOU KNOW, REVISIT THAT OR RELOOK IT AND MAYBE IT'LL, IT'LL, UH, JIVE WITH, WITH, UM, HOW WE WANTED IT TO BE HERE. NATIONAL CITY. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THEY'VE ACTUALLY PROVIDED US WITH A DRAFT ORDINANCE, WHICH HAS DONE A LOT OF THE WORK ALREADY, BUT WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT FITS IN WITH OUR CITY BEING UNIQUE AS IT IS. THANKS. I JUST THINK STAFF, THANK YOU TO ALL THE ACTIVISTS FOR PUSHING AND COMING OUT. THANK YOU FOR COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ FOR DOING THE 1 0 5 REQUEST AND PULLING THIS. I SUPPORT THIS DITTO TO ALL OF THE REASONS MY COLLEAGUES AND, AND FOLKS DO. SO LET'S, LET'S VOTE. I WOULD, UH, I WOULD ASK, HUH? OH, CARLOS, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? YES, THANK YOU. CARLOS, SECURITY DIRECTOR OF, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY. UH, YES, ALSO LIKE TO THANK STATE SAN DIEGO FOR THEIR INPUT. AND, UH, REALLY IT'S, IT WAS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO GET SOME, UM, SOME FEEDBACK ON DIRECT AND DIRECTION. UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE VERY SENSITIVE ABOUT, UH, REVENUE. UH, I THINK WE CAN BUILD A STRONG TRL PROGRAM AND BE MINDFUL THAT WE WANT [03:25:01] TO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE HAVE COMPLIANT BUSINESSES THAT, UH, ARE WELL-INFORMED AT AND HAVE THE RIGHT METHODS, WE DON'T WANT TO CONSTRICT THE ABILITY FOR THEM TO OPERATE IN, IN, IN NATIONAL CITY. THAT'S NOT OUR INTENT WITH THE PROGRAM. OUR INTENT REALLY IS TO MAKE SURE, AS THE MAYOR ALLUDED TO, THAT, UM, UH, THE ACTUAL PROBLEM IS DEALT WITH, WHICH IS, UH, THE, THE USE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS BY MINOR. SO, UH, WE APPRECIATE THAT WE'LL MAKE OUR BEST EFFORT TO PUT IT TOGETHER AND MOVE FORWARD WITH SOMETHING IF ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT THINGS IS TO OPERATE ON SOMETHING WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TREND LINES FOR. SO THIS IS A NEW PROGRAM FOR US, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK. SO WE'LL PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER AS BEST AS WE CAN, BRING IT, BRING IT FORWARD TO YOU, BUT BE MINDFUL THAT ONCE WE HAVE DATA, ONCE WE PUT IT INTO PRACTICE, WE CAN TWEAK THINGS INTO THE FUTURE TO MAKE IT WORK BETTER. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE, UH, MAKER AND SECOND OF THE MOTION IF WE COULD INCLUDE SOMETHING IN THERE. UH, WE CLAIM WE'RE A BUSINESS CITY AND SMALL BUSINESS, SO THEREFORE INSTEAD OF JUST HEARING, PUTTING THAT TOGETHER FROM ONE ORGANIZATION, WHICH BASICALLY IS A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT ARE GOING AROUND CITY TO CITY TO DO THESE THINGS, AND INSTEAD HAVE THEM AT THE TABLE, BUT ALSO HAVE OUR LOCAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AT THE TABLE SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT HURTING PEOPLE, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE EFFECT THAT THEY WANT. UH, MR. MAYOR, I, I WOULD, I WOULD NORMALLY BE, UM, IN ACCORDANCE OF A, UH, REQUEST. I JUST DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING FROM THE CHAMBER WANTING TO BE A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. I ACTUALLY THINK THEY, I THOUGHT THEY SUBMITTED A SUPPORT. THE CHAMBER SUBMITTED A SUPPORT LETTER. YEAH. SO, UM, FIND OUT, BUT THEY MAY SUPPORT IT IN THEORY, BUT, BUT MAYOR, MAKE SURE THE, IF I MAY, I, I THINK WE CAN JUST DO THE OUT. I THINK YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR CONCERN IS, IS VALID IF YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE FROM THE BUSINESSES, AND I THINK I, I DON'T THINK WE NEED A MOTION FOR THAT. I THINK WE COULD JUST BE PROACTIVE AND REACH OUT TO THE BUSINESSES IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS. YES. UM, LET US SEE WHAT, UH, WHAT, UH, DIRECTOR AGUIRE WILL PRESENT TO US. WE IN, IN COLLABORATION WITH SAY, AND WITH THE COALITION. AND THEN WE'LL SEE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, AS A FRIENDLY CITY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND CORPORATE AND OUR CORPORATE CITIZENS, I'M SURE THAT DIRECTOR AGUIRE WILL TAKE THOSE IN CONSIDERATION, MAYOR. OKAY. WE HAVE, WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND AND, AND FOR THE RECORD, MAYOR, WE HAD FOUR, UM, SCRIBED COMMENTS, RIGHT? CORRECT. OKAY, THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S COME UP. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. FOUR TO ONE. MM-HMM . ALRIGHT. NEXT WE GO [11.4 Discussion of Amending Chapter 9.60 of the National City Municipal Code to Expand Operating Hours for Store Front Cannabis Retail Facilities.] ON TO 11 FOUR. THIS IS A DISCUSSION PENDING, UH, CHAPTER 9.60, THIS NATIONAL CITY MUNICIPAL CODE TO EXPAND OPERATING HOURS FOR STOREFRONT CANNABIS RETAIL FACILITIES. OH, STAFF. DO WE HAVE ANY, ANY REPORT THERE HE IS. I'VE STOOD UP HERE BEFORE. I'LL STAND UP HERE AGAIN, I GUESS. UH, OKAY. SO ANOTHER POLICY 1 0 5 REQUESTS. THIS ONE LOOKING TO CHANGE OUR HOURS OF RETAIL OPERATIONS FOR CANNABIS, UH, DISPENSARIES. THE CODE, UH, MOST RECENTLY ADOPTED HAS HOURS OF 9:00 AM TO 9:00 PM AS THE ALLOWED HOURS FOR, FOR THOSE. THE PROPONENT OR THE REQUESTER IS ASKING FOR 6:00 AM TO 10:00 PM WHICH HAPPENS TO BE THE SAME AS THE MAXIMUM ALLOWED BY THE STATE. UH, FOR REFERENCE, UH, THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA AND THE CITY OF LA MESA BOTH ALLOW SIX TO 10 CITY OF SAN DIEGO AND LEMON GROVE. AND THIS WAS JUST A FEW MINUTES. UH, GOOGLING THIS AFTERNOON ARE SEVEN TO NINE, SO THERE ARE CITIES THAT ARE SIMILAR TO US. THERE ARE CITIES THAT ARE, UH, IN LINE WITH THE STATE. SO, UH, REALLY WE'RE JUST LOOKING TO OPEN THIS UP FOR DISCUSSION AND HAVE DIRECTION FROM COUNSEL, UH, WHETHER OR NOT TO CHANGE THE HOURS AND WHAT THOSE MIGHT BE. AND WE DO HAVE, AS YOU KNOW, FIVE LICENSES THAT WE'VE, UH, THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH TO OUR, PRETTY CLOSE TO OPENING, ONE OF WHICH IS A DISPENSARY AND A, UH, CONSUMPTION LOUNGE. AND THE OTHER THREE ARE STILL IN PERMITTING. OKAY. SO I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS, RIGHT? UM, YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF SPEAKERS, UM, DR. WINS DON'T WANNA SPEAK HERE. FIRST WE GOT ALEX [03:30:03] FOLLOWED BY DAVID BOO. HELLO, MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, THERE WAS A POWERPOINT I SUBMITTED. I'M NOT SURE IF THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR ME. THEY ALL HAVE IT ON THE DAIS. OKAY. OKAY, GREAT. YEAH. SO, UH, THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. I REPRESENT SESSIONS BY THE BAY. WE'RE LICENSED AND REGULATED CANNABIS BUSINESS, UH, PREPARING TO OPEN HERE IN NATIONAL CITY. I'M ADVOCATING FOR ALIGNING THE HOURS FOR CANNABIS SALES, UH, FOR ALL SIX OF YOUR RETAILERS WITH THE STATE'S PERMITTED HOURS. UH, THIS ADJUSTMENT WILL STRENGTHEN PUBLIC SAFETY, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND FAIRNESS FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES. UM, CURRENTLY, NATIONAL CITY RESTRICTS CANNABIS SALES MORE THAN ANY OTHER CITY, 9:00 AM TO 9:00 PM WHILE STATE LAW DOES ALLOW 6:00 AM TO 10:00 PM THIS LIMITATION PUTS NASHVILLE CITY BUSINESSES AT A DISADVANTAGE BEFORE WE EVEN HAVE A CHANCE TO OPEN. UM, BECAUSE OF MY TIME, I'M GOING TO, UH, SKIP THROUGH A LITTLE BIT HERE. BUT NASHVILLE CITY EARNS 5% TAX REVENUE FROM CANNABIS SALES, WHICH DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND BASED ON THE BUSINESS'. OUR BUSINESS' ANALYSIS, WHICH ALIGNS WITH CITY STAFFS, WE PROJECT THE CITY COULD EARN ONE AND A HALF TO 2 MILLION ANNUALLY IN TAX REVENUE. HOWEVER, BY RESTRICTING 25%, UH, HOURS, 25% BELOW WHAT STATE LAW ALLOWS NATIONAL CITY WILL LOSE BETWEEN 400 TO 500,000 PER YEAR IN TAX REVENUE. AND THAT'S FUNDING THAT CAN GO DIRECTLY TO PUBLIC SERVICES, INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRE DEPARTMENT RESOURCES. A BIG PART OF THE CONVERSATION, UH, ARE, IS THE IMPACT TO PUBLIC SAFETY. AND SOME MAY THINK THAT RESTRICTING HOURS REDUCES ACCESS TO CANNABIS, BUT THE REALITY IS IT DOESN'T STOP PEOPLE FROM PURCHASING. IT JUST DICTATES WHERE THEY BUY. UM, THE OTHER OPTIONS CONSUMERS WILL HAVE IS DRIVING TO CITIES LIKE SAN DIEGO, IMPERIAL BEACH, OR CHULA VISTA, PURCHASING FROM AN UNLICENSED DELIVERY SERVICE, OR TURNING TO THE ILLICIT MARKET WHERE PRODUCTS ARE NOT TESTED, REGULATED. AND WHERE SELLERS MOST CERTAINLY ARE NOT CHECKING IDS TO MAKE SURE THEIR CUSTOMERS ARE ADULTS. UM, DELAYING THIS DECISION PRESENTS REAL RISK FOR YOUR BUSINESSES. EARLY CHALLENGES CAN SHAPE LONG-TERM SUCCESS AND STARTING ON EQUAL FOOTING WITH OTHER CITIES. ENSURE STABILITY. CUSTOMERS ESTABLISH ROUTINES EARLY, AND IF THEY GET USED TO SHOPPING IN CHULA VISTA, IMPERIAL BEACH, OR SAN DIEGO, THEY MAY NEVER RETURN TO NATIONAL CITY, EVEN IF HOURS CHANGE LATER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. DAVID VU FOLLOWED BY VERONICA. EXCUSE ME, RA. GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY. MY NAME IS DAVID. UH, I'M THE MARKETING DIRECTOR AT SESSIONS BY THE BAY, ONE OF YOUR LICENSED CANNABIS RETAILERS. I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR ALIGNING NATIONAL CITY'S CANNABIS BUSINESS HOURS WITH STATE REGULATIONS, RESTRICTIVE HOURS HURT ALL SIX DISPENSARIES, OPENING OUR CITY, RESULTING IN HALF A MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN LOST TAX REVENUE, WHICH IS FUNDING THAT COULD BE REINVESTED INTO PUBLIC SERVICES, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS BEYOND THE FINANCIAL IMPACT, RESTRICTIVE HOURS PUSH CONSUMERS TO A LEGAL MARKET WHERE PRODUCTS ARE UNREGULATED, IDS AREN'T CHECKED, AND TAXES GO UNPAID. BY EXPANDING LEGAL BUSINESS HOURS, WE STRENGTHEN PUBLIC SAFETY BY KEEPING CONSUMERS IN A CONTROLLED AND COMPLIANT ENVIRONMENT WITH NEIGHBORING CITIES ALLOWING LATER OPERATIONS NATIONAL CITY BUSINESSES ARE AT A DISADVANTAGE. THE SOONER THE CHANGE IS MADE, THE SOONER WE SEE THE BENEFITS SUCH AS INCREASED REVENUE, STRONGER LOCAL BUSINESSES, AND A SAFER MARKETPLACE. NATIONAL CITY HAS BUILT A RESPONSIBLE, WELL REGULATED CAN MARKET. NOW IT'S TIME TO LET THESE BUSINESSES COMPLETE FAIRLY BY ADOPTING STATE PERMITTED HOURS. I RESPECTFULLY URGE THE COUNSEL TO TAKE ACTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. VERONICA GOT FOLLOWED BY LAURA WORKERS. GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. MY NAME IS VERONICA AGUILERA AND I AM THE LOUNGE MANAGER FOR SESSIONS BY THE BAY, SAN DIEGO'S FIRST AND ONLY CANNABIS LOUNGE. MY FAMILY AND I ARE DEEPLY INVESTED IN NATIONAL CITY. WE OWN THREE SMALL BUSINESSES HERE. BOLD BUILDS CONSTRUCTION, BOLD, FLOOD AND FIRE AND REBUILD NETWORK. FOR US, SUCCESS OF NATIONAL CITY IS, IS, AND ITS RESIDENCE IS NOT JUST A PRIORITY, BUT IT IS, UH, IT IS PERSONAL. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO STRONGLY SUPPORT EXTENDING CANNABIS BUSINESS HOURS. TO ALIGN WITH THE STATE REGULATIONS. SESSIONS BY THE BAY HOURS ISN'T JUST ABOUT ONE BUSINESS, IT'S ABOUT STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CITY'S ECONOMY, CREATING JOBS, AND ENHANCING COMMUNITY SAFETY. ECONOMIC GROWTH IN TOURISM SESSIONS BY THE BAY IS SET TO BE A PREMIER TOURIST DESTINATION, DRAWING VISITORS FROM CHULA VISTA'S, GAYLORD RESORT, DOWNTOWN'S CONVENTION CENTER, AND MAJOR HOTELS. WHEN TOURISTS VISIT, THEY SPEND MONEY NOT JUST AT SESSIONS BY THE BAY, BUT AT LOCAL RESTAURANTS, SHOPS, BUSINESSES ACROSS NATIONAL CITY, MORE JOBS IN HIGHER REVENUE, LONGER OPERATING HOURS WILL ALLOW US TO FULLY SERVE THE VISITORS, KEEPING THEM IN NATIONAL CITY INSTEAD OF THEM TAKING THEIR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE. THAT MEANS MORE [03:35:01] REVENUE, MORE LOCAL INVESTMENT, MORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR COMMUNITY. ENHANCED COMMUNITY SAFETY. WHEN CUSTOMERS DON'T HAVE LEGAL ACCESS AT CONVENIENT TIMES, THEY OFTEN TURN TO UNREGULATED UNSAFE ALTERNATIVES. EXTENDING OPERATION HOURS AT SESSIONS BY THE BANK MEANS MORE PEOPLE CAN ENJOY A CONTROLLED, SECURE ENVIRONMENT. INSTEAD OF CONSUMING ILLEGALLY OR AN UNSAFE PRACTICES, WE CHECK IDS, FOLLOW STRICT RESTRICTION REGULATIONS, AND ENSURE RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION SOMETHING THAT BLACK MARKET DOES NOT DO. NATIONAL CITY HAS A UNIQUE HEAD START. WE ARE AHEAD OF OTHER CITIES IN ESTABLISHING. THANK YOUR, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, UH, LAURA TO, TO BE FOLLOWED BY LINDA DAVIES. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. FIRST, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR EVEN CONSIDERING THIS. IT, IT MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND THE HOURS BECAUSE THAT EXPANDS THE REVENUE AND MAKES US MORE COMPETITIVE AS AN INDUSTRY BECAUSE CHULA VISTA IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR. AND AS WAS REITERATED IN THE AGENDA ITEM THAT HAPPENED BEFORE, WE HAVE A LOT OF COMMUTERS TO NATIONAL CITY AND THEY COMMUTE AT DIFFERENT HOURS, SO IT MAY BE MORE CONVENIENT FOR THEM TO DO IT EARLIER OR LATER. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION WHETHER YOU DECIDE TO DO IT OR NOT. I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING THIS TO HELP ALL BUSINESSES IN NATIONAL CITY AND THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY BECAUSE WE REALLY DO FIRMLY BELIEVE IT WILL BRING REALLY GREAT REVENUE TO THE CITY, AND PROBABLY MUCH MORE THAN YOU'RE PROJECTING AS MANY OTHER CITIES HAVE DONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LINDA DAVIES TO BE FOLLOWED BY SONORA, UH, QUEZ. HELLO AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY. HI, RON . I AM A RESIDENT OF 67 YEARS AND I'M ALSO A GRIEVING MOTHER. I LOST MY ONLY CHILD AND I USE CANNABIS AND THAT IS MY MEDICINE. AND BY EXTENDING THE HOURS AT SESSIONS, A LOT OF US WILL BE ABLE TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND WILL GIVE US MORE TIME, AND IT WILL MATCH WHAT'S ALREADY OFFERED. AND I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU GUYS WOULD EXTEND THE HOURS. IT WOULD HELP ALL OF US. AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS AN EPIC MOVE IN NATIONAL CITY. I'M SO PROUD TO SEE SESSIONS WHERE THEY'RE AT NOW, AND I BELIEVE THIS WILL HELP NATIONAL CITY AND WE WILL BE WITH A LOT OF MONEY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LINDA SONARA TO BE FOLLOWED BY TED UCK. HI. SO MY NAME IS SONARA VELAZQUEZ. I AM WITH THE BLUE DREAM DEMOCRATIC CLUB AND THE CANNABIS EDUCATION PROJECT. UM, I'M A A CANNABIS PUBLIC POLICY EXPERT. I'VE WRITTEN 13, UH, CANNABIS INITIATIVES, THREE OF WHICH ARE LAW IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. UM, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU AMEND YOUR ORDINANCE TO FOLLOW STATE LAW SIMPLY BECAUSE THEN YOU WILL NOT EASILY GET OUT OF CONFLICT WITH STATE LAW. SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITH STATE LAW IN THE FUTURE. THEY MAY SAY THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON, CANNABIS HOURS ARE MORE LIMITED THAN THEY ARE TODAY AND THEN EIGHT 30 INSTEAD OF NINE. OR THEY COULD EXTEND THEM FOR PLACES LIKE LOUNGES. BY BEING IN, UM, BY FOLLOWING STATE LAW, YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IN THE FUTURE. SO WHENEVER POSSIBLE, I WOULD RECOMMEND DEFERRING TO STATE LAW. UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, THIS, UH, IT WAS SAID IN THE ANALYSIS THAT LIKE OTHER JURISDICTIONS, YOU ARE THE FIRST JURISDICTION TO HAVE A CANNABIS LOUNGE THAT IS A SOCIAL GATHERING PLACE. AND MOST SOCIAL GATHERING PLACES, BE THEM RESTAURANTS OR BARS OR, OR JUST CIVIC CLUBS, OFTENTIMES HAVE EVENTS THAT RUN LATER THAN 9:00 PM. SO, YOU KNOW, JUST ON A PRACTICAL LEVEL, IF IT MAKES SENSE FOR A PLACE OF SOCIAL GATHERING TO BE ALLOWED TO HAVE LATER HOURS. GOOD LUCK. UH, TED, SHE IN THE AUDIENCE? THINK SO. JACQUELINE RENOSO OR NANCY? THERE SHE IS. AND THEN NANCY ESNO MAKING SURE THAT TED WASN'T HERE. OKAY. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, WE'RE HERE AS GALI MOTA, YOUR LOCAL CANNABIS BUSINESS APPLICANT AND LIFELONG ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONER. WE ARE HERE FIRST TO CONGRATULATE SESSIONS BY THE BAY AND BEING THE FIRST CANNABIS LOUNGE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. IF WE RECALL THE IMPETUS BEHIND ALLOWING THE CELL OF CANNABIS IN THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY WAS TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING SAFE AND LEGAL ACCESS, WELLNESS, EDUCATION, AND TAX REVENUE AND JOB CREATION FOR THE CITY. HAVING RAN THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR 12 YEARS, WE'VE ALWAYS VIEWED BUSINESS [03:40:01] OPERATORS AS COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AS COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THE SHOULD. THE CITY SHOULD SUPPORT OPTIMAL OPERATING HOURS TO ACCOMMODATE A DIVERSE CUSTOMER BASE WITH VARYING SCHEDULES. YOU HAVE EARLY MORNING RISERS, FOLKS THAT GET OUT OF WORK LATE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. EXPANDING OPERATING HOURS WILL HELP MEET THE NEEDS OF THE CUSTOMER DEMANDS, WHICH EXIST, AND BY DEFAULT THEY'RE GOING TO OTHER PLACES. IT'LL ALSO ENABLE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR RECREATING AND EMPOWER THE CITY BY GROWING YOUR TAX BASE TO FUND OTHER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES. WHEN LEGAL LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES WIN, WE ALL WIN. THANK YOU, NANCY. HI, NANCY. ANO LOCAL BUSINESS PERSON. UH, I'M IN FAVOR OF FOLLOWING THE STATE GUIDELINES OF 6:00 AM TO 10:00 PM SO PEOPLE WHO NEED CANNABIS FOR MEDICAL REASONS CAN ACCESS THEIR STORES, AND THERE ARE GOOD REASONS, UH, TO LEGITIMIZE CANNABIS, WHICH HAS BEEN DONE. UH, FOR THE SAKE OF SOCIAL EQUITY, I SUGGEST THE CITY, UM, CHOOSE A LOCAL GROUP OF CITIZENS, NOT OUTSIDERS, WHO WILL SELECT FOUR TO SIX BUSINESS APPLICANTS THAT WILL BE QUALIFYING FOR SOCIAL EQUITY AND WILL BE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN NATIONAL CITY, WORK IN NATIONAL CITY, UM, OR HAVE BUSINESSES AS A NATIONAL CITY. AND THAT THESE, UH, BUSINESSES SHOULD BE PLACED IN LOCATIONS THAT WILL, WHERE THEY WILL FLOURISH, LIKE PLAZA NATIONAL CITY BOULEVARD, ROOSEVELT, HIGHLAND, SWEETWATER ROAD, AND THAT THESE MINORITY COMPANIES. AND THAT WOULD BE SO THAT THESE MINORITY COMPANIES CAN COMPETE WITH BIG BUSINESS CANNABIS PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY'LL BE MINORITIES AND THEY'LL BE STARTING AND THEY'LL BE OUR PEOPLE BECAUSE IT'LL BE CHOSEN BY OUR LOCAL GROUP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANYONE ON ZOOM? YES, WE DO. I DON'T THOUGHT SO. BECKY, WRAP. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS BECKY WRAP, AND I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY CONCERN REGARDING THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO EXPAND THE OPERATING HOURS FOR CANNABIS RETAILERS IN NATIONAL CITY PRIOR TO THEM EVEN OPENING. WHILE I UNDERSTAND THE MARIJUANA INDUSTRY DESIRES TO ALIGN LOCAL REGULATIONS WITH STATE LAW, ALLOWING THEM TO SELL MORE POT, I BELIEVE RESIDENTS WOULD STRONGLY DISAGREE. EXTENDING OPERATING HOURS BY FOUR HOURS A DAY IS UNNECESSARY AND MAY HAVE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY CONCERNING PUBLIC SAFETY. FIRSTLY, EXTENDING OPERATING HOURS INCREASE THE RISK OF IMPAIRED DRIVING. MARIJUANA AFFECTS CRITICAL FUNCTIONS LIKE REACTION, TIME, COORDINATION, AND JUDGMENT. AND WITH PEOPLE CONSUMING MARIJUANA THROUGHOUT THE DAY, ESPECIALLY LATE INTO THE EVENING AT A CONSUMPTION LOUNGE, THE LIKE LIKELIHOOD OF INDIVIDUALS DRIVING IMPAIRED SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES PUTTING EVERYONE ON THE ROAD AT RISK. ADDITIONALLY, EXTENDING OPERATING HOURS MAY LEAD TO MORE DISRUPTIONS IN SAFETY ISSUES IN SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS. EXTENDING HOURS MAY ATTRACT LARGER CROWDS, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO NOISE, NOISE, COMPLAINTS, DISTURBANCES, AND EVEN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES IN NEARBY AREAS. LATE NIGHT OPERATIONS CAN ALSO STRAIN LAW ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES MAKING HARDER TO ENSURE SAFETY. I URGE YOU TO DENY THIS PROPOSAL BETWEEN RETAIL LOCATIONS THAT HAVEN'T EVEN OPENED, THAT ARE OPERATING WITH CURRENT OPERATING TIMES AND ONLINE DELIVERY SERVICES. RESIDENTS HAVE AMPLE ACCESS TO POP PRODUCTS AND EXTENDING HOURS IS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY AND PREMATURE ONLY BENEFITING THOSE LOOKING TO PROFIT NEGATIVELY IMPACTING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PEGGY WALKER. PEGGY WALKER. MEGAN STEWART. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT. MY NAME'S MEGAN STEWART, AND I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY OPPOSITION TO EXPANDING THE OPERATING HOURS FOR MARIJUANA RETAILERS IN NATIONAL CITY, SPECIFICALLY SESSIONS BY THE BAY, ESPECIALLY AS, AS IT HAS NOT YET OPENED AND DEMONSTRATED ITS IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY. EXTENDING HOURS MEANS MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPAIRED DRIVING PUBLIC INTOXICATION AND INCREASED LAW [03:45:01] ENFORCEMENT BURDENS. OUR CITY SHOULD NOT PRIORITIZE THE CONVENIENCE OF MARIJUANA RETAILERS OVER THE SAFETY OF OUR RESIDENTS. MARIJUANA RETAILERS ARE NOT LIKE OTHER BUSINESSES. THE PRODUCT THEY SELL CARRY HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS THAT AFFECT NOT JUST THE CONSUMER BUT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. LONGER HOURS MEAN MORE EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND SMOKE NEAR THESE ESTABLISHMENTS, GREATER ACCESSIBILITY FOR YOUTH AND AN INCREASED CHANCE OF IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS ON OUR STREETS. NATIONAL CITY DOES NOT NEED TO MATCH STATE LAW SIMPLY FOR CONSISTENCY. OUR CITY HAS THE RIGHT TO SET ITS OWN STANDARDS BASED ON WHAT'S BEST FOR RESIDENTS. WE HAVE NOT SEEN COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT EXTENDING HOURS WILL BENEFIT NATIONAL CITY. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT LONGER OPERATING HOURS MEANS MORE POTENTIAL FOR NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES. I URGE THE COUNCIL TO PUT PUBLIC SAFETY FIRST AND REJECT THIS AMENDMENT. THANK YOU FOR THE TIME. THANK YOU. KELLY MCCORMICK. HELLO, THIS IS KELLY MCCORMICK SPEAKING AGAINST EXTENDED OPERATING HOURS FOR MARIJUANA BUSINESSES. CONSUMPTION LOUNGES ARE ERASING THE PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, BENEFITS GAINED BY YEARS OF FIGHTING FOR SMOKE-FREE WORKPLACES. IN ADDITION, LATER OPERATING HOURS POTENTIALLY PUT IMPAIRED DRIVERS ON THE ROADS, AND THIS POSES A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK. MARIJUANA TAX REVENUES ARE ERASED BY THE COST OF EXPANDED USE OF DANGEROUS AND ADDICTIVE HIGH POTENCY MARIJUANA PRODUCTS LEADING TO GREATER DEMANDS ON HOSPITALS, MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, FIRST RESPONDERS, UM, A WIDE RANGE OF SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY AND INDIVIDUAL, UM, HARM SUFFERED BY PEOPLE WHO BECOME ADDICTED TO MARIJUANA AND WHO ARE AT GREATER RISK OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS LIKE CANNABIS INDUCED PSYCHOSIS, SCHIZOPHRENIA, SUICIDAL IDEATION, ET CETERA. UM, THIS IS NOT NEEDED AND PUTS SOME MORE PEOPLE IN HARM'S WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PEGGY WALKER. THANK YOU. OH, THE FIRST TIME YOU'RE ON MUTE BUTTON CLICKED OFF REAL FAST AND I COULDN'T ANSWER IT FAST ENOUGH, SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. UH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT LONGER OPERATING HOURS MEANS A LONGER TIME FOR CONSUMPTION, AND I DON'T SEE A SAFETY ADVANTAGE, ESPECIALLY IN A LOUNGE. CONSUMERS MAY IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT FOR A WHILE, BUT THEY ALL EVENTUALLY LEAVE. AND THE REALITY IS THAT MORE PEOPLE USING MARIJUANA DAILY AND LONGER PUTS MORE DRIVERS HIGH ON POT BEHIND THE WHEEL AND MORE PEOPLE ON THE ROAD AT RISK. AAA STUDIES SHOW THAT MARIJUANA USE CYCLIC ACCOUNTS FOR AN ADDITIONAL 1,400 TRAFFIC FATALITIES IN THE US ANNUALLY. WE DON'T WANT THAT HERE IN NATIONAL CITY. FURTHER, ALLOWING CANNABIS USE INDOORS MAKES EXCEPTION TO COMPREHENSIVE SMOKE-FREE LAWS UNDERMINING DECADES OF PROGRESS TO PROVIDE CLEAN AIR IN THE WORKSPACE, PUTTING THE WORD CANNABIS IN FRONT OF THE WORD SMOKE SHOULDN'T MAKE IT OKAY TO GO AGAINST PROTECTIVE SMOKE-FREE LAWS. FINALLY, MEDICAL ASK ACCESS CAN BE AT HOME. THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF PROP 64 WAS AFTER ALL TO ALLOW PURCHASERS TO USE CANNABIS PRODUCTS AT HOME. BUT THAT SAFETY BOUNDARY HAS NOW BEEN VIOLATED. CANNABIS USES UNCHARTERED TERRITORY WITH POTENTIAL AS A PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD. THERE'S NO NEED FOR AMENDING TO ADDITIONAL HOURS, AND I URGE YOU NOT TO DO SO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MADISON WRAP. HI. I AM ALSO HERE TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED EXPANSION OF OPERATING HOURS FOR STOREFRONT CANNABIS RETAILERS. SPECIFICALLY, THE RECOMMENDATION TO EXTEND HOURS TO 6:00 AM TO 10:00 PM EVERY DAY. I URGE YOU TO CONSIDER THE BROADER SOCIAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF THIS DECISION, PARTICULARLY IN REGARD TO IN-PERSON CANNABIS CONSUMPTION LOUNGES. THE PRESENCE OF IN-PERSON CONSUMPTION LOUNGES COMBINED WITH EXTENDED STORE HOURS, COULD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE VISIBILITY AND NORMALIZATION OF CANNABIS USE IN OUR COMMUNITY. THESE SPACES WHERE INDIVIDUALS CAN CONSUME CANNABIS ON SITE, SEND A MESSAGE THAT PUBLIC CONSUMPTION IS ACCEPTABLE AND EVEN DESIRABLE. THIS NORMALIZATION IS PARTICULARLY CONCERNING WHEN WE CONSIDER THE IMPACT ON YOUNG PEOPLE. THE MORE CANNABIS USE IS VISIBLE IN NATIONAL CITY, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT YOUNG PEOPLE WILL PERCEIVE IT AS HARMLESS OR EVEN SOMETHING TO BE EMULATED. WE KNOW THAT CANNABIS USE DURING ADOLESCENCE CAN HAVE SERIOUS LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT, MENTAL HEALTH, [03:50:01] AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. BY EXPANDING OPERATING HOURS AND ALLOWING EXTENDED ACCESS TO CANNABIS PRODUCTS IN PUBLIC OR SEMI-PUBLIC SPACES, WE RISK MAKING IT EASIER FOR YOUTH TO ACCESS CANNABIS AND REINFORCING HARMFUL SOCIAL BEHAVIORS. IN ADDITION, EXTENDING CANNABIS STORE HOURS AND CREATING CONSUMPTION LOUNGES MAY LEAD TO INCREASED PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS. THE LONGER CANNABIS STORES ARE OPEN, THE GREATER THE LIKELIHOOD OF IMPAIRED DRIVING ACCIDENTS AND DISTURBANCES LATE AT NIGHT. CANNABIS AFFECTS MOTOR SKILLS, JUDGMENT AND REACTION TIME. AND THE LATER THESE STORES REMAIN OPEN, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT INDIVIDUALS WILL BE DRIVING OR ENGAGING IN ACTIVITIES UNDER THE INFLUENCE, PUTTING THEMSELVES AND OTHERS AT RISK. WE MUST PRIORITIZE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY OUR YOUTH, AND ENSURE THAT PUBLIC SPACES REMAIN SAFE AND ENJOYABLE FOR ALL. I URGE YOU TO CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF THIS DECISION AND TO REJECT THE PROPOSED EXPANSION OF OPERATING HOURS. THANK YOU FOR THE TIME. THANK YOU. RUSSELL PALMER. HELLO. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS RUSSELL PALMER. I JUST WANTED TO SUPPORT, UM, THE EFFORT TO EXPAND THE HOURS. UM, I BELIEVE THAT A LOUNGE IS NECESSARY FOR CONSUMPTION FOR CANNABIS USERS, MEDICAL, AND, UM, THOSE IN PROP 64, UM, WITH THE PASSING OF 64, WE NEVER REALLY C CREATED A SAFE SPACE FOR CONSUMPTION. AND I THINK THAT THE LOUNGE IS REVOLUTIONARY. I THINK WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH NATIONAL CITY, ALLOWING FOR SESSIONS BY THE BAY WILL BE, UH, NOT ONLY, UH, TOURISM REGIONALLY, BUT ALSO NATIONALLY LOOKING AT THAT WE NEED TO CREATE SAFE, UM, RE WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO CONSUME. AND THAT'S WHAT SESSIONS BY THE BAY IS DOING. UH, I THINK EMPOWERING THIS IS, UH, A OPPORTUNITY FOR NATIONAL CITY TO STAND OUT AND ALSO, UM, FOR OUR COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE. UM, THE, THE CANNABIS COMMUNITY IS VASTLY DIVERSE AND THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE, UH, PROFESSIONALS AND, UH, PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER, ENTREPRENEURS, ARTISTS, MUSICIANS THAT NEED TO COME TOGETHER. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING BY, UH, ALLOWING THE SPACE, UH, A 10:00 PM UH, STATE LAW, UH, ALLOWS US TO BE CONSISTENT. SO ADOPTING THIS AND ABIDING BY THE STATE LAW WOULD BE THE BEST DECISION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT CONCLUDES OUR ZOOM COMMENTS, AND WE DID HAVE TWO WRITTEN COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM. OKAY. WE GOT TWO MORE COMMENTS. GOT TURNED IN, UH, AND FOLLOWED BY SCH. I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE WEIGHED IN, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, THERE HAS BEEN SOME LOCAL RESIDENTS INPUT, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE BIT SKEWED. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, PEOPLE, A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE OF THIS AREA SEEM TO HAVE, UH, WEIGHED IN AND VOICED THEIR OPINIONS. I JUST WANT YOU TO CONSIDER THAT WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR DECISION. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL THE SPEAKERS THAT WE HAVE. OH, I'M SORRY. YEAH, HE'S GONNA GET, I'M THE SECOND PERSON HERE THAT IT'S KIND OF AGAINST IT. I'M AGAINST IT. IF THEY WANT TO GO TO, IF THEY WANT TO GO TO CHULA VISTA, LET 'EM GO. AND THE, THE PROPOSAL BEFORE FOR TOBACCO, YOU AGREED ON MAKING IT DIFFICULT, AND I THINK IT SHOULD BE MADE DIFFICULT FOR THIS, FOR THIS, FOR, FOR CANNABIS. TWO. THANK YOU. I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CITY COUNCIL CONSIDER AMENDING CHAPTER 9.60 OF THE NATIONAL STATE MUNICIPAL CODE TO EXPAND OPERATING HOURS FOR STOREFRONT CANNABIS RETAILERS FROM THE CURRENT, UH, TWO 6:00 AM TO 10:00 PM SEVEN DAYS A WEEK IN ALIGNMENT WITH CALIFORNIA STATE REGULATIONS. SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND COMMENT, MR. CHAIRMAN. SURE. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I APOLOGIZE. I HAVEN'T, UH, READ THE COMPLETE DA FOR THIS, UH, DIRECTOR, UH, GURE OR MARTIN, UM, AND CITY MANAGER. UM, I HAVE, I HAVE TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SECURITY THAT THIS, UM, ESTABLISHMENT WOULD HAVE IN EXTENDING THOSE HOURS, OR DO THEY HAVE IT NOW? WE, WE, WE, UH, PUT THAT, UM, WE PUT THAT, UM, UM, WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS, UH, TO SECURITY, UM, PERSONNEL TO, UM, RESTAURANTS [03:55:01] AND, UM, THOSE RESTAURANTS WITH, UH, ENTERTAINMENT. SO I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE. I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T, UM, I HAVEN'T DONE A CURSORY UNDER CONTRACT. I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT. I DON'T KNOW. I WANTED TO SEE WHAT IMPACT WOULD IT HAVE. YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA BRING IN DOLLARS AND DOLLARS AND DOLLARS, BUT WHAT, HOW WILL THAT IMPACT THE SERVICES OF OUR CITY? UH, THANK YOU, UH, THROUGH THE CHAIR. WE'LL, WE WILL CERTAINLY LOOK INTO THE REQUIREMENTS OR THE REGULATIONS UNDER THE, UM, AGREEMENT THAT WE'VE MADE WITH SESSIONS BY THE BAY. THIS WOULD SPECIFICALLY BE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE HOURS, OF COURSE, AS YOU KNOW. UM, SO WE WOULD TAKE CARE OF THE REST OF IT THROUGH THE AGREEMENT. THEY'D HAVE TO MAKE, UH, REPORT BACK TO YOU ON WHAT THOSE REQUIREMENTS ARE, WHAT THE SECURITY IS. I MEAN, THAT ALL I CAN DO. SO WE'RE PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE. UH, WE DON'T HAVE AN ORDINANCE TO BRING BACK TO YOU YET, SO THAT WHEN WE COME BACK WITH AN ORDINANCE, IF THAT'S WHAT THE COUNCIL VOTES FOR TONIGHT, I WILL, I WILL BRING BACK INFORMATION SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE A INFORMED DECISION. THAT'S NOT GOOD FOR ME, MR. MAYOR. OKAY. THE, THE ONE CAUTION AND COUNCIL MEMBER, MAYBE WE CAN ALSO ASK THE APPLICANTS HERE, THE OWNERS HERE. SO IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, MAYBE YOU COULD JUST ASK, ASK HIM. THE, THE ONE CAUTION THAT I ONLY CAUTION I HAVE ON THIS IS WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT SESSIONS AND, AND IT IS, IF YOU GO THERE, YOU SEE IT HAS ALL THE APPEARANCE OF A VERY HIGH CLASS, VERY PROFESSIONAL FACILITY. UM, BUT THIS IS ALSO GONNA APPLY TO THOSE OTHER FOUR RETAIL LICENSE THAT ARE GONNA BE OUT THERE. AND THEY MAY NOT BE QUITE AT THAT LEVEL. THAT'S THE ONLY CAUTION I HAVE ABOUT THIS AT ALL. AND, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, WITH SESSIONS, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM. AND, UH, BUT, UH, BUT AS I SAY RIGHT NOW, THIS WOULD, IF THIS WAS TO GO FORWARD, IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE COMING BACK TO US IN THE FORM OF AN ORDINANCE FOR INTRODUCTION OR JUST, OR, OKAY. AND SO WE WOULD HAVE, WE WOULD HAVE A BITE AT THE APPLE AT THAT POINT, AND THEN IF WE APPROVE THAT AT THAT POINT, OR MAKE ANY SMALL REVISIONS, IT WOULD COME BACK THEN FOR ADOPTION AT THE NEXT MEETING. OKAY. I'M JUST SAYING THAT THAT'S WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THIS GOES FORWARD THROUGH THE CHAIR. YES. WE KNOW VERY WELL THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING WITH THIS CANNABIS BUSINESS IN OUR CITY. AND SO I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO THREAD LIGHTLY ON IT. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WHAT ARE THE IMPACT THAT OUR CITY WILL, WILL BE ADDRESSING WITH REGARDS TO THIS? CAN WE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOU HAVE A DA THAT IS IN PLACE, RIGHT? CITY MANAGER. SO LET THEM OPEN BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE CONTRACT, I WASN'T HERE YET THEN. BUT NOW LET'S BE PRUDENT AND LET'S BE CAREFUL AND, AND SEE WHAT IS THE RESULT. WHAT IMPACT WILL THIS BUSINESS DO FOR OUR CITY? FIRST WE'RE SAYING, OH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE MONEY, ECONOMIC SAFETY, SAFETY. WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A REPORT FOR WHAT SECURED AND SAFETY, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THIS BUSINESS WILL, WILL PROVIDE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WILL, WILL, UH, WILL INCUR TO OUR CITY. SO I WOULD LIKE THOSE ANSWERS FIRST. I'M NOT AGAINST THIS BUSINESS, BELIEVE ME, I'M A BUSINESS OWNER, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE, UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, UM, IN, IN MAKING SURE THAT THIS BUSINESS IS, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE FIRST IN THE WHOLE REGION FOR SESSIONS BY THE BAY FOR SESSIONS OR . WHAT, WHAT WAS SESSIONS? SESSIONS. I'M SORRY. SESSIONS. SESSIONS BY THE SESSIONS BY THE BAY. AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE THREAD LIGHTLY ON IT. PLEASE. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. ALRIGHT. UH, CITY ATTORNEY, ARE YOU GOING FOR YOUR SPEAKERS? THEY OKAY. OH, I, I WAS, I WAS ANTICIPATING THAT I WOULD, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING YET TO SAY. SO OKAY, MR. MAYOR. YES. THANK YOU. UM, I MEAN, I I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND A LOT OF OUR, UH, UM, CANNABIS BUSINESSES, IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT BUSINESS. IT, THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY. UM, UH, AND WHEN WE DISCUSSED THIS ORDINANCE YEARS BACK, WE WANTED LOCAL HIRE. WE WANTED A LOCAL ORDINANCE. AND I THINK THE OPERATORS THAT ARE NOW, UM, GETTING IT, GETTING THEIR BUSINESSES ONLINE HAVE STRUGGLED, UH, FINANCIALLY IN BRINGING TOGETHER, UM, UH, RESOURCES AND MAINTAINING RESOURCES SO THAT THEIR BUSINESS CAN THRIVE AND DO WELL, WHICH I THINK WAS THE INTENT OF, UH, MOST OF US THAT DISCUSSED, UH, THE ORDINANCE AT THAT TIME. SO I UNDERSTAND THEY, THEY NEED TO MAKE A RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENT, AND THAT'S, THAT'S CRITICAL AND IMPORTANT. MY ONLY RESERVATION EARLIER WAS REGARDING MODIFYING THE ORDINANCE AND IF THERE WERE ANY LEGAL LIABILITIES IN, IN DOING SO, NO, WE'RE, WE'RE COMFORTABLE MOVING FORWARD WITH [04:00:01] MODIFYING THE ORDINANCE. AND THE OTHER THING I WOULD JUST ADD IS THAT WE DO HAVE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS IN PLACE AND THERE ARE CONDITIONS, UM, THAT ADDRESS SECURITY AND OTHER ISSUES. AND NONE OF THOSE CONDITIONS OR THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WILL BE CHANGED IN ANY WAY BY THIS, THIS CHANGE. THIS IS JUST CHANGING THE HOURS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE STATEMENT. THANK YOU, MR. CITY ATTORNEY. I, I, UM, SYMPATHIZE WITH MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL IN SOME OF THE CONCERNS. I, I DO HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT OUR, UH, FOUR OPERATORS THAT ARE OPENING IN THE NEXT, UH, THREE TO THREE TO FOUR MONTHS, I BELIEVE THEY HAVE TIMELINES TO OPEN IN THE NEXT THREE OR FOUR MONTHS, DO HAVE SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND, AND, UH, I KNOW WE'LL MEET THEM. UM, SO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. STAYING LATE. IT'S 10 O'CLOCK IF WE SEEM GROUCHY. BY THE WAY, WE STARTED MEETINGS AT FOUR. NO, I WAS LAUGHING. , WE ALTOGETHER, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED, YOU KNOW, COME TOGETHER AT FOUR AND WE HAD OUR BRIEFINGS AT NINE OR 10 IN THE MORNING, SO IT'S JUST BEEN A VERY LONG DAY. BUT THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. UH, MEMBER BUSH . YEAH, SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT, UM, TO SPEAK, UH, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT CAME OUT IN, IN PERSON TO SPEAK AND THOSE LOCAL RESIDENTS. AND I REALLY WANNA GIVE, UM, SPECIAL, UM, UH, SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO MS. LINDA. I'M, I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LOSS OF YOUR SON, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING VULNERABLE WITH US AND YOU TELLING THE STORY OF HOW CANNABIS HELPED YOU. AND I THINK THAT THOSE STORIES NEED TO BE TOLD, BECAUSE YOU HEAR EVEN TONIGHT, SO MUCH OF THE NEGATIVITY AND SO MUCH OF THE STIGMA AND NOT THE BENEFITS. AND I REALLY WANT TO ALSO REDUCE THE STIGMA. I AM A CANNABIS USER. IT DOESN'T MEAN I'M A BAD PERSON. IT DOESN'T MEAN I ABUSE IT. ANY SUBSTANCE CAN BE ABUSED. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS PROTECT YOUTH, WHICH WE ARE. AND SO I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER IMANI, SUGGESTING THAT WE'RE NOT TAKING THIS LIGHTLY, OR THIS ISN'T SAFE. YOU HAVE TO READ THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. IT'S ALL IN THERE. AND SO THESE BUSINESSES BEEN DILIGENT, THEY'RE VERY REGULATED. THEY ARE SAFE. UH, WE DO NEED TO PROTECT OUR YOUTH. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE, THE OPERATORS ARE FOLLOWING ALL THEIR REQUIREMENTS. BUT, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS IS A SAFE USE. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS, IS ALSO A BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO THE RESIDENTS. UM, SO THERE'S, THERE'S THAT. I THINK, UM, THE OTHER REASON THAT THIS, I I REALLY WANNA EXPAND THE HOURS, UM, IS BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S THE REVENUE FOR THE CITY. WE'RE, WE HAVE A BUDGET DEFICIT, SO WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH CREATIVE WAYS TO, UM, TO, TO RAISE REVENUE. AND IF WE DON'T DO THAT, THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO EITHER MAKE CUTS OR RAISE TAXES, FIND SOME OTHER WAY TO, TO MAKE THAT, TO MAKE UP THAT REVENUE. SO IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME TO HAVE RESTRICTED HOURS WHEN THINKING WE, WE WOULD LOSE THAT BUSINESS AT ULA VISTA, SAN DIEGO. SO THAT, THAT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. I, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE SAFETY CONCERNS AND THAT'S LIKE THAT, THAT'S GOOD. BUT THAT, THAT'S FINE. WE ALL DO. BUT I, I WOULDN'T JUST, YOU KNOW, DIS LABEL ALL OF THESE BUSINESSES AS BAD. LIKE, LET'S GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO, TO OPEN, LET'S GIVE THEM THE BEST, STRONGEST ECONOMIC FOOTING TO START, BECAUSE, UM, THIS IS ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITING. AND ALEX, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR, BEING INNOVATIVE, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS AN ENTRANCE TO OUR BAYFRONT. AND, UM, AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, I, I DID GET TO DO A CONSTRUCTION TOUR IN, UH, AND I'VE BEEN TO A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT, UH, LOUNGES AND, UM, IN LA AND IT'S, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY UNIQUE. I IT FEELS VERY NATIONAL CITY. YOU HAD A LOCAL ARTIST THAT WAS, UH, DOING A LOT OF YOUR DECORATION. AND SO I, I JUST THINK IT'S GONNA BE, UH, AN INCREDIBLE EX EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE. I THINK IT COULD BE A CATALYST FOR OTHER DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AREA. AND ESPECIALLY WITH THIS, UH, GAYLORD COMING IN, LIKE, I, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BRING A LOT OF REVENUE TO THE CITY. SO, UM, SO YEAH, I SUPPORT THIS AND THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR COMING OUT. OKAY. THROW THE CHAIR. YES, I AM NOT LABELING. OKAY. I'M JUST SAYING LET'S THREAD, THREAD LIGHTLY ON IT AND LOOK AT THE IMPACT BECAUSE THERE'S NONE, OKAY? THERE'S NO IMPACT ACCORDING TO THE DA, THE, THE, THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT THAT WILL COME AFTER WHAT THEY'RE ASK. AND, AND THE COUNCIL IS HERE. I KNOW, I KNOW. SOME OF THE, SOME DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS, THOSE ARE NOT THERE YET. OKAY. IT'S NOT THERE. AND SO I KNOW, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, I'M IN A PROJECT MANAGE A LOT OF, A LOT OF PROJECTS, BUT WHAT I'M SAYING COUNCIL MEMBER OR VICE MAYOR IS THIS, IS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT ALL THE STUDY, THE IMPACT THAT THE SERVICES THAT WE WILL USE WITH REGARDS TO THIS, UM, TO THIS, UH, BUSINESS. I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THEY'RE HERE ALREADY. WE HAVE A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. LET'S HELP THEM OPEN. IT LET'S THEM HAVE, HELP THEM REALIZE WHAT BENEFIT WE CAN, WE [04:05:01] CAN PRO THEY CAN PROVIDE TO OUR CITY. AND THEN LET'S, LET'S REVISIT THAT RIGHT NOW. WE WE'RE, WE'RE ALREADY CHANGING THE DA AND WE HAVEN'T OPENED YET. WHERE, WHERE WE'RE HERE FACING A LOT OF CHALLENGES TO THE OTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN TO THIS BUSINESS THAT HAS BEEN, UM, THAT THE CITY HAD, UM, PUT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN HAD VOTED IN. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO SAY, LET'S BE RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS OWNERS AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE LOOKED AT ALL THIS AND NOT JUMP INTO, OH, BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, IT'S GONNA BE A, A GOOD ECONOMIC IMPACT TO THE CITY. HEY, YES, I LIKE THAT. RIGHT? BUT I'M NOT LABELING, I, I AM THE LAST PERSON TO JUDGE VICE MAYOR. OKAY? DON'T JUDGE YOU. I'M JUST SAYING, LET'S BE CAREFUL. LET'S BE, LET'S BE PRUDENT AND BE A GOOD BUSINESS OWNERS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UH, LEMME JUST SAY REAL QUICKLY, WHEN THIS CAME BEFORE US, THE COUNCIL ORIGINALLY, I VOTED AGAINST IT. AND THE REASON I DID, BECAUSE THE COUNCIL GAVE VERY STRICT INSTRUCTIONS TO THE STAFF AT THAT TIME THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO, YOU KNOW, BEST PRACTICES ONLY. WE NOT GO OUT ON A LIMB ON ANYTHING. WE HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH THIS. SO SAY IT WAS SOMETHING VERY SAFE, EVERYTHING ELSE, AND TAKE IT SLOW. AND THEN IT CAME BEFORE US. AND I LOOK AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE'S A LOUNGE ON THERE. AND I ASKED THE CITY MANAGER, I SAID, HOW DID THE LOUNGE GET ON THERE? HE SAID, WELL, SOMEBODY ASKED FOR IT. AND SO WHAT I TOLD HIM WAS, I HOPE YOUR KIDS NEVER ASK FOR A PONY AT CHRISTMAS. 'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA BE FORCED TO GIVE IT TO 'EM. UH, SO I, I DISAGREED WITH THE WAY STAFF DID THAT AND, UH, AND ALLOWED THEM, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY DID IT OR THEY WERE ALLOWED THEMSELVES TO BE USED OR WHATEVER, BUT, UH, AT THE SAME TIME, I KNOW I DID TOUR THE FACILITY, UH, VERY IMPRESSED. MIGHT SAY MY ONLY CONCERN IS WITH THE OTHER ONES THAT WE HAVE NOT, THAT HAVE NOT, UH, UH, SIGNED THEIR AGREEMENT YET. SO ANYWAY, WE HAVE A MOTION. AND WHO WAS THE SECOND? OKAY. HUH, RODRIGUEZ. OKAY, SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, UNLESS THERE'S ANY MORE DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES FOUR ONE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, I KNOW WE HAVE ONE OF OUR MEMBERS IS GONNA HAVE TO LEAVE HERE IN A FEW MINUTES, SO [13. ELECTED OFFICIALS REPORT (Part 1 of 2)] I'M GONNA MOVE US AHEAD TO, UH, 13 ONE, AND THEN WE CAN COME BACK ON THIS OTHER ONE AND ARGUE ON IT ALL IN ONE SECOND. UM, THE, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. WE APPRECIATE, AND ALL YOUR HARD SONIC HAMBURGERS ARE STILL HALF PRICE TONIGHT, SO ANYWAY, UH, OKAY. UH, SO THIS IS A 1 0 5 REQUEST AND ON RESTRICTIONS ON KEEPING CERTAIN ANIMALS, BIRDS, AND REPTILES, SPECIFICALLY REGARDING ALLOWING CHICKENS WITHIN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY LARGER THAN 4,000. UH, REMEMBER RODRIGUEZ, UH, CAN YOU ELABORATE ME ON THIS WHEN YOU PUT IT LIKE THAT, MR. MAYOR? WELL, I JUST READ IT. I READ IT OFF EXACTLY AS YOU GOT IT. LITERALLY WHAT IT SAYS. THAT'S THE LITTLE I READ WORD FOR WORD. UM, UPON REVIEW OF OUR MUNICIPAL CODE, UH, UH, AMONG, UM, MANY ANIMAL ANIMALS INCURRING, UH, INCLUDING CHICKENS, UM, CURRENTLY , THIS IS LIKE 10 30 . JUST SAY THIS FOR NEXT. ALL RIGHT. UH, UH, CURRENTLY UNDER OUR MUNICIPAL CODE, NO CHICKENS ARE ALLOWED, UH, TO BE IN A, A LOT THAT'S UNDER 20,000 SQUARE FEET, WHICH IS ROUGHLY HALF AN ACRE. AND, UH, CONSIDERING EGG PRICES, AND I PERSONALLY KNOW MANY MEMBERS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT HAVE CHICKENS, UM, UH, I WOULD LOVE TO REVISIT THIS, UH, CONVERSATION AT A FUTURE DATE, UM, TO HOPEFULLY MAKE IT SO THAT RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE CHICKENS. UM, CURRENTLY OUR CODE SAYS FOUR. UM, FOR MANY OF US THAT MAY NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE, CHICKENS DON'T ACTUALLY MAKE A LOT OF NOISE. IT'S THE ROOSTERS THAT DO, AND YOU DON'T NEED A ROOSTER TO CREATE, TO MAKE NOISE , THEY'RE NOT VERY LOUD. UM, SO JUST, JUST AS A, UM, A POINT OF CLARIFICATION. UM, SO PUTTING IT OUT THERE, WE WOULD LOVE TO REVISIT THE CONVERSATION AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE. UH, YES. SO I REALLY HAVE TO GO SOON, BUT, UM, SO I'M, I'M OPEN TO THE IDEA. THERE, THERE, THERE WAS LACKED DETAIL. UM, I WOULD PREFER THAT THIS IS DONE AFTER OUR RETREAT, UM, BECAUSE I WANT TO BE ABLE, WE NEED A STRATEGIC PLAN AND SEE HOW THIS FITS IN BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY, IF WE HAVE ORDINANCE UPDATES, WE CAN UPDATE, YOU KNOW, UM, ALL OF THEM. SO I'M OPEN TO THIS CONCEPT, BUT I WOULD LIKE IT AFTER WE, UM, AND, AND I'M NOT SURE WHEN OUR STR STRATEGIC SESSION [04:10:01] IS THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL. I THINK I, WE DON'T HAVE A DATE YET, BUT WE'RE, LET'S SEE, WE'RE MARCH, APRIL, APRIL-ISH? YEAH. NOT, NOT FIRST WEEK PROBABLY. OKAY. UM, YEAH, I PERSONALLY, I AGREE WITH, UH, MEMBER BUSH. I THINK WE'VE GOT SO MUCH ON OUR PLATE RIGHT NOW. UM, YOU KNOW, CHICKENS I THINK ARE KIND OF THE, KIND OF THE LOW, I MEAN, THAT'S REALLY LOW HANGING FRUIT AND UH, YOU KNOW, AND SO I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR ORDINANCE, WE MIGHT WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT THAT IN COMPARISON TO EVERYTHING AND NOT JUST, NOT JUST DEAL WITH, WITH CHICKENS. I, I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS. IT'S REALLY THE ORDINANCE THAT'S THERE. IT'S JUST MODIFYING THE SQUARE FOOTAGE ALLOWED, WHICH WOULD MAKE IT SO THAT EVERY SINGLE FAMILY HOME WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE CHICKENS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. THAT'S IT. SO IT, IT'S, I DON'T THINK IT TAKES A TON OF WORK, BUT YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO REVIEW IT AND HAVE PRESENTATIONS AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. THEN YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE TO PUT THAT STAFF REPORT TOGETHER. YOU'RE SAYING IT DOESN'T TAKE A TON OF WORK AS I'M LOOKING AT CARLOS AND IS NOT LOOKING AT YOU THOUGH, . OH MAN. LOOK GUYS, I'M JUST SAYING EGG PRICES ARE NOT GOING TO DIMINISH. OKAY. SO IT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. WE CAN DO IT. WHAT'S THAT PROJECT THAT YOU HAVE TO REPORT? IS THERE A MOTION? I, I, I WILL MAKE A MOTION TO, UM, THE CHICKEN , MAKE SOME CHICKEN SOUP. UM, I MAKE A MOTION TO, UM, MOVE FORWARD ON POLICY REQUEST 1 0 5, UH, MODIFYING THE RESTRICTION OF KEEPING CERTAIN ANIMALS, INCLUDING CHICKENS AND SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES. I'LL SECOND IF YOU BRING IT BACK, UH, AFTER OUR RETREAT, I'LL SECOND IT. SOUNDS GOOD. OKAY. AND FOR CLARIFICATION, WILL YOU BE WRITING THE REPORT, YOUR OFFICE ? WE CAN TAKE A STAB AT IT AND WORK WITH OUR STAFF. YES. WE DON'T MIND DOING THAT. YOURS WILL. OKAY. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. YES. I JUST, I JUST LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS WE GOT IN FRONT OF US AND CHASING CHICKENS. I JUST DON'T SEE. SOUNDS GOOD. OKAY. GOOD DIRECTORS. REMEMBER, DID YOU HEAR THAT YOU GUYS JOVANNI IS LISTENING ONLINE? NO. PRESS THE BUTTON. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION. AND YOU HAD THE, YOU HAD THE SECOND? MM-HMM . OKAY, SO WE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND. DO WE WANT TO BRING THIS ANOTHER 1 0 5 BACK? IT'S ALL UP TO YOU. OKAY, HERE WE GO. 4 0 1 MOTION PASSES. ALRIGHT. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL GO BACK TO, UM, UM, 11 FIVE. OH MAYOR, CAN I MAKE A MOTION TO EXTEND THE MEETING PAST 10 30? THANK YOU. OKAY. AS LONG AS IT'S NOT TOO LONG. SECOND, I SECOND. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO EXTEND, UH, TILL WE JUST FINISH THIS OFF. WE GOT ONE MORE ITEM. UM, WE OKAY. WE GOT HIM IN THERE, BUT I DON'T SEE THE, OKAY. THERE'S THE VOTE. THANK YOU. PLEASE VOTE. CAN YOU VOTE FOR, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER BUSH PLEASE? OH NO. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. GOOD FOR YOU. WHAT THE, ALRIGHT, NOW WE GO BACK TO, [11.5 City Council Expenditure Report: July 2024 through January 2025] UH, 11 FIVE COUNSEL EXPENDITURE REPORT. JULY 24 THROUGH JANUARY 25. WE DO HAVE A SPEAKER. DID EDO LEAVE? YEAH, I BELIEVE HE DID. HE WENT WITH THE TICKETS. , HE'S OUT. HE'S OUT, OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET CHASING CHICKENS. CHASING THEM. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, OKAY, SO THIS IS A MAYOR. UM, IT IS LATE. IS IT POSSIBLE, SORRY FOR CUTTING YOU OFF, BUT IS IT POSSIBLE TO MOVE THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE TIME TO DISCUSS IT? IF THAT'S A MOTION, I'LL SECOND THE COUNCIL MEMBER. IS THAT APPROPRIATE? I MAKE A MOTION TO POSTPONE THE DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM UNTIL THE NEXT COUNCIL, I'LL SEC I'LL SECOND THAT TABLE UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING. OKAY. UH, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. THERE THEY GO. PLEASE VOTE. CAN YOU VOTE FOR, THANK YOU. MOTION PASSES. ALRIGHT, SO NOW WE GO WITH, UH, CITY MANAGER'S REPORT. I HAVE NONE, MAYOR. THANK YOU. OTHER STAFF? ANY OTHER STAFF REPORTS? CITY MANAGER? NO. NO. OKAY. UM, THEN, UM, [13. ELECTED OFFICIALS REPORT (Part 2 of 2)] WE GO WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS REPORT. START DOWN HERE. UH, MEMBER RODRIGUEZ, VERY BRIEF. UM, ALL POLITICS ARE LOCAL AND NATIONAL POLITICS WILL HAVE INEVITABLY LOCAL IMPACTS. SO JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND. THE FEDERAL BUDGET THAT HAS BEEN, UH, PASSED IN CONGRESS, UM, IS GONNA HAVE LOCAL IMPACTS INCLUDING ON OUR MEDICARE MEDICAID FUNDING, WHICH A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY [04:15:01] ACTUALLY UTILIZES. SO, UH, SOMETHING TO, UM, KEEP IN MIND AS WELL AS OUR NATIONAL PARK STAFF, WHICH HAVE BEEN UNFORTUNATELY, UM, UH, UH, DISMISSED MANY OF 'EM. SO, UM, I DUNNO HOW THE NATIONAL PARKS ARE GONNA STAY OPEN THIS SUMMER DURING VACATIONS, BUT, UM, UH, HOPEFULLY WE VISIT SOME OF THEM BEFORE THEY CLOSE UP. UM, JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. ALRIGHT. UM, THANK YOU MAYOR. JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO, WHO STAYED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, I KNOW IT'S, UH, A LOT OF, LOT OF, UH, THINGS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE UP AND, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. GOOD MEETING. OKAY. UH, MEMBER MALIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. JUST WANNA GIVE OUT TWO. OH, THANK YOU. JUST WANNA GIVE OUT TWO QUICK SHOUT OUTS. ONE, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF, UM, HAVING, YOU KNOW, SPENDING A, UH, SOME TIME WITH OUR GRAFFITI TECH, JAMES KIM. AND HE IS A HOOT. I MEAN, I, I KNEW, YOU KNOW, I, I KNEW OF HIM, BUT I REALLY HADN'T HAD A CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND HE WAS, UM, HE HAS SOME GOOD STORIES TO TELL. SO I JUST WANNA MENTION, YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME I MAKE A REQUEST TO THE CITY MANAGER, UH, TO CLEAN SOMETHING UP BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT HAS GRAFFITI ALL OVER IT, UM, I GET A PICTURE BACK THE DAY OF, OR IF NOT THE VERY NEXT DAY OF IT BEING ALL, UM, SHINY AND SPARKLY AND CLEAN THE NEXT TIME. SO, UH, I I REALLY WANT TO THANK JAMES KIM AND, UH, I KNOW HE'S WORKING WITH HIS NEW HIRE AS WELL. SO, UH, BIG SHOUT OUT TO OUR GRAFFITI TECHS FOR KEEPING NATIONAL CITY CLEAN. AND ALSO I HAVE GOTTEN, UH, A, A FEW COMMENTS FOR, UM, REGARDING THE WORK THAT RADO DOES. SHE IS OUR RECREATION SUPERVISOR AND I KNOW THAT SHE WORKS WITH A LOT OF THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE GEARED TOWARDS OUR SENIOR POPULATION. SO I HAVE HEARD FANTASTIC THINGS ABOUT THE WORK THAT SHE'S DOING THERE AND I WANNA GIVE HER MY HEARTFELT THANKS AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND, UH, SHOUT OUT TO SVE AS WELL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD. SO I WILL GO TO OUR CITY [14. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT] ATTORNEY FOR REPORT OUT TO CLOSED SESSION. THANK YOU MAYOR. WE HAD, UH, ONE ITEM FOR CLOSED SESSION. IT WAS A LIABILITY CLAIM BY ADAM CAIRO REGARD A REGARDING DAMAGE RELATED TO A SEWER BACKUP. AND THE COUNCIL AUTHORIZED SETTLING THAT CLAIM FOR $46,000 AND THE VOTE WAS UNANIMOUS. OKAY. AND WITH THAT, WE ARE ADJOURNED. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS? UH. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.