* 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. AND, UH, [00:00:04] OKAY. [1. CALL TO ORDER] BEFORE WE PROCEED, I REQUEST THE INTERPRETER WOULD TAKE A MOMENT TO EXPLAIN THE CITY'S INTERPRETATION SERVICES THAT WILL BE OFFERED FOR THIS EVENING'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THE FOLLOWING WILL BE INSTRUCTIONS FOR OUR SPANISH SPEAKERS. GET THE VOLUME UP JUST A LITTLE BIT. HE WOULD HAVE TO DO THAT ON HIS END. OKAY. OKAY. SO YOU NEED MY VOLUME UP A LITTLE BIT? MM-HMM . IS THAT BETTER? THAT'S BETTER, YES. YES. OKAY, PERFECT. OKAY, ONCE AGAIN, THIS WILL BE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR OUR SPANISH SPEAKERS WILL INSTRUCTION AND THANK YOU MAYOR. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. AS A REMINDER, IF WE COULD, UH, PLEASE SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES AND ANY OTHER DEVICES IN THE CHAMBER, THAT'D BE MUCH, MUCH APPRECIATED. WITH THAT, UH, I'D LIKE TO CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER. UH, A LIVE WEBCAST OF THE MEETING MAY BE VIEWED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. IF YOU'RE WATCHING VIA ZOOM OR IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM, THE SPANISH VERSION OF THE MEETING INTERPRET INTERPRETER INSTRUCTIONS WILL APPEAR IN THE CHAT BOX. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO SIT IN THE CHAMBER, HEADSETS ARE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE FOR LIVE SPANISH TRANSLATION. PLEASE SEE THE DEPUTY CITY CLERK TO CHECK OUT A SAID, UH, THE NOTICE AGENDA AND INFORMATION ON THE CITY OF NASHVILLE CITY'S WEBSITE INFORMS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT THEY MAY SUBMIT A GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OR A PUBLIC COMMENT ON A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, EITHER IN PERSON BY SUBMITTING ONE OF THESE SALMON COLORED SLIPS OR BY, UH, ON 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. AND ALL WRITTEN COMMENTS RECEIVED ARE DISTRIBUTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL PRIOR TO THE MEETING AND PUBLISHED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE IF RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE. WITH THAT DEPUTY CITY CLERK, CAN WE HAVE ROLL CALL PLEASE? COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER YAMANI. HERE. VICE MAYOR BUSH. HERE. MAYOR MORRISON. PRESENT, WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COULD WE PLEASE STAND FOR THE, UH, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE? REMAIN STANDING FOR THE INVOCATION. AND, UH, MEMBER IMANI, WOULD YOU, UH, PLEASE STAND? THANK YOU. READY? BEGIN. I'M GLAD. ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH STANDS? ONE NATION UNDER GOD IN THE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE. JUSTICE FOR ALL. OKAY. AND THERE IT IS. THANK YOU MARY. THANK COUNCILS MEMBERS GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. MY NAME IS RUBEN RODRIGUEZ, PASTOR OF FRUIT OF DIVINE CHURCH. AND I WANT TO SAY A PRAYER VACATION. DEAR GOD, I THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GATHER TOGETHER HERE, READY TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. I THANK YOU FOR THE FIRST RESPONDERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENTS AND GRANT US THE WISDOM TO BE ABLE TO GUIDE THE CITY IN DELIVERANCE THAT WE MAY WORK TOGETHER IN UNITY, COMPASSION, AND MORAL TO HAVE A GREAT DECISION MAKING TODAY. THE INTEREST IS FOR OUR CITY AND IN COMMUNITY. WE ASK YOU, LORD, TO HELP US TODAY TO BE MINDFUL FOR THE NEEDS OF THE RESIDENTS AND THE INTEGRITY OF THIS CITY. I ASK ALL THIS IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IN JESUS NAME. AMEN. BLESSINGS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AT THIS [5. PUBLIC COMMENT (Part 1 of 2)] POINT, WE'RE GONNA HEAR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS OR MATTERS THAT ARE NOT ON THE AGENDA. AND, UH, WE ALSO, UH, REPORT THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC COMMENTS WE HAVE. DO WE HAVE ANYONE ON ZOOM? YES, WE DO. OKAY. UH, IF THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS AT TWO MINUTES EACH EXCEEDS THE 30 MINUTE ALLOTTED TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, COUNCIL POLICY 1 0 4 PERMITS THE CHAIR TO REDUCE, UH, AND EXTEND THE, UH, OR ACTUALLY CONTINUE THE REMAINING SPEAKERS TO THE END OF THE MEETING. SO WITH THAT, UM, WE WILL TAKE, UH, THE AUDIENCE ONES FIRST AND I'M GONNA BE GIVING, UH, THREE NAMES AT A TIME. PLEASE LINE UP IN THE MIDDLE SO THAT WE HAVE AS LITTLE TIME BETWEEN SPEAKERS AS POSSIBLE AND GIVE MORE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO SPEAK. SO LEMME START AFTER. OKAY. FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TRUTH TO BE FOLLOWED BY CHRISTINE DIGGS, TO BE FOLLOWED BY CARLA. OH, I SAW HER HERE. THERE SHE IS. [00:05:01] I DID NOT SIGN UP TO BE FIRST. WHAT HAPPENED? AND, BUT I AM HERE TO FIGHT PURPLE SHIRTS. NO, I'M JUST KIDDING. I JUST WANNA MESS WITH THEM. . OKAY. FOR THE RECORD, RON, THERE'S STILL AN INVESTMENT IF SOMEONE PHONES IN THEIR COMMENTS RATHER THAN COMMENTING IN PERSON. I CA I CALLED INTO THE COUNTY FOR THREE YEARS AND I RECEIVED LITTLE TO NOTHING ON THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT, WHICH IS WHY I BASICALLY RETIRED FROM THOSE MEETINGS TO MOVE ON TO MORE FRUITFUL COUNCIL MEETINGS. MAYBE. UM, NOW ABOUT JOSE'S CONTINUED QUESTIONABLE ACTIONS, THEY'VE BEEN TARNISHING THE REPUTATION OF NATIONAL CITY. NOT ONLY HAS IT BEEN BRINGING NEGATIVE MEDIA ATTENTION, BUT I'VE EVEN BEEN HEARING FROM A FEW DIFFERENT CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT HOW THEY'RE SHOT TO THE CRAZINESS GOING ON IN NATIONAL CITY. AND THIS, THIS IS NOT THE TYPE OF PUBLICITY THAT THE CITY DESERVES. UH, NOR SHOULD, AS MARCUS HAD POINTED OUT, THE CITY, BE PUT AT LEGAL LIABILITY, FINANCIAL RISK BY PUTTING NONSENSE ON THE AGENDA. THAT'S AN OPEN CAN OF WORMS WITH ZERO TANGIBLE EVIDENCE. UH, JOSE, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ENGAGED AND COMPLICIT IN OUTRIGHT MANIPULATION OF BOTH COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC. EMPLOYING TOOLS LIKE POLITICAL THEATER AND GASLIGHTING, AS WELL AS UNDESERVED HIT PIECES AGAINST THE CURRENT MAYOR RON. I KNOW THAT'S GONNA P**S SOME PEOPLE OFF. YOU'RE NOT GONNA BECOME MAYOR THAT WAY. AND EVEN IF YOU HAD A CHANCE IN HECK, YOU'D BE MAYOR OF A CITY IN ASHES WHOSE REPUTATION WAS LOWERED BY YOUR OWN MISCONDUCT RATHER THAN UPON LEGITIMATE MERIT. LUCKILY, I DON'T KNOW IF SOMEONE COULD BE SENT YOU TWICE, BUT YOU'RE STILL YOUNG. YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR WAYS AND START OPERATING ON SELF-RESPECT AND INTEGRITY. SO TO END DRAMA AND GET BACK TO CITY BUSINESS REGARDING PUBLIC POLICY CHANGES TO 1 0 5 REQUESTS, IT SHOULD BE SPECIFIC ON WHO EXACTLY SHOULD REVIEW AND CONFIRM THE JUSTIFICATION. 'CAUSE OTHERWISE, ONLY THE MAYOR OR CITY MANAGER OR CITY ATTORNEY WILL END UP APPROVING AN ITEM PLACEMENT AND SOMEBODY'S GONNA QUESTION WHY THIS SPECIFIC PERSON APPROVES SOMETHING. UH, YES, TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS SHOULD APPROVE A PLACEMENT OF AN ITEM. UH, THAT'S STANDARD PROCEDURE IN MOST CITIES. AND YES TO CITY PARTY ALIGNMENT. THAT'S A GOOD PREVENTATIVE OF POLITICAL THEATER. BUT BEWARE URGENCY, INCLUDING EXTERNAL PRESSURE FROM THE PUBLIC. IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO ROUND UP SOME PEOPLE OR TO MANIPULATE SOME WHO HAVE MINOR ISSUES THAT THEY FEEL ARE URGENT. THAT'S ALREADY CURRENTLY HAPPENING. THANK YOU. OKAY. AND WE GO WITH CHRISTINE, KRISTEN, AND THEN CARLA. AND THEN AFTER THAT, UH, MARK CARLA. GOOD EVENING MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. MY NAME IS CHRISTINE DIGS AND I AM THE SENIOR OFFICE ASSISTANT FOR THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT. I STARTED MY JOURNEY BACK WITH THE CITY IN 2002 AS RECREATION AID. I REMEMBER THE DAYS WHEN WE RAN OUR OWN SPORTS LEAGUES, THE TINY TOP PROGRAM AMONGST OTHER PROGRAMMING AT ALL OF OUR RECREATION CENTERS. I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT OUR DEPARTMENT, OUR STAFF, AND THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE TO THIS COMMUNITY. WE'RE CURRENTLY IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S AT STAKE. WE'RE BEING ASKED TO DO MORE TO BRING BACK SOME OF THOSE IN-HOUSE PROGRAMS, AND WE WANT TO DO THAT. BUT LET ME ASK YOU THIS. HOW CAN WE PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES WHEN IT TAKES MONTHS, MONTHS TO HIRE NEW STAFF? WHEN WE TRAIN STAFF TO HELP THEM GROW, ONLY TO WATCH THEM LEAVE FOR BETTER PAY AND MORE ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN OTHER CITIES. WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO DELIVER WHAT IS CURRENTLY BEING OFFERED AND ADD ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS THAT ARE BEING ASKED OF US IF WE DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER, IF OUR WAGES AREN'T COMPETITIVE AND WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO ASK OUR PART-TIME STAFF TO CONTINUE OFFERING THEIR CURRENT PROGRAMMING AND ADD MORE. IF THEY'RE CONSTANTLY HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT RUNNING OUT OF HOURS, COME SPRINGTIME, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDING MORE FOR OUR CITY, BUT WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. WE NEED COMPETITIVE PAY. WE NEED THE ABILITY TO GROW WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT. WE NEED THE ABILITY TO RETAIN THE STAFF WHO WANT TO CONTINUE TO RUN PROGRAMS IN OUR CITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY. PLEASE HELP US BUILD A STRONGER DEPARTMENT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE, THE PEOPLE WE SERVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. THANK YOU. UH, CARLA, UH, FOLLOWED BY, UH, MARCO KAMAR. I PROBABLY MESSED UP YOUR NAME, BUT SORRY ABOUT THAT. I'M GONNA TELL YOU. AND THEN STEPHANIE OLA. GOOD EVENING MAYOR. VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, I WOULD LIKE TO START TO THANK YOU GUYS. I REALLY, OUR UNION REALLY APPRECIATES THE EFFORTS THAT YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO CHANGE FOR THE, THE WELLBEING OF OUR MEMBERS. ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT YOU GUYS DID, YOU GUYS SUPPORTED OUR MEMBERSHIP ON CHANGING THE PREVIOUS ATTORNEY THAT WE WERE DOING LABOR NEGOTIATION WITH BECAUSE WE FELT WE WEREN'T BEING TREATED FAIRLY LIKE OTHER GROUPS. WE WERE LEFT BEHIND. SO YOU GUYS MADE AN EFFORT, WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS, MADE THE CHANGES. UNFORTUNATELY, WE FEEL HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF. OUR MEMBERSHIP, OUR ENTIRE GROUP, WE REP REPRESENT AROUND 15 DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, DIFFERENT POSITIONS. WE HAVE AROUND 80 DIFFERENT POSITIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND WE DID WORK, DID A LOT OF WORK TO WORK ON OUR PROPOSALS. EVERY SINGLE ONE IS DIFFERENT. WE DID SUBMIT IT AVERAGE AROUND [00:10:01] 20. WE DID A LOT OF WORK ON THEM, BUT WE FEEL OUR MEMBERSHIP THAT WHEN WE ASKED STATUS WHAT COUNSEL THOUGHT ABOUT OUR PROPOSALS, THERE WAS NO ANSWER. WE FELT YOU GUYS WEREN'T GIVING ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE WORKED SO HARD FOR. AND AGAIN, WE'RE HISTORY IS BEING REPEATED FROM THE PREVIOUS ATTORNEY. ALL THAT I ASKED FOR, IT'S HARD BEING IN THIS POSITION, PRESIDENT OF THE UNION REPRESENTING EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE IN OUR ORGANIZATION. BUT I DO ASK FOR FAIRNESS. THAT'S WHAT I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT AND THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING FOR US TO HAVE, UM, FAIR NEGOTIATION AND TO, IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY PROPOSALS, WE'RE HERE. WE'RE HERE TO ASSIST. WE JUST WANT THIS NEGOTIATION TO BE FAIR AND FOR US NOT TO BE PUSHED TO THE SIDE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, MARICAR, UH, TO BE FOLLOWED BY STEPHANIE MINEOLA. IT IS FOLLOWED BY JUANITA CASTANE. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL MEMBERS AND OUR MAYOR. MY NAME IS MARI CARR. MY PRONOUNS ARE SHA THEY THEM. AND I'M A PROUD SEIU MEMBER AND PART-TIME EMPLOYEE. I SAY PROUD BECAUSE IN MY DEPARTMENT, OUR PART-TIMERS MAKE UP THE MAJORITY OF OUR STAFF. AND WITHOUT US, OUR DEPARTMENT WOULD NOT RUN. HOWEVER, PART-TIMERS, SOME WHO HAVE WORKED FOR THE CITY FOR MORE THAN A DECADE HAVE MINIMAL BENEFITS. IN THE CITY'S MID-YEAR BUDGET REVIEW, THE CITY SPENT AN AVERAGE OF $89,000 EACH MONTH FROM THE $1.49 MILLION SET FOR PART-TIME PERSONNEL. AND IF THERE WERE NO OTHER INCREASE IN SPENDING, THAT SHOULD LEAVE THE CITY WITH MORE THAN $400,000 AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WE ASK YOU RESPECTFULLY TO USE REMAINING FUNDS TOWARDS COMMON SENSE CHANGES FOR PART-TIMERS, BASICS LIKE HEALTH BENEFITS, HOLIDAY PAY, BILINGUAL PAY, AND MORE FULL-TIME OPPORTUNITIES SO OUR PART-TIMERS CAN GROW WITHIN OUR CITY. WE REALIZE FEDERAL CUTS WILL AFFECT THE CITY'S BUDGET, BUT JUST REMEMBER THOSE CUTS ARE AFFECTING YOUR EMPLOYEES TOO, AS WELL AS OUR LOVED ONES. WE ASK THAT YOU USE THE POWER AND RESOURCES THAT YOU DO HAVE TO SUPPORT AND INVEST IN ALL OF OUR STAFF HERE. THANK YOU YOU, STEPHANIE MANOLA, FOLLOWED BY JUANITA CASTANEDA AND THEN ILIANA DELGADO. GOOD EVENING MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME IS STEPHANIE MENDOLA. I AM THE ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY AT THE NASHVILLE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT. I AM A RESIDENT IN DISTRICT ONE AND I AM PART OF THE MEA NEGOTIATION TEAM. I AM HERE TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT WITH OUR CONTRACT. WE ARE THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND THE CITY DOES NOT FUNCTION WITHOUT MEA MEMBERS, WHETHER IT'S THE PUBLIC WORKS SKI, THE JANITORS, THE NUTRITION CENTER STAFF THAT FEEDS OUR SENIORS, THE RECREATION STAFF THAT CREATES PROGRAMS FOR OUR YOUTH AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OUR DISPATCHERS THAT HELP SAVE LIVES. OUR SENIOR OFFICE ASSISTANTS, OUR ADMIN ASSISTANCE, OUR HOUSING STAFF, OUR LIBRARY STAFF, RECORDS CLERKS, FIRE ADMIN, ENGINEERING STAFF, FINANCE STAFF, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. POINT IS THAT THERE IS A LOT OF BOOTS ON THE GROUND THAT MAKE THE CITY GO ROUND. WITHOUT MEA OUR MANAGEMENT, OUR MANAGEMENT AND OUR DIRECTORS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THEIR JOBS. WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR THE MOON AND THE STARS. WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR A FAIR CONTRACT. WE WERE ALL DISAPPOINTED IN HEARING FROM YOUR ATTORNEY, HUMAN RESOURCES AND FINANCE REPRESENTATIVES THAT THE PRO-LABOR COUNCIL MEMBERS HAD NO DESIRE TO READ OUR PROPOSALS. WE ASK THAT YOU RECONSIDER AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR 21 PROPOSALS. PLEASE PUT YOUR DIFFERENCES ASIDE AS MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL TO GIVE US A FAIR CONTRACT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, JUANITA CASTANEDA, FOLLOWED BY ILEANA DELGADO, FOLLOWED BY ALEX NEIL. GOOD EVENING MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. MY NAME IS JUANITA CASTANEDA. I'M A RECREATION SUPERVISOR WITH THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT ON JUNE 4TH, DURING COUNCIL MEETING OH FOUR VICE MAYOR BUSH, COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ, UH, COUNCILWOMAN, YANI AND MOLINA WERE IN FULL SUPPORT OF APPROVING TWO REC CENTER SUPERVISORS FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES. MAYOR MORRISON WANTED AN NEEDS ASSESSMENT. THE ASSESSMENT WAS SUBMITTED, WAS DONE AND SUBMITTED TO THE PREVIOUS CITY MANAGER, AND INSTEAD, CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE MOVE FORWARD WITH RECRUITING FOR A DIRECTOR POSITION AND WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT'S GOING ON ANOTHER NOTE, OUR MEA NEGOTIATIONS TEAM IS VERY DISAPPOINTED TO FIND OUT THAT OUR GOOD FATE NEGOTIATION IS TAINTED. THIS WEEK WE FOUND OUT THAT YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL DID NOT HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW ALL OF OUR PROPOSALS IN DETAIL. YET WE RECEIVED NOTICE FROM HR THAT ALL OF OUR PROPOSALS WERE DENIED EXCEPT GETTING US ALL TO THE MEDIAN. SOMEONE IS LYING, AND THAT IS NOT NEGOTIATION. NEGOTIATING IN GOOD FAITH. THANK [00:15:01] YOU. OKAY, JULIANA DELGADO. ALEX NEIL, TED GOTCH. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. MY NAME IS ELENA DELGADO. I AM A LONGTIME NATIONAL CITY RESIDENT AND RECREATION SUPERVISOR FOR THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT. WHERE DO I START? I'M MENTALLY EXHAUSTED. WE KEEP HAVING TO COME HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE SAME ISSUES. THERE ARE SO MANY PROBLEMS, BUT THE BIGGEST ONE IS THE LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY. LEADERSHIP CONTINUES TO PUT THE CITY IN LIABILITY SITUATIONS AND THEY'RE NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THERE WERE OVER 44,000 SPENT BY THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ACCORDING TO WARRANT REGISTER NUMBER 37 FOR LEGAL SERVICES DATED MARCH 11TH AND 13TH. WHY? WE ARE TIRED. WE COME AND WE TELL YOU TO PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND EMPLOYEES. BUT NOW I ASK YOU TO DIRECT YOUR LEADERSHIP TO MAKE DECISIONS WITH OUR INPUT DECISIONS CONTINUE TO BE MADE WITHOUT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION HOW THEY WILL AFFECT THE MEA WORKFORCE AND BY DEFAULT, THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE HERE TO SERVE. PLEASE SUPPORT THE MEA HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE AND DEMAND PROOF OF EVERYTHING DUE YOUR DUE DILIGENCE. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALEX NEIL, FOLLOWED BY TED GODSHAW, FILED BY, UH, AIDA CASTANEDA. GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS ALEX NEW. I'M THE SYSTEMS LIBRARIAN AT NATIONAL CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY. MEA CAME TO THE LABOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH 21 PROPOSALS. WE WERE TOLD BY THE CITY THAT ALMOST ALL WERE REJECTED BY COUNCIL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF WAGES. WHETHER THAT IS TRUE OR NOT, I DON'T KNOW, BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN JUST WAGES. THE REST OF OUR PROPOSALS ARE ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO US. SOME ARE EVEN NON-ECONOMIC. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE CITY ACCEPT THESE PROPOSALS AND OFFER OTHER BENEFITS THAT DEMONSTRATE THAT THE CITY CARES ABOUT THEIR EMPLOYEES AND SUPPORTS THEIR FAMILIES OFFERING BENEFITS LIKE BEREAVEMENT, LEAVE BABY BONDING TIME AND BENEFITS FOR PART-TIME EMPLOYEES WOULD HELP NATIONAL CITY MATCH WHAT OTHER NEIGHBORING CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES OFFER HELP MAKE NATIONAL CITY A BETTER PLACE TO WORK FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. TED GOTCH, FOLLOWED BY AIDA CASTANEDA, FOLLOWED BY ALEXANDER FERNANDEZ. THANK YOU MAYOR TED GOTCH HERE. I RECENTLY WATCHED THE TELLEN NOVELLA CALLED YOUR APRIL 18TH SPECIAL MEETING, AND I WAS VERY SURPRISED, NO FLABBERGASTED BY THE ACTION OF ONE COUNCIL MEMBER. THE DISMISSAL OF THE CITY MANAGER WAS THE TOPIC, BUT WE HEARD COMMENTS ABOUT THE CLOSED STOCK MARKET. GOOD FRIDAY, JUDAS, AND THE PROPOSED GAS STATION ON SWEETWATER ROAD. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THE PUBLIC DESERVES TO HEAR A FULL DISCLOSURE OF THE REASONS YOU FIRED HIM OR LET HIM QUIT WITH A SIX MONTHS PAY. MS. MOLINA GAVE A FEW REASONS THANK YOU. BUT IT WAS THE ACTIONS OF MR. RODRIGUEZ THAT NIGHT THAT WERE THE MOST SERIOUS. MR. RODRIGUEZ, I PROPOSED TO YOU IN THE WRITTEN COMMENTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC ON YOUR WEBSITE, THAT HE VIOLATED SEVEN COUNCIL POLICIES AND DODGED HIS RESPONSIBILITIES AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL BY NOT LISTENING TO THE ISSUE FROM HIS SEAT. AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, WE DON'T HAVE ANY REMEDY FOR THESE VIOLATIONS, BUT YOU DO. AND I CITED ALL SEVEN OF THOSE, INCLUDING VOTING INCORRECTLY, TRYING TO BE DISQUALIFIED FROM VOTING OR ABSTAINING WITHOUT GIVING A REASON, OBTAINING THE FLOOR FROM THIS SIDE. HE ALSO MAY HAVE DISCLOSED CLOSED SESSION INFORMATION. FINALLY, IF YOU KNOW, ONE THING I NOTICED, AND I MAY BE WRONG, BUT IF MR. MIKE AGUIRRE IS ACTING AS MR. RODRIGUEZ'S CAMPAIGN ADVISOR AS IT APPEARS, THEN HE SHOULD PROBABLY TELL MR. RODRIGUEZ TO TAKE HIS SEAT ON THE DAIS AND REMEMBER HIS OWN WORDS. THE ELECTION IS OVER. LET'S GET TO WORK. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE AIDA CASTANEDA, FOLLOWED BY ALEXANDER FERNANDEZ, FOLLOWED BY BRIAN CLAPPER. THANK YOU. HELLO, UH, MAYOR MORRISON AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. MY NAME IS AIDA CASTANEDA, PR RESIDENT HERE OF NATIONAL CITY. AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. I'M HERE TO URGE YOU TO SUPPORT A COMPREHENSIVE TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSING FEE, A TRL ONE THAT FULLY FUNDS ENFORCEMENT AND STOP ILLEGAL FLAVORED TOBACCO SALES, ESPECIALLY TO MINORS. DESPITE EXISTING LAWS FLAVORED TOBACCO ARE STILL BEING SOLD AND FAR TOO OFTEN THEY END UP IN THE HANDS OF OUR YOUTH. ISN'T THAT DUE TO LACK OF THE LAWS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE BY PROP 30, UH, 31 THAT PASSED OVER TWO YEARS AGO? IT'S LACK OF ENFORCEMENT, A STRONG TRL, EXCUSE ME. A STRONG TRL CAN CHANGE THAT. WE NEED ANNUAL FEES THAT FUND COMPLIANCE CHECKS AND CHECKS, INVESTIGATIONS, REAL PENALTIES LIKE FINES AND, UH, LICENSE SUSPENSIONS FOR VIOLATORS. AND THE ABILITY TO ENFORCE PROACTIVELY, NOT JUST AFTER DAMAGE IS ALREADY DONE. THIS ISN'T ABOUT PUNISHING BUSINESSES, IT'S ABOUT PROTECTING OUR YOUTH AND HOLDING BAD ACTORS ACCOUNTABLE. CITIES THAT ADOPT STRONG [00:20:01] TRL PROGRAMS SEE REAL RESULTS. FEWER ILLEGAL CELLS, FEWER YOUTH USING TOBACCO. LET'S GIVE OUR CITY THE TOOLS TO ENFORCE THE LAW AND PRIORITIZE PUBLIC HEALTH. GRACIA. AND I ALSO SUPPORT MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, UH, WITH SEIU 2 2 1, WHICH IS THANK YOU ALEC ALEXANDER FERNANDEZ, FOLLOWED BY BRIAN CLAPPER, FOLLOWED BY DOYLE MORRISON, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. GOOD EVENING. UH, AS YOU KNOW, MY NAME IS ALEXANDER FERNANDEZ. I AM HERE ON A REOCCURRING ISSUE THAT I THOUGHT WAS PUT TO REST A FEW MONTHS BACK. AND THAT IS A NOISE ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS. NOW IT'S COMING FROM, UH, RODEO'S MARKET AND IT'S ABOUT EVERY OTHER NIGHT OR EVEN EVERY NIGHT, I HAVE TO CONTINUE TO CONTACT THE POLICE TO SHUT DOWN THEIR MUSIC AT ONE OR EVEN TWO IN THE MORNING. AS YOU GUYS MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, MY WIFE IS A REGISTERED NURSE AND SHE NEEDS HER REST IN ORDER TO SAVE LIVES. AND, UH, WE WE'RE NOT GETTING THAT AND WE'RE NOT GETTING ANY PEACE, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO JUST BEING IN OUR OWN HOME BECAUSE THAT MUSIC IS JUST BLOWING THROUGH OUR DOORS, OUR WINDOWS, AND EVERYTHING'S LOCKED UP. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I I I WORRY ABOUT HER BECAUSE IT COULD BE HER LICENSE ON THE LINE IF SHE DOESN'T GET ENOUGH REST IN ORDER TO DO WHAT SHE HAS TO DO IN ORDER TO PROVIDE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UH, SHE'S A REGISTERED NURSE AT SAN YSIDRO HEALTH AND SHE'S PLANNING ACTUALLY TO TRANSFER TO THE NATIONAL CITY SAN YSIDRO HEALTH, UH, CENTER, WHICH I'M GREATLY HAPPY ABOUT AND GREATLY PROUD. SO I DEFINITELY ASK, UM, YOU GUYS TO PLEASE, UH, CONSIDER, UM, PEACE FOR, UH, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT HAND AND KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WORK, WHO LIVE AND WHO MAY HAVE STUDENTS LIVING THERE AS WELL, UM, THAT ARE JUST, UH, NOT ABLE TO REST, UM, AND PREPARE FOR THEIR DAY AS WELL. SO I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, NOT JUST MYSELF. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS CAN BE ADDRESSED, BUT I CERTAINLY HOPE AND PRAY THAT IT CAN BE ADDRESSED BY, UH, THE COUNCIL HERE, UM, AS, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AND I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR GUYS' TIME. AND ALSO AS A UNION MEMBER, I DO SUPPORT, UM, MY SCSU. THANK YOU. GOOD. UH, BRIAN CLAPPER, FOLLOWED BY DOLE MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY ALICIA MORRISON. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR MORRISON, COUNCIL STAFF COMMUNITY. I'M HERE TONIGHT. WE'RE REPRESENTING THE NATIONAL CITY HOST LIONS, WHO, AS YOU KNOW, ARE APPROACHING THEIR 79TH ANNUAL CARNIVAL HERE IN NATIONAL CITY THIS YEAR. AND YOU'LL HAVE SOME, UH, FLYERS WILL BE PASSED OUT LATER. UH, ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW, UM, I'M VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE AT BEING A LION OVER 20 YEARS, EVERY YEAR, OUR PERMIT TO THE CITY INCREASES IMMENSELY. WE JUST RECEIVED A BILL THE OTHER DAY WAS ALMOST $37,000. THAT'S JUST FOR THE PARK NOW. IF YOU ADD THE REST OF THE STUFF, THE RESTROOMS, HALF OF THE FIREWORKS. WE'RE PAYING OVER 65 TO $70,000 TO PUT THIS EVENT ON. WE LOVE IT. WE ENJOY IT. BUT I'M WONDERING WHERE THE PARTNERSHIP IS, AND I'M ASKING YOU HERE TONIGHT TO ASK YOU, LAST YEAR, MR. MARTINEZ, UM, HELPED US AND, AND, AND HELPED US A LITTLE BIT. BUT YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, AS LIONS, EVERYTHING WE DO AND EVERYTHING WE GET, WE GIVE EYEGLASSES TO THE KIDS. WE SUPPORT EVERY SPORT AT SWEETWATER. WE ARE THE MOST, THE, THE LARGEST SERVICE ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD. AND THERE'S 54 CLUBS IN THIS DISTRICT. AND I'M A PAST GOVERNOR AND EVERYBODY RESPECTS NATIONAL CITY HOST LIONS FOR THIS CARNIVAL. AND IT'S COMING TO THE POINT WHERE IF WE CAN'T GET TOGETHER AND BECOME REAL PARTNERS AND HELP US WITH THIS, I'M ASKING AND PLEADING TO PLEASE, LET'S SIT DOWN. LET'S FIGURE THIS OUT. I MEAN, IT'S COSTING US JUST, IT'S COSTING US $20,000 TO HAVE THE POLICE PATROL THE CARNIVAL ALL OVERTIME HOURS. AND, AND, AND, AND IT JUST, IT REALLY BOTHERS ME. I'VE BEEN DOING IT, LIKE I SAID, I'VE BEEN SHARING IT FOR 15 YEARS, AND IT'S BECOME, IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE LIKE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE CAN DO IT. LAST YEAR WE DONATED EVERY PENNY WE COULD BACK TO THE COMMUNITY OF NATIONAL CITY, AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT WE HAVE DOYLE MORRISON WITH ALICIA, AND THEN ALICIA MORRISON, THEN GLORIA SALAS. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I'M HERE. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO BRING YOU INFORMATION SO THAT YOU MIGHT ACT ON IT, OR AT LEAST DIRECT STAFF TO ACT ON IT. CODE ENFORCEMENT IN THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY IS LENIENT TO SOME AND STRINGENT TO OTHERS. FOR INSTANCE, THE PERMIT FOR THE MOBILE STATION RETAIL SPACE AT 29 45, SUITE 1 0 2 AND 1 0 3 IS PERMITTED [00:25:01] AS RETAIL SHELL. YET THEY'RE USING THE SPACE FOR STORAGE OF BEVERAGES, CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, BUNDLES OF FIREWOOD, PROPANE TANKS, AND CARDBOARD, ALL COMBUSTIBLES. ALL OF THIS IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM SWEETWATER HIGH SCHOOL. SO PLEASE ACT ON THIS. PLEASE DIRECT THE STAFF TO ACT ON THIS SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE AN INCIDENT, A FIRE INCIDENT, UM, RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE, THE HIGH SCHOOL. UH, WE ALL KNOW TOO, THAT IF YOU DRIVE BY THERE IN THE AFTERNOON, YOU SEE THAT MOBILE STATION IS USED AS A, AS A DROP OFF PICKUP FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. THAT COULD BE DETRIMENTAL. AND, UH, TONIGHT I'M GONNA BE LOOKING AND, AND I KNOW YOU CAN'T MAKE COMMENT BECAUSE THIS IS JUST PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU'RE JUST SUPPOSED TO, TO LISTEN AND NOT COMMENT BACK. BUT YOUR ACTIONS OR YOUR INACTIONS ON THIS MATTER WILL BE WATCHED. THANK YOU. ALICIA MORRISON BE FOLLOWED BY GLORIA SLES BEFORE BE FOLLOWED BY MANUEL ANDRA. UM, FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE AND GIVE A THANK YOU TO THE CIVIL ENGINEERING TEAM, UH, JASON JASMINE AND CHARLES NESTLE, AND TWO OF THE VACUUM OPERATORS. I DON'T KNOW THEIR NAME. UH, THERE WAS AN ISSUE ON SWEETWATER ROAD IN FRONT OF THE PROPERTY OF 2311, WHERE THERE WAS WATER THAT WAS LEAKING OUT OF THE SIDEWALK. IT HAS BEEN FOR MONTHS. AND I REACHED OUT TO SWEETWATER AUTHORITY AND THEN THEY SAID, OH, YOU GOTTA GO TO NASHVILLE CITY. WENT BACK TO NASHVILLE CITY. AND THEN, UH, JASON SAT WITH ME AND HE SHARED MY CONCERN AND THERE WAS ACTION ON IT THE NEXT DAY. SO I JUST WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT AND A THANK YOU. AND THEN NEXT I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME STEVEN HUTH. OKAY, SO, UH, THERE IS A SAFETY CONCERN AT 2305 SWEETWATER ROAD, WHICH IS, IS AN ABANDONED RESIDENCE. AND I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST UNDER YOUR ORDINANCE 2 1 7 5 7 0.0 6.090 A FEE IMPOSED. OKAY. THAT RESIDENCE HAS BEEN ABANDONED FOR WELL OVER 90 DAYS. OKAY? THIS IS A FACT. ON DECEMBER 2ND, TOM MORGAN STATED THAT THAT SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE WAS NOT PART OF A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AND THAT IT WAS GONNA BE REMODELED AND UPGRADED AND THEN RENTED OUT. SO I HOPE YOU WILL FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THIS. UH, WE'VE GOT A WHOLE LONG LIST OF STUFF. THANK YOU. GLORIA SEZ TO BE FOLLOWED BY, UM, MANUEL ANDRETTI, GLORIA, NATIONAL CITY RETAIL LICENSE. THANK YOU. IF WE COULD HAVE THE TRANSLATION NOW, PLEASE. SURE. I'LL SWITCH OVER. CARLOS. CARLOS, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. GLORIA SEZ, NATIONAL CITY RESIDENT FOR OVER 12 YEARS, AND I'M VICE CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, OR I'VE WORKED FOR OVER 40 YEARS. ON MARCH 4TH, EVERYONE VOTED IN FAVOR OF IMPLEMENTING A TRL, UM, A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE PROGRAM. UM, JOSE RODRIGUEZ, UH, WAS THE ONE WHO PRESENTED THE MOTION, IEA FORMAL REQUEST, UM, FOR YOU TO COME BACK, UM, WITH THIS INFORMATION. AND WE WERE TOLD THAT BY MAY 6TH TODAY, WE WOULD HAVE AN ANSWER REGARDING THE TRL. WE ARE NOW BEING TOLD [00:30:01] THAT IT WON'T BE UNTIL PERHAPS JULY OR EVEN AUGUST. SAME THING HAPPENED WITH THE LES PALM MASS POOL ISSUES. WE GET NO ANSWERS, NO PROGRESS. WE ASK THAT YOU ACT RESPONSIBILITY, UH, AND TO TREAT US WITH RESPECT AND TO TAKE US SERIOUSLY. IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE, GO BY 47TH AND MARKET, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT EVERY TWO, THREE BLOCKS, WE HAVE EITHER A SMOKE SHOP OR A VAPE SHOP, AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, MANUEL ANDRADE BE FOLLOWED BY, I THINK IT'S ANDREW WILLIAMSON. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO SPEAK. UH, THE NATIONAL CITY COALITION FOR BETTER HEALTH, UH, WAS CREATED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. UM, ACTUALLY WE'RE AT A MEETING AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH BUILDING UP NORTH. UM, MET WITH GLORIA SALAS AND IMA HERNANDEZ, WHO ARE NOW THE BIG, THE PRESIDENT OF VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COALITION. UH, WE WILL CONTINUE WORKING ON ALL DIFFERENT ISSUES AFFECTING, UH, THE COMMUNITY, NOT ONLY HERE IN NATIONAL CITY. WE'RE WORKING IN NA IN CHULA VISTA. WE'RE WORKING IN LONG HEIGHTS. WE'RE WORKING IN CITY HEIGHTS. UH, DEFINITELY ALL THESE COMMUNITIES ARE CONNECTED ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, ESPECIALLY KIDS SCHOOLS. UH, THE TOBACCO LICENSE PROGRAM WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, UH, PRESENTED TODAY. UH, THE ORDINANCE, WE UNDERSTAND THE CITY STAFF IS, UH, BUSY AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF WORK WE WOULD LIKE, UH, FOR THE COUNCIL TO COMMIT FORMALLY TO, UH, PRESENT THESE ORDINANCE. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO PROTECT YOUTH AND ENSURE THAT, UH, BUSINESS ARE FOLLOWING LAW. UH, YESTERDAY AT A MEETING WITH, UH, THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO LIVEWELL MARKET PROGRAM, UM, WE WERE REPORTED THAT, UH, THE, UH, THEY WERE DOING SOME ASSESSMENTS TO SEE WHAT STORES, UH, WERE PROMOTING HEALTHY OPTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY. THEY FOUND FOUR, UH, POTENTIAL STORES THAT WERE SELLING TOBACCO WITH NO LICENSE. THE THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO. SO AGAIN, THIS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. IT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, MUST BE ADDRESSED ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. UH, LOCALLY, SEVERAL COMMUNITIES ARE TAKING, UH, ACTION, INCLUDING YOURSELVES. AND, UH, WE REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THIS. THANK YOU FOR COMMITTING TO A, A NEW DATE FOR THESE TO HAPPEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT IS, UH, IS ANDREW WILLIAMSON, COUNCIL MAYOR ANDREW WILLIAMSON PUBLIC WORKS. UH, MEETING ALL THE GUYS. YOU KNOW, WE DO WHAT WE CAN TRY AND KEEP THE CITY UP. UM, IT WAS VERY DISAPPOINTING THAT WE, UH, GOT BACK, UH, FROM THE LAWYER SAYING THAT YOU GUYS DECIDED TO GO TO THE MEDIAN. AND THEN NOTHING ELSE. NO COST OF LIVING. COST OF LIVING DIDN'T GO UP THIS YEAR. I DIDN'T GET TO NOTICE. BUT , UM, AS LIKE PREVIOUS MEMBERS SAID, THERE WAS QUITE A FEW THAT WAS JUST CLEAN UP. THERE'S THINGS IN THERE SAYING EMPLOYEES HIRED IN 79, WHICH I DON'T THINK WE NEED. IT'S JUST FLUFF TAKING UP SPACE AND VARIOUS OTHER THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WOULDN'T AFFECT THE BUDGET IN ONE BIT, BUT IT WAS STILL DENIED. AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TOLD. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE, UH, SEEMED LIKE IT. JUST NO, NO THOUGHT, NO CARE, NO NOTHING. IT'S JUST RUBBER STAMP. NO, JUST A LITTLE ATTENTION TO DETAIL WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU AND WE WOULD LIKE, LIKE TO FEEL THAT YOU'RE HERE TO SUPPORT US AS WELL. THAT'S ALL I GOT TODAY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THAT IS THE END OF THE ONE HALF HOUR. THE REMAINING SPEAKERS, BOTH IN AUDIENCE AND THOSE THAT ARE ON ZOOM, WILL BE PICKED UP AT THE END OF THE MEETING. UM, WITH THAT, WE NOW GO INTO, [6.1 Introduction of New City Employees] UH, RECOGNITION AND WE HAVE RECOGNITION ON NEW EMPLOYEES. AND MAYOR, IF MAYOR, IF I MAY ASK, WERE THERE A LOT MORE SPEAKERS? YES, THERE ARE. PLUS WITH THE ZOOM. YES. SO DO YOU CONSIDER THE SPEAKERS THAT ARE HERE, AT LEAST FOR ONE MINUTE? NO. LET'S, LET'S HOLD UP. WE DID THE, WE DID THE SAID ONE HALF HOUR. SO LET'S, LET'S STICK WITH THAT. THANK [00:35:01] YOU. UM, SO WITH THAT, UM, I'M GONNA ASK ON, UM, POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHY DON'T YOU GUYS JUMP ON IT FIRST? MAYOR, MAYOR, I BELIEVE YOU MAY HAVE A SLIP THERE FOR JAMES KIM FOR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. YES. WE, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ONES FOR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. YEAH. OH, OKAY. YOU'RE SAVING THEM ALL, NOT JUST THE ZOOM TO THE END. YEAH. YES. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. SO THE ONES THAT WE STILL HAVE THAT ARE PAST THE HALF HOUR, WE STILL HAVE THOSE, PLUS WE HAVE THE ONES THAT ARE ON ZOOM ALSO. OKAY. OKAY. SO THANK YOU MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER, STAFF, AND THE PUBLIC. MY NAME IS CHRIS SULLIVAN, CAPTAIN WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND I HAVE THE, UH, PLEASURE OF INTRODUCING TWO OF OUR NEWEST MEMBERS TO OUR DEPARTMENT. THEY'RE NOT HERE TODAY, SO IT'LL BE AN AB ABSENT. UH, MCKENNA HARTILL IS OUR FIRST, SHE CAME TO US FROM THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, UH, CRIME LABORATORY, AND SHE'S NOW OUR NEWEST POLICE INVESTIGATOR. NEXT WE HAVE RACHEL BOYER. SHE WORKED FOR OUR DEPARTMENT IN THE PAST, LOVED IT DUE TO FAMILY REASONS, HAD TO MOVE AND HAS RETURNED TO US AND WAS VERY EXCITED TO COME BACK. WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE BOTH OF THEM BACK AND WELCOME TO OUR, OUR, OUR FAMILY. ALRIGHT. AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO DO COMMUNITY SERVICES NEXT. YES. GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU, WHO IS WITH US HERE TODAY? JOSE RODRIGUEZ, OUR NEW MANAGER OF OUR, UH, SENIOR NUTRITION CENTER. UH, GOT A NAMESAKE. YES. HERE WE GO. . UM, SO, UH, JOSE COMES FROM, UH, TO US WITH AN EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY, UH, FROM PARADISE HOSPITAL. AND WE WANNA WELCOME HIM. HE'S DOING A GREAT JOB. WE'VE GOT A GREAT TEAM OVER THERE, AND HE'S GONNA CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE GREAT SERVICE THAT EVERYONE EXPECTS FROM OUR NUTRITIONAL CENTER, SO, THANK YOU. OKAY. WELCOME ABOARD. UH, NEXT WE HAVE ENGINEERING PUBLIC WORKS. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL. STEVE MANGANELLI, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING PUBLIC WORKS. UH, THIS EVENING WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO WELCOME FOUR NEW MEMBERS TO OUR PUBLIC WORKS TEAM BASED ON THEIR, THEIR WORK SCHEDULE. THEY COULDN'T BE HERE TONIGHT, SO I'M JUST GONNA READ A BRIEF, UH, BIO ON, ON EACH OF 'EM SO YOU CAN GET TO KNOW THEM A LITTLE BETTER. UH, FIRST WE'LL START WITH, UM, GABRIEL GUERRERO. UH, GABRIEL JOINS US WITH A STRONG BACKGROUND IN PUBLIC SERVICE. HAVING WORKED WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO'S RAW WATER SYSTEM PROGRAM, HE ALSO BRINGS EXPERIENCE FROM THE CONSTRUCTION AND LANDSCAPING INDUSTRY. IN HIS FREE TIME, HE ENJOYS SPENDING TIME WITH HIS FAMILY, CHEERING ON THE PADRES, AND STAYING ACTIVE THROUGH SPORTS. GABRIEL'S SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WILL BE A GREAT ASSET TO OUR PUBLIC WORKS PARKS DIVISION TEAM. NEXT WE HAVE, UH, REGGIE FONTAN. REGGIE'S A PROUD FATHER OF FOUR CHILDREN AND DEDICATED HUSBAND TO HIS WIFE AUDREY, FOR OVER 16 YEARS. HE GREW UP IN SAN DIEGO AND CURRENTLY RESIDES IN CHULA VISTA. AFTER FINISHING HIGH SCHOOL, HE ATTENDED TRADE SCHOOL IN 2003, WHERE HE ULTIMATELY RECEIVED A DIPLOMA IN AUTOMOTIVE, AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY. AFTER GRADUATING, HE PURSUED HIS PASSION TO WORK IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY AS A MECHANIC FOR VARIOUS SHOPS, INCLUDING MIDAS, MOSSY NISSAN SUPERIOR AUTO TRUE LINE AUTO FIRESTONE AND PACIFIC HONDA. OVER HIS CAREER, HE GAINED EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE AND AUTOMOTIVE, AUTOMOTIVE MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, AND TROUBLESHOOTING OF MECHANICAL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. WE'RE INCREDIBLY EXCITED FOR REGGIE TO BRING HIS 20 PLUS YEARS OF EQUIPMENT MECHANIC EXPERIENCE TO OUR SHOP HERE AT NATIONAL CITY PUBLIC WORKS. NEXT WE HAVE PABLO DE DE LOS RIOS. PABLO GREW UP IN NATIONAL CITY AND GRADUATED FROM SWEETWATER HIGH SCHOOL. AS SUCH, HE TAKES A LOT OF PRIDE IN BEING ABLE TO SERVICE COMMUNITY. HE'S FAMILIAR WITH NATIONAL CITY PUBLIC WORKS, HAVING BEEN A, BEEN A PART-TIME SEASONAL PARK CARETAKER BACK IN 2019. HE'S VERY EXCITED TO RETURN TO NATIONAL CITY AS A FULL-TIME CUSTODIAN FOR OUR PUBLIC WORKS FACILITIES MAINTENANCE DIVISION. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE, WE WELCOME JOSE CASTILLO. JOSE COMES TO US WITH OVER 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR WHERE HE WORKED IN AIRPORT OPERATIONS FOR THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO. HIS PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDED IMPLEMENTATION OF THEIR STORM WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM, WHICH INCLUDES STREET SWEEPING SERVICES FOR THE BROWNFIELD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. HE SERVED AS A STREET SWEEPER OPERATOR FOR THE AIRPORT, UH, TAKING CARE OF THE RUNWAYS AND TAXIWAYS. MOST RECENTLY, JOSE WORKED AS A STREET SWEEPER OPERATOR FOR A PRIVATE STREET SWEEPING COMPANY CALLED TWO OAK SWEEPING, WHERE HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPERATE MULTIPLE TYPES OF STREET SWEEPERS, INCLUDING AN X ROOM. WE'RE EXTREMELY EXCITED TO ADD SOME WITH JOSE'S EXPERIENCE TO OUR PUBLIC WORK STREETS AND WASTEWATER DIVISION TEAM. UH, THANK YOU ALL AND, UH, WE, UH, REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE, HAVE THIS GROUP, UH, COME TO EACH OF OUR FOUR DIVISIONS AT PUBLIC WORK. SO WE'RE [00:40:01] GETTING REALLY CLOSE TO BEING FULLY STAFFED UP AND BEING ABLE TO, UH, CONTINUE TO PROVIDE, UM, SOME REALLY IMPORTANT SERVICES TO OUR, OUR RESIDENTS HERE IN NATIONAL CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. UM, WITH [7. REGIONAL BOARDS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS] THAT, NOW WE GO ON TO REGIONAL BOARDS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ANY, ALL ANY, UH, AB 1234 REPORTS. NOW I'LL START DOWN HERE ON MY LEFT. THANK YOU, MR. BARR. NOTHING TO REPORT. OKAY, NEXT. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, REPORT FROM, UH, THE SAN SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY. UM, WE, UM, ADOPT THE BOARD ADOPTED A RESOLUTION TO THE WATER SMART ENVIRONMENTAL WATER RESOURCES PROJECTS GRANT, UM, AWARDED WITH THE BUREAU OF RECLAMATION. WE ALSO ADAPT POSITIONS ON VARIOUS BILLS. THE, UM, THE BOARD ADOPTED TO SUPPORT ON THE IMPROVING ATMOSPHERIC RIVER FORECAST ACT. UM, PADILLA AND ME MARKOWSKI A POSITION OF SUPPORT ON HR 1 2 67 ON PEARSON MALLOY. THIS IS THE WATER SYSTEM'S PAS LIABILITY PROTECTION ACT. A POSITION OF OPPOSE ON AB 2 69 BENNETT DAM SAFETY AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE LOCAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, A POSITION OF SUPPORT ON AB FIVE EIGHT ON WALLACE. A POSITION, UM, OF OPPOSED UNLESS AMENDED ON AB 7 94 AND A POSITION OF SUPPORT ON SB 4 96 CORTADO, ADVANCED CLEAN FLEETS REGULATION AND A POSITION OF SUPPORT ON SB 5 99 CABALLERO ON ATMOSPHERIC RIVER. EXTENDED FORECASTING FOR, UM, THE METRO JPA. UM, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF, UM, THE SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT. THIS IS THE SARAH, UM, IN A REVISED VERSION OF THE 2021 OPERATING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO AND THE 12 PARTICIPATING AGENCIES. THOSE ARE THE PAS. WE ARE ONE OF THE 12 THAT USED THE REGIONAL METRO WASTE WATER SYSTEM. SO WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF AMENDING THAT MAYOR, UM, FOR, UM, SWEETWATER AUTHORITY. UM, THERE IS NO REPORTABLE ITEM. AND FOR, UM, UH, SAN COMMUNITY POWER, THERE IS NO REPORTABLE ITEM. MR. MAYOR, THAT, THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, SANDECK, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAD THEIR ANNUAL RETREAT LAST, UH, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. UM, THE BOARD CHAIR, UH, MAYOR LISA EBNER AND, UH, CEO, MARIO ORSO, ALONG WITH ALL OF THE STAFF AT SANDAG, DID A FANTASTIC JOB OF GATHERING US ALL. UH, MOST OF THE, UM, CITIES OF THE 18 CITIES, UH, PLUS, UH, REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE COUNTY, MOST EVERYBODY WAS REPRESENTED. WE HAD A VERY GOOD SESSION ABOUT, UH, BOARD DYNAMICS AND WE HAD FRANK DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE BUDGET, UH, THE BUDGET DISCUSSIONS THAT ARE COMING UP, AS WELL AS THE TRANSNET AND THE FUTURE OF THE TRANSNET FUNDS. UH, THE PROJECTIONS THAT ARE COMING IN, UH, HOW, UM, SOME OF THOSE FUNDS ARE GOING TO BE LESS THAN WHAT WAS ANTICIPATED. SOME OF THE FUNDING IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE RESHUFFLED AROUND. UH, SOME DECISIONS WILL HAVE TO BE MADE ABOUT, UH, WHAT GETS FUNDED AND WHAT DOESN'T. SO, UM, NOT AS ROSY A PICTURE, UH, GIVEN THE ECONOMY. BUT THAT IS NOT A SURPRISE. UH, OVERALL WE HAD A VERY GOOD, UH, MEETING THE DAY AND A HALF THAT WE WERE TOGETHER. UH, ALL OF THE REPRESENTATIVES HAD, UH, VERY GOOD INPUT AS FAR AS WHAT TO EXPECT FOR THE COMING YEAR, OR, I MEAN, WE'RE ALREADY HALFWAY THROUGH, NEARLY, UM, THE BOARD RETREAT HAPPENED IN MAY. USUALLY IT HAPPENS IN MARCH, BUT, UH, I FEEL PRETTY POSITIVE ABOUT THE DIRECTION THAT SANDAG IS GOING IN. UM, TRUTH MIGHT HAVE SOME INPUT SINCE SHE WAS THERE AS WELL FOR, FOR, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT. BUT, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE ENDEAVORS THAT WERE UNDERGOING. THERE'S A LOT THAT'S GONNA BE HAPPENING. SO MORE TO COME. UH, THE NEXT, UH, BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETING IS ACTUALLY THIS COMING FRIDAY. SO I THINK EVERY SINGLE FRIDAY THIS MONTH I'LL BE DOING SOMETHING WITH SANDAG. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. HEY MAYOR, I HAVE NOTHING TO REPORT. I HAVE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT MEETING THIS, UM, THIS THURSDAY, AND THEN NEXT, UH, THURSDAY IS MTS BOARD MEETING. ALRIGHT, UM, WE DO HAVE, WITH THE SWEETWATER AUTHORITY BUDGET HEARINGS AND BUDGET MEETINGS COMING UP. SO A LOT OF, UH, SPECIAL MEETINGS GOING ON THERE TOO. UH, I TALK THE, UH, UM, [00:45:01] ON THE SELECTION COMMITTEE. WE'LL BE DOING INTERVIEWS THIS FRIDAY, SO I'LL BE INVOLVED WITH THAT. AND, UM, I BELIEVE THAT'S ABOUT IT FOR THE MOMENT. SO WITH THAT, THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO REPORT. WE WILL MOVE ON. UM, NEXT WE GO ON TO, [8. CONSENT CALENDAR] UH, CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS EIGHT, ONE THROUGH 11. MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO PULL EIGHT, FOUR SECOND. OKAY. EIGHT FOUR. WE HAVE REQUESTS FOR 8 8, 8 10 AT EIGHT 11. THE ONLY ONES I HAVE AT THE MOMENT. UM, OKAY, SO WE HAVE 8 4, 8 8, 8 10, AND EIGHT 11. NOT SEEING ANY OTHERS. CAN I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED MR. CHAIR. SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. AND SEE NO OTHER DISCUSSION. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION TO APPROVE UNANIMOUSLY. OKAY. IF WE CAN GO TO, UM, EIGHT FOUR. AND, UM, UH, JUST ONE QUESTION REAL QUICK. IF WE COULD STIPULATE THAT ON EIGHT TWO, THAT WAS WITH THE, UH, WITH THE CORRECTIONS THAT WERE, THAT ADD OUR, UH, AT OUR PLACE. YES, THANK YOU. WITH THE CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES THAT I'LL ADD TO THE RECORD. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. EIGHT, [8.4 Fire Prevention Services Agreement] FOUR. THIS IS THE FIRE PREVENTION SERVICES AGREEMENT. YES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. UH, SHOULD I BEGIN? MAYOR? YES. YES, GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. UM, YES, I AM VERY HAPPY THAT WE HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THIS AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH CHIEF MORA FOR, UH, HAVING THIS BEFORE US AND HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE COMMENTS ON IT. UH, THIS IS THE RESOLUTION THAT DOES ALLOW US TO, UH, ANNOUNCE TO THE COMMUNITY WHAT OUR SERVICES ARE FOR WEED ABATEMENT, WEED AND LITTER ABATEMENT SERVICES. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY ANNUALLY. I UNDERSTAND, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES, UH, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THE SAFETY, PUBLIC SAFETY, MAKING SURE THAT THERE ARE, UM, THAT THERE ISN'T, UH, A FIRE HAZARD IN PROPERTIES THAT HAVE OVERGROWN, UH, WEEDS OR LITTER IN THEIR PROPERTY. SO I WAS READING THROUGH, UM, THE CONTRACT, AND ACTUALLY IT IS, UH, I BELIEVE IT IS, UM, ATTACHMENT C SORRY, I HAVE MY NOTES RIGHT HERE. EXHIBIT C, PAGE 17 OF 17. UM, I WAS HAVING A CONVERSATION EARLIER WITH CHIEF HERNANDEZ, UH, REGARDING, UH, A FUTURE. I THINK IT'LL COME UP IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS WHERE WE RECEIVE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, WE RECEIVE A LIST OF THE PROPERTIES THAT DO, UM, ARE CITED FOR OVERGROWN WEEDS. AND, AND THESE ARE PROPERTY OWNERS THAT AREN'T, UH, REMOVING THE WEEDS THEMSELVES. AND SO PERHAPS THE CITY IS NOW HAS THAT BEARS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAINTAINING THESE PROPERTIES. UH, SAFE, YOU KNOW, SAFETY, NOT JUST FOR THE PROPERTY, THAT PROPERTY ITSELF, BUT THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD. RIGHT? WE DON'T WANT, YOU KNOW, UH, A FIRE TO HAPPEN. THERE'S A REASON THIS IS HAPPENING, UH, AND IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT REASON. MY CONCERN WHEN I SPOKE WITH, UH, CHIEF HERNANDEZ HAS TO DO WITH THE REPEAT OFFENDERS. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT IS A PROBLEM, UH, THAT THERE ARE YEAR AFTER YEAR, THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS, OR THERE ARE PROPERTY OWNERS, UM, THAT ARE CITED EVERY YEAR. UH, AND THEY WENT, GO AHEAD AND PAY THE FINES. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THE CITY IS, DOES END UP CLEANING THEIR PROPERTY AND THE OWNER IS CITED AND, AND THEY PAY THE FINES AND THEY PAY THE WHATEVER DUES. WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN PROPOSING HERE IS UNDER EXHIBIT C, WHICH IS THE FIRE PREVENTION SERVICES SCHEDULE OF FEES. I LOOKED AT THIS VERY CAREFULLY AND I APPROACHED CHIEF HERNANDEZ AND I ASKED HIM, I DON'T SEE A FEE ON HERE FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS. AND I'M CURIOUS, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN CONSIDERED IN THE PAST? UH, AND IF SO, UM, IF IS THIS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER A FEE FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS? UH, THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. WELL, WELL, GOOD EVENING. SERGIO MOORE, FIRE CHIEF NATIONAL CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT. GOOD EVENING MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND CITY STAFF. THAT IS AN ONGOING CONVERSATION BETWEEN ROBERT HERNANDEZ AND THE COMPANY, WHICH PROVIDES THOSE SERVICES. UH, AND CERTAINLY THAT IS A GREAT, UH, RECOMMENDATION THAT WE CAN CERTAINLY PURSUE. I I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU AT THIS MOMENT, BUT, UH, I WILL SPEAK WITH, UH, WITH, UH, CHIEF HERNANDEZ AND WE HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM FPS HERE. THEY'LL PROBABLY HAVE THAT DISCUSSION TONIGHT 'CAUSE THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE PAYING ATTENTION. GOOD. AND, UH, WE CAN CERTAINLY HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU OR A BETTER IDEA ON, ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO APPROACH THAT ONGOING. UM, YOU ARE CORRECT. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, CHIEF HERNANDEZ AND STAFF, UH, DEAL WITH EVERY YEAR THAT RECURRING PROBLEM. AND THAT IS A GREAT SUGGESTION. SO SOMETHING THAT WE'LL CAREFULLY [00:50:01] CONSIDER AND WE CAN REPORT BACK TO YOU, UM, IN A SHORT TIME. OKAY. WOULD IT BE NECESSARY TO MOVE FORWARD AND APPROVE THIS, UH, RESOLUTION? IS IT A RESOLUTION YES. UH, TODAY OR WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION WHETHER WE CAN ADD THAT FEE TO THE SCHEDULE BEFORE APPROVING THIS? WELL, IT IS TIME SENSITIVE 'CAUSE WE'RE COMING UP ON THE END OF THE CONTRACT, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY AMEND THAT AND THEN BRING IT BACK. HOWEVER, THIS PARTICULAR, UH, ITEM ON TONIGHT'S COUNSEL IS OF IF IS OF TIME SENSITIVE NATURE. OKAY. UH, OKAY. UH, I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS, BUT IF THERE ISN'T, UH, I'M COMFORTABLE MAKING A MOTION. OKAY. UH, TO APPROVE THIS REPORT OR THIS RESOLUTION AS IT STANDS SEPARATE AND, UH, COMING BACK OR REQUESTING FOR, UM, I'M JUST WAITING TO SEE WHETHER THERE'S ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM STAFF. UH, WELL, I'VE GOT CHIEF HERNANDEZ HERE WITH SOME INFORMATION THAT HE'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU. SURE. UM, SO ROBERT, COME BACK. DON'T RUN AWAY. CHIEF, YOU CAN COME UP TO THE PODIUM AS WELL. CHIEF, YOU GOTTA BAIL ME OUT. GET YOUR STEPS IN. HUH? THIS IS HIS PURVIEW, SO I'M GONNA LET HIM, UH, THANK YOU. REALLY GIVE YOU THE DETAILS HERE. HOW DO WE TURN THIS ON? ARE WE ARE ON? YOU'RE OKAY. WE'RE HOT, MIKE. RIGHT? OKAY. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER. UH, AGAIN, UH, MY COLLEAGUES AND OF COURSE, MOST IMPORTANTLY, UH, THE CITIZENS OF NATIONAL CITY. UM, I THINK THIS IS, UH, DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE SEE EVERY YEAR. UM, AND WE DO BRING THIS TO YOU AND IT WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE DICE HERE IN JUNE. UM, SO YOU WILL SEE THAT, I BELIEVE WE HAVE ABOUT 29 PROPERTIES THAT WE'RE GONNA BRING BEFORE YOU. UM, WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THOSE AND MANY OF THOSE, I JUST SAW THE LIST, UH, EARLIER TODAY AND I COULD POINT OUT HANDFULS. UH, I THINK THE MAYOR'S SHAKING HIS HEAD. WE SEE THESE EVERY YEAR. THEY ARE WHAT I CALL THE FREQUENT FLYERS. THESE ARE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT CONTINUE TO CREATE, UH, YOU KNOW, A PROBLEM IN OUR CITY WITH, UH, HIGH WEEDS, TALL WEEDS, DEBRIS, GARBAGE, AND ALL THE REST. SO I THINK THIS IS A GREAT IDEA. UM, I THINK SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE PAST, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED IN THE PAST. UM, BUT I THINK WHAT WE WOULD NEED TO DO IS PROBABLY WORK WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AS WELL AS WITH OUR OFFICE, UM, BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE MAY NEED TO DO INTERNALLY AS A CITY, BUT NOT INCLUDED IN THE CONTRACT. MM-HMM . UM, SO MAYBE SOMETHING SEPARATE BECAUSE IT IS A PASS THROUGH SO EVERYBODY IS AWARE. UM, UH, IT DOESN'T COST THE CITY ANY MONEY, UH, FOR THIS PROGRAM. UM, THE CITY, UH, LITERALLY HAS A CONTRACT WITH FPS. THEY'RE, THEY'RE ABLE TO COME IN AND DO THE, THE ABATEMENT. THEY WORK WITH THE CITY. THE CITY ONLY SIGNS OFF THE ITEMS THAT MEET THE MUNICIPAL CODE AND WE WORK THROUGH AND THEN, UH, THE CITY WILL OBTAIN THAT MONEY AND THEN PROVIDE IT BACK TO FIRE PREVENTION SURFACES. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE GET A A, A TRULY CLEAN AND SAFE COMMUNITY. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT ADDITIONAL EVENING EXPLANATION. YOU, UH, BUT I AM ENCOURAGED, UH, THAT WE SHOULD PUR PURSUE THIS. SO I DO MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS RESOLUTION AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE AGENDA REPORT, UH, WITH THE DIRECTION, UH, THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER, UH, TO REQUEST, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME INSIGHT INTO LOOKING TO SEE WHETHER THERE IS A POSSIBILITY TO, UH, CHARGE A FEE FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS. UM, AND, AND, UM, NOT BOG IT DOWN THOUGH FOR THIS RESOLUTION. SO THAT IS THE MOTION I MAKE. OKAY. COULD, THERE YOU GO. AND CAN WE PUSH IN FOR THE SECOND? I'LL SECOND. ALRIGHT. AND JUST TO CLARIFY WHAT THE CITY MANAGER, IF JUST CONFIRMATION THAT THAT MOTION MADE CLEAR, IF YOU NEEDED ADDITIONAL DETAIL OR DIRECTION. UH, I THINK WE GOT THE GIST OF IT, BUT WE WILL BRING BACK, UM, ALL THE TOOLS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR US TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE, SO. ALRIGHT. OKAY. WITH THAT, SO DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION APPROVE UNANIMOUSLY. ALRIGHT, UH, THAT WAS EIGHT FOUR. NEXT WE GO TO EIGHT EIGHT. [8.8 Staff Report Describing the Discretionary Application Process for the Sweetwater Gas Station Project.] THIS IS THE STAFF REPORT DESCRIBING THE DISCRETIONARY APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE SWEETWATER GAS STATION PROJECT. AND I THINK YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING FOR PLANNING DIRECTOR. WHERE'S HE HIDING? HE'S OVER, I ACTUALLY ON THIS SIDE AT THIS TIME. OKAY. SO, UH, THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. MAYOR. IF YOU CAN JUST QUEUE US UP ON THIS ONE. SORRY. YEAH, I SAID IF YOU CAN JUST QUEUE US UP ON THIS ONE. UH, SURE. UH, MARTIN READER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, HERE AGAIN TO TALK ABOUT, UH, THE SWEETWATER GAS STATION PROJECT. WE GAVE A STAFF REPORT ON APRIL 1ST. UH, WE DID, UH, RECEIVE SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE COUNCIL AND THERE WERE THREE QUESTIONS. ONE RELATED TO THE FINDINGS FOR DENIAL. ONE RELATED TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND ONE RELATED TO CQA. UH, I'M SORRY. I THINK THERE WERE, IT WAS RECOMMENDATION INCLUDING DENIAL, CQA AND ALSO EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS. THE STAFF REPORT WAS UPDATED WITH A [00:55:01] RESPONSE TO EACH OF THOSE THREE ITEMS. THE FIRST TWO, THE RECOMMENDATION AND THE FINDINGS AND THE CQA WAS, UH, PROVIDED BY, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF AND THE EX PARTE COMMUNICATION PART WAS ADDED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. UH, THE ONLY CLARIFICATION OR OTHER DIFFERENCE FROM LAST TIME IS THERE WAS ACTUALLY A TYPO IN THE STAFF REPORT WHEN IT CAME TO THE LAST TIME. ON THE THIRD PAGE, IT TALKS ABOUT A DATE OF NOVEMBER 18TH, 2025. OBVIOUSLY THAT SHOULD BE 2024 AS MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE PARAGRAPH. UH, BUT THERE'S NO NEW INFORMATION. WE DID PUBLISH THIS STAFF REPORT ON THE WEBSITE FOR THE PUBLIC TO PERUSE, UH, BUT WE WERE ASKED TO BRING IT BACK ON CONSENT. OTHERWISE, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ADDITIONAL TO ADD. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH WITH THAT, WE DO HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS AND SO ONCE AGAIN, WE'LL BE AT TWO MINUTES AND I WILL BE READING OFF THREE AT A TIME. PLEASE COME INTO THE, UM, INTO THE, UM, HALT INTO THE ALLEYWAY HERE AND, UH, BE READY IN THAT WAY. WE'LL CUT DOWN ON OUR TIME AND, UH, WITH THAT, UH, MARIA MAGANA, I BELIEVE THAT IS TO BE FOLLOWED BY EDGAR PEREZ. TO BE FOLLOWED BY SAMUEL. I THINK IT'S HERNANDEZ. OKAY. MARIA. OH, OKAY. I JUST NOW SAW THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH, THAT ONE DOES HAVE, UH, DOES NOT, UH, DOES NOT WISH TO SPEAK. OKAY. THEN WE WILL GO TO EDGAR PEREZ. NO, HE DIDN'T CHECK THAT ONE. OKAY. SAMUEL HERNANDEZ DID NOT, DID NOT CHECK THAT. OKAY. UH, ANTONIO ESTRADA. SAME. OKAY. UH, CARLOS VIN ALEXANDER. OKAY. UH, MYRA. KIRA COTO. OKAY. SCOTT HAMILTON? UH, NO. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, NORMA RAJAS. OKAY. CARINA FLORES. OKAY. THAT ONE. THEY DID CHECK MOST OF THEM, MOST OF 'EM DID NOT. THE CHAIR? YES. THOSE NAMES THAT WERE CALLED, UH, THEY ARE IN OPPOSITION OR IN AGREEMENT OR WHAT? THEY THEY'RE, THEY'RE IN OPPOSITION. SO ALL NAMES WERE CALLED NOT, NOT SPEAKING, ARE IN OPPOSITION. CORRECT. THANK YOU. MAYOR, CHECK OFF THE BOXES THAT WEREN'T CHECKED. PLEASE GO RIGHT AHEAD. GOOD AFTERNOON, ALL. WE'RE HERE. UH, BECAUSE, UH, ACCOUNTABILITY MATTERS, INTEGRITY MATTERS. AND THE RULES THAT GOVERN OUR CITY ARE NOT JUST GUIDELINES. THERE ARE THE BACKBONE OF PUBLIC TRUST. YET WE FIND OURSELVES IN A TROUBLING SITUATION. A CITY MAYOR ENTRUSTED WITH UPHOLDING THE LAW APPEARS TO BE SIDESTEPPING PROPER PROCEDURES, NEGLECTING THE STEPS NECESSARY TO ENSURE FAIR AND TRANSPARENT JUDGMENT ON PROPERTY PROJECTS INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING DUE PROCESS. WE SEE ATTEMPTS TO BYPASS AUTHORITY THROUGH GESTURES THAT MAY NOT SEEM GENEROUS, HANDING OUT TURKEYS AND HAMS WHEN IN REALITY THEIR DISTRACTIONS FROM THE BIGGER ISSUE. OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES A SYSTEM THAT PRIORITIZES FAIRNESS, NOT FAVORITISM. WE DESERVE OFFICIALS WHO ADHERE TO POLICY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE DESERVE DECISIONS MADE THROUGH PROPER CHANNELS, NOT BACKDOOR DEALS OR SHORTCUTS. WE MUST DEMAND THAT OUR LEADERS UPHOLD THE INTEGRITY OF OUR INSTITUTIONS. PUBLIC TRUST CANNOT BE BOUGHT WITH HOLIDAY GIFTS. IT MUST BE EARNED THROUGH TRANSPARENCY, DILIGENCE, AND RESPECT FOR THE RULES. LET'S STAND TOGETHER AND ENSURE THAT OUR VOICES ARE HEARD BECAUSE THIS CITY BELONGS TO ALL OF US, NOT JUST US WHO'S WILLING TO BEND THE SYSTEM FOR PERSONAL GAIN. AND WE'RE ALL HERE FOR ONE REASON, MAY OR NOT DOING WHAT HE'S SUPPOSED TO. OKAY. OKAY. AND NEXT WE HAVE TRUTH TO BE FOLLOWED BY MARISSA CUEVAS TO BE FOLLOWED BY LOUISA MCCARTHY. [01:00:16] ALL RIGHT. IT MAY SEEM A CRIME TO KEEP DISCUSSING THIS ITEM, BUT I PERSONALLY HAVE YET TO DO SO. UM, STAFF ALLOWED A NOTICE OF THE PROJECT WITHOUT COMPLETING A REPORT THAT WAS DUMB. THEN THE PLANNING MISSION WAS FORCED TO ALLOW STAFF MORE TIME TO REVIEW. BUT I'M GLAD STAFF CAUGHT THE DATE MISTAKE. THIS PROJECT WAS MORE THAN JUST A GAS STATION, AS SOME HAVE SUGGESTED. IT WAS ALSO A DRIVE-THROUGH COFFEE SHOP AND A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. BUT THE PROJECT WAS WITHDRAWN BY THE APPLICANT ON DECEMBER 10TH, 2024. THAT WAS ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO. SO IT'S TIME TO GET OVER IT. THE PAID LAWYERS HAVE KNOWN THIS. THE NEARBY RESIDENTS WHO FOUGHT THE PROJECT KNOW THIS AND THE NEARBY RESIDENTS WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE GONNA GET A CUT OF THE PROJECT KNOW IT TOO. I ACTUALLY GOT A HEADS UP ABOUT THIS PROJECT LAST YEAR BY SOMEONE FORMALLY CONNECTED TO NORA VARGAS. WAS THAT AN ALLY OF TURKEY, JOSE, BY CHANCE? I THINK THEY WERE HOPING I'D USE THE GAS STATION OWNER AS DIRT ON THE MAYOR. BUT I DIDN'T SEE THIS WITHDRAWN PROJECT AS A BIG DEAL UNTIL OTHERS TURNED IT INTO A DRAMA FEST. AND THEN I HAPPENED TO FIND THESE TEXT MESSAGES. SORRY, THEY'RE NOT BILLBOARD SIZE. I CAN'T AFFORD A TEAM OF LAWYERS. EDDIE AND JOSIE, WHAT WE AGREED UPON, ONE SIGNAGE FOR LA VISTA CEMETERY. TWO GAS, DIESEL DISCOUNT FOR LA VISTA CEMETERY EVENTS THREE LIQUOR AT HIS COST FOR LA VISTA CEMETERY EVENTS. THREE-WAY STOP SIGN AT CORNER OF ORANGE AND SWEETWATER ROAD. THANKS MIKA. EDDIE REPLIED YES TO ALL OF THESE DEMANDS. MIKA THEN TEXTED, I FORGOT THE NO COMPETITION CLAUSE AND I WANTED TO HAVE THE AGREEMENT IN WRITING. THANKS MIKA. SEE, THIS IS THE REALITY. I DON'T CARE WHAT WENT WRONG IN THIS DEAL BETWEEN TWO PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS. ALL I CARE ABOUT IS THAT EVERYBODY STOPPED THROWING BASELESS ACCUSATIONS TOWARDS RON AND TO STOP CREATING CHAOS IN THE CITY OVER A DEFUNCT AGREEMENT. HAVE SOME SELF-RESPECT. STICK TO THE FACTS. TAKE YOUR FEELINGS OUT OF A PROJECT THAT DOESN'T EVEN CURRENTLY EXIST. IF IT COMES BACK, FINE FIGHT IT. BUT UNTIL THEN, BE QUIET ABOUT IT. WE'RE DONE. IT'S OVER. AND I ALSO, BY THE WAY, BEFORE I LEAVE THE MICROPHONE, 'CAUSE I KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN, I CONSIDER HISSES TO BE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. SO GO RIGHT AHEAD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MARISSA CUEVA, LUISA MCCARTHY AND UH, MIKA POLANCO. GOOD EVENING. ARTICLE ONE, SECTION THREE A OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE CONSTITUTION. THE PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO INSTRUCT THEIR REPRESENTATIVE PETITION GOVERNMENT FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES AND ASSEMBLE FREELY TO CONSULT FOR THE COMMON GOOD. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED CONTINUOUSLY DESPITE WHAT THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER HAD JUST SAID. MANY PEOPLE HAVE SHOWN YOU THROUGH THE EVIDENCE WITH ALL OF THE BOARDS OVER THERE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO A LOOK AT THAT. THERE HAVE BEEN CONTINUOUS CONVERSATIONS, DISCUSSIONS, APPLICATIONS, EMAILS GOING ON THAT INDICATE THERE'S MORE RECORDS THAT INDICATE THE MAYOR WAS FURTHER INVOLVED. AND YET, WHERE ARE THOSE RECORDS? MAYOR, YOU'RE RUNNING THE CITY MORE LIKE BOSS TWEED. BOSS TWEED USED HIS ELECTED POSITION, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PUBLIC WHO GAVE CONTRACTS EXPECTING FAVORS, BRIBES, AND KICKBACKS IN RETURN. HISTORY CAN TEACH US SOMETHING IF WE CHOOSE TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT. MARY, YOUR CONSTITUENTS AGAIN ARE CONTINUOUSLY TELLING YOU AND SHOWING YOU THAT THEY ARE FED UP. WE THE PEOPLE WANT NATIONAL CITY TO UPHOLD AND RESPECT OUR CALIFORNIA STATE CONSTITUTION AND LISTEN TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS RESTORE THE GENERAL PLAN TO LOW MEDIUM DENSITY AND REZONE AS RESIDENTIAL. THE NATIONAL CITY CONSTITUENTS DESERVE BETTER. LET'S STOP THIS POLITICAL MACHINE. IT'S TIME TO STOP THE CORRUPTION. THANK YOU. LOUISA MCCARTHY, FOLLOWED BY MIKA POLANCO, FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL. A GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. GOSH, I GUESS TRUES ON THE PAYROLL, HUH? MAYOR, IT WAS VERY CLEAR. YOU GUYS ON PAYROLL HERE WE HAVE A REBUTTAL. AND ON THE REBUTTAL THAT ALL OF YOU HAVE, WE MADE SURE TO GIVE YOU PICTURES OF WHY YOU ARE SO FAVORITISM TO THE BCOS. WELL, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HERE WE GO. YOU SEE THIS LINE RIGHT BEHIND, UH, KIMBALL PARK, THE SENIOR CENTER. LOOK AT THAT BIG, LONG LINE. VERY IMPRESSIVE. THOSE ARE ALL VOTERS THAT YOU GIVE HAMS AND TURKEYS TO. AND OF COURSE YOU'RE YOUR THIRSTY WANTING TO BE ON, UH, TV, ALL THESE BEHEST FAVORS. ARE YOU HAVING TO PAY BACK [01:05:01] IN SAYING, OKAY, TO RIDICULOUS DEVELOPMENTS LIKE THIS GAS PROJECT, WHICH BY THE WAY, YOUR STAFF DID A TERRIBLE JOB IN INTRODUCING IT. HERE WE HAVE PICTURES SINCE HAMS FROM 2014 ONTO THE PRESENT. THESE ARE NO MADE UP STORIES. AND IF YOU LIVED OR IF YOU HAVE LOVED ONES AT THE CEMETERY, A HUGE, MASSIVE PROJECT LIKE THIS ONE THAT'S BEEN PAID OFF. YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT PICTURES. HOW ABOUT THE AUDACITY TO BE IN A CHURCH WITH THE PRIEST AND YOU IN THE MIDDLE? ISN'T THAT SWEET? THERE ARE THE BRI GHOSTS AND THE MAYOR IN THE MIDDLE WITH THE PASTOR ON THE SIDE. HOW ABOUT SPONSORSHIPS FOR TABLES AT DIFFERENT EVENTS? AND OF COURSE, YOUR ASSISTANT, THE HIGHEST ASSISTANT PAID HERE, WHICH YOU HAVE YOUR UNION WORKERS. IT SHOULD BE THE ONES THAT RECEIVE THE RAISES, IS THANKING THE BRICO FOR ALL THEIR HELP IN HELPING OUT FOR HER WEDDING FRONT ROW. WHO GETS FRONT ROW AT A WEDDING? EVERYBODY. AND ANOTHER THANK YOU FROM THE DAUGHTER OF JOSIE. OH, THANK YOU. FROM MY GOODBYE PARTY. SO THERE'S YOUR EVIDENCE AND THERE'S PLENTY MORE. NONE OF THIS IS A JOKE OR MADE UP. IT'S TRUE, AND IT AFFECTS A LOT OF PEOPLE. THANK YOU. MIKA BLANCO, FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL A FOLLOWED BY FRANK RIVERA. PLEASE BE READY TO COME UP AND SPEAK. THANK YOU. ON YOUR LATEST INTERIM REPORT THAT WE JUST GOT FROM, UM, THAT MARTIN REEDER JUST WANTED TO FILE AWAY ON MAY 6TH, THE MAYOR AND HIS ASSISTANT DID ON OCCASION COMMUNICATE WITH THE APPLICANT REGARDING CONCERNS THE APPLICANT HAD REGARDING THE PROCESS. THESE PROCEDURAL QUESTIONS WERE RELAYED TO STAFF VIA CITY MANAGER AND ULTIMATELY ADDRESSED WITH THE APPLICANT. THIS EX PARTE COMMUNICATION WOULD HAVE BEEN DISCLOSED, DISCLOSED. HAD THERE BEEN A HEARING ON THE PROJECT BEFORE THE CITY. THE MAYOR ADMITTED HE HAD COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BRICO AND NOT ONLY FROM THE BEGINNING ALL THE WAY TO THE END. NOW THE PERMIT WAS EXPIRED. THEY LET IT EXPIRED. WHY DO YOU THINK THEY LET THAT PERMIT EXPIRED IN APRIL, 2024? BECAUSE THE MAYOR HAD ALREADY TOLD THEM, YOU HAVE IT IN THE BAG, YOU DON'T NEED TO RENEW IT. WE HAVE THE SUPPORT FROM THE CITY AND WE HAVE EVIDENCE TO PROVE THAT IN A TEXT. NOW, THAT IS, IF THAT IS NOT BEING A SHYER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS NOW, THEY SUBMITTED A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT ON APRIL 29TH FOR THE RETAIL CONVENIENCE STORE. AFTER THE CONDITIONAL, UH, PREVIOUS EXISTING EXISTING, UH, CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT WAS EXPIRED. AND HERE'S THE TEXT PROVING THAT. NOW, WHY DO YOU THINK HE DID THAT? WELL, BECAUSE THE MARE HAD HIS HANDS AND GOT BUSTED WITH A COOKIE. HIS HANDS IN THE COOKIE JAR, WE BUSTED HIM. AND I'LL KEEP SAYING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN, RON, YOU'RE BROKEN AND BUSTED AND YOU CAN'T BE TRUSTED, BROKEN BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO ETHICS. YOU'RE VERY DISHONEST. YOU CAN'T TRUST, WE CAN'T TRUST YOU TO RUN THIS CITY. AND IT'S VERY, VERY SAD, BUT IT'S THE TRUTH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MM-HMM . MICHAEL AGIRI TO BE FOLLOWED BY FRANK RIVERA TO BE FOLLOWED BY ALICIA MORRISON. COUNCIL MEMBERS MAYOR MORRISON TAKES THE HESS PAYMENTS OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AS SHOWN IN THIS PICTURE FROM THE BRICO. THE BRI RICOS PAY FOR THE TURKEYS AND HAMS THAT GIVE THE MAYOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAL TO HIS VOTERS. THAT'S A PAYMENT THAT'S CALLED A BEHEST PAYMENT. BUT THE MAYOR DOESN'T REPORT THAT. AND AS, UH, LUISA SAID, IT'S OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. JUST THINK ABOUT THIS. THE APPLICANT, AFTER THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION, SAID NO. THE APPLICANT WROTE A TEXT MESSAGE TO THE MAYOR AND SAID, MAYOR, WE'VE GOTTA REINSTATE THE OLD, UH, PROJECT THAT HAD BEEN APPROVED BECAUSE WE LET IT EXPIRE. WHEN DID WE LET [01:10:01] IT EXPIRE IN APRIL BEFORE THE NEW PROJECT HAD EVEN BEEN PRESENTED. AND THE REASON WE LET IT EXPIRE IS BECAUSE WE HAD THE CITY'S SUPPORT, THE MAYOR'S SUPPORT FOR THE NEW PROJECT. HE COMMITTED TO THE NEW PROJECT BEFORE IT WAS EVEN FILED WITH THE CITY, WHICH WAS ON APRIL 29TH. HE MET WITH THEM ON APRIL THE 24TH. YOU CAN'T DO THAT. THE CALIFORNIA LAW MEANS THAT THE MAYOR WAS SUPPOSED TO REMAIN NEUTRAL. AND COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU'RE GOING ALONG WITH THAT. YOU'RE JOINING IN THAT THAT IS ILLEGAL AND YOU NEED TO STAND UP AND WE OFFER YOU THE SIMPLEST SOLUTION. RESTORE THE AREA TO RESIDENTIAL IN ZONING AND LOW AND LOW, UH, DENSITY IN THE CITY PLAN. LASTLY, WE HAD A CHANCE TO TRY TO GET THE CASE RESOLVED. MAYOR DIDN'T SHOW UP. YOU SPENT $5,000 YOUR SHARE OF THE MEDIATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. IT DIDN'T SHOW UP. NEXT WE HAVE ALICIA MORRISON FOLLOWED, FOLLOWED BY FRANK RIVERA, FOLLOWED BY DOYLE MORRISON. MAYOR, HOW COULD THE APPLICANT ALLOW THE ORIGINAL CPU TO EXPIRE BECAUSE YOU HAD ALREADY SUPPORTED THE NEW PROJECT THAT HADN'T EVEN BEEN PRESENTED. THE SOLUTION IS TO RESTORE THE 0.80 ACRE PARCEL TO RS TWO AND CORRESPONDING TO THE GENERAL PLAN, A LOW MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL. THE SOLUTION RESTORE THE 0.80 ACRE PARCEL TO THE RS TWO AND CORRESPONDING GENERAL PLAN TO LOW MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL. THE SOLUTION RESTORE THE 0.80 ACRE PARCEL TO RS TWO AND THE CORRESPONDING GENERAL PLAN TO THE LOW MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL. THE SOLUTION RESTORE THE 0.80 ACRE PARCEL TO THE RS TWO AND THE CORRESPONDING GENERAL PLAN TO THE LOW MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL. THUS SOLUTION RESTORE THE 0.80 ACRE PARCEL TO THE RS TWO AND THE CORRESPONDING GENERAL PLAN TO THE LOW MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL. THE SOLUTION RESTORE THE 0.80 ACRE PARCEL TO THE RSS TWO AND THE CORRESPONDING GENERAL PLAN TO THE LOW MEDIUM RESIDENTIAL THE SOLUTION RESTORE THE 0.80 ACRE PARCEL TO THE RS TWO AND THE CORRESPONDING GENERAL PLAN TO THE LOW MEDIUM RESIDENTIAL THE SOLUTION RESTORE THE 0.80 ACRE PARCEL TO THE RS TWO AND THE CORRESPONDING GENERAL PLAN TO THE LOW MEDIUM DENSITY RESOLUTION. THE SOLUTION RESTORE THE 0.80 PARCEL TO THE RS TWO AND THE CORRESPONDING GENERAL PLAN TO THE LOW MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL. THANK YOU. THANK. NEXT WE GO WITH FRANK RIVERA DOYLE MORRISON. AND THEN GOOD EVENING, FRANK RIVERA. I'M A LICENSED CIVIL ENGINEER AND LICENSED TRAFFIC ENGINEER IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA WITH 40 YEARS OF LAND DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE. THIS STAFF REPORT IN THE PREVIOUS ONE TO CITY COUNCIL ATTEMPTS TO SHUT THE DOOR ON THE EVENTS LEADING TO RECOMMENDING A SEVERELY FLAWED PROJECT THAT THE PUBLIC HAS NOT BEEN MADE AWARE OF. THE ZONING VARIANCE APPROVALS SOUGHT WERE VERY SUSPICIOUS DUE TO THE EXTREME AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC THAT DENIED PROJECT WOULD GENERATE ONTO A SMALL SITE. IN APRIL, 2024, THE CUP FOR ONE DRIVE THROUGH COFFEE SHOP AND RETAIL WAS LET EXPIRE SO THAT OVERDEVELOPMENT SO MUCH NEW NEGATIVE IMPACTS WOULD HAVE TO BE ACCEPTED INTO THE COMMUNITY. THE REQUIRED QUEUING ANALYSIS ON THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS REPORT WAS NOT DONE ON TWO COMPARABLE GAS STATION SITES. IN FACT, EACH SITE STUDIED ONLY HAD EIGHT FUELING PUMPS WITH ONE DRIVE THROUGH BUSINESS. YET THE PROPOSED PROJECT HAD 12 FUELING PUMPS, 50% MORE WITH TWO DRIVE THROUGH BUSINESSES, A HUNDRED PERCENT MORE EVEN. SO, THE PROPOSED ON ONSITE QUEUING WAS GOING TO BE A BIG PROBLEM. THE CHEVRON SOAPY JOE'S GAS STATION DOWN THE STREET IS MORE COMPARABLE, BUT THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS USED TWO GAS STATIONS OWNED BY THE APPLICANT. WHY THE SOLUTION PRESENTED TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION WAS TO APPROVE THE OVERDEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE [01:15:01] AS WELL AS THREE VARIANCES TO THE MUNICIPAL CODE BECAUSE THE PROJECT WOULD NOT WORK WITHOUT THEM. THE THREE ZONING VARIANCES FOR ONE FEE STAFF APPROVED THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS REPORT. THAT INCREASED TRAFFIC SO MUCH THAT IT NECESSITATED AN UNPLANNED TRAFFIC SIGNAL FOR THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY. YET WHEN THE PROJECT TRIGGERS A NEED FOR AN UNPLANNED TRAFFIC SIGNAL, THE APPLICANT GETS A 30% DISCOUNT AND THEN IS OFF THE HOOK BY BEING ALLOWED TO OPEN FOR BUSINESS WITH NO GUARANTEE THAT THE REQUIRED TRAFFIC SIGNAL WOULD BE OPERATIONAL BEFORE ANY OF THE FOUR BUSINESSES OR THE RESIDENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE SITE IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS. PROPER SQUA MITIGATION MEASURE WAS IN IGNORED. THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL SHOULD BE DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED BY THE DEVELOPER AND MADE OPERATIONAL PRIOR TO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT OF OCCUPANCY. THANK YOU. WE HAVE DOYLE MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY MARIA SEVERSON, FOLLOWED BY GABBY. I'M NOT GONNA, I'M NOT GONNA TRY AND MESS UP THEIR LAST NAME. GO AHEAD. I WOULD LIKE TO OPPOSE THIS PROCEDURAL REPORT ON AGENDA 8.8 AT SWEETWATER ON ORANGE STREET. IT APPEARS WE'RE TRYING TO REWRITE HISTORY HERE. FOR EXAMPLE, SQA CATEGORY EXEMPTION. THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT WAS NEVER APPROVED OR ACTED ON, UH, OR VOTED ON OR WHAT HAVE YOU. THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS WAS DONE BY THE DEVELOPER AT ORANGE STREET. AND ORANGE STREET WAS NOT EVEN INCLUDED IN THAT ANALYSIS. THE SEQUENCE STATUTES REQUIRES THAT THE CITY IS TO ANALYZE THE EFFECTS ON STREETS, FREEWAYS, HIGHWAYS, AND THAT, AND THAT NEVER HAPPENED. IT MADE ME THINK WHY WOULD THE STAFF EVEN ALLOW THIS PROJECT TO BE SENT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION. IT ALSO MADE ME THINK IF THE DEVELOPER DONATED TO TURKEYS AND THE HAMS AND PASSED THEM OUT WITH THE MAYOR, THE MAYOR ASSISTANT, AND THE DEVELOPERS THEMSELVES, WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THE FAVOR THAT FAVORS WOULD BE EXPECTED IN RETURN FOR THE DEVELOPER? UH, PLEASE DENY THIS REPORT AND PLEASE DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. AND WE CAN'T HAVE THAT. THANK YOU. SSON FOLLOWED BY GABBY, FOLLOWED BY MARTHA HERNANDEZ PARK IN NATIONAL CITY. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR OKAY. WE COULD HAVE THE, UH, TRANSLATION PLEASE. WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, CARLOS. YES. THANK YOU. ONE SECOND. UH, MAYOR, GOOD EVENING. UH, MY COLLEAGUE AND I, UH, MET YOUR INITIALLY AT THIS MEMORIAL PARK WHERE WE ALWAYS WELCOMED YOU WARMLY AND YOU COULD COME OPEN THE DOORS FOR YOU TO GET TOGETHER WITH THE COMMUNITY, TO SHAKE THEIR HANDS, TO SPEND TIME WITH 'EM. BUT NOW WE FEEL BETRAYED BECAUSE NOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ALLOWING [01:20:01] BUSINESSES THAT WEREN'T PART OF WHAT THAT COMMUNITY WAS ABOUT. THIS IS A RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY, NOT A PLACE FOR BUSINESSES, PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT WILL BRING POLLUTION AND THAT WILL ADD LIQUOR SHOPS. AS IT IS. WE HAVE MORE LIQUOR STORES THAN SCHOOLS IN NATIONAL CITY. I ALSO SAW YOU SITTING OVER AT, UM, UH, LOUISA'S, UH, LIVING ROOM WHEN YOU WERE NEGOTIATING, UH, WITH THESE GENTLEMEN FOR, UH, BUILDING THE BUSINESS. SO I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO CALL IT A BETRAYAL OR MOCKERY. ARE YOU BETRAYING OUR COMMUNITY AND THIS 15-YEAR-OLD FRIENDSHIP, OR ARE YOU MOCKING US? WE SAW WHEN WE FIRST MET YOU, WE OPENED AGAIN THE DOORS TO THIS HISTORIC CEMETERY TO YOU. NATIONAL CITY DOESN'T HAVE MANY HISTORIC PLACES, SO THEY SHOULD BE PROTECTED AND YOU NEED TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL. PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY BEEN RUN OVER WHILE CROSSING THAT STREET. IT'S ALREADY NOT A WALKABLE AREA AS IT IS. SO JUST IMAGINE IF YOU HAD OPENED, UH, THE DOORS TO THIS PROJECT. IF THIS PROJECT WE'RE OPERATING. I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE RETHOUGHT. THANK YOU. OKAY. WHEN AND I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THAT LADY'S NAME? GABBY. THAT WAS GABBY. OKAY. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I WRITE ONE IN. OKAY. SO, AND YOU ARE, I'M HERNANDEZ YOU'RE MARTHA HERNANDEZ. OKAY, LET'S, OKAY. MARTHA, PLEASE COME FORWARD. THANK YOU. UM, UM, IT'S GONNA BE IN SPANISH AND WITH ALL MY RESPECT TO YOU, UH, UM, MORRISON, UM, IS IN, UM, OKAY. OKAY. WE CAN HAVE TRANSLATION PLEASE. CARLOS? YES. UM, THANK YOU. I'M SORRY, I'M TRYING TO, YOU'RE, UM, GIVE ME TWO SECONDS. MY APOLOGIES. ONCE AGAIN, MAYOR, UM, WE FEEL DEFRAUDED BY YOU. INSTEAD OF PRIORITIZING THE BENEFIT OF OUR FAMILIES, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND OUR ENVIRONMENT, WE FEEL THAT YOU HAVE MAYOR. UH, PUT CORPORATE INTERESTS ABOVE THOSE OF THE PEOPLE WHO CALL NATIONAL CITY HOME. HERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT [01:25:02] A MASSIVE, HUGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT IS BEING APPROVED WITHOUT ANY TRANSPARENCY AND WITHOUT ANY CONSIDERATION FOR THE SAFETY AND FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY, IT WILL THREATEN OUR STREETS, OUR HOMES, AND OUR WAY OF LIFE. I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO ASK YOU WHY IT IS THAT THE DEVELOPER FELT THAT THEY COULD LET THE CONSTRUCTION PERMIT EXPIRE AND THEN COME BACK TO YOU WITH A NEW SET OF PETITIONS TO THE CITY. THIS NEW APPLICATION, HOW WAS IT THAT THE DEVELOPERS GET THE IDEA THAT THEY WOULD HAVE FAVORABLE SUPPORT BY THE CITY SHOULD THEY LET THE PERMIT EXPIRE AND THEN PRESENT A NEW, UH, SERIES OF DOCUMENTS BEFORE PRESENTING THESE NEW APPLICATIONS? AND WE ACTUALLY KNOW THE ANSWER, MAYOR. IT IS BECAUSE YOU, AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY, LET THE DEVELOPERS KNOW THAT THEY DIDN'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE PERMIT EXPIRING BECAUSE THEY COULD JUST COME BACK TO THE CITY WITH THEIR NEW APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS. WHAT WE NEED TO DO AS TO RETURN THE ZONE TO MEDIUM FROM MEDIUM DENSITY TO RESIDENTIAL. THANK YOU. OKAY, WE GO WITH, UH, MARIA SSON, FOLLOWED BY PATRICIA TERAN, FOLLOWED BY GLORIA SALAS. THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS LISTED AS DISCRETIONARY APPLICATION PROCESS, SWEETWATER GAS STATION PROJECT DISCRETIONARY. BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW THIS ACTUALLY WENT DOWN, WHOSE DISCRETION WAS IT? IT APPEARS TO ONLY BE THE MAYORS. SO THESE TIMELINE IS REALLY IMPORTANT. WE CANNOT GET THROUGH THIS TO YOU ENOUGH. APRIL, 2024, THERE HAD BEEN A CUP THAT EXISTED AND IT WAS FOR A DRIVE-THROUGH STARBUCKS THAT EXPIRED. THEN APRIL 29, THERE WAS THE APPLICATION SUBMITTED THAT WAS SO VASTLY DIFFERENT. IT INCLUDED A RETAIL STORE WITH ALCOHOL SALES, ALMOST 24 HOURS A DAY, DRIVE THROUGH FOOD AND BEVERAGES, GAS STATION, AUTO, UH, AUTOMATED CAR WASH, FIVE APARTMENT UNITS ON TOP OF THE GAS STATION IF ANYONE COULD ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT. AND ALL THOSE USES EXCEPT THE APARTMENTS REQUIRE A CUP. SO APRIL, THE CUP EXPIRES APRIL 29TH IS THE NEW PROJECT. WHAT WOULD MAKE THEM THINK THEY DID NOT NEED A NEW CUP THAT THEY WOULD'VE FELT COMFORTABLE LETTING IT EXPIRE? IT'S BECAUSE THE PROJECT APPLICANT SAID QUOTE, WE ALLOWED IT TO EXPIRE. AND THEN IT GOES ON TO SAY, BECAUSE WE HAD SUPPORT FROM THE CITY. HOW DID THEY HAVE SUPPORT FROM THE CITY BEFORE THE APPLICATION WAS SUBMITTED? THEY LET IT EXPIRE IN MID-APRIL BECAUSE THEY HAD SUPPORT FROM THE CITY. HOW'D THEY HAVE THAT SUPPORT BEFORE THE APPLICATION WAS EVEN SUBMITTED? BECAUSE THE MAYOR GAVE IT TO THEM. WE'VE JUST RECEIVED EMAILS THAT SHOW EMAILS SYSTEM SYSTEMATICALLY WENT FROM STAFF TO THE MAYOR'S ASSISTANT. JOSIE, UH, NO, TO THE APPLICANT. THE APPLICANT TO JOSIE. JOSIE TO THE MAYOR'S PERSONAL EMAIL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THANK PATRICIA TERAN, FOLLOWED BY GLORIA SALAS TO BE FOLLOWED BY MANUEL ANDRATI. I JUST WANT TO REPEAT THIS OVER AND OVER. SO JUST TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT, UH, MR. MAYOR, WHY WOULD THE APPLICANT ALLOW THE EXISTING CUP TO EXPIRE BASED ON THE CITY SUPPORTING THE NEW CUP WHEN THE NEW CUP HAS NOT EVEN BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE CITY? HOW COULD THE APPLICANT THINK THE CITY SUPPORTED THE NEW CUP WHEN THE NEW CUP HADN'T EVEN BEEN PRESENTED TO THE CITY? MAYOR, WE KNOW THE ANSWER BECAUSE WE WERE THE CITY. BECAUSE YOU WERE THE CITY THAT TOLD THE APPLICANT THAT THEY COULD ALLOW THEIR EXISTING CUP TO EXPIRE BECAUSE YOU TOLD THEM THAT THE CITY WOULD ADOPT THE NEW CUP. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IS RESTORE THE GENERAL PLAN TO LOW MEDIUM DENSITY [01:30:01] AND THE ZONING TO RESIDENTIAL. I REPEATED JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT IN THE FUTURE IS NOT SET THAT IT, NO ONE SAYS THAT THIS WAS NOT SET IN HERE. BUT, UM, ALSO I WANT TO, UM, SAY THAT AGAIN. WE HAVE SEEN IN, IN SOCIAL MEDIA, HAVE SEEN OVER AND OVER THAT THERE'S KIND OF A MOCKERY TO LA VISTA IN OUR MOVEMENT TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY. UM, IT'S BEEN, UH, WE HAVE BEEN TREATING TREATED LIKE, UH, CLOWNS. LIKE WE ARE JUST PUTTING UP A SHOW. AND I WISH YOU BE MORE RESPECTFUL TO US, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU REPRESENT, AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAD VOTED FOR YOU AND EVERYONE HERE IN THE COUNCIL. SO WE WOULD LIKE, FOR YOU GUYS AND ESPECIALLY THE MAYOR, I HAVE NOTHING PERSONAL AGAINST YOU. IT IS JUST THAT YOU ARE OUR SERVANT. YOU ARE THERE BECAUSE WE, THE PEOPLE HAVE VOTED FOR YOU GUYS AND WE WOULD LIKE THE RESPECT OF THE MAYOR AND ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. SO, WELL, MY TIME IS OVER. THANKS. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE GLORIA SALA, MANUEL ANDRETTI, AND, UM OH, OKAY. GLORIA. YEAH. OKAY. NO. ALL RIGHT. I WILL. YOU WANT THAT ONE? OKAY. AND THEN, UM, MARIO, UH, MARIO ANDRETTI ALSO HAS MARKED DOWN, UM, NOT LIKE TO SPEAK. IRMA HERNANDEZ ALSO SAID NOT TO SPEAK. UH, TERRY LAWSON AND VERONICA TARA RA TEDA. OKAY, THANK YOU. AND THEN, UM, JOSE VASQUEZ ALSO. OKAY, SO THAT IS ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS. UM, AND, UH, SHE, HUH? THERE'S A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. I SAID SHE SUBMITTED A SLIP. OKAY. THAT'S ALL THE ONES I HAD. OH, I HAVE WAITED PATIENTLY. HUH? . GOOD EVENING. I'M EXCITED TO, OKAY. WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. YOU GOTTA PUT THE MICROPHONE. COME COME ON TO THE MICROPHONE. OKAY. THERE YOU GO. SO FOR THE RECORDINGS. GOT YOU. SO, SO, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JANA BREWERS. I'M SORRY I DIDN'T MAKE IT ON YOUR LIST, BUT BEEN IN SAN, UH, NATIONAL CITY SINCE BIRTH, BORN AT NATIONAL CITY PARK APARTMENTS. WENT TO LAIN, LASSIE, WENT TO, UH, NATIONAL CITY JUNIOR HIGH, WENT TO SWEETWATER HIGH SCHOOL, HAD BEEN HERE 51 YEARS, HAVE BEEN IN NATIONAL CITY PARK APARTMENTS 51 YEARS. SO LET'S HAVE A DISCUSSION. SLIGHTLY EAST 24TH STREET, D AVENUE BUILDING NEW COMPLEX. BUT THE CARS ARE ABANDONED. WHERE'S THE PARKING? OH, YOU KNOW WHAT I, IS THIS RELATED TO? SO IS THIS RELATED TO THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA? THE REPORT THOUGH? SO I'M NOT FAMILIAR. AGAIN, THIS IS MY FIRST COUNCIL MEETING. OKAY. OH, OKAY. AND SO I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD COME AND JUST KIND OF VOICE WHAT I'M SEEING IN THE CITY DURING PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WILL COME UP AT THE END. WE'LL BRING YOU BACK UP. OKAY. IS, IS BECAUSE THIS ITEM IS ON THIS SPECIFIC TOPIC. OKAY. SO YOU HAVE A GENERAL, YOU CAN STILL SPEAK AS I'M FIRST I'M HANGING OUT WITH YOU GUYS. YOU, YOU, YOU MAY BE IN ON THAT LIST. OKAY. RIGHT, . OKAY. OKAY. SO WE'LL WAIT TILL I GET TO THAT LIST. YES. ALRIGHT. BUT IT'S CERTAINLY THERE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. IT'LL THERE. OKAY. I I DIDN'T THINK I'D MISS SOMEBODY. ALRIGHT. UH, I'M NOT GONNA, UH, TALK ON THIS MUCH AT ALL. UM, YEAH, I JUST, ONE THING I DO WANT, I DO WANNA STATE, BECAUSE IT WAS STATED THAT THERE WAS AN EMAIL, UM, FROM THE DEVELOPER SAYING THEY WANTED TO HAVE THIS, UH, UH, WANTED TO HAVE THEIR, THEIR, UH, THEIR PREVIOUS CUP REDONE AND THAT I TOLD THEM AND IT WENT ON AND ON. NO, THAT WASN'T IN THE EMAIL THAT WAS ADDED ON. SO IT MADE IT SOUND LIKE AS IF THERE WAS AN EMAIL WHERE IT SAYS, I TOLD THEM THAT I DIDN'T. BUT THAT WAS THE WAY IT WAS STATED UP HERE. AND THEN A NUMBER OF PEOPLE PUT IT AS A FACT. WE KNOW YOU DID THIS. HOW DO YOU KNOW IT? THERE'S NO FACTUALLY IT, 'CAUSE IT NEVER HAPPENED. SO I DO, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHEN WE SAY THAT WE KNOW THINGS OR THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU TOLD SOMEBODY SOMETHING AND YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE AS IF IT WAS IN AN EMAIL WHEN IT REALLY WASN'T THERE. AND, UH, UH, SO THAT WE DO STAY WITH SOME REAL FACTS, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WERE SAID, BUT I'M NOT GONNA GO, WE'VE WENT THROUGH OVER THIS STUFF BEFORE. SO WITH THAT, WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE US IS A REPORT ON THE PROCESS THAT WAS, THAT WAS FOLLOWED AND, UH, UH, AND HOW STAFF TOOK A LOOK AT THE PROCESS THAT WAS DONE IN, IN THIS PARTICULAR ONE PROJECT. WITH THAT, THE CHAIR, UM, THIS IS A FILE, [01:35:01] A REPORT? YES. THANK YOU. IS THAT, WAS THAT A MOTION? I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND? NO, WE DON'T NEED A MOTION. OKAY. IT'S JUST A FILE REPORT. OKAY. SO UNLESS THERE'S ANY COMMENT, THE CO THE, I MEAN, DO WE NEED A MOTION TO ACTUALLY FILE THE REPORT TO RECEIVE AND FILE? NO. OKAY. WE TYPICALLY DO NOT KNOW. ALRIGHT. IN THAT CASE, THE PO THE, UNLESS THERE'S SOME OBJECTION, THE REPORT IS RECEIVED AND FILED. NEXT WE [8.10 Warrant Register No. 36 for the Period of 2/28/25 through 3/06/25 in the Amount of $2,209,217.01] GO ON TO ITEM EIGHT 10. AND THAT IS ON THE, UH, WARRANT REGISTRY. UH, THAT IS WARRANT REGISTRY NUMBER 36. AND WE HAVE, UH, THOMAS PIKE AND TRUTH, I'LL JUST AS LONG AS I, I'LL READ THESE ITEMS FROM ITEM 36 AND THEN YOU CAN COMMENT 'EM IF YOU WANT TO. I SEE THE LEGAL CIVICAL LAW GROUP $9,366 FOR THE LEGAL SERVICES FOR STUDIO SIX, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE $3,200 FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND BIRT SILAS STORM DRYER, BIRT, SILAS. AND SO 23,000 GEO SYNTAX CONSULTANT RATE, 12,200. THE, UH, RY LAND ARCHITECTS LOST PALMAS PROJECT $18,000 NVS CONTRACT SERVICES, 10,908 PROJECT PROFESSIONAL PROJECT PROFESSIONAL PARADISE CREEK, 20,000 WRIGHT CONSTRUCTION, PARADISE CREEK WATER QUALITY 311,000 WARRANT REGISTERED, UH, PROBE. OH, OKAY. FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE PRO BUILDING PRO BUILDINGS ROLL TAPE, UH, ROLL TAPE, DUCT DUCT TAPE, $456. AND THE POLICE, THE POLICE. $7,000 FOR P POLICE SPIKE FOR STOPPING CARS. AND THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU MR. WRIGHT. UH, WITH THAT TRUTH, VERY IMPORTANT SPENDING, UH, WHY IS THERE A $43 KIMBALL HOLIDAY BANNER FROM 2023 AND THE WARRANTS IS THAT ALMOST TWO YEARS LATE? WHY? AND YOU GOT 174 IN TRAFFIC PAINT AND HOPEFULLY THAT IS RED PAINT FOR THE NEW NOTE PARKING 20 FEET AWAY. NONSENSE. UH, SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THE NONSENSE LAW IS. WE NEED TO PRETEND THAT WE THINK THAT'S REASONABLE. AND ALMOST $20 ON A BOOK CALLED WELL-TRAINED WIFE. AND THAT'S A VERY QUESTIONABLE TITLE. I HAD TO LOOK IT UP. , UH, THE PREMISE OF THE STORY ACTUALLY SOUNDS, UH, YOU WOULD THINK ANTI UH, WOMEN MAYBE, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY ANTI-MEN AND ANTI-CHRISTIAN. WHEN IN REALITY THIS AUTHOR TIA LEVI SEEMS TO NOT HAVE BEEN AN ACTUAL FOLLOWER OF THE BIBLE OR OF JESUS'S TEACHING, BUT SOMEONE WHO WAS ACTUALLY TRAPPED IN A CULT. I HOPE THAT SHE FIGURES OUT THE DIFFERENCE. AND THIS IS ALSO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. DIET'S NAME IS MISSPELLED ON THE JANUARY 22ND, UH, $87 SNACK CHARGE 87 DIE. OH DI OH D. IT'S NOT JESUS. APOLOGIZE. SAY SORRY. OH NAH. I DON'T THINK I GET PAID ENOUGH TO DO THAT, . THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UH, THAT IS ALL THAT WE HAVE ON ITEM ITEM EIGHT 10. WHAT IS YOUR PLEASURE? SO MOVE MR. CHAIR. SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. AS SOON AS WE GET, CAN YOU, YOU PUSHING IN THERE? IT DOESN'T LIKE YOU FOR SOME REASON. I'LL TELL YOU. LET ME PUSH IT AGAIN. ONE MOMENT, HUH? I'LL PUSH IT ONE MORE TIME. MY BUTTON. THERE WE GO. WE RESTART IT. THERE YOU GO. THERE WE GO. OKAY. UH, OKAY. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION TO APPROVE UNANIMOUSLY. UH, NEXT WE GO [8.11 Warrant Register No. 37 for the Period of 3/07/25 through 3/13/25 in the Amount of $3,527,176.16] TO, UH, EIGHT 11, WHICH IS WARRANT REGISTRY NUMBER 37. AND WE HAVE THOMAS PIKE AND TRUTH COUNSEL, I'LL JUST READ YOUR WARRANT. REGISTER 37, THE ONES THAT I FOUND OUT. THE HIN [01:40:01] HIN LEONARD DAMA PROPERTY TAX RECORD FOR REVIEW. $4,381. THE PUN GROUP LLP 242 24 CITY AUDIT. $5,056. THE PUN. GROUP PROFESSIONAL AUDIT, $28,000. THE LIBRARY FOR THE LIBRARY PASS FOR THE LIBRARY PASSING COMIC SUBSCRIPTION $900 AND INSTALL AN INSTALLATION OF AN AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READER, 285,000 AND FRANK THOMAS. UH, 16,000. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THANK YOU. OKAY. AND TRUTH. ALL RIGHT. SO IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED THAT I AM NOT ON THE DTAS PAYROLL. OKAY. COMIC RELIEF, I GUESS. UH, $106 IN BUSINESS CARDS FROZE. DO THEY SAY C ON THEM BY CHANCE? YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LAUGH AT THAT. THAT'S SERIOUS BUSINESS. OH MAN. UNDER IT, THERE'S IPADS FOR $1,278 AND ANOTHER IPADS CHARGE FOR $9,471. WHY THE DIFFERENCE? UH, 285,000 CHARGE FOR A LPR INSTALLATION. AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE COST TO BUY EACH ONE FROM GLOBAL INFORMATION MONOPOLIST FLOCK, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH FEBRUARY 24TH TRIP, MAYBE IT WAS CAL CITIES THAT EVERYONE ON THE COUNCIL WENT TO. BUT WHY IS IT THAT MARCUS HAD THE MOST EXPENSIVE ROOM AT $930? AND HOW DID IT DETEST OR, OR DAIS? MANAGED TO ONLY COST $607 BY COMPARISON. AND WHO STAYED AT THE WESTIN ON FEBRUARY 24TH FOR $620? IT DOES NOT SAY, AND I FIND IT VERY STRANGE THAT POLICE OFFICERS ARE GETTING TRAINING IN VEGAS AT CAESAR'S PALACE AND THE GOLDEN NUGGET. CAN WE CONFIRM THAT THAT'S ALL THEY'RE DOING WHILE THEY'RE IN VEGAS? OR WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO SAY, I GUESS. UM, AND I'M VERY GLAD THAT LOU'S GOT THE COFFIN MACHINE REPLACED FOR $144. 'CAUSE THAT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT WHEN YOUR MEETINGS ARE GOING AT 10:00 PM OR 11:00 PM OR MAYBE PAST THAT SOMETIMES. UM, BUT OF COURSE I CAN'T LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING THIS. THE PAYMENT THAT WAS MISSING WAS ME ON THE RON PAYROLL. SO NOT BEING PAID TO SPEAK. I'M GOING TO BE HEADED BACK TO HQ VERY SOON. THANK YOU. AND GOOD LUCK, . ALRIGHT. OKAY, THAT WAS, UH, THAT WAS FOR 10, UH, EIGHT 11. AND THAT'S ALL THE SPEAKERS WE HAVE. WHAT'S YOUR PLEASURE? SO MOVE MR. CHAIR. , THEY'RE NOT TAKING YOU. OH, SORRY. . THERE IT IS. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. OKAY. AND IT'S SECONDED. ALRIGHT. UH, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION APPROVE UNANIMOUSLY. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. SO THAT ENDS UP WITH ALL OF OUR CONSENT. ALL OF OUR CONSENT. WE GO ON [9.1 Public Hearing and Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Chapter 15.29 of the National City Municipal Code Establishing a Fire Inspection Program.] TO OUR CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING. ITEM NINE ONE. THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE AMENDING, UH, CHAPTER 15.29 OF THE SAN OR THE NATIONAL CITY MUNICIPAL CODE ESTABLISHING A FIRE INSPECTION PROGRAM. UM, I'M GOING TO, AT THIS POINT OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. AND DO WE HAVE ANY, ANYONE ON ZOOM OR ANYTHING ELSE? I DON'T HAVE ANY SLIPS ON THIS ONE, CORRECT? WE DO NOT, NO. OKAY. COULD WE HAVE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING? SO MOVE CHAIR, MOVE TO CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING. OKAY. SECOND. AND WE HAVE A SECOND. ALRIGHT. UH, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION TO APPROVE. UNANIMOUSLY MOVE TO APPROVE. SECOND. OKAY. THIS IS FOR ADOPTION AND, UH, WE HAVE A MOTION. AND A SECOND BEING NO DISCUSSION. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION APPROVE UNANIMOUSLY. ALRIGHT, NEXT WE GO ON, UM, [10.1 Public Hearing and Introduction of an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of National City, Repealing Ordinance No. 2023-2521 and Adopting an Ordinance Establishing Sewer Service Charges for FY 2025-2026, 2026-2027, 2027-2028, 2028-2029, 2029-2030.] ON THE PUBLIC HEARINGS VERSUS PUBLIC HEARING AND INTRODUCTION OF AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY. REPEALING, UH, ORDINANCE NUMBER, UH, 2023 DASH 25 21 AND ADOPTING AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING SEWER SERVICE CHARGES FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, 26, 26, 27, 27, 28, 28, 29, AND 29 30. UH, WE, I WILL OPEN. DO WE HAVE ANY PRESENTATION FROM STAFF ON THIS FIRST MAYOR, I NEED TO, UH, READ INTO THE RECORD THE SUBMISSION AND TABULATION [01:45:02] RULES OF THE PROTEST. I'M SORRY, WHAT? I NEED TO READ THE GUIDELINES INTO THE RECORD FOR THE SUBMISSION AND TABULATION OF THE PROTESTS. IT'S A, IT'S A BIT LONG, SO JUST BEAR WITH ME. SUBMISSION OF PROTESTS. THE PROPERTY OWNER OF RECORD MAY FILE A WRITTEN PROTEST TO THE PROPOSED RATE ADJUSTMENT. PROPERTY OWNERS DO NOT HAVE TO ATTEND THE PUBLIC HEARING IN ORDER TO FILE A PROTEST. PROTESTS MAY BE MAILED TO THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY, CITY CLERK. ALL PROTESTS MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE THE CLOSE OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF THE PUBLIC HEARING TODAY, MAY 6TH. ANY PROTESTS RECEIVED AFTER THAT DATE AND TIME, EVEN IF POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE THAT DATE, WILL NOT BE COUNTED. ANY PROTESTS RECEIVED VIA EMAIL, FAX, OR OTHER ELECTRONIC MEANS SHALL ALSO NOT BE COUNTED. THE SIGNATURE ON THE PROTEST MUST BE THAT OF THE PROPERTY OWNER OF RECORD AND BE AN ORIGINAL SIGNATURE. PROTESTS WITH COPIES OF SIGNATURES WILL NOT BE COUNTED. ORAL COMMENTS DO NOT QUALIFY AS A PROTEST UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY A WRITTEN PROTEST. WHILE CUSTOMERS WHO LIVE ON A PROPERTY OWNED BY SOMEONE ELSE MAY ATTEND THE PUBLIC HEARING, THE CITY WILL ONLY COUNT WRITTEN PROTESTS FILED BY PROPERTY OWNERS. ONLY ONE VALID PROTEST PER PARCEL WILL BE COUNTED IN ORDER TO BE COUNTED. EACH PROTEST MUST CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING STATE, THE PROPERTY OWNER OF RECORD DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE PROPOSED RATE INCREASE. IDENTIFY THE LOCATION OF THE PARCEL BY STREET ADDRESS ASSESSOR'S PARCEL NUMBER LISTED ON THE ADDRESS LABEL OF YOUR ENVELOPE OR CITY ACCOUNT. PROVIDE THE PRINTED NAME AND ORIGINAL SIGNATURE OF THE PROPERTY OWNER SUBMITTING THE PROTEST. IF A PROPERTY OWNER WOULD LIKE TO PROTEST AND OWNS MULTIPLE PROPERTIES, THEY MUST FILE ONE VALID PROTEST. FOR EACH PARCEL OWNED. ONLY ONE PROTEST WILL BE COUNTED PER PARCEL. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU OWN FIVE PARCELS AND YOU WISH TO FILE FIVE PROTESTS, IF A PROPERTY OWNER WISHES TO PROTEST AND YOUR PARCEL IS OWNED BY MORE THAN ONE PERSON OR BY A CORPORATION OR OTHER LEGAL ENTITY, YOU MAY ONLY FILE ONE PROTEST PER FOR THAT PARCEL. PROPER DOCUMENTATION MUST BE PROVIDED SHOWING THAT THE PERSON SIGNING THE PROTEST HAS THE AUTHORITY TO SIGN ON BEHALF OF THE OTHER OWNERS CORPORATION OR LEGAL ENTITY. IF THE NAME OF THE PROPERTY OWNER WAS NOT SHOWN ON THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY'S LAST EQUALIZED ASSESSMENT ROLE AS THE OWNER OF RECORD, THE NEW PROPERTY OWNER MUST PROVIDE THE CITY WITH A CERTIFIED COPY OF A RECORDED DEED. INDIVIDUAL WITH DISABILITIES WHO REQUIRE REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUBLIC HEARING, SHOULD CONTACT THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE AS FAR IN IN ADVANCE OF THE PUBLIC HEARING AS POSSIBLE. TABULATION OF PROTESTS, THE CLERK OR DESIGNEE SHALL DETERMINE THE VALIDITY OF ALL PROTESTS, SHALL NOT ACCEPT AS VALID ANY PROTEST IF DETERMINED THAT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE NOT MET, THE PROTEST MUST INCLUDE THE STREET ADDRESS OR ASSESS A PARCEL NUMBER. THE PROTEST MUST HAVE THE ORIGINAL SIGNATURE OF THE PROPERTY OWNER. THE PROTEST MUST STATE ITS OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED FEE INCREASE. THE PROTEST MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE CITY CLERK OR OR OFFICE BEFORE THE CLOSE OF THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED FEE. A REQUEST TO WITHDRAW THE PROTEST WAS RECEIVED PRIOR TO THE CLOSE OF THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED FEES. THE CITY CLERK'S DECISION THAT, THAT A PROTEST IS NOT VALID SHALL CONSTITUTE A FINAL ACTION OF THE CITY AND NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY INTERNAL APPEAL. A MAJORITY PROTEST EXISTS IF WRITTEN PROTESTS ARE TIMELY SUBMITTED AND NOT WITHDRAWN, NOT WITHDRAWN BY THE RECORD OWNERS OF A MAJORITY 50% PLUS ONE OF THE PROPERTY SUBJECT TO THE PROPOSED FEE. NO ASSESSMENT MAY BE IMPOSED IF A MAJORITY PROTEST EXISTS AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC HEARING. THE CITY CLERK OR DESIGNEE SHALL COMPLETE THE TABULATION OF ALL PROTESTS RECEIVED, INCLUDING THOSE RECEIVED DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING, AND SHALL REPORT THE RESULTS OF THE TABULATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL UPON COMPLETION. IF REVIEW OF THE PROTESTS RECEIVED DEMONSTRATES THAT THE NUMBER RECEIVED IS MANIFESTLY LESS THAN ONE HALF OF THE PARCEL SERVED BY THE CITY WITH RESPECT TO THE FEE, WHICH IS A SUBJECT OF THE PROTEST, THEN THE CITY CLERK OR DESIGNEE MAY ADVISE THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE ABSENCE OF A MAJORITY PROTEST WITHOUT DETERMINING THE VALIDITY OF ALL PROTESTS. THANK YOU. RIGHT. WITH THAT, THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, CITY MANAGER, STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. MY NAME IS MARTA JUAREZ. I'M THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS, AND I AM JOINED HERE TONIGHT BY OUR CONSULTANT CARMEN KASNER FROM THE ART DURA GROUP. THEY ACT AS AN EXTENSION OF STAFF EXPERT CONSULTANT ON SEWER MATTERS, INCLUDING ALL OF [01:50:01] OUR SEWER RATE RELATED ITEMS, UM, AND, AND OTHER THINGS SUCH AS DESIGN AND, AND, UH, PROGRAMMATIC MANAGEMENT. SO SHE'LL, SHE'LL BE GOING OVER SOME OF THE MORE TECHNICAL INFORMATION. UM, FIRST I'M GONNA GO OVER SOME OF THE GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS OF WHY WE'RE HERE. UH, THIS IS THE FIRST READING, PUBLIC HEARING AND INTRODUCTION OF AN ORDINANCE TO ESTABLISH THE PROPOSED NEW SEWER SERVICE CHARGES FOR THE NEXT FIVE FISCAL YEARS. UM, AND WITH THAT WE HAVE TO AMEND THE PRIOR EXISTING ORDINANCES THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED THE RATES. UM, WE DID COME TO YOU, UH, LET ME GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, WE DID COME TO YOU EARLIER IN THE YEAR IN MARCH TO PRESENT TO YOU THE SEWER RATE STUDY, WHICH ANALYZED AND DETERMINED WHAT RATES WE WOULD NEED TO PROPOSE IN ORDER TO MEET OUR, UM, OUR NEEDS FOR SEWER SERVICES FOR THE CITY. SO JUST GIVING YOU A REALLY QUICK UPDATE HERE, THERE IS A PUBLIC NOTICING REQUIREMENT FOR THIS PROCESS. UH, PURSUANT TO PROP TWO 18, WE HAVE TO NOTIFY ALL PROPERTY OWNERS. THAT WAS DONE IN MARCH ON MARCH 12TH, MAILED OUT. UM, AND THEN THE PROTESTS ARE WELCOME AND RECEIVED PER THE CITY CLERKS READING OF THAT PROCESS AND PROTOCOL. UH, TODAY IS THE FIRST READING AND PUBLIC HEARING, AND IF, UH, THERE ARE INSUFFICIENT PROTESTS TO DENY OR THE COUNCIL WISHES TO PROCEED, THEN WE'LL COME BACK FOR A SECOND READING AND ADOPTION. UM, AND THEN 30 DAYS AFTER THAT, THE ORDINANCE WOULD BE EFFECTIVE AND WE WOULD PRESENT TO YOU THE TAX ROLL IN JUNE. UM, A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, AGAIN, I WON'T GO THROUGH THIS IN DETAIL BECAUSE WE DID GO OVER IT IN THE SEWER RATE STUDY, BUT HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT COME UP AT THE END OR IN THE MIDDLE. UM, JUST REMINDER THAT WE DO RUN A MUNICIPAL SEWER SYSTEM AND WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 17,000 CUSTOMERS. ALMOST 15,000 OF THEM ARE, UH, RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, INCLUDING MULTIFAMILY. WE ARE ONLY A A COLLECTION SYSTEM. WE ARE A MEMBER AGENCY OF THE METROPOLITAN JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY METRO JPA. UM, AND THAT'S WHERE THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO RECEIVES OUR SEWAGE AND TREATS IT. AND, UH, WE LAST DID A RATE STUDY IN 2017 DURING WHICH TIME WE DID ADOPT SOME INCREASES TO THE RATES. AND THEN THE PAST TWO YEARS WE HELD THE RATES STUDY THROUGH THAT ORDINANCE THAT IS IN PLACE THROUGH THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR. SO AS WE WENT OVER LAST TIME, YOU KNOW WHAT HAS CHANGED? THERE'S BEEN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN COSTS ALONG, UH, FOR CAPITAL, CAPITAL NEEDS AND COST OF CAPITAL PROJECTS, OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, BOTH BECAUSE OF INFLATIONARY PRESSURES, PERSONNEL COSTS, UM, GENERAL, UH, IMPACTS TO MATERIALS AND SERVICES, BUT ALSO FOR REGULATORY, UH, REQUIREMENTS THAT HAVE CHANGED DUE TO STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS. AND THEN OF COURSE, THE COSTS THAT ARE PASSED THROUGH FROM, UM, FROM METRO, FROM THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO ALSO IMPACT. SO WE HAD TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING AGAIN. UM, THE GOALS OF THE RATE STUDY, UM, REALLY AGAIN, TO EVALUATE WHETHER OR NOT THE REVENUES WE RECEIVE FROM ALL SEWER SERVICE CHARGES ARE SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE PROJECTED OPERATIONAL AND CAPITAL COSTS OF THE SYSTEM. AND I'M GONNA HAND THAT OVER TO CARMEN. DO YOU WANNA STAND HERE? OKAY. THANK YOU. YES. I'M CARMEN KASNER WITH OUR DRUG GROUP. UM, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON YOUR RATES AND YOUR TAX ROLE. SO I'M, I'M FAMILIAR WITH ACTUALLY NOT JUST HOW THE RATES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED, BUT HOW YOU BILL YOUR CUSTOMERS FOR THE LAST MORE THAN 10 YEARS. SO I'M, UM, QUITE FAMILIAR WITH YOUR PROCESS AND YOUR SYSTEM, UM, AND THE FLOWS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR SYSTEM. SO THE THREE BA THREE BASIC STEPS OF YOUR RATE. THE RATE STUDY IS FIRST YOU DETERMINE HOW MUCH REVENUE DO YOU NEED. THE SECOND IS YOU NEED TO ALLOCATE THAT REVENUE AMONGST THE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF CUSTOMERS. THERE'S TWO, THREE GENERAL WAYS THAT PEOPLE DO IT. MOSTLY IT'S FLAT OF FLAT RATE PER UNIT OF CUSTOMER OR A FLOWS DEVELOPED, YOU KNOW, CONSUMED BY OR DELIVERED BY THOSE CUSTOMERS, OR IT'S A COMBINATION OF THOSE TWO. AND MOST, YOU KNOW, IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, THERE IS A COMBINATION. UM, EVERY, THERE'S ONE OF EACH OF 'EM, AT LEAST WE USE SWEETWATER'S WATER DATA FOR DEVELOPING THEN THE LEVEL AND STRUCTURE OF THE RATE DESIGN. SO I GO THROUGH AND ANALYZE ALL OF THE SEWER THAT ALL OF THE WATER THAT'S DELIVERED BY SWEETWATER TO THE VARIOUS CUSTOMER CLASSES [01:55:03] AND ANALYZE IT FOR HOW MUCH EACH CUSTOMER CLASS ON AVERAGE PRODUCES THE MAJOR COST COMPONENTS. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS PREVIOUSLY. MOST OF IT, YOU KNOW, ALMOST HALF OF IT IS YOUR METRO COSTS. UM, WE DO HAVE THE FIVE MAJOR PARTS. YOUR NEXT BIGGEST EXPENSE IS CAPITAL. ALL YOUR DESIGN AND YOUR IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED TO MAINTAIN YOUR SYSTEM. THIS REPORT, THIS GRAPH, I THINK SHOWS VERY WELL THAT, UM, YOU DID NOT HAVE A RATE INCREASE BETWEEN 24 AND 25. SO THE, UM, REVENUES ARE PRETTY NEUTRAL, BUT WE ARE STARTING TO SPEND DOWN YOUR RESERVES SO THAT WE CAN, UM, COMPLETE A BUNCH OF CAPITAL WORK WHILE WE'RE SLOWLY INCREASING YOUR RATES, JUST ON A VERY NOMINAL BASIS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T FALL BEHIND. UM, THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF YOUR RATE IS COLLECTION CIP AND METRO. I WILL NOTE VERY CLEARLY THAT ALL OF YOUR CUSTOMER BILLS, WE ARE USING RESERVES TO HELP REDUCE THE BILLS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO BE OTHERWISE HAVING. AND THIS IS THE IMPORTANT SLIDE. THIS SHOWS WHAT THE RATE INCREASES WOULD BE BY CUSTOMER CLASS. UM, I WANNA POINT OUT A COUPLE SPECIFIC THINGS HERE. AGAIN, I USE YOUR SWEETWATER DATA TO AGGREGATE YOUR COSTS BY THE DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS CLASSES. SO ON AVERAGE, YOUR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS DELIVER, UM, USE 155 GALLONS PER DAY OF WATER THAT IS DELIVERED THEN TO THE WASTEWATER SYSTEM. YOUR MULTI-FAMILY CONDOS, YOUR USE ABOUT 125 GALLONS PER DAY, WHICH IS ABOUT 80% OF THE RATE, UM, THAT A SINGLE FAMILY USES. AND THEN THE MOBILE HOMES, THEY USE ABOUT 95 PER GALLONS PER DAY, WHICH IS ONLY ABOUT 60% OF THE USAGE THAT IS PRODUCED BY A WATER CUSTOMER. SO THEREFORE, OR THE SINGLE FAMILY CUSTOMER. THEREFORE, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RATES FROM 20 FOR 26 FOR THOSE THREE CLASSIFICATIONS, THAT IS ABOUT AN 80% REDUCTION FOR THE MULTIFAMILY RATES FROM THE SINGLE FAMILY. AND THE MOBILE HOMES IS ABOUT 60% OF THE RATE OF THE SINGLE FAMILY CUSTOMER. WE DID HAVE TO ADJUST THE, UM, AND THEN WE'RE SHOWING A 3% INCREASE FOR THE SINGLE FAMILY MULTIFAMILY. THE REASON THE MOBILE HOMES IS LESS, IT'S BECAUSE THEY'VE ACTUALLY SAVED MORE WATER. THEY ARE USING LESS WATER THAN THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY. AND SO IN ORDER TO KEEP IT EQUITABLE, UM, AND THERE'S ONLY 355 OF THEM IN YOUR WHOLE CITY, SO IT'S A VERY SMALL NUMBER. ADDITIONALLY, UM, WE NEEDED TO ADJUST THE CUSTOMER COMMERCIAL RATES MORE THOUGH BECAUSE OTHERWISE BASED ON THEIR USAGES, THAT THEY WOULD BE PAYING DISPROPORTIONATELY LESS THAN THEY SHOULD. SO THAT'S WHY THEIR INCREASES HAVE TO BE MORE. UM, AND I JUST WANNA POINT OUT THAT CUSTOMERS ARE COUNTED BY THE UNITS EVEN IF WE DON'T BUILD THEM DIRECTLY. UM, I COUNT, YOU KNOW, I I I GO THROUGH AND AND ANALYZE EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER CLASS. UM, FOR THIS ANALYSIS, FOR YOUR COMPARISON OF YOUR RATES TO THE OTHER CITIES HERE ON THIS GRAPH, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE AVERAGE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY IS 60 FOR THE METRO IS 62 PER MONTH. WE'RE PROPOSING A NOMINAL INCREASE THAT WOULD MAY, MAY BRING YOURS UP TO 52 72 IN BLUE. THOSE ARE THE CUSTOMERS THAT ARE ALSO BILLING ON A FLAT RATE FOR THE SINGLE FAMILY CUSTOMERS AT LEMON GROVE CORONADO AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY. IMPERIAL BEACH BILLS 100% BASED ON THE FLOW FROM THE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND EVERY OTHER, UM, ONE HERE REPRESENTED DO A COMBINATION. THEY HAVE A BASE RATE THAT THE CUSTOMER PAYS, PLUS THEY PAY FOR, UM, THEY PAY UPON USAGE OF WATER AND THE FLOW DEVELOPED BACK. ALL RIGHT, SO JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY A COUPLE MORE ITEMS, UM, THAT HA QUESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED THROUGH SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS. UM, AND A FORMAL PROTESTS THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED, WHICH HAVE ONLY BEEN FIVE, SIX, I BELIEVE [02:00:01] TOTAL FORMAL PROTESTS, AND THEN SOME QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS THAT HAVE SURFACED DIRECTLY TO ENGINEERING. UM, SO JUST A FEW CLARIFICATIONS. THE SEWER RATES ARE NOT A TAX. THIS IS A, THIS IS A, A DIRECT COST OF OPERATING THE SYSTEM, MAINTAINING, REPAIRING, REPLACING RIGHT ON THE BASIS OF PROJECTED NEEDS AND, AND REAL COSTS. I KNOW IT IS INTERPRETED SOMETIMES AS TAXED BY THE CITY, BUT IT'S NOT. IT'S, IT'S TRULY JUST THE DIRECT COST TO DO SO. AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SOME ASSUMPTIONS AND SOME DATA'S NOT AVAILABLE. UH, WHEN WE DEVELOP THE STUDY EVERY SO MANY YEARS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, THE ACTUAL COSTS FROM THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE. THERE ARE STILL ELEMENTS AND FACTORS THAT ARE UNKNOWN, SO WE JUST HAVE TO MAKE AN ASSUMPTION. SO WHEN DEVELOPING THESE RATES, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TOTAL COST THIS IS JUST AS CARMEN MENTIONED, GETTING US CLOSER TO WHAT THE REAL COST MIGHT BE WHEN SOME OF THOSE COSTS BECOME APPARENT OR ARE RELEASED BY, BY, UM, CITY OF SAN DIEGO. UM, ALSO, WE DO WANNA NOTE, AND WE INDICATED IN THE STAFF REPORT THAT AS WE RECEIVED SOME OF THE COMMENT AND RE-LOOKED AT THE SEWER STUDY, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF SMALL, UM, UH, REVISIONS THAT, UM, COULD BE MERITED TO THE REPORT. SO IF, IF, IF NEEDED, WE WILL BRING IT BACK FOR, UH, COUNSEL TO ADOPT THE REVISED AND FINAL STUDY. UM, AT THIS POINT, THEY'RE NOT MATERIAL AND THEY CERTAINLY DON'T IMPACT ANY OF THE FEES, BUT THERE ARE SOME, SOME SENTENCES WHERE, UM, THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, UM, A, A MISSED REFERENCE, AN INCORRECT REFERENCE, ET CETERA. UM, AND THEN AGAIN, AS UM, CARMEN ELABORATED A LITTLE BIT MORE, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN COMMERCIAL VERSUS MOBILE HOME VERSUS, UH, RESIDENTIAL. AND, YOU KNOW, JUST WANNA REITERATE THAT THE BASIS OF THOSE DISTINCTIONS IN THE, IN THE FEED TYPES COMES FROM EFFECTIVELY A PRORATION THAT IS, THAT USES REAL DATA THAT WE RECEIVE FROM SWEETWATER AUTHORITY AS FAR AS WATER CONSUMPTION THAT GETS CALCULATED OUT AND A FACTOR FOR THE PREPARATION OF EACH TYPE OF USER, MULTIFAMILY, MOBILE, HOME COMMERCIAL, ET CETERA, IS, IS THEN ADOPTED TO APPLY TO THE TOTAL COSTS AND THEN THEY GET, UM, EVENLY DISTRIBUTED ACROSS EACH OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES TO COVER THE FULL REVENUE NEED. SO THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT THAT WE'RE HAPPY TO, TO FURTHER DISCUSS IF NEEDED. UM, AND SO IN CONCLUSION, WE COME HERE, UH, THE RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF IS TO, UM, AGREE TO HOLD THIS PUBLIC HEARING. UM, CONSIDER THE PROTEST VOTES THAT WERE RECEIVED IN ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN INTRODUCE THE ORDINANCE, UH, SO THAT WE MAY ADOPT THESE REVISED SEWER RATES IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. WITH THAT, WE WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND UH, I DO HAVE FOUR SPEAKERS THAT ARE SCHEDULED. DO WE HAVE ANYONE ON ZOOM ON THIS ONE? NO, WE DO NOT. OKAY. UM, WE'LL START OUT WITH, UH, MITCH THOMPSON. WE FOLLOWED BY TRUTH, WE FOLLOWED BY DAMON ROMAN AND THEN DANIELLE KISH. GOOD EVENING. MR. MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL AND RICHARD ROMERO. UM, WHEN I WAS ON THE, UH, OTTI WATER BOARD, HE WAS OUR COUNCIL FOR QUITE A WHILE AND I AM FAMILIAR WITH RATE STUDIES. UM, UM, AND I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT OF THE CONSULTANT AND OUR STAFF, UH, YOUR STAFF IN NATIONAL CITY. THE ONE THING THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS UNLIKE WATER RATES WHERE YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH SOMEBODY USES SEWER RATES, NOBODY KNOWS HOW MUCH EACH HOUSE IS PUTTING INTO THE SEWER SYSTEM. THERE'S NO WAY OF KNOWING THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY METERS. AND SO YOU RELY ON ASSUMPTIONS AND A BUNCH OF STUDIES THAT ARE MAYBE GOOD OR NOT. THIS PARTICULAR STUDY DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH DETAIL AND EXPLANATION FOR ANY READER TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT IT'S ACCURATE. WHAT I FOUND WHEN I DID IT LOOKING AT THE STUDY, WAS SOME OF THEIR BASIC NUMBERS THAT THEY MADE ASSUMPTIONS ON WERE ACTUALLY INCORRECT IN THE STUDY. AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE ALLUDING TO THAT THEY'RE GONNA FIX. UM, THE OTHER THING WAS THAT THEY MAKE AN ASSUMPTION BASED ON BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, THIS EDU CONCEPT WHERE, UM, WHERE A SINGLE FAMILY HOMES ONE EDU AND MULTIFAMILY IS 0.8 AND MOBILE HOMES ARE 0.6. AND THAT'S BASED ON SOME DATA THAT THEY, THAT THEY'VE LOOKED AT. UM, DO [02:05:01] YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? THAT REALLY ISN'T IT, IT'S NOT A VERY, THERE ARE PROBABLY BETTER WAYS TO GET AT HOW MUCH A UNIT IS, IS PROVIDING. FOR INSTANCE, UM, MORGAN AND KIMBALL TOWERS HAVE ALMOST ONE PERSON PER UNIT ALMOST. AND THEN YOU'VE GOT MULTI-FAMILY UNITS THAT ARE ALL THREE BEDROOMS THAT ARE BUILT IN THE CITY. THEY HAVE LIKE SIX PEOPLE IN A UNIT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THEY PAY THE SAME SEWER RATE PER UNIT. IT MAKES NO SENSE. IT WOULD MAKE MUCH MORE SENSE TO DO IT BY UNIT SIZE THAN TO DO IT BY THESE ARBITRARY CLASSIFICATIONS OF MOBILE HOME, MULTI-FAMILY, CONDO AND SINGLE FAMILY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. IS THAT IT? THAT'S IT. AH. UH, AND THE AMOUNT OF WATER GOING TO LANDSCAPING, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. SO IT'S VERY HARD FOR THEM TO EXTRAPOLATE. OKAY. AND IT'S, THAT WAS YOUR TWO MINUTES OF FAME, HUH? THAT WAS YOUR TWO MINUTES OF FAME. OH, THAT'S NOT FAME. OKAY. UH, TRUTH. OKAY. UM, OKAY. I THINK SHE'S, DID SHE LEAVE? I DON'T SEE HER HERE. OKAY. UH, DAMIEN, UH, ROMAN TO BE FOLLOWED BY, UH, DANIELLE. K. GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR. GOOD EVENING. VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL STAFF. UM, I JUST, I CAME OUT HERE TODAY TO SPEAK IN REGARDS TO THIS, UH, ITEM. I BELIEVE I'VE SPOKEN WITH SOME OF YOU IN REGARDS TO THIS FEE. I, THE ISSUE THAT I HAVE MOSTLY WITH IT IS, AS THE GENTLEMAN BEFORE ME WAS SAYING IS THAT IT DOESN'T SPECIFICALLY CALL OUT WHICH ITEM IT IS. AND WHAT I MEAN IS LIKE WHAT, WHAT IS A SINGLE FAMILY? WHAT IS AN A DU? WHAT IS AN A DU MEAN TO A SINGLE FAMILY? WHAT IS A MULTI-FAMILY? WHAT IS A CONDO? AND THE OTHER THING THAT IS LIKE WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING TO ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS FROM OTHER CITIES, THEY ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS ACTUALLY PER FLOW IN BEDROOMS BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY CAN COUNT HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIVE IN A UNIT BASED ON BEDROOMS. SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THESE NUMBERS AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT TO SEE HOW MUCH USAGE OF SEWER SYSTEM IS GOING INTO OR, OR, OR SUPPLY IN ORDER FOR US TO KEEP THE INFRASTRUCTURE RUNNING, THEY GO BASED OFF BEDROOM COUNT. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THIS MORE AS INTO WHAT OTHER CITIES HAVE BEEN DOING AND ACTUALLY CALL OUT AND ASK THEM LIKE, HEY, HOW ARE YOU GUYS RUNNING THESE NUMBERS AS OPPOSED TO JUST RUNNING WITH IT. 'CAUSE THE MOMENT THIS GETS APPROVED, I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE FROM WORKING ON CONSTRUCTION FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS. I'M WORKING IN A DU SINCE 2017. I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THE MOMENT I WANT TO SPEAK TO AN AGENCY AND THERE'S AN ITEM LIKE THIS ALREADY PROPOSED IN PAST, THERE'S NO GOING BACK. SO I JUST WANNA MENTION THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE AS TO HOW OTHER CITIES ARE HANDLING IT. HOW I AM NOT GONNA JUST SHOW YOU RIGHT NOW THAT WE'RE HANDLING BY BEDROOM COUNT AND THIS IS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, DANIELLE. GOOD EVENING MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS. FIRST, I DO WANNA SAY I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE COST OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE RISING COSTS THAT ARE FACING OUR CITY. AND I DO SUPPORT INCREASING THE SEWER CHARGES. IN GENERAL, I'M A HOMEOWNER IN NATIONAL CITY AND I AM OPPOSED TO THE PROPOSED RATE INCREASES FOR SEWER SERVICE CHARGES. BUT SPECIFICALLY I'M AGAINST CHARGING SINGLE FAMILY HOMEOWNERS WITH ADUS BOTH THE SINGLE FAMILY RATE AND THE MULTIFAMILY RATE. THIS CURRENT PROPOSAL DOES NOT FOLLOW THE PROPORTIONALITY REQUIREMENTS OF PROP TWO 18 AS IT CREATES A DISPROPORTIONATE COST ON SINGLE FAMILY HOMEOWNERS WITH PERMITTED ADUS. I MYSELF AM BUILDING A 500 SQUARE FOOT A DU WITH ONE BEDROOM AND ONE BATHROOM. IF THESE PROPOSED RATES ARE APPROVED, I WILL HAVE TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL $493 ON TOP OF THE SINGLE FAMILY RATE OF $633 PER YEAR. THAT'S $1,100 FOR THE TOTAL OF THREE BEDROOMS AND THREE BATHROOMS. THAT WILL BE ON MY LOT. THAT'S THE SAME OCCUPANCY AS MANY SINGLE FAMILY HOMES IN NATIONAL CITY. THE PARCELS IN NATIONAL CITY THAT HAVE SPACE TO BUILD ADUS TYPICALLY HAVE SMALL SINGLE FAMILY HOMES ON THE LOTS. THE ADUS ARE ALSO SMALL, USUALLY STUDIOS OR ONE BEDROOMS. ALSO, THESE RATE INCREASES CONFLICT WITH THE PLANNING AND ZONING SECTION OF CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE ON A DU FEES THAT STATES AN A DU SHALL NOT BE CONSIDERED BY A LOCAL AGENCY, SPECIAL DISTRICT, OR WATER CORPORATION TO BE A NEW RESIDENTIAL USE. THIS PROPOSAL CALLS FOR TREATING ADUS LIKE AN ADDITIONAL RESIDENTIAL UNIT ON THE LOT. ALSO, AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, THERE IS A HIGH NUMBER OF SINGLE FAMILY HOMES WITH UNPERMITTED ADDITIONS AND ADUS ACROSS THE CITY. THIS PROPOSAL ONLY [02:10:01] MOTIVATES PEOPLE TO BUILD UNPERMITTED ADUS TO AVOID THE ADDITIONAL $493 A YEAR. A MORE PROPORTIONATE METHODOLOGY WOULD BE TO EQUALLY DIVIDE THE INCREASED COSTS ACROSS ALL SINGLE FAMILY PARCELS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. AND WE HAVE NO ONE ON ZOOM, CORRECT? CORRECT. AND FOR THE RECORD, I'D LIKE TO STATE WE HAD TWO WRITTEN COMMENTS FROM TED GODSHAW AND MITCHELL THOMPSON WHO ALSO SPOKE TODAY. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH WITH THAT. UM, DO WE HAVE, HAVE, DO THEY HAVE ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OF STAFF? YES, SIR. THROUGH THE CHAIR. JUST FOR CLARIFICATION TO CITY CLERK, UM, YES. MR. GACHA, IS THAT, UH, AN AN OPPOSITION OR A SUPPORT? UH, I PROVIDED THE WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT IN YOUR, TO YOUR EMAIL. I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AND SEE, BUT I CAN OKAY. UM, AND HAVE SOMETHING OKAY. YEAH, GO AHEAD. YES. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE MEMBERS OF PUBLIC ARE SPEAKING, UM, UH, MR. UH, THOMPSON, MS. KISH, AND MR. UH, ROMAN. SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING OUT AND THE EMAILS THAT YOU SENT, UM, BEFORE, UM, SO I'M STILL LEARNING ABOUT THIS AND THIS IS A COMPLEX ISSUE. SO I HAD QUESTIONS FOR STAFF ON THE, UM, SOME OF WHAT THEY'VE BROUGHT UP. UM, AND MAYBE IT'S FOR THE CONSULTANT. UM, BUT ON THE QUESTION OF, UM, ON THE ASSUMPTIONS, 'CAUSE THE STATEMENT WAS MADE THAT, UM, FOR SEWAGE FLOW THAT WE'RE REALLY RELYING ON ASSUMPTIONS. THERE'S NO WAY TO ACCURATELY MEASURE THAT. SO CAN YOU SPEAK ON THAT? BECAUSE THAT LEADS TO MY, WHAT I WILL WANT TO ASK OR EXPLORE ABOUT, WHICH IS THAT NUMBER OF UNITS OR THE NUMBER OF BEDROOMS VERSUS, UM, THE, JUST THE, WHETHER IT'S CLASSIFIED AS MULTIFAMILY, SINGLE FAMILY, LIKE THAT, THAT ARGUMENT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE. SO IF YOU CAN TALK ABOUT THAT UNIT OCCUPANCY AND, AND THE METHODOLOGY THERE. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU. UM, SO LET'S START WITH THE FIRST QUESTION. YOU'RE CORRECT. THERE IS NOT AN EXACT WAY TO VALIDATE. HOWEVER, WHAT I HAVE DONE THROUGH THE YEARS, BECAUSE I'M DOING YOUR TAX ROLE, I DO DO A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF WHEN I TOTAL THE WATER CONSUMPTION AND THEN I MAKE AN ASSUMPTION OF 90% RETURN TO SEWER AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT TOTALS APPROXIMATELY HOW MUCH WE DELIVER TO THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO. I SAY WE AS IN THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY. SO 90% IS WHAT IS ASSUMED FOR MOST PROPERTIES TO, THAT DOESN'T GET, IT GETS USED AS LANDSCAPING OR OTHER THINGS THAT DON'T END UP IN THE SEWAGE SYSTEM. YOU, YOU DRINK A LITTLE BIT OF WATER, BUT IT'S MAINLY FOR IRRIGATION. MOST PROPERTIES THAT DON'T HAVE HEAVY, YOU KNOW, I MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE REALLY BIG HEAVY LANDSCAPED PROPERTIES HERE IN NASHVILLE CITY. AND SO THE MAJORITY OF THE WATER USED IN THE HOMES DO END UP IN THE SEWER SYSTEM. SO WE USE THE SEWER DATA FROM SWEETWATER, THE WATER, THE WATER DATA, SORRY, , MY GOD, IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY. , WE USE THE WATER DATA FROM SWEETWATER AUTHORITY AND THEN WE MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT FACTOR. AND THEN I COMPARE IT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT TOTAL WATER USE AMONGST ALL YOUR CLASSIFICATIONS TOTAL ABOUT HOW MUCH IS TREATED AND CALCULATED BY THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT. OKAY, WHY NOT USE THE BEDROOM, THE OCCUPANCY MODEL? WHY NOT USE THAT? THAT'S KIND OF TWO DIFFERENT ISSUES. BUT SO THE BEDROOM OCCUPANCY, I ACTUALLY, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHER CITY ACTUALLY THAT USES BEDROOM OCCUPANCY. THEY USE A BASE RATE FOR SINGLE FAMILY OR A BASE RATE FOR MULTIFAMILY AND MULTIFAMILY IN ALMOST EVERY JURISDICTION. IT'S ANYTHING WHERE IT'S MORE THAN ONE OR TWO ON A PROPERTY, MORE THAN TWO ON A PROPERTY, NOT ONE OR TWO MORE THAN TWO BUILDINGS ON A PROPERTY WITH OCCUPANCY. AND THEN FLOW, BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS WITH DOING BEDROOMS IS YOU STILL DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THOSE BEDROOMS BECAUSE THERE MAY BE ONE THAT IS, YOU KNOW, OCCUPIED WITH MULTI-GENERATIONAL, AND THE NEXT ONE IS USES IT IN AN OFFICE. SO IF THERE'S A CONCERN FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, RATHER THAN THE AVERAGE, MOST CITIES THEN USE FLOW AS THEIR WAY TO MAKE IT MORE ACCURATE. NOW I'VE LOOKED AT YOUR WATER DATA, YOUR WATER DATA ACROSS CLASSIFICATIONS FOR SINGLE FAMILY VARIES [02:15:01] A LITTLE BIT. YES, THERE ARE SOME USERS THAT ARE MORE, SOME USERS THAT ARE LESS, BUT ON AVERAGE IT IS A VERY TIGHT WINDOW AND BAND OF USE OF WATER IN YOUR CITY. AND THAT'S WHY I'M COMFORTABLE WITH HAVING A FLAT RATE. YOU'RE ALSO A COMMUNITY THAT HAS A LOT OF, UM, RENTAL UNITS AND RENTAL UNITS MAKE IT ESPECIALLY HARD TO PUT ON THE TAX ROLL BECAUSE WE GET THE WATER DATA WELL BEF, YOU KNOW, FROM THE PRIOR YEAR. AND THEN YOU COULD BE CHARGING BASED UPON SOMEONE, A NEW RENTER BASED UPON LAST TIME THE PRIOR RENTER'S WATER USE. SO AN AVERAGE FLAT RATE JUST SEEMS MORE APPROPRIATE FOR YOU. UM, THE FLOW ON THE BEDROOMS, I JUST, I DON'T KNOW. SO THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO USES, UM, A ROOM COUNT IN THEIR SEWER CALCULATIONS, BUT I KNOW OF NO OTHER CITY THAT USES BEDROOM COUNT. AND MAYBE THERE IS, I I DON'T KNOW EVERY CITY OBVIOUSLY, BUT I KNOW MOST OTHER AGENCIES ARE DOING IT EITHER AS FLAT RATE FOR THE BUILDING, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE GETTING THE NUMBER OF BEDROOMS ALONE WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO TRACK . UM, I MEAN THAT WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF RECORDS. , THANK, THANK YOU. NO, THAT THAT'S HELPFUL AND I'M FOLLOWING ALONG. IT'S, SO THAT'S, THAT'S HELPFUL ON, ON THAT. UM, AND THEN THE SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION, UM, AND MS. KISH, UH, BROUGHT THIS UP THAT, UM, AND AT LEAST HER EXAMPLE THAT, UM, SHE'S BEING CHARGED, HER EDU IS BEING CHARGED AS A, A FULL NOTHER NEW UNIT. UM, AND HOW THAT CREATES KIND OF A EQUITY ISSUE. UM, SO, UH, AND THEN IT MAY CONFLICT WITH THE STATE, UH, IT WAS A PROP TWO 18 OR, UM, FORGOT WHAT WAS, WHAT EXACTLY WAS CITED, BUT THE, THE, THE RELATIVELY RECENT STATE REGULATIONS THAT WE CAN'T CHARGE ADUS, WE, THAT DISCOURAGES CITIES CHARGING ADUS AS, AS FULL UNITS IN ORDER TO INCENTIVIZE THE PRODUCTION OF ADUS ON THE CITY PERSPECTIVE. SO, UM, ON THAT INSTANCE, HAVE, HAVE WE LOOKED AT THE A DU SEWAGE RATES AND ADDRESSED, LIKE, CAN YOU RESPOND TO, TO THAT, THAT ISSUE? WE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THAT STATE LAW VERY, VERY CLOSELY, UM, A YEAR AND A HALF AGO OR SO BECAUSE THAT QUESTION CAME UP, UM, THROUGH OTHER, ANOTHER, UH, CHANNEL. AND THAT LAW DOES NOT PROHIBIT YOU. THIS IS A SEWER SERVICE CHARGE FOR PROVIDE FOR OPERATING THE SEWER SYSTEM. WHAT THAT LAW, UH, DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO DO IS CHARGE A SEWER CAPACITY FEE UPON DEVELOPMENT OF AN A DU. SO WE DO NOT CHARGE SEWER CAPACITY FEES FOR A DU DEVELOPMENT AT THIS TIME SO THAT, THAT WE'RE, UM, IN COMPLIANCE WITH THAT. THIS IS FOR SEWER SERVICE CHARGES. SO IT'S NO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AS, AS CARMEN DESCRIBED, THIS IS THE, UH, I'LL CALL IT THE, UM, SORT OF AVERAGING RIGHT OF THE TYPES OF UNITS. SO AN A DU TYPICALLY IS GONNA BE A, LIKE A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S THE SAME AS MULTI-FAMILY UNITS PAYING THE MULTI-FAMILY RATE. NOW AGAIN, THE MULTI-FAMILY RATE IS LESS THAN A SINGLE FAMILY HOME RATE. SO IT'S, IT'S SIMILAR. SO IF YOU HAVE A SINGLE FAMILY HOME WITH AN A DU, IT'S THE SAME AS IF YOU HAVE A DUPLEX, THE DUPLEX GETS A SINGLE FAMILY PLUS A MULTIFAMILY CHARGE. SO IT'S A SIMILAR CONCEPT. AND, AND A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THE STOCK OF APARTMENTS MULTIFAMILY THROUGHOUT THE CITY IS VARIED, RIGHT? THERE'S NOW YOU'RE SEEING SMALLER AND SMALLER UNITS WITH MORE SINGLE, YOU KNOW, UM, ONE BEDROOM UNITS. BUT YOU ALSO HAVE A LOT OF MULTIFAMILY, UH, APARTMENT COMMUNITIES IN NATIONAL CITY. YOU HAVE A LOT OF TWO BEDROOM AND THREE BEDROOM, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT'S SERVING THE NEEDS OF THIS COMMUNITY. AND SOMETIMES EVEN IN AN APARTMENT, YOU HAVE THE MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILY. SO ON AVERAGE, WHAT THIS METHODOLOGY DOES, AND AGAIN, IT'S ONE OF THREE MAIN METHODOLOGIES THAT YOU CAN REALLY HAVE. I DON'T THINK IT'S, MAYBE CARMEN CAN THINK OF SOMETHING, BUT IT'S NOT CUSTOMARY THAT YOU DO NOT FLOW METER SEWER ANYWHERE. YOU DON'T. THAT'S, THAT'S HOW SEWER SYSTEMS ARE BUILT UP. SO YOU HAVE, AND PEOPLE THAT DO FLOW, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT CHARGE BASED UPON FLOW DO USE THAT SIMILAR REDUCTION. THEY EITHER USE THE WINTER, WINTER MONTHS OF WATER USE, OR THEY USE A RETURN TO SEWER PERCENTAGE. UM, I ABOUT [02:20:01] NOW BEEN, I GUESS THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO, I DID IMPERIAL BEACHES AND THEIR, THEIR RETURN TO SEWER WAS VERY HIGH BECAUSE OF INFO AND INFILTRATION THEY HAVE YOURS. YOU DON'T HAVE NEARLY AS MUCH INFO AND INFILTRATION IN YOUR SEWER SYSTEM. AND SO THE RETURN TO SEWER IS LOWER. THE CITY OF CORONADOS, THOUGH, IS EVEN LOWER THAN THAT. SO, I MEAN, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOT OF LANDSCAPING THAT OCCURS IN THEIR APARTMENT. SO WE LOOK AT THIS BASED UPON YOUR SITUATIONS. NOW, YES, THE APARTMENTS DO VARY IN SIZE, BUT THEY ARE STILL MULTIFAMILY AND THEY'RE WITHIN THE BAND. UM, THAT IT, IT'S REASONABLE WITHIN AVERAGE, UM, TO HAVE THAT CHARGE AS A DO. OKAY. THANK YOU, IRE. I APPRECIATE THAT. I'LL HOLD, I, I THINK THERE'S STILL, FOR ME A LITTLE BIT OF A GAP OF MM-HMM . UH, UNDERSTANDING OF THIS. BUT I DO APPRECIATE THE MEMBERS OF PUBLIC FOR SPEAKING. I JUST ASK THAT THE CONSULTANT AND STAFF BE OPEN TO, UM, TO THAT, UH, COMMUNICATION. AND I FORWARDED, UM, SOME OF THE EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE TO OUR CITY MANAGER. SO IF I WOULD JUST ASK IF WE FOLLOW UP. 'CAUSE I STILL FEEL LIKE I, I NEED TO WRAP MY HAND, WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OF STAFF? OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA FIRST. OKAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YEAH, I WANTED TO, SORRY, I WANTED TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS CHART AND THERE AREN'T, UM, WHEN'S THAT ONE? WHICH, WHICH CHART IT? WELL, IT'S TITLED, UH, NATIONAL CITY ANNUAL SOURCES AND USAGE OF FUNDS VERSUS CASH RESERVES, AND IT'S GOT THE RED AND GREEN BARS. SORRY, THERE ISN'T, UH, NUMBERS ON THE SLIDES, BUT MY QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE CASH RESERVES. IT'S THE DOTTED LINE. IT'S NOT REALLY A LINE, BUT IT'S THE DOTS UP ABOVE. AND THEN THE RESERVE TARGET, WHICH IS THE BLACK LINE THAT GOES ACROSS IT. I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHERE DO THE CASH RESERVES COME FROM AND, UH, THE RESERVES TARGET MAKES SENSE. UH, I'M JUST CURIOUS, HOW IS THAT CASH RESERVE REPLENISHED? YEAH, IF YOU COULD SLIDE THROUGH, I'LL TELL YOU WHEN YOU GET THERE, THAT, THAT'S AN OLD STORY. THAT'S THE SLIDE ONE. SO CASH RESERVE, I'M REFERRING TO THE BLACK DOTS. THE BLACK DOTS BLACK LINE HAVE BEEN, ARE BASICALLY WHEN OCCURS WHEN YOU HAVE MORE REVENUE BROUGHT IN THAN YOU'RE EXPENDING. AND SO THERE'S BEEN A FEW YEARS IN THE PAST WHEN NASHVILLE CITY HASN'T SPENT AS MUCH ON CAPITAL PROJECTS AS THEY HAD HOPED TO GET DONE. OH. AND THAT'S HOW THE, WE'VE BUILT UP SOME GOOD AMOUNT OF RESERVES RIGHT NOW. BUT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, MARTHA'S GOT LOTS OF PLANS AND THERE'S LOTS OF NEEDS FOR YOUR SYSTEM. AND CIP SO THIS IS WHY WE'RE DRAWING DOWN YOUR RESERVES. WE'RE USING THOSE TO NOT, UM, RAISE YOUR RATES. RIGHT. UM, AS MUCH, IF, IF I COULD MAYBE JUMP IN, UM, THERE WAS, THE WAY THAT METRO DOES IT NOW IS THAT YOU BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU USE, WAY IT USED TO BE WAS YOU BOUGHT CAPACITY. SO WHEN SOME OF THE CITIES WERE EXPANDING, THEY WOULD BUY ENOUGH CAPACITY TO, TO MEET THEIR NEEDS. WHEN THEY EXPANDED AGAIN, THEY WOULD GO BUY SOME MORE. WE HAD A MAYOR BACK THEN THAT DID SOMETHING KIND OF CRAZY. HE BOUGHT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PRETTY WELL LIMITED ON OUR SIZE. HE BOUGHT TWICE THE AMOUNT OF CAPACITY WE NEED. AND THEY ALL THOUGHT, WHY ARE YOU SPENDING THE MONEY TO BUY TWICE THE CAPACITY? WELL, ALL OF A SUDDEN, POINT LOMA RAN OUTTA CAPACITY. AND THE OTHER CITIES, WHEN THEY WERE EXPANDING, THEY HAD TO FIND, THEY HAD TO GO BUY CAPACITY SOMEWHERE. THEY BOUGHT IT FROM NATIONAL CITY AT, AT A PREMIUM PRICE THAT WENT INTO THE RESERVES. AND, UH, AND SO THAT IS WHAT REALLY BUILT UP OUR RESERVES WAS WAS A KGO MAYOR. AND, UH, DID THAT MANY YEARS AGO. AND, AND AS YOU NOTICE, WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN GETTING, YOU KNOW, THE SAME REVENUE OR MORE. BUT NOW THAT IS FINALLY ENDING. AND THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE NEED TO HAVE A, A PRICE INCREASE. ADDITIONALLY, BECAUSE OF METRO, WE HAD HAD SOME IN, WE THOUGHT THE METRO COSTS WERE GONNA HAVE GONE UP A LOT MORE IN THE LAST RATE STUDY THAN THEY ACTUALLY DID. RIGHT. SO THAT ALLOWED US TO GET, HAVE ENDED UP WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE RESERVES ALSO THAN WE THOUGHT WE WOULD. OKAY. DELAYS WITH AND DELAYS WITH PURE WATER. THE, THE DELAYS WITH PURE WATER, I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA SEE THOSE BILLS, THOSE ARE COMING, COMING FORWARD. BUT, UM, FROM THE LAST STUDY, THOSE, OKAY. UH, SO I, I DO ALSO WANNA THANK OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS. AND, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE, THERE ARE STILL SEVERAL QUESTIONS. I DON'T KNOW IF, IF, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MORE CONVERSATIONS THAT CAN BE HAD SO THAT THERE'S GREATER UNDERSTANDING ABOUT SOME OF THE METHODOLOGY. UM, AND I AM VERY SENSITIVE TO THE FACT THAT YEAH, IT, IT, YOU KNOW, IT SUCKS TO HAVE TO RAISE RATES. YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY TODAY TO HAVE TO ASK PEOPLE TO PAY MORE. THEY'RE ALREADY PAYING MORE FOR EVERYTHING ELSE. YOU KNOW, ON TOP OF THAT, WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS. BUT, BUT AGAIN, UH, MARTHA, THE VERY FIRST SLIDE, OR [02:25:01] SEVERAL SLIDES HERE, WHAT HAS CHANGED? YOU KNOW, WE, THE CITY HAS SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL NEEDS IN OUR SYSTEM. WE HAVE AN AGING SYSTEM. WE HAVE INCREASED DENSIFICATION, RIGHT? WE, WE ALSO HAVE TO BALANCE THAT PART OF THIS. AND SO, AS, AS DIFFICULT AS THIS DECISION IS, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY IRRESPONSIBLE TO NOT TAKE CARE OF THAT ASPECT OF, OF THE NEED HERE. SO, UH, AGAIN, I DO, UH, UM, RESPECT A LOT OF THE OPINIONS THAT OUR SPEAKERS HAVE PRESENTED. UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THE EXPERT OPINIONS OF, UM, UH, KAREN CARMEN, PARDON ME, CARMEN, UM, AND OUR EXPERTS, YOU KNOW, ON STAFF. UM, IT, IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT, BUT I DO UNDERSTAND THE ARGUMENTS ON BOTH SIDES AND, AND THE NEED FOR THE BALANCE. THANK YOU. OKAY. GO DOWN HERE. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I SIT IN THE METRO JPA AND AS ONE OF THE 12, UM, UH, PAS, UM, PARTICIPATING AGENCY. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE HAVE A, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE WHAT MS. MARTHA AND MS. CARMEN SAID, WE SET THE, THE, THE, UM, THE AMOUNT OF WHAT OUR CITY HAS, THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE CITY TO BE A, A PART OF THE AGENCY. SO THAT'S WHAT WE SET BASED ON THE DELAY OF SOME PROJECTS, UM, WITH THE METRO JPA, BECAUSE WE ARE A MEMBER OF THAT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, WE HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, I, IN SUPPORTING WHATEVER, UM, FACILITIES REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE THEY HAVE TO DO, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALSO HELPING US MAINTAIN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IN NATIONAL CITY. SO, SO I, I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, MEAN THAT WE HAVE TO BALANCE, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL THESE RATES. METRO JPA, WERE NOT DONE, UM, WITH THE RATE STUDY. WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT. BUT THEY'RE ALSO, WE, WE HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE IN MAKING SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE, WE HAVE THE, THE RESOURCES TO TAKE CARE OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. UM, I, I WILL BE TALKING AS A, UH, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, MS. CARMEN AND MS. MARTHA. 'CAUSE I, I AM A, UH, REAL ESTATE BROKER. SO I TAKE CARE OF, UM, HOA, THESE ARE MUL MULTIPLE UNITS, AND BMPS IS FOR STORM WATER AND WATER QUALITY, NOT SEWER, UH, WATER. SO WHY DO WE USE THE BMPS TO, TO USE, YOU KNOW, I'M SURE YOU, I SEE YOU'RE NODDING ALREADY, BUT I, I NEED TO GET THE CLARIFICATION. SO, YEARS AGO, THE STATE, THEY CALLED THEM BMPS, EVEN FOR THE WASTEWATER SYSTEM. THEN THEY CONVERTED 'EM TO USING, THEY'RE CALLED NOW CALLED WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS. I SHOULD HAVE REFERENCED WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS IN THE REPORT INSTEAD OF BMPS. THEY WERE STILL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR THE WASTEWATER SYSTEM IN PRIOR TIMES. THEY'VE NOW USED THE TERM, THEY'RE NOW USING THE TERM WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIFICALLY WASTEWATER. SO BMP WAS A BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE, WASN'T EXCLUSIVE TO STORMWATER. OKAY. IT USED TO ALSO COVER WASTEWATER. SO THAT WAS THE, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLARIFIED IN THE REPORT. BETTER. I APOLOGIZE ON THAT. THANK YOU. SO, SO THERE, BECAUSE THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THAT MOST OF, MOST, ESPECIALLY THOSE DEVELOPERS WHO ARE INTERESTED TO DEVELOP AND, AND COME TO OUR CITY AND DEVELOP, I DON'T WANT THEM TO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, BE POOPED WITH THIS SEWER RATE. AND I KNOW WE, WE NEED TO DO IT. BUT I THINK, UH, UH, UM, A STUDY, OR NOT A STUDY, BUT A, UH, A FORUM FOR, TO INFORM ALL THIS, UM, INTERESTED, PARTICIPATE, PARTICIPATING AGENTS OR PARTICIPATING INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATION. UM, I KNOW I HAVE RECEIVED SOME LETTERS THAT I HAVE FORWARDED TO THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT TO, UH, MR. STEVE AND TO YOU, MS. MARTHA. SO I KNOW THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF QUESTIONS. SO IS IT, IS IT, IS IT STILL, IS IT TOO LATE TO HAVE A, UH, WHAT, WHAT WAS THE FIRST, UH, ITEM? UM, IN THE, UM, THE FIRST READING, THE FIRST, UH, THE FIR IN THE PAGE, THE LAST PAGE, THE RECOMMENDATION? NO, THE RECOMMENDATION SAYS INTRODUCE THE WARNING TO INTRODUCE, UH, HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING. IS THIS, THIS IS THE FIRST READING ANYWAY, RIGHT? THIS IS THE FIRST READING. SO WE STILL HAVE A SECOND READING MM-HMM . OKAY. SO WE HAVE TIME. YEAH. OKAY. GOT IT. THANK [02:30:01] YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. OKAY. MEMBER RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU, MS. MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU TO STAFF. I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN A LOT OF WORK TO PUT TOGETHER, UH, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR COMING OUT AND BEING VERY ATTENTIVE ON THE ISSUE AND COLLEAGUES WITH VERY GOOD, UH, SENSIBLE QUESTIONS THAT, UM, I THINK ARE VERY IMPORTANT, UH, PERTAINING TO ADUS SPECIFICALLY ARE HAVE WE CHARGED FOR ADUS BEFORE? UH, WE HAVE BEEN CHARGING FEES, WASTEWATER FEES ANNUALLY FOR ALL MULTI-UNITS THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY WITHIN THE CITY. SO THAT INCLUDES ADUS, WHAT SOMEONE COULD CALL A J JUNIOR, A DU. I MEAN, THERE'S LOTS OF THEM. WHEN, WHEN DID THAT TAKE PLACE? WE'VE BEEN CHARGED BECAUSE THEY'RE, I CONSIDER THEM, WE CONSIDER THEM MULTIFAMILY. THEY'RE JUST PART OF A MULTIFAMILY, WHETHER IT'S AN APARTMENT COMPLEX, A DUPLEX OR AN A DU WITH A SINGLE FAMILY. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN TAKING PLACE, JUST LIKE ANYTHING ELSE. EVEN FOR ADUS THAT WERE BUILT 30, 40 YEARS AGO, WE DIDN'T KNOW THEM AS ADUS, BUT THEY WERE SECOND HOMES ON THE PROPERTIES. THEY WERE STILL, THEY WERE CALLED GRANNY FLATS. YEAH. . THEY WERE STILL CHARGED AT THAT TIME. YEAH. OH, A MULTI-FAMILY RATE. YEAH. UH, AND JUST OUTTA CURIOSITY. UM, SO, SO THE QUESTION I HAVE IS ONE OF EQUITY. AND I, AND I SAY THAT IN THAT, UH, IF THERE'S A SINGLE FAMILY HOME, A TWO ONE, WHICH THERE'S A LOT OF IN THE CITY, AND THEY DECIDE TO EXPAND THE FOOTPRINT ON THE PROPERTY TO MAKE IT A FOUR THREE, WOULD THERE BE A INCREASE IN RATES ON THE PROPERTY? YES. NO, NOT IF THEY'RE DINING BEDROOMS. YOU SAID, OH, FOUR BED. OH THREE. I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND. WENT FROM TWO BEDROOM, ONE BATH, TWO, SORRY, TO FOUR BEDROOM TO FOUR BEDROOMS, TWO BATH. NO, IT WOULD NOT BE AN INCREASE. NO. IT'D BE A SINGLE, STILL A SINGLE FAMILIES STILL AS A SINGLE FAMILY ALMOST. IF IT HAS A SEPARATE, YOU KNOW. YEAH. THE SINGLE FAMILY PAYS THE HIGHER RATE, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE THERE'RE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES THAT RANGE FROM TWO BEDROOMS TO FOUR BEDROOMS. THERE MIGHT BE LARGER ONES. AND AGAIN, THIS IS, THIS IS THE BEST METHODOLOGY WE HAVE TO SMOOTH OUT, RIGHT. BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE BILL, WE DON'T DO BILLING FOR EVERY SINGLE HOME INDIVIDUALLY BASED ON FLOW. I HEAR YOU. WE SMOOTH IT OUT BASED ON THE TYPES OF PROPERTIES. I UNDERSTAND IN THE CASE THAT WAS BROUGHT UP EARLIER, WHERE THERE'S A TWO ONE AN ADDITION OF A ONE, ONE FOR AN A DU, THEY WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE PAYING THAT MUCH MORE. BUT IF IT WOULD JUST BE IN ADDITION TO THE PROPERTY, EVEN THOUGH THE WASTEWATER IS TECHNICALLY WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF BATHROOMS THE SAME, THEY WOULD BE PAYING FOR AN ADDITION BECAUSE IT'S A SEPARATE PROPERTY. THAT IS, THAT IS CORRECT. AND IT'S ALSO CORRECT THAT IF YOU HAVE AN EIGHT PLEX, AND THEY'RE ALL THREE BEDROOM, TWO BATH APARTMENTS, THEY PAY THE SAME AMOUNT FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE THREE BEDROOM, TWO BATH APARTMENTS AS IF YOU HAD AN APEX THAT ARE ALL ONE BEDROOM, ONE BATH UNITS. RIGHT? SO IT'S MORE ON THE TYPE OF DWELLING THAT THIS IS, THAT THIS IS BASED ON. YEAH, NO, I KNOW THIS IS, UH, EXCEEDINGLY COMPLICATED TO TRY TO SEE HOW MUCH WASTEWATER ACTUALLY GOES INTO THE SYSTEM SO THAT IT IS APPROPRIATELY CHARGED, UM, TO THE OWNERS. UH, BUT I DO THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR IT TO BE A LITTLE MORE EQUITABLE. AND I WOULD REALLY LOVE FOR THE STUDY TO COME BACK AND BASE IT OFF OF THE UNIT SIZE, SPECIFICALLY PERTAINING TO ADUS, BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT MANY, AND WE'RE GONNA BE DISCUSSING IT IN THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM. WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT MANY BUILT, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK THIS COUNCIL, UM, HAS PRIORITIZED IN THE PAST, AND WE WANT TO BE ENCOURAGING A MORE OF MORE DEVELOPMENT. IT SEEMS VERY EXCESSIVE TO ADD, UM, AN ADDITIONAL 480 OR $90 TO A DU DEVELOPMENTS, EVEN THOUGH MOST OF THEM ARE STUDIOS OR ONE BEDROOMS. IT'S, WE CAN, UH, I WORK AT THE PLEASURE OF THE CITY. SO I'M, UM, THE, THE CHALLENGE IS THOUGH, WITH MM-HMM . DOING IT THAT WAY VERSUS IT, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO TO FLOW. IF YOU'RE GONNA DO THAT, YOU WOULD NEED TO GO TO A FLOW APPROACH. YEAH. BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT'S TOO MUCH. AND THERE'S A LOT OF NEGATIVES TO GOING TO A FLOW APPROACH BECAUSE OF THE LAG IN WATER USE. SO WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO GO BACK, YOU KNOW, TO GO INTO EVERY SINGLE HOME AND KNOW HOW MANY BEDROOMS ARE IN ANY HOME. YEAH. I, I WOULD LOVE A STUDY ON THE FLOW, JUST SO WE CAN COMPARE. I THINK ULTIMATELY FOR ME, I WANT TO, THERE'S NO, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST DISCUSS HAVING A MORE EQUITABLE WAY AND AT LEAST HAVING OPTIONS WOULD BE, WOULD BE BETTER TO, TO DECIDE. [02:35:01] SO I WOULD, I WOULD ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES TO MAYBE CONSIDER THAT. UM, JUST IF, IF AT THE VERY LEAST, JUST TO HAVE, UH, OPTIONS AT HAND IF I CAN. UM, CAN I MAKE A COMMENT HERE? MM-HMM . SO, UM, HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS AREA. DONE FLOW STUDIES, UM, ALL THREE OF THE, UM, METHODOLOGIES HAVE THEIR CHALLENGES. UM, A LOT OF AGENCIES DO USE FLOW BECAUSE, UH, OF THE PERCEPTION OF IT'S MORE EQUITABLE BECAUSE YOU HAVE ACTUAL DATA OF WATER FLOW, BUT THEN YOU STILL END UP WITH ARGUMENTS WITH RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE ESTIMATING IS THE RETURN TO SEWER. UM, THERE'S ALSO ESTIMATING THAT GOES INTO THE FLOW ANALYSIS IN AND OF ITSELF. UM, AND GENERALLY SPEAKING, UH, FOR A CITY TO RAMP UP TO FLOW, UH, IS GONNA BE, IT'S A MORE COSTLY VENTURE TO PRODUCE YOUR RATE, UM, BILLING TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. AND SO, UM, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME ANALYZING THIS WORKED FOR AGENCIES THAT HAVE HAD BOTH SYSTEMS. SO THERE'S PLUSES AND MINUSES. GENERALLY. THE, THE ONE THAT'S, THAT WE'RE USING HERE IS THE LEASE COSTLY, UH, TO IMPLEMENT. YOU'RE USING YOUR PROPERTY TAX ROLL THAT'S VERY EFFICIENT. UM, I, I THINK IT'S GOOD THOUGH, TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS OUTSIDE OF THE RATE THAT WE'RE PROPOSING TONIGHT. BUT TO LOOK AT OTHER OPTIONS, ONE OPTION, UM, IS THAT YOU COULD COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT IF A CUSTOMER WANTS TO GO TO FLOW AND THEY WANT TO PAY THE COST TO GO TO FLOW, THAT COULD BE AN OPTION. YOU CAN EVALUATE THAT YOU HAVE COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES. YEAH. USUALLY ONES THAT ARE PRETTY BIG. YEAH. UH, THAT ARE ON FLOW. IF A CUSTOMER FEELS LIKE THEY, UH, FEEL THAT THAT'S MORE EQUITABLE AND THEY WANT TO PAY THE COST TO, TO IMPLEMENT THAT, THAT'S AN OPTION. YOU KNOW, YOU COULD PROBABLY DO IT. IN FACT, I THINK, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ORDINANCE SAYS HERE IN NATIONAL CITY, BUT WE HAD SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN ONE OF THE JURISDICTIONS THAT, UH, THAT I WORKED IN THAT BASICALLY SAID IF THERE'S AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD AND THE CUSTOMER WANTS TO PAY FOR THAT COST TO, TO HAVE A MORE SPECIFIC, UM, OR TO GO TO FLOW, AND IT'S USUALLY GOING TO FLOW. UH, NO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER EVER WENT TO THAT 'CAUSE IT'S REALLY COSTLY. BUT BIG ENTITIES LIKE HOTELS OR ANY BUSINESSES THAT WERE ON AN ESTIMATING SYSTEM, LIKE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ARE THE ONES THAT MAY MAKE IT WORTHWHILE TO DO THAT. I DON'T KNOW, ARTA, IF YOU HAVE YEAH, WE JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT ACTUALLY, THE FLAT RATE IS ONLY FOR RESIDENTIAL. SO THAT'S SINGLE FAMILY, MULTI-FAMILY AND MOBILE HOME PARKS, ALL COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS, 2000, SOME OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY, UH, FLOW. YEAH. BUT IT IS IN ARREAR. SO IT'S FLOW BASED ON THE DATA WE RECEIVE IN JANUARY FROM THE PRIOR CALENDAR YEAR. AND THEN IT GETS CALCULATED AND THE PRORATION IS DONE AS FAR AS RETURN TO SEWER FROM CONSUMPTION. AND THERE'S ALSO A CALCULATION REGARDING THE STRENGTH OF THE EFFLUENT. SO IT'S THE TYPE OF DISCHARGE THAT THAT COMMERCIAL CUSTOMER PUTS INTO THE SYSTEM. 'CAUSE SAN DIEGO CHARGES US ON THE BASIS OF WHAT'S THE, YOU KNOW, THE STRENGTH, WHICH IS CHEMICALS AND, YOU KNOW, OTHER ELEMENTS AND SUSPENDED SOLIDS AND CHEMISTRY TERMS THAT, SO, SO THAT WE ALREADY DO THAT FOR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS. JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT. AND THAT, AND THAT ANALYSIS IS ACTUALLY DONE FOR ALL YOUR CLASSIFICATIONS. SO THEY, YOU KNOW, WE, THE STRENGTH BASE IS DONE FOR EVERY TYPE OF CLASSIFICATION THAT YOU HAVE. WHETHER YOU PICK THE FLOW BASED SYSTEM OR THE ESTIMATING ONE THAT WE HAVE HERE. UH, THAT ANALYSIS HAS TO BE DONE. UM, TH THIS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, CROSS UNITED STATES, THESE THREE METHODS MM-HMM . ARE THE VAST MAJORITY OF WHAT'S OUT THERE. AND THEY ALL HAVE CHALLENGES THAT COME UP AND YOU HEAR 'EM. AND IT'S NOT UNUSUAL. UH, THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE RAISED THOSE ISSUES, THE ISSUES TONIGHT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE ARE, ARE VALID IN GENERAL WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE SYSTEMS. UM, BUT YOU'RE ALSO TRYING TO ALLOCATE COSTS ACROSS A, A PRETTY LARGE POPULATION. UM, AND IF YOU'RE DOING IT BASED ON AN ESTIMATE, IT, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THINGS WHERE, UM, I USE THE EXAMPLE OF YOU CAN HAVE A FOUR BEDROOM HOME WITH ONE PERSON LIVING THERE MM-HMM . AND CLEARLY IT'S CHARGED THE SAME AS THE ONE RIGHT NEXT DOOR WITH A FAMILY OF EIGHT. THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THIS TYPE OF SYSTEM. YOU PUT THE WATER FLOW SYSTEM ON THERE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES, BUT IT'LL BE MORE, UM, EQUITABLE BASED ON FLOW. [02:40:01] BUT THEN YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THE COST TO DO THAT AND, AND COSTS ARE GONNA DRIVE IT TO WHERE, UM, WHAT YOU THINK IS GONNA BE BENEFICIAL AND MORE EQUITABLE MAY BE THE SAME COST ON THE BACK END. AND I KNOW THAT BECAUSE, UH, I DID THAT AS MY MASTER THESIS WAS LOOKING AT SEWER FLOW 30 YEARS AGO AND 30 YEARS AGO. SOUNDS LIKE A LONG TIME. BUT THE SAME PHENOMENONS ARE GOING ON RIGHT NOW, UH, AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THESE IN THE SAME CHALLENGES. UH, THE SAME COMMENTS THAT THE SPEAKERS GAVE ARE SIMILAR COMMENTS THAT I'VE HEARD IN MY ENTIRE CAREER. AND YOU CONSTANTLY ARE LOOKING TO DO A GOOD SYSTEM. SO WE WANT IT TO BE AS PRECISE AS WE CAN, YOU KNOW, FOR EQUITY PURPOSES. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, UH, INTERIM CITY MANAGER, I WAS THINKING OF YOUR, OF YOUR ROLES, SCOTT. UM, YEAH, THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT INSIGHT. I, I APPRECIATE STAFF AND AGAIN, ALL THE WORK. I THINK IT WOULD JUST BE, UM, UH, WISE FOR US TO HAVE THE INFORMATION AT HAND TO HAVE A FLOW STUDY IN COMPARISON TO WHAT IS BEING PRESENTED BEFORE US. AND, UM, AGAIN, JUST, UH, FOR NO OTHER REASON, JUST FOR US TO BE WELL INFORMED AND SEEING HOW, UH, WE WOULD DECIDE TO MOVE FORWARD. 'CAUSE SOME SITUATIONS I THINK ARE NOT EQUITABLE, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNGER FAMILIES THAT ARE DEVELOPING ADUS IN OUR COMMUNITY. OKAY. UNLESS THERE'S MORE QUESTIONS DIRECTLY OF STAFF, WE NEED TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING SO THAT, AND THEN WE CAN DELIBERATE. OH, WELL, I DO HAVE A DIRECT QUESTION TO STAFF. FOLLOW UP TO THE ARGUMENT JUST POSED. UM, I HEARD STAFF SAY, IN FACT, THERE IS NO DATA OR, OR THERE'S VERY LIMITED DATA TO ACTUALLY SUPPORT THE POSSIBILITY TO DO FLOW A STUDY ON FLOW ON RESIDENTIAL. IS THAT WHAT I HEARD? YEAH. YES AND NO. I MEAN, WHAT I COULD, YOU KNOW, I WOULD ACTUALLY RECOMMEND THAT IT WOULD BE A COMBINATION OF THAT YOU HAVE A BASE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT DOING THIS, YOU NEED TO HAVE A BASE RATE THAT COVERS AN EQUAL SPLIT ACROSS EVERY CUSTOMER, BECAUSE THAT IS, YOU NEED TO HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF COVERAGE AND COSTS OF FIXED COSTS. YOU HAVE TO PAY SALARIES, YOU HAVE CAPITAL COSTS YOU NEED, AND THEN YOU HAVE A FLOW COMPONENT TO THAT RATE. NOW WHAT I CAN DO IS I COULD DO SHOW YOU SOME OF THE RANGES OF THE WATER USAGE BY THE DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATIONS AND TALK ABOUT THAT IN TERMS OF THAT, THAT SHOW YOU HOW MANY CUSTOMERS HAVE FLOW MORE THAN X, YOU KNOW, BY THE CUSTOMER CLASS ESPECIALLY, I THINK MAINLY THE MULTIFAMILY THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT. UM, WELL, IT, IT, IT IS FOR ME, BUT, UM, THERE WERE SINGLE FAMILY POSSIBLY ISSUES. THERE WERE ALSO BROUGHT UP. I MEAN, ULTIMATELY JUST HOW DO WE, UM, MORE ACCURATELY, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER INDIVIDUALS ARE USING INTO THE, UH, SEWER SYSTEM, THEY'RE ADEQUATELY BEING CHARGED. AND THERE MIGHT BE SOME DISCREPANCIES IN TERMS OF CHARGING, BECAUSE THERE'S NO OTHER BETTER METHOD FOR US TO CHARGE THEM. SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIND A BETTER METHOD. RIGHT. CAN I, CAN I ADD SOMETHING TO THAT IN THERE? OKAY. QUICKLY. 'CAUSE VERY QUICKLY WE'RE GONNA CLOSE THE PUBLIC AREA. UM, SO MY COMMENTS, UH, WERE BASED ON, I THINK, UH, AND WE STILL HAVE THIS POSITION AS STAFF MOVE FORWARD WITH THE RECOMMENDATION. WHAT I WAS COMMENTING ON IS WE CAN COME UP WITH A DIFFERENT STUDY SPECIFICALLY ON EDS. WE CAN DO SOMETHING THAT'S IN THE FIELD. UH, IT TAKES MONTHS TO DO THAT, BUT WE CAN COME UP WITH SOME DATA THAT'S GONNA HELP SUPPORT, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE CAN COME BACK TO YOU LATER ON. UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S TIMELY AT ALL TO TRY TO DO THAT IN, IN, IN THE SITUATION WE ARE WITH, UH, THE RATES RIGHT NOW. BUT WE CAN CLEARLY TAKE ADUS AND WE CAN TRAP INFORMATION, WE CAN DO SOMETHING IN A FIELD ANALYSIS THAT'S DONE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE IN DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS. UM, I KNOW THAT THE RATE CONSULTANTS ALREADY LOOKED AT FLOW VOLUME BY CATEGORIES AND, AND STUFF LIKE THAT. THAT'S NORMALLY DONE LIKE IN THESE STUDIES. BUT WE CAN PICK OFF LIKE ADUS AND TRY TO GET A SAMPLE BASE THAT IS, UH, COMPARATIVE OF WHAT A TYPICAL A DU MAY PRODUCE. UH, STILL GONNA HAVE SOME ASSUMPTIONS, BUT YOU'LL HAVE MORE CURRENT DATA ON THAT. BUT WE CAN DO THAT IN THIS NEXT, LET'S SAY NEXT FISCAL YEAR AS A PROJECT. BRING IT BACK WHENEVER IT'S DONE AND THEN HAVE A DIALOGUE ABOUT THAT AND, UM, AND GO FROM THERE. I THINK THAT THAT WAS MAINLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN I TALKED ABOUT WE CAN DO SOME ANALYSIS AND PULL THAT STUFF TOGETHER. IT'S NOT THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU CAN DO OVERNIGHT OR FOR THAT MATTER WITHIN A MONTH AND HAVE IT READY TO REALLY MAKE IT WORTHWHILE, UH, FOR INFORMATION. SO, OKAY. WITH THAT, COULD I HAVE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING? MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. [02:45:01] SECOND. OKAY. WE'LL GET THE BUTTONS PUSHED IN THERE. THANK YOU. BEFORE I CALL THE VOTE, I'D JUST LIKE TO RESPOND TO COUNCIL MEMBER YA'S QUESTION ABOUT, UH, TED CHU'S WRITTEN COMMENT. MM-HMM . UH, IT INDICATES OPPOSITION WITH THE LAST PORTION OF HIS COMMENT, READING QUOTE, THE RESIDENTS ARE ALREADY PAYING ENOUGH IN FEES AND TAXES, AND I'LL ALSO PROVIDE THE TABULATION FOR THE PROTESTS. WE HAVE FIVE PROTESTS THAT WERE RECEIVED VIA MAIL, AND ONE THAT WAS RECEIVED ALL IN WRITING, OF COURSE, UH, TODAY DURING THE MEETING. AND FOR A TOTAL OF SIX, WHICH IS MANIFESTLY LESS THAN ONE HALF OF THE PER PARCEL SERVED BY THE CITY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UM, PLEASE VOTE, EXCUSE ME. VOTE FOR CLOSING IT. JUST FOR CLOSING PUBLIC HERE. YES, MA'AM. YEP. MOTION APPROVE UNANIMOUSLY. ALRIGHT. UM, OH, I HAVE A QUESTION. SO NOW CAN I HAVE A QUESTION, MAYOR? OKAY. UH, FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO, UM, WHAT, UM, CITY MANAGER WAS PROPOSING, UH, IS A FOLLOW UP STUDY SPECIFIC TO ADUS, BUT THE RATE STUDY HERE IS PROPOSING RATES THAT YOU, I THINK I HEARD YOU SAY THAT WOULD GO FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. IS THAT CORRECT? DOES THAT MEAN THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY WITHIN THOSE FIVE YEARS TO AMEND THE RATES? OKAY. YES. SO IF AN A DU STUDY COMES BACK AND, AND THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT, YOU KNOW, ABSOLUTELY OVERCHARGED TO ADUS THAT THEN WE SHOULD BE AMENDING THE RATE, THEN WE CAN DO THAT WITHIN THOSE FIVE YEARS. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UM, COUPLE OF, COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. SO, WHEN, BECAUSE THE WHOLE THING SEEMS TO BE REVOLVING AROUND EDS HERE AT THE MOMENT. UM, A DU, WE DO NOT CHARGE A A SEWER CONNECTION FEE, DO WE? CORRECT. OKAY. NO, NO SEWER CAPACITY FEES, CONTRACT, AND NO CAPACITY FEE FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT NOW. OKAY. SO THIS IS ONLY A USAGE FEE ONLY THE SAME AS IF IT WAS AN APARTMENT, RIGHT? CORRECT. IT'S A SEWER SERVICE CHARGE. OKAY. AND SO IT'S BASED ON THAT AND, YOU KNOW, AND THE PROBLEM IS WITH, UH, PART DOING, UH, UH, BEDROOMS, UM, IT WAS ALREADY MENTIONED ABOUT A NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ADUS IN TOWN. HOW MANY ILLEGAL A APART OR BEDROOMS DO YOU THINK THERE ARE? UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN, UH, PLACES HERE IN NATIONAL CITY GO UP FOR SALE AS A FOUR, FOUR BEDROOM OR FIVE BEDROOM, AND THE TITLE COMPANY LOOKS AT IT AND THEY GO, WAIT A MINUTE, IT ONLY SHOWS ON THE TAX ROLL AS A TWO, TWO BEDROOM. UH, HOW DOES THAT WORK? YOU KNOW? AND SO, UH, UNLESS WE GO IN AND INSPECT EVERY HOUSE, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY BEDROOMS. A LOT OF THESE HOUSES, I MEAN, AS OLD AS CITY AS WE ARE, THAT WORKS REALLY WELL IN EAST LAKE OR OTAI RANCH. THIS IS PLANNED DEVELOPMENT. UH, BUT IT'S A LITTLE, LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT HERE. UM, THE OTHER THING BEING, UM, PERSONALLY, I LIVE IN A FOUR BEDROOM AND, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF VEGETATION, AND YET MY WATER BILL IS 98% OF THE TIME IT'S UNDER A HUNDRED DOLLARS EVERY TWO, TWO MONTHS. AND NORMALLY STAYS AROUND THE 60, 60, $70 RANGE, WHICH A ONE BEDROOM NEXT DOOR COULD BE USING, HAVE A WATER BILL OF $200. SO IF YOU JUST GO ON USAGE, THAT'S ANOTHER PROBLEM. IF YOU'RE INDIVIDUALLY LOOKING AT IT AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IS SO BEDROOM A LOT OF TIMES DOESN'T TELL YOU A WHOLE LOT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. UM, SO THIS THING IS KIND OF KINDA LIKE ONE, UH, ONE OF THOSE BALLOONS, IF YOU PUSH IN ONE SPOT, IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA HAVE TO EXPAND OUT ANOTHER SPOT. SO THIS IS NOT TRYING TO JUST SET A TAX RATE, QUOTE UNQUOTE, THIS IS TO ACTUALLY PAY THE BILL BECAUSE WE DON'T GET MONEY FOR, FOR SEWER FROM ANYTHING ELSE. THIS IS MONEY GOES IN, MONEY GOES OUT. AND SO WE JUST HAVE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT'S NOT LIKE, OH GEE, WE RAISE THE TAXES, WE CAN DO EXTRA SPENDING. THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT IS WITH SEWER. WITH SEWER. IT IS, WE HAVE TO PAY A MAJORITY OF THAT GOING TO THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO, UH, FOR, FOR, UH, DISPOSAL AND TREATMENT. BUT, UH, SO JUST ABOUT ANY SYSTEM YOU COME UP WITH, IF YOU'RE GONNA USE TO TRY TO BENEFIT ONE GROUP, IT'S GOING TO DISADVANTAGE ANOTHER GROUP. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF THE REALITY. THERE IS NO PERFECT SYSTEM. I THINK THAT'S WHAT I WAS HEARING SAID A WHILE AGO. THERE'S DIFFERENT MODELS, BUT THERE IS NO PERFECT SYSTEM. NONE OF 'EM ARE PERFECT AND THEY'RE ALL GOING TO, THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE THE HAVES AND HAVE NOTS TO SOME EXTENT IN THESE THINGS ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. AND, AND, AND WE CAN'T, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN COME UP WITH A MODEL THAT'S GONNA BE THAT INDIVIDUAL MORE ASSUMPTIONS. YEAH. ASSUMPTION. ANYWAY, JUST MY COMMENTS AND MY QUESTIONS. ANY, ANY, ANYTHING ELSE? ANYWAY, [02:50:02] JUST, JUST LASTLY, UM, I HEAR YOU MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. UM, TO THE POINT OF AN EXAMPLE FOR, UH, YOUR HOME, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A LOT OF VEGETATION, BUT NEXT DOOR, A ONE OR TWO BEDROOM COULD BE $200 BECAUSE IT'S MORE USAGE. MM-HMM. SO I THINK IT WOULD BE WISE TO HAVE A USAGE STUDY, UH, BECAUSE I THINK IT WOULD BE A BETTER INDICATION OF WHO'S USING THE SEWER SYSTEM MORE. RIGHT. SO I, I THINK, I THINK I WOULD JUST LIKE TO BE INFORMED. YEAH. AND I THINK, I THINK, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING FOR SOL, BUT I'LL MAKE IT, I'LL MAKE IT IN THE FORM OF A MOTION. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THIS ITEM COME BACK WITH A FLOW STUDY ANALYSIS SO WE CAN, UH, MAKE A BETTER DECISION, MORE INFORMED DECISION GOING FORWARD. WELL, WELL THIS, THIS IS INTRODUCTION FOR THIS RIGHT NOW, SO IT WOULD COME BACK FOR ADOPTION. RIGHT. SO I GUESS, I GUESS I'M ASKING FOR IT TO, UH, GO BACK FOR AN ADDITIONAL STUDY, UM, OF THE FLOW OF A FLOW STUDY ANALYSIS, AND THEN HAVE THAT COME BACK TO THE CITY. WELL, I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THAT EXPENSE WOULD BE AND WHAT THE TIME WOULD BE ON THAT. 'CAUSE IT, IT'S, IT'S, ANYWAY, UM, SITTING IN THAT JPA, THIS IS A TIME SENSITIVE MATTER, UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS. SO I THINK LET'S LISTEN TO THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CITY MANAGER SAYING THAT WE ADOPT THIS AS THIS IS A, UH, OR, OR WE PUSH THROUGH THE FIRST READING AND THEN WE CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE POSED TO US. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THE, UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE EQUITY OF, UM, OF, UH, BUILDING AN A DU, UM, QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BMPS, MAYBE THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, CITE THAT, UM, FROM, FROM THE STATE WATER RESOURCE BOARD AND FROM THE CALIFORNIA, UH, US EPA, I MEAN, I THINK THOSE WILL AT LEAST, UM, ADDRESS QUESTIONS FROM, FROM, UM, OUR CONSTITUENTS WHO ARE, UM, ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS AND ALSO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS, UM, HERE SO THAT WE'RE MORE EDUCATED IN RESPONDING TO, UM, TO THIS SIMPLE QUESTIONS. SO I, I THINK IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, PUSH THIS FOR THE SECOND READING WITH THE CAVEAT THAT THEY'RE GONNA PROVIDE US, STAFF CAN PROVIDE US AND CONSULTANT MS. CARMEN CAN, CAN, CAN PROVIDE US THOSE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS THAT WE POSE, THEN AT LEAST WE CAN MOVE THIS, UM, ITEM. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN COMPROMISE? I DON'T KNOW IF A FLOW STUDY WOULD BE ABLE TO BE DONE BY THE TIME THE SECOND READING COMES AROUND. NO, YOUR HONOR, AND I WAS JUST GONNA CLARIFY THAT BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND READING, IF YOU MAKE CHANGES TO THE SUBSTANCE BACK, WE WOULD HAVE TO START OVER. SO YOU, WE COULD CERTAINLY PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN THE STAFF REPORT, FOR EXAMPLE. BUT THE ORDINANCE, THE RATES, THE STUDY WOULD BE AS INTRODUCED TODAY. MM-HMM . I, I THINK JUST THE IN, UM, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN, I, I JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, THERE IS A MOTION, BUT WAS THERE A SECOND TO THE MOTION? THERE WAS NOT A SECOND. SO IT DIES. LACK OF A SECOND. SO I MEAN, YEAH. SO MY ONLY, UH, CONCERN WITH THE MORE INFORMATION IS JUST HOW LONG IT'S, IT'S, IT, IT MAY TAKE, UM, BUT, BUT IT WOULD LIKE TO POTENTIALLY HAVE MORE INFO, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I WOULD WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH THE SEWERS SAID IT WOULD COST. AND I WORRY THAT IF WE DID ALL THAT AND THE RESULTS WERE LARGELY THE SAME OR BASED ON A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE STILL, UH, BACK AT, AT SQUARE ONE. SO FOR ME, UH, FOR RIGHT NOW, I'M COMFORTABLE MOVING IT FORWARD. I STILL FEEL LIKE, UM, FOR LIKE, SO I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION ON THE FEES. AND, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO FOR, FOR INTRODUCTION? FOR FOR INTRODUCTION. OKAY. BUT I, I WOULD LIKE STILL IN THIS BEFORE IT COMES BACK FOR A SECOND READING TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE, THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER, THROUGH THE CONSULTANT, AND THEN IF, UM, I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THE, UH, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AS WELL, UM, SO I CAN GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING. BUT I'M COMFORTABLE MOVING IT FORWARD, UH, AS IS, AND IF WE CAN GET SOME MORE INFORMATION THEN, UM, AS WE CAN GET IT, THEN I'D BE INTERESTED IN THAT. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND THAT. MR. MAYOR? UH, I HAVE A COMMENT THOUGH. SORRY. I, I PUSHED IT. THERE YOU GO. UM, COMMENT. JUST, UH, A MEMBER OF THE JPA, UM, REALLY THE COST IS DICTATED BY THE, UM, BY THE JPA, UM, COLLEAGUES. UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, AS MUCH AS I CAN JUMP UP AND DOWN HERE TO, UM, TO, UH, HOLD IT OFF THAT, THAT'S, UM, COMING FROM THE METRO JPA, UM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THE COST THAT IS DI DIVISIBLE BY THOSE, WE HAVE A PERCENTAGE THAT [02:55:01] WE HAVE TO FOLLOW BASED ON THE 12 PARTNER AGENCIES. SO, UM, THAT IS JUST AN INFORMATION I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. SEE, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION APPROVED BY 41. VOTE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ. VOTING NO. OKAY. THIS IS ONLY FOR INTRODUCTION. THIS WILL BE COMING BACK FOR ADOPTION. WITH THAT, [11.1 Update on the Development of Accessory Dwelling Units ] WE GO TO OUR, UM, STAFF REPORT, 11 AND 11. ONE IS ON THE UPDATE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACCESS ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS. AND WELL, WE'RE GONNA GO OVER HERE. OKAY. . HELLO AGAIN. UH, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, UH, STAFF COUNCIL OF PUBLIC, EVERYONE'S STILL HERE. MARTIN READER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. SO WE'RE ASKED TO COME BACK WITH A REPORT ON THE PRODUCTION OF ADUS. UH, IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, UM, WE HAVE ALLOWED ADU SINCE THE STATE SAID WE HAD TO DO THEM. SO WE, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN IN COMPLIANCE. HOWEVER, WE, WE DID ADOPT OUR OWN ORDINANCE IN 2021, WHICH WAS, UH, WHICH WAS MORE LIBERAL AND ALLOWED LARGER UNITS, UH, MORE UNITS IN SOME CASES. SO WE ARE, WE CONTINUE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH, WITH STATE REGULATIONS. AS FAR AS HOW MANY WERE PRODUCED, EXCUSE ME. UH, IN 2022 THROUGH 2024, WE PRODUCED, WE HAD 56 FINALED ADUS. NOW, WE DID ISSUE 108 PERMITS IN THAT SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. AND ACCORDING TO, UH, YOU KNOW, MOST RECENT DATA, WE'VE HAD WELL OVER 200 PERMITS THAT HAVE BEEN APPLIED FOR, UH, SO 108 HAVE BEEN ISSUED, 56 HAVE BEEN BUILT, AND THERE'S STILL SOME, YOU KNOW, ALMOST ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, 50 OR SO OUTSTANDING THAT ARE YET TO BE, UH, FINISHED GOING THROUGH THE, THE PERMIT, ISSUANCE, UH, PROCESS. SO WE, WE HAVE KEPT, UH, TRACK OF THAT DATA THROUGH THE ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT, SO WE CAN REPORT TO THE STATE. AND OF COURSE, THAT DOES COUNT TOWARDS OUR HOUSING NUMBERS AS WELL. SO, AS WELL AS THE AD ORDINANCE, WE ALSO, UH, WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT SB NINE. WE USE SB NINE ON A FAIRLY REGULAR BASIS, NOT NECESSARILY ON THE SUBDIVISION PART OF IT, BUT WE HAVE ALLOWED, UH, FOLKS TO BUILD, UH, DUPLEXES WITH TWO, A DETACHED ADUS IN SOME CASES. SO THE ADUS HAVE ALSO COME IN UNDER THE SB NINE, UH, PROGRAM AS WELL. UH, IN MARCH, 2024, WE REACHED THE END OF A PROCESS THAT WE WORKED THROUGH WITH, UH, WITH SANDAG AND CITI, UH, I'M SORRY, I FORGET THE NAME OF THE, UH, ORGANIZATION THAT WORKED FOR SANDAG TO HELP US OUT. BUT THAT WE PRODUCED A, UH, A DU HANDBOOK THAT WAS PUBLISHED IN 2024. WE, WE GOT THAT THROUGH A GRANT IN 2023 THAT'S BEEN HUGELY SUCCESSFUL. AND THAT WE WERE ABLE TO COMPILE ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT PEOPLE WILL NEED IN ORDER TO BUILD AN A DU. THERE WERE ALWAYS QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, WATER, SEWER, FIRE SPRINKLERS, ET CETERA. SO WE'VE COMPILED ALL THAT INFORMATION, AND THAT HAS BEEN VERY USEFUL. UH, ONE OF THE MORE CHALLENGING PARTS IS JUST KEEPING UP WITH THE ALL OF THE STATE BILLS, SENATE BILLS, ASSEMBLY BILLS THAT COME DOWN THE PIKE ON A ROUTINE BASIS, YOU KNOW, SCORES OF THEM EACH YEAR. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT OF THE, YOU KNOW, 10 OR 11, 12 OR SO THAT WE'VE HAD THAT HAVE STUCK. 'CAUSE AS YOU KNOW, THEY GET INTRODUCED, THEY DON'T ALWAYS MAKE IT TO THE FLOOR AND GET ADOPTED ON, UH, INTO STATE LAW. BUT OF THE SEVERAL THAT HAVE, UH, COME THROUGH, WE ARE CONSISTENT WITH ALMOST ALL OF THEM. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH, AND WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE, IS TO GET THE, UH, PRE-APPROVED PLANS, UH, SET IN, IN A LOT OF CASES WE HAVE PRE-APPROVED PLANS THAT COME THROUGH AND WE'RE ABLE TO APPROVE THEM, BUT WE ARE, WE, WE ARE REQUIRED, UH, TO HAVE THOSE AVAILABLE, UH, SHORTLY. THERE ARE SOME OTHER ONES COMING DOWN THE PIKE REGARDING, UH, ADDITIONAL PROBATION OF ED USE, UH, NEAR TRANSIT, FOR EXAMPLE. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ONGOING AS YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE CITIES WITHIN HALF A MILE OF TRANSIT, SO THAT, THAT MAY MAKE SOME, SOME DIFFERENCE. THERE'S BEEN TALK OF THE, THE EIGHT 80, BUT THAT'S ONLY GONNA BE IN CASES OF MULTIFAMILY WITH EIGHT, AT LEAST EIGHT UNITS. SO WE DON'T HAVE TOO MANY OF THOSE THAT HAVE THE ROOM TO BUILD EIGHT DETACHED A DU. SO, UH, WE HAD A BIT OF CONCERN ABOUT THAT FROM THE PUBLIC AND, UM, AND OTHERS. BUT WE'VE, WE DON'T CONSIDER THAT TO BE TOO MUCH OF AN ISSUE AT THIS POINT. SO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, OBVIOUSLY OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH AND TO THE SOUTH, THEY'VE HAD SOME ISSUES. UH, SAN DIEGO HAS BEEN IN THE PAPER QUITE A BIT AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE COMMUNITY NOT NECESSARILY BEING HAPPY IN ALL CASES. OBVIOUSLY THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO IS MULTIPLE COMMUNITIES, EACH OF WHICH HAS ITS OWN CHARACTER AND, AND COMMUNITY. SO, UH, AS OF TODAY, I THINK THERE WAS ACTUALLY A NEWS ARTICLE TODAY FROM SAN DIEGO. THEY ARE GOING BACK TO THEIR PLANNING COMMISSION TO REDUCE SOME OF THOSE AND TO, TO MAKE SOME CHANGES. SO IT'S GOING BACK IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. SO IT'S, IT'S HOPEFULLY GONNA CORRECT THE ISSUE. NOW, THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA [03:00:01] DID VOTE LATE LAST YEAR NOT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ALLOWABLE ADUS IN THE CITY, ALTHOUGH THAT'S AN ONGOING DISCUSSION, AND THEY HAVE CAPPED IT TO, UH, THEY, THERE WAS A PROPOSAL TO CAP FOUR TOTAL UNITS THAT WAS ALSO REJECTED BY BOTH THEIR PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL. SO OBVIOUSLY THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. OTHER CITIES DO THINGS A LOT DIFFERENTLY. BUT, UH, AGAIN, WE, WE ARE DOING PRETTY WELL PER CAPITA WITH OUR PRODUCTION OF ADUS. WE DON'T SEEM TO HAVE TOO MANY PROBLEMS. WE HAD A FEW TEETHING ISSUES AT THE BEGINNING, BUT WE FEEL THAT WE'VE OVERCOME THOSE. UH, THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, BUT, UH, THAT'S WHERE WE STAND AS OF NOW. SO THAT'S KIND OF A, A, AN OVERVIEW. I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY, ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, BUT WE'RE ANTICIPATING, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST ANOTHER, I THINK IN THE LAST, UH, FISCAL YEAR ALONE, WE DID 50 OR 60 NEW UNITS. SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE INCREASING THE RATE OF A DU PRODUCTION IS INCREASING. SO THAT CONCLUDES STAFF'S REPORT. I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK, WE DO HAVE SOME SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM. I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL THEM UP AT THIS TIME. UH, THOMAS REICH TO BE FOLLOWED BY CYNTHIA FULLER, UH, QUINONEZ TO BE, AND THEN ALEXANDER FERNANDEZ. HELLO. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THERE'S A DANGER OF, OF THE DEFINITION BETWEEN AN A DU AND AN APARTMENT. AND IT'S ALSO, I THINK THAT A LOT OF THESE ORDINANCES AS THESE OR THESE, THESE ORDINANCES OR REQUIREMENTS THAT YOU HAVE FOR EVERYTHING, YOU, IT'S A LITTLE LAX FOR THE ADU, THE APARTMENT OWNERS CAN USE EXCUSE MAKING THE A DU AND SELL IT. AND I'M JUST A, I AM. I, I THINK THAT IT IS A SLUM, MAKING A SLUM, MAKING A SLUM THAT WAY. BUT YOU NEED, PEOPLE NEED HOUSING, OF COURSE. THANK YOU. OKAY, UM, CYNTHIA, GOOD EVENING. UH, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. YOU KNOW ME, CYNTHIA FULLER. I'M A NATIONAL CITY RESIDENT WHO LIVES ON EAST FOURTH STREET AND D AVENUE. THANKS IN PART TO, UH, GOOD GUIDANCE FROM MARTIN REEDER, DAVID WELCH AND OTHER, UH, CITY STAFF, PLANNING, BUILDING, AND ENGINEERING. WE'RE NEAR COMPLETION OF A THREE YEAR PROJECT TO ADD A, UM, TO TRANSFORM OUR A HUNDRED YEAR OLD SINGLE FAMILY, UH, HOME. OUR PROJECT ELEMENTS INCLUDE RENO RENOVATION OF THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE FROM THE FOUNDATION UP CONVERSION OF A 2003, ADDITION TO AN A DU, ATTACHED A DU AND DEMOLITION OF A DE DILAPIDATED BACKYARD GARAGE. REPLACING THIS WITH A GARDEN CASITA, WHICH IS A SB NINE LOT SPLIT, UH, FOR THE BACK UNIT. AND OF COURSE, WE'VE DONE OTHER THINGS LIKE SOLAR AND IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, IMPROVED DRAINAGE AND OTHER THINGS, OTHER IMPROVEMENTS FOR OUR NEW CLIMATE REALITIES. HERE. OUR END GOAL IS ONE UNIT TO LIVE IN, ONE UNIT TO RENT AND ONE TO SELL. BUT RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SELL THE A DU UNIT OR THE SB NINE UNIT. UM, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SELL AS REALLY IMPORTANT, BOTH AS A MEANS TO REPLENISH OUR SAVINGS, OUR INVESTMENT, UH, AND THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIAL. UH, WE ALSO, OF COURSE, WE HAVE CHILDREN AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S OTHER FOLKS IN NEEDS OF NEW HOME OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. WE'D REALLY, WE INTENDED TO CREATE THAT OPPORTUNITY, UH, IN DOING THIS PROJECT. SO, UNLESS I MISSED IT, THE A DU REPORT DID NOT INCLUDE ANYTHING ABOUT, UH, CITY OPT-IN TO AB 10 33, WHICH WAS PASSED IN 2023 BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ALLOWING A DU SALES. SO I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN GET AN UPDATE ON, UH, THE CITY'S PROGRESS AND HOPEFULLY COMPLETION OF THAT OPTION, UH, ADOPTION, UH, OR OPT-IN. UH, FOR THAT, I'M DONE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THANK YOU, AND GOOD EVENING AGAIN. UM, AS YOU KNOW, MY NAME IS ALEXANDER FERNANDEZ, AND I'M IN OPPOSITION OF THIS ITEM. I'M A MAN WHO BELIEVES IN THE MIDDLE CLASS. I BELIEVE IN CITIES, COUNTIES, AND STATES, AS WELL AS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TAKE CONTROL AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY, OPPORTUNITY TO BRING GOOD MIDDLE CLASS JOBS TO A REGION, NOT KILL THEM OFF OR MINIMIZE THEM. THESE PREFABRICATED HOMES ARE AN INSULT TO, TO WE AS THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES AND AS CITIZENS OF CALIFORNIA, THESE [03:05:01] ARE NOTHING MORE THAN STORAGE SHACKS, IN MY OPINION. IF YOU CAN BRING GOOD MIDDLE CLASS JOBS TO A REGION TO WHICH WE AS CALIFORNIANS ARE A PART OF THE NEW FOURTH LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD, WHY ISN'T NATIONAL CITY WITH ITS RICH HISTORY AS A WORKING MAN'S TOWN SINCE ITS INCEPTION, A PART OF THE MIDDLE CLASS OUTCOME? I MUST GO BACK TO THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR THE WORKERS, WHICH ALLOWS WORKERS TO BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH, IN ACCORDANCE TO THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT, SECTION 7, 8 9. OUR HISTORY DOES SHOW THAT WHEN THE MIDDLE CLASS OR THE WORKERS ARE PROVIDED IT'S FAIR SHARE TO WORK AND PROVIDE FOR THEIR LOVED ONES HOME, OWNERSHIP GOES UP, QUALITY OF LIFE GOES UP, AND THE PEOPLE CREATE A SENSE OF PRIDE AND BROTHERHOOD WITHIN A COMMUNITY. THIS IS NOT A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY. WE ARE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WHERE OUR HARD, WHERE OUR HARD EARNED MONEY MATTERS. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS NATIONAL CITY. THAT'S ALL THE SPEAKERS THAT WE HAVE ON THIS. UM, LET ME ASK YOU ONE, UH, WE HAVE A LISTING HERE OF THE DIFFERENT STATE BILLS THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS. AND I KNOW WHEN THIS CAME BEFORE US, BEFORE, WHEN WE DID THE LEGALIZATION AND, AND KIND OF PUT THE RULES TOGETHER, ONE OF THE DEALS WAS THAT, I THINK IT WAS FOR ABOUT A TWO, MAYBE A THREE YEAR PERIOD, WE WAS NOT ALLOWED TO, UH, HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS A DEED RESTRICTION THAT, THAT THE, UH, PROPERTY OWNER WOULD HAVE TO LIVE IN SOMEWHERE ON THAT PROPERTY AND BE ONE OF THOSE UNITS. AND SO IT WOULDN'T JUST BE SOMEONE IN UTAH OR SOMEWHERE THAT WOULD BUY PROPERTY HERE, BUY A HOUSE AND PUT A BUNCH OF, UH, OF, OF, UM, UH, UNITS ON IT. UM, BUT NOW AB 9 76 AS IT REMOVES THE REQUIREMENTS, IS THAT, IS THAT TALKING ABOUT AFTER THAT TWO TO THREE YEAR PERIOD THAT, SO IT, IT JUST ELIMINATED THAT OR WHAT WELL, AS YOU KNOW, MAYOR, THESE THINGS ARE CHANGING AT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW AT THE SPEED OF LEGISLATION, WHICH IN THIS CASE IS PRETTY FAST AT THE STATE LEVEL, IT SEEMS REGARD TO HOUSING. AT FIRST THERE WAS, THERE WAS, WE WERE, UH, YEAH, WE WERE GOING TO PUT RED, UH, RESTRICTIONS ON CERTAIN USES, BUT WE WEREN'T ALLOWED TO. I THINK THE ONLY ONE THAT WE DID IS FOR JUNIOR ADUS, WHICH WE'VE HAD VERY FEW OF, TO BE HONEST. WE'VE, WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL, BUT, UM, BUT NOW, YEAH, 9 7 6 DOES, REMOVE, DOES REMOVE THAT COMPLETELY. SO IT'S UN UNFORTUNATE. BUT, YOU KNOW, TO, TO SOME OF THE POINTS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP BY, YOU KNOW, MR. WRIGHT, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE IS, YOU KNOW, PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, DIFFICULTY IN DETERMINING BETWEEN AN APARTMENT AND A A DU. THEY'RE, THEY'RE OSTENSIBLY THE SAME THING. HOWEVER, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CLASSIFIED DIFFERENTLY, AND THE DENSITIES ARE DIFFERENT. OUR AMOUNTS ARE DIFFERENT. AND UNFORTUNATELY, OUR HANDS ARE SOMEWHAT TIED. SO WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO HAVE THIS, YOU KNOW, OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS THAT AREN'T, UH, STYMIEING DEVELOPMENT. THE INTENT IS TO INCREASE, UM, THE AMOUNT OF UNITS AND HOPEFULLY THAT DRIVES THE PRICE DOWN, AND WE CAN PASS THAT AFFORDABILITY ONTO, ONTO THOSE THAT ARE RENT RENTING. AS FAR AS 10 33, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN AROUND FOR, THAT WOULD, THAT'S ACTUALLY A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW. AND THAT DOES ALLOW FOR ADUS TO BE SOLD. BUT THAT, UH, AS, UH, MS. FULLON HAS MENTIONED, THAT IS AN OPT-IN PROGRAM. SO THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE DISCUSSED, UH, BY THE COUNCIL, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO AMEND OUR CODE IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR THAT. ISN'T, ISN'T THAT ONE OF THE ONES THAT THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO IS LOOKING AT GOING BACKWARDS ON NOW? I, I BELIEVE SO. I, YEAH. CAN'T KEEP UP WITH SAN DIEGO, UNFORTUNATELY. YEAH, IT IS. THE, UH, UH, YEAH, SO I, YOU KNOW, I, YOU KNOW, MY HOME DEALERS ON THIS, I THINK EDU'S CAN BE A GREAT, UH, TOOL. UM, YOU KNOW, AND THEY'RE GIVEN A LOT OF ADVANTAGES. UH, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH, UH, YOU'RE GOING TO, IF, IF HE WAS GONNA DO A NEW CONSTRUCTION ON A HOUSE, YOU KNOW, MITCH IS GONE, OR I, I'D PICK ON HIM, IF MITCH WAS GONNA BUILD A NEW APARTMENT COMPLEX, HE WOULD HAVE TO DO CONNECTION FEES, HE WOULD HAVE TO DO CAPACITY FEE AND EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT YOU COULD PUT A BUNCH OF ADUS ON THAT BLOCK AND NO CAPACITY FEES, EVEN THOUGH YOU NEED MORE CAPACITY FOR THE SEWER. JUST, JUST AS ONE, ONE EXAMPLE. AND, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, AND SOONER OR LATER WITH ALL OF THIS DENSIFICATION THAT WE'RE DOING, UH, OUR SYSTEM IS NOT BUILT TO HANDLE, ESPECIALLY THE SEWER SYSTEM. WATER, UH, SYSTEM IS GONNA HAVE TO BE UPGRADED DRASTICALLY, AND THAT HAS TO BE PAID BY SOMEBODY. AND SO, UM, AND SO WE DO GIVE A REAL ADVANTAGE FOR, FOR THE, UH, THE UNITS, THE, UH, OH, UH, THESE ADUS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO, THEY DON'T ACT LIKE AS IF ANY OTHER CONSTRUCTION. UM, AND AT THE SAME TIME, I, YOU KNOW, I WAS, I WAS A FIRM BELIEVER IN THAT THE PROPERTY OWNER WITH A DEED RESTRICTION SHOULD BE, SHOULD LIVE ON THE PROPERTY AND SHOULD BE ONE OF THOSE UNITS, BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOU DON'T HAVE PRIDE IN COMMUNITY. AND I, [03:10:01] I MENTIONED ABOUT, UH, AT THAT TIME ABOUT THE DESIGN GUIDELINES THAT WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE IN, IN PLACE. AND I GOT VERY MUCH MISUNDERSTOOD WHEN I SAID, BECAUSE OTHERWISE WHAT I'VE SEEN IN SOME CITIES IS T ONE 11 CONSTRUCTION, WHICH T ONE 11 IS A TYPE OF PLYWOOD THAT JUST LIKE A, A ROUGH SAWD PLYWOOD. AND THEY WOULD USE THAT FOR CONSTRUCTION. AND UH, UH, I BELIEVE ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES MISUNDERSTOOD, THOUGHT I SAID TIJUANA CONSTRUCTION, AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND, AND, AND TOOK IT AS, AS A SLURS, NO, IT WAS T ONE 11 CONSTRUCTION. AND THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S WHAT WE DON'T WANT. WE DON'T WANT, UM, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE HAVE SO MANY RENTALS IN NATIONAL CITY, YOU KNOW, ALMOST 70% OF OUR, ALL OF OUR UNITS ARE RENTALS, AND MAJORITY OF THOSE RENTALS ARE OWNED BY PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIVE IN OUR AREA. AND SO THEREFORE, IF THEY'VE GOT PROPERTY, SO, OKAY, NOW HERE'S A WAY FOR THEM TO DO CHEAP CONSTRUCTION, AND I MEAN CHEAP FROM THE STANDPOINT THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO ALL THE HOOKUP FEES, THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO ALL THOSE THINGS, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BUY PROPERTY AND CAN GO BY DIFFERENT DI DESIGN GUIDELINES AND, AND YET STILL CHARGE MARKET RATE. THAT'S WHAT WE DON'T WANT. AND SO I, THAT'S THE REASON WHY I WAS, I WAS FOND OF THE IDEA OF IT BEING OWNER OCCUPIED ON ONE OF THOSE UNITS. AND, UH, BUT THAT'S NOT THE STATE'S TAKEN THAT AWAY FROM US. NOW, BECAUSE I SAY I THINK ESPECIALLY WITH THE HIGH NUMBER OF RENTALS THAT WE HAVE IN NATIONAL CITY, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF THAT. SO I THINK OUR DESIGN GUIDELINES NEED TO BE AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE, UM, TO SO THAT, SO THAT WE DO KEEP, YOU KNOW, A CHARACTER OF THE, OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND ESPECIALLY BEING AN OLDER NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE WE ARE, UM, BECAUSE I SAY NORMALLY WHEN I SEE PRESENTATIONS ON, ON ADUS, I SEE, YOU KNOW, THEY SHOW ALL THESE NICE, UH, PICTURES IN THE SLIDE PRESENTATIONS THAT LOOK LIKE HOBBIT COTTAGES AND EVERYTHING ELSE. IT LOOK LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, THAT COME FROM MARIN COUNTY OR SOMETHING. AND, UH, BUT A LOT OF TIMES THAT'S NOT WHAT WE SEE BEING BUILT. AND SO I THINK OUR DESIGN GUIDELINES NEED TO BE AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE, AND AT THE SAME TIME, NOT TRY TO GET AHEAD OF THE STATE, BECAUSE AS YOU SAY, THE STATE'S CHANGING ALL THE TIME ANYWAY. AND, UH, UH, SO IT, IT SHOULD, WE SHOULD BE PLAYING A CATCH UP AND NOT TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF THEM OR TRY TO TRY TO OUTTHINK, UH, THE, UH, THE MASTER PLANNERS FROM SACRAMENTO. BUT, UH, UM, BUT I SAY OTHERWISE THIS IS A GREAT TOOL IF IT'S USED. RIGHT? MAYOR? YES. I THINK IT'S CALLED AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP . AH. SO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IF IT'S, IT'S AFFORDABLE CONSTRUCTION. IF AND WHEN, UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE TAKE CARE OF THE 10 33, BUT, UM, QUESTION, ARE WE ALLOWING, UM, PREFABRICATED MATERIALS FOR AN A DU? UH, WE DO ALLOW FOR PREFABRICATED HOMES AS PRIMARY OR ADUS. THEY DO HAVE TO MEET OUR DESIGN GUIDELINES AND THEY DO HAVE TO MEET OUR BUILDING CODE. SO OKAY, YOU CAN, SO THAT'S THE COST AFFORDABILITY OF IT. CORRECT. SO IF YOU JUST BROUGHT IN A PREFAB HOME ON A TRAILER, YOU CAN'T JUST SET IT DOWN ON THE PROPERTY. IT HAS TO BE CONNECTED TO A FOUNDATION. IT HAS TO BE CONNECTED TO WATER AND SEWER, ELECTRICITY. WE HAVE THOSE GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS. THANK, AND WE DO HAVE, AND TO THE MAYOR'S POINT, WE DO HAVE DESIGN GUIDELINES WHERE IT HAS TO AT LEAST BE THE, IT HAS TO BE ONE OF THREE THINGS. THE ROOF PITCH, THE COLOR. MM-HMM . OR THE MATERIALS OF THE, OF THE, UH, MAIN HOUSE. THE SAME, IT, IT HAS TO MEET AT LEAST TWO OF THOSE THINGS IN ORDER TO AT LEAST BLEND IN SOMEWHAT. GOOD. THANKS. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. OKAY. UH, MEMBER. THANK YOU, MS. MAYOR. UH, JUST A QUESTION. HOW MANY WERE PERMITTED AGAIN, DO YOU, UH, THROUGH THE CHAIR AND, UH, MS. MR. RODRIGUEZ? UH, 108 WERE, UH, PERMITS, WERE ISSUED. WE HAVE WELL OVER 200 THAT ARE IN THE PROCESS. SO THE, THE REMAINDER OF THAT 100 NA ARE STILL GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS. AND, UH, 60 SOMETHING WERE ACTUALLY APPROVED. UH, ACTUALLY FINALS 56 WE'RE FINALED. WHAT DO WE ATTRIBUTE THE, UH, DIFFERENCE? ARE THEY STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS? YEAH, IT DEPENDS ON WHO'S DOING THE PROJECT. WE HAVE DEVELOPERS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, USED TO DOING THESE SORTS OF PROJECTS AND HAVE DONE MANY IN OTHER CITIES IN A VERY QUICK, AND WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT ARE, ARE DOING IT IN THEIR SPARE TIME TO, TO MAKE SOME EXTRA MONEY IN THE FUTURE THAT ARE, IT'S A BIT MORE OF A CHALLENGE WITH REGARD TO TIME AND EXPERTISE IN SOME, SOME FASHION. BUT WE ARE ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP PEOPLE GET THROUGH THAT PROCESS IN THE A DU HANDBOOK HAS BEEN HELPING WITH THAT. AND DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY OF THE APPLICANTS WERE, UM, OR ARE OWNER BUILT? I, I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION. I CAN SEE IF WE CAN DO THAT EASILY, THAT WOULD BE A BIT OF A, A CHORE, BUT WE COULD CERTAINLY DO THAT. WE CAN MAKE AN A, A ROUGH ESTIMATE FOR YOU, I'M SURE. YEAH. NO, I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. UM, TO THE BROADER ISSUES OF ADU, UM, I KNOW THERE'S A SERIES OF ISSUES THAT ADUS BRING TO OUR COMMUNITIES. SOMETHING WE HEAR OFTEN IS POTENTIALLY THE DESIGN OR THE PARKING, UH, WHICH IS AN ISSUE EVERYWHERE IN OUR CITY. BUT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST THE ONES I HAVE ENCOUNTERED ARE OVERWHELMINGLY OWNER BUILT. UH, WE MET [03:15:01] A FEW FOLKS THAT CAME OUT TODAY AND A FEW OTHERS THAT REACHED OUT ABOUT THE SEWER STUDY BECAUSE THEY OWN AN A DU. SO I THINK, I THINK, UH, IT IS PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD GENERATIONAL WEALTH FOR FAMILIES. AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD SMART WAY TO BUILD DEVELOPMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, INSTEAD OF JUST BUILDING DENSE UNITS, WHICH THE ONLY ONES THAT MAKE MONEY OFF OF THAT ARE THE OWNERS, WHICH ARE NOT USUALLY LOCAL AND USUALLY ALREADY HAVE OUR, A LOT OF MONEY ALREADY TO DEVELOP THAT MANY UNITS. SO, UH, ALLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO DEVELOP AND BUILD HOME OWNERSHIP, UH, AND BUILD WEALTH, I THINK IS A VERY GOOD THING. UM, SOMETHING I AM, UH, DEFINITELY LOOKING INTO IS THIS AB 25 33, ALTHOUGH I KNOW THAT OUR BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT ALREADY WORKS WITH, UM, INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE UNPERMITTED ADU IT, IT'S FAIR TO SAY FROM SOMEBODY THAT'S WALKED AROUND OUR CITY MANY, MANY TIMES, THERE ARE MANY, UH, UNPERMITTED ADUS AND IT'S USUALLY A GARAGE CONVERSION. AND, AND I THINK IT IS, UM, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY, WORK WITH OUR RESIDENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE BROUGHT UP TO CODE AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE SAFE PLACES. SO I'M DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVE AB 25 33 HOPEFULLY PASS. AND, UH, WHAT, WHAT THAT WOULD DO IS PROHIBIT LOCAL AGENCIES FROM PENALIZING APPLICANTS FOR HAVING, UM, PERMITTED UNPERMITTED ADUS AND ACTUALLY REQUIRE LOCAL AGENCIES TO APPROVE THE NECESSARY PERMITS TO CORRECT THE NON-COMPLIANCE, UH, MEETING HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS. SO ULTIMATELY, WE WANNA MAKE THESE UNITS LEGAL. WE WANT TO MAKE THESE UNITS HABITABLE AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS SAFE. AND I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD, UM, LAW. AND, AND I HOPE THAT IT PASSES THE STATE. UH, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE, UM, A MORE, UH, DETAILED, UH, DISCUSSION OF, AND AN ORDINANCE UPDATE IN THE FUTURE IF, IF MY COLLEAGUES AGREE AND UPDATE US, MAYBE ON SB NINE AND SB 10, AS WELL AS AB 10 33, UM, WHICH WOULD, AS MENTIONED EARLIER, ALLOW FOR THE SALE OF THE SUBDIVISION OF LOTS AND THE SALE OF THESE ADUS INDIVIDUALLY. AGAIN, I THINK IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD HOME OWNERSHIP AND BUILD WEALTH FOR A LOCAL FAMILY THAT THAT NEEDS IT. SO, UM, I HOPE THAT MY COLLEAGUES, UH, UH, WOULD CONSIDER THAT. BUT I, I DEFINITELY LOOK FORWARD TO REVISITING THE ORDINANCE. IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE DISCUSSED IT. HOW LONG? THREE? HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? THREE YEARS. THREE OR FOUR YEARS. YEAH. THREE YEARS. THREE YEARS. THREE YEARS SINCE WE ADOPTED, YEAH. I, I, I WOULD LOVE, UM, UH, AN ORDINANCE UPDATE AND AT LEAST DISCUSSION ON, UH, SB NINE, SB 10, AND AB 10 33, UM, AND LOOK AT HOW OTHER JURISDICTIONS HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THOSE, AND HOW SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD, HOW SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD BE APPLICABLE FOR NATIONAL CITY. YES. JUST, UH, ADDITIONAL COMMENT, UM, THAT, UM, SINCE, UM, JULY 1ST, 2024 TO NOW, WE HAVE ISSUED PERMITS FOR 26 ADUS, AND THERE ARE 36 ADU THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. SO I THINK WE'RE DOING A GOOD JOB IN, UM, THE, THE TURNAROUND OF PERMIT PROCESSES AND HELPING THOSE HOMEOWNERS OR, OR, UM, PROPERTY OWNERS, UM, BUILD, UM, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL, ADDITIONAL, UH, UNIT FOR THEIR FAMILY OR FOR THEM TO, UH, BUILD THAT GENERATIONAL WEALTH. I JUST WANTED TO INCLUDE THAT, THAT INFORMATION. MAYOR, THANK YOU. OKAY. YES, GO AHEAD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. READER. UM, DOES NATIONAL CITY ALLOW ADUS TO HAVE, UH, SUB ADDRESSES, OR ARE THEY ISSUED NEW ADDRESSES EACH TIME? I BELIEVE THEY'RE NEW ADDRESSES EACH TIME. DOES IT ALLOW FOR SUB ADDRESSING? I DON'T THINK THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT DOES THAT. OKAY. THE REASON I ASK IS POST OFFICE, WHAT'S THAT? THE POST OFFICE? POST OFFICE. POST OFFICE. YEAH. POST OFFICE. I MEAN, WE DON'T DO HALF, SIR. I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S A SAFETY ACCESS THING. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, MEANINGFUL ADDRESSING FOR EMERGENCY PURPOSES. OKAY. OKAY. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW. UM, AND THEN I ALSO, I WAS ENCOURAGED TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT THERE IS NOW A MANUAL THAT FOLKS CAN RECEIVE, YOU KNOW, WITH INFORMATION. UM, YOU KNOW, MY, MY HUSBAND AND I, WE BUILD AN A DU ON OUR PROPERTY. AND, UM, THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, IT, IT WAS A MONTHS LONG PROCESS, ALMOST, I WANNA SAY MAYBE 10 MONTHS, MAYBE, MAYBE 11 MONTHS. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, WE DISCOVERED THINGS THAT WE HAD TO KNOW ABOUT THAT WE DIDN'T EXPECT, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICT FEES. WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING WE HAD TO BE PREPARED FOR. UM, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT AND HOW TO GO ABOUT THE PROCESS. SO WE ENDED UP FIGURING THAT OUT. UH, UTILITY METERING, UM, WHETHER THE CITY REQUIRED A SEPARATE METER OR NOT. TURNS OUT WE HAD TO HAVE A SEPARATE METER FOR OUR A DU, UM, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS I ASKED ABOUT THE [03:20:01] SUB ADDRESSING. WOULD THAT REMOVE THE NEED FOR A SEPARATE METER? UM, I GUESS THAT'S NULL NOW BECAUSE YOU JUST SAID THAT, UH, SUB ADDRESSING DOESN'T, IT WOULDN'T, ISN'T ALLOWED. BUT SO, SO ALL OF THESE ARE QUESTIONS THAT WE ENDED UP ENCOUNTERING THROUGHOUT THE, THE COURSE OF THE TIME THAT WE WERE BUILDING OUR A DU. UM, AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HANDY TO KNOW A LOT OF THIS, OR AT LEAST BE PREPARED FOR IT, YOU KNOW, AHEAD OF TIME. SO IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT, UH, WE ARE IMPROVING UPON OUR PROCESS AND, UH, HOPEFULLY ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UM, STAFF AVAILABLE THAT ARE ABLE TO HELP FOLKS THAT ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS, UNDERSTAND IT AS WELL. UM, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A STATEMENT. UM, YES, ADUS CAN BE A HUGE BENEFIT FOR HOMEOWNERS. HELPING FAMILIES BRING IN EXTRA INCOME, OF COURSE, IS A PLUS. UH, SUPPORTING AGING PARENTS OR ADULT CHILDREN, UM, BUILD LONG-TERM FINANCIAL STABILITY RIGHT ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY. UH, SPEAKING AS A HOMEOWNER, ADDING AN A DU WAS A BIG BENEFIT, ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS THAT WE MADE. UM, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT WE'VE TAKEN STEPS TOWARDS MAKING THE PROCESS EASIER. UH, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN SAN DIEGO, AND YOU MADE REFERENCE TO THIS, MARTIN, UH, WE HAVE TO STRIKE A BALANCE. IF WE OPEN THINGS UP TOO MUCH WITHOUT ANY LIMITS, WE ARE GOING TO INVITE LARGE SCALE PROJECTS AND INVESTOR DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL OVERWHELM OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND PUSH OUT THE VERY FAMILIES THAT THESE POLICIES ARE MEANT TO HELP. THIS MATTERS EVEN MORE HERE IN NATIONAL CITY WHERE SPACE IS TIGHTER, DENSITY IS HIGHER, AND MOST OF OUR COMMUNITY IS MADE UP OF RENTERS. MEANING ANY SHIFT IN HOUSING POLICY CAN HIT FASTER AND HARDER. WE ALL KNOW THE CONSTANT FLOOD OF SELL US YOUR HOME FLYERS, YOU KNOW, OR COMMERCIALS OR BILLBOARDS THAT WE SEE EVERYWHERE FROM INVESTORS. UM, THEY ARE NOT HERE TO STRENGTHEN THE COMMUNITY. WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE HERE TO FLIP, UH, PROPERTIES, PACK IN AS MANY UNITS AS THEY CAN AND TURN A QUICK PROFIT. WE NEED TO THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT WHAT WORKS FOR NATIONAL CITY, NOT JUST COPY WHAT'S HAPPENING ELSEWHERE. IF WE DON'T, WE RISK MAKING THINGS WORSE. FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY LIVE HERE, I BELIEVE WE SHOULD FOCUS ON HELPING HOMEOWNERS WHO ACTUALLY LIVE ON THEIR PROPERTY. THAT'S HOW WE KEEP THE BENEFITS LOCAL AND SUPPORT FAMILIES, NOT INVESTORS. I KNOW, OF COURSE, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT IT UNDER THE STATE LAW, WE CAN'T REQUIRE OWNER OCCUPANCY ANYMORE, BUT THAT MAKES IT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR US TO DESIGN A LOCAL PROGRAM, PERHAPS WITH INCENTIVES. WE NEED TO BE CREATIVE, UH, THAT WILL HELP STRENGTHEN OUR CITY AND OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. THAT'S WHERE OUR, I THINK OUR ATTENTION SHOULD GO AS WE MOVE FORWARD. WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE DATA, LEARN WHAT HAS GONE WRONG IN THE NEIGHBORING CITIES AROUND US, AND BUILD A PLAN THAT TRULY FITS OUR NATIONAL CITY. I'VE BEEN IN BRIEF CONVERSATIONS ALREADY WITH OUR CITY MANAGER, SCOTT HOOF, UH, AND HE, UM, VERY BRIEFLY MENTIONED SOME STRATEGIES THAT WE CAN COME UP WITH THAT WILL FIT OUR CITY. AND I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MORE, UM, FROM OUR CITY MANAGER ABOUT THIS. SO MAYBE IN THE NEXT ITERATION OF, OF OUR DISCUSSION FOR ADUS, WE CAN THINK CREATIVELY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IDEA OF INCENTIVIZING HOMEOWNERS THAT, UH, DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO BUILD ON THEIR PROPERTY, UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, HELP NATIONAL CITY FLOURISH, RIGHT? AND HAVE THIS BE A PLACE FOR OUR FAMILIES, UM, AND BE A SENSE OF PRIDE, UH, NOT, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, TO BUILD QUICK AND FLIP AND, AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE A PROFIT FOR WHO KNOWS WHO. UM, THANK YOU, MAYOR. I THINK IT'S GOOD FOR US TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE DESIRE FOR A GENERATIONAL WEALTH, AND THEN ALSO IF WE WANNA CALL IT CORPORATE OR FLIPPER WEALTH OR SOMETHING. UM, YOU KNOW, AND MAKE SURE WE DO A BALANCE SO THAT THAT IS AS GOOD FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS POSSIBLE. OKAY. THAT IS, THAT IS A, UH, STAFF REPORT, AND IT'S JUST TO, TO ACCEPT AND FILE AT THIS STAGE. UM, NEXT WE GO ON TO, EXCUSE ME, MR. MAYOR. I, I WOULD LOVE TO, UM, MAKE A MOTION AND HAVE STAFF BRING BACK, UM, SOME TYPE OF, UH, REPORT AND UPDATE ON SB NINE, SB 10, AND AB 10 33. HOW OTHER JURISDICTIONS HAVE BEEN IMPACTED AND A, A POSSIBLE DISCUSSION ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION OF THOSE POLICIES IN NATIONAL CITY? EITHER, EITHER, YEAH, EITHER, RIGHT? YEAH. GET A STUDY ON 'EM AND FIND OUT WHAT, WHAT THE GOOD AND THE BAD IS, AND SEE IF WE WANT TO EITHER, UH, SUPPORT 'EM OR OPPOSE 'EM, DEPENDING ON, ON, ON HOW IT WOULD FIT OUR, THE CHARACTER OF OUR CITY. ABSOLUTELY. WE CAN LOOK AT THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES AS WE MOVE FORWARD. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, IS THERE A [03:25:01] TIMELINE? I KNOW WE HAVE A MILLION THINGS GOING ON. YEAH, AND HOPEFULLY BEFORE, BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. , YEAH, WE'LL FIT IT IN. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. . WE'LL PUT IT IN THE HOPPER. ALRIGHT. 11 TWO. THIS IS ON CITY MANAGER. MAYOR. MAYOR, I'M SORRY, ON THAT ITEM. THAT WAS IN THE FORM OF A MOTION, CORRECT? DO, DO WE NEED A MOTION? I THOUGHT YOU WERE MAKING THE MOTION. I, I, I'M, I'M OKAY IF IT'S NOT A MOTION. OH, THAT'S FINE. I THOUGHT YOU SAID A MOTION. I THINK IT WAS GENERAL DIRECTION OFF THE REPORT. WE'LL COME BACK. NO PROBLEM. THANK YOU. AN EXTENSION OF THE REPORT. HOW'S THAT? OKAY. THANK YOU. YES. OKAY. NEXT WE GO [11.2 City Manager Executive Recruitment] TO, UH, CITY MANAGER EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT. AND, UH, I GOT A FUNNY FEELING I'M GONNA BE LOOKING THAT DIRECTION. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. LYDIA FLORES HERNANDEZ, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR. UM, THIS EVENING I'LL PRESENT TWO OPTIONS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION REGARDING THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS TO FILL THE CITY MANAGER POSITION PERMANENTLY. THIS IS A CRITICAL LEADERSHIP ROLE, AND WE WANT TO PURSUE, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THE PROCESS WE PURSUE IS ALIGNED WITH THE CITY COUNCIL'S GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS. ON APRIL 18TH, 2025, THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER, BEN MARTINEZ, AGREED THAT MR. MARTINEZ WOULD STEP DOWN FROM HIS POSITION EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. AS A RESULT, A VA VACANCY WAS CREATED IN THE CITY MANAGER'S ROLE. ON APRIL 22ND, 2025, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED APPOINTMENT OF SCOTT HUTH TO SERVE AS INTERIM CITY MANAGER. THE CITY MANAGER IS A KEY EXECUTIVE POSITION RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING THE CITY'S ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS, IMPLEMENTING THE POLICY DIRECTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL, AND SERVING AS THE PRIMARY LIAISON BETWEEN THE ORGANIZATION AND THE COMMUNITY. THE POSITION IS VITAL TO ENSURING EFFECTIVE MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE, STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP, AND RESPONSIVE PUBLIC SERVICE. IN RECOGNITION OF THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE CITY MANAGER POSITION, STAFF RECOMMENDS A DELIBERATE, COMPREHENSIVE, AND METHODICAL RECRUITMENT PROCESS TO ENSURE THE APPOINTMENT OF A HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATE WHOSE VALUES ALIGN WITH THOSE OF THE CITY. TWO PRIMARY OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR CONSIDERATION. OPTION ONE, INTERNAL RECRUITMENT PROCESS. UNDER THIS OPTION, THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WOULD LEAD THE RECRUITMENT EFFORT. THIS APPROACH MAY OFFER COST SAVINGS AND PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AN INTERNALLY MANAGED PROCESS. HOWEVER, IT WOULD ALSO REQUIRE A SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT OF STAFF TIME AND RESOURCES TO CARRY OUT ADVERTISING, CANDIDATE OUTREACH, SCREENING INTERVIEWS, AND REFERENCE CHECKS. THE SECOND OPTION IS TO ENGAGE AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT FIRM. ALTERNATIVELY, THE CITY MAY CHOOSE TO ENGAGE AN EXTERNAL EXECUTIVE SEARCH FIRM WITH AN EXPERTISE IN PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERSHIP RECRUITMENT. THIS IS A COMMON PRACTICE FOR EXECUTIVE LEVEL MUNICIPAL POSITIONS AND OFFERS SEVERAL BENEFITS, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE POSITION PROFILE WITH INPUT FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, TARGETED ADVERTISING AND NATIONAL OUTREACH TO ATTRACT A BROAD AND QUALIFIED CANDIDATE POOL MANAGEMENT OF THE SCREENING, INTERVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS, FACILITATION OF CANDIDATE ASSESSMENTS AND REFERENCE CHECKS. TYPICAL COST FOR THE EXECUTIVE SEARCH SERVICES RANGE BETWEEN 25,000 TO $60,000. THE ESTIMATED TIMELINE FOR A FULL RECRUITMENT PROCESS IS APPROXIMATELY THREE TO SIX MONTHS. ONCE AGAIN, IF THE CITY ENGAGES AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT FIRM, THE COST IS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 25,000 TO $60,000, DEPENDING ON THE SCOPE OF SERVICES SELECTED. IF CONDUCTED INTERNALLY, COSTS MAY BE LIMITED TO ADVERTISING AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES, BUT WILL REQUIRE REDIRECTION OF INTERNAL STAFF RESOURCES. STAFF REQUESTS DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL REGARDING THE PREFERRED METHOD TO PROCEED WITH THE RECRUITMENT OF A PERMANENT CITY MANAGER. UPON RECEIVING COUNCIL DIRECTION, STAFF WILL TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO INITIATE AND SUPPORT THE SELECTED RECRUITMENT STRATEGY. I'M AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE AT THIS TIME. SPECIAL THOUGHTS HERE? UM, OH, JUST THAT I THINK WE SHOULD, UM, I, I, UH, AGREE WITH THE RECOMMENDATION, RETAIN, UM, AN EXECUTIVE, UH, RECRUITMENT FIRM. I WAS HESITANT ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I DO THINK, UH, THAT THIS IS SOMETHING, UH, GIVEN OUR A, A BUDGET, A PROJECTED BUDGET DEFICIT, WE SHOULD BE MORE MINDFUL OF HIRING, UM, UH, OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS. BUT I THINK GIVEN THAT THIS SITUATION, THE FACT THAT WE DIDN'T DO IT LAST TIME, I THINK THAT, UM, I, I THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE. SO I'M, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THIS. OKAY. I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO SUPPORT THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION. I SECOND. [03:30:01] OKAY. WE, WELL, THAT'S NOT STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION OPTIONS. NO, THERE'S NOT STAFF RECOMMENDATION, HAVE TWO OPTIONS RECOMMENDATION, BUT IT'S, I WILL MOVE FORWARD TO, IT'S ONE OF THEIR, ONE OF THE TWO OPTIONS. APPROVE THE, WELL, THE OPTION TO APPROVE, UH, TO RETAIN AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT FIRM. OKAY. I SECOND THE MOTION AND, AND I HAVE A COMMENT, MOTION AND A SECOND. WE HAVE. OKAY. WE'VE GOT YOU IN THERE. OKAY. AND I, CAN I MAKE A COMMENT? YEAH. YEAH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE STAFF REPORT AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS. UM, UM, I DO AGREE THAT IT IS, UM, NECESSARY FOR SUCH A CRUCIAL HIRING, UH, POSITION, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, SEEK THE EXPERTISE OF A HIRING FIRM. UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE WORTHWHILE TO BEGIN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS OF, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, THREE OR FOUR HIRING FIRMS. UM, AND THEN AT THAT POINT DECIDE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE STRATEGY, YOU KNOW, BASED ON, ON THE, THE SELECTION OF THE HIRING FIRM. UM, AND THEN I DO UNDERSTOOD, I, WHEN I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH OUR CITY MANAGER EARLIER, I UNDERSTAND THAT IF IT TURNS OUT, YOU KNOW, AT, AFTER INTERVIEWING, GOING THROUGH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS FOR THE HIRING FIRM, IF IT TURNS OUT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN HANDLE INTERNALLY, WE CAN CHANGE OUR MIND LATER ON AND SAY, IN FACT, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE GONNA SAVE THAT $60,000, HOWEVER MUCH IT IS, UH, AND ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, USE OUR HR SERVICES TO, TO DO THE HIRING INTERNALLY. SO IT'S NOT, THE DECISION RIGHT NOW ISN'T GOING TO HOLD US. RIGHT NOW, WE'RE JUST AGREEING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS OF THE HIRING FIRMS, WHICH ISN'T GOING TO COST OTHER THAN AN EFFORT IN TIME AND DEDICATION, YOU KNOW, TO SCHEDULE THE INTERVIEWS, UH, FOR THE TIME BEING, UM, I'M COMFORTABLE MOVING IN THAT STEP. OKAY. IF, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE WHAT OTHER THE COMMENTS ARE OR WHATEVER. BUT IF, IF WE WERE TO GO AHEAD WITH THAT MOTION, NOW, THERE'S STILL, STILL A DECISION HAS TO BE MADE FROM, THERE IS WHAT IS GONNA BE THE SELECTION PROCESS TO SELECT A, YOU KNOW, UH, THIS, THIS, I STILL WANNA CALL 'EM HEAD HUNTERS. I'M SORRY, THAT'S STILL USE THAT OLD TERM, UH, FIRM. THE, UH, AND EITHER IT CAN BE DONE A SELECTION, THE ENTIRE COUNCIL DOES INTERVIEWS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF ROUGH US GETTING OUR SCHEDULES ALL TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME FOR A LOT OF SPECIAL MEETINGS. BUT WE CAN, THAT'S ONE WAY OF DOING IT. OR WE DO IT OR DO AN AD HOC COMMITTEE, AND THEN THAT COULD EITHER MAKE A SELECTION OR NARROW IT DOWN LIKE TO TWO, AND THEN HAVE THE COUNCIL INTERVIEW. THOSE TWO IS ANOTHER WAY OF DOING IT. BUT I HAVE A, WELL, I'VE ALREADY SPOKEN, BUT I DO HAVE A OPTION, OR I DO HAVE AN OPINION THERE. OKAY. I WOULD, AND I KNOW IT IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT IS, UH, UH, WOULD REQUIRE SCHEDULING SPECIAL MEETINGS, BUT I HAVE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY THEIR DESIRE TO BE A PARTICIPANT IN THIS PROCESS AND AT LEAST VIEW THE INTERVIEWING OF THE HIRING FIRMS. UM, SO I WOULD PROPOSE SCHEDULING SPECIAL MEETINGS TO INTERVIEW THE FIRMS. OKAY. I, I'M NOT TOO SURE. I'VE NEVER SEEN WHERE THE PUBLIC'S INVOLVED IN THE HIRING FIRMS. I'VE, WELL, IT WOULD, I'VE SEEN WHERE THEY'VE BEEN INVOLVED. WHEN YOU GET IT DOWN TO, UH, DOWN TO A, A SMALL SELECTION OF ACTUAL CANDIDATES, I'VE SEEN THAT. BUT, WELL, WHAT I'M PROPOSING IS HAVE IT BE PUBLIC AND THE, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE CAN VIEW THE INTERVIEW THAT WE HAVE OF THE FIRM, THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE FIRMS, KINDA LIKE WHAT WE DO FOR PLANNING COMMISSIONERS. THAT'S, THAT, THAT'S MY OPINION. I'M OPEN. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UM, I APPRECIATE THE, UM, WILLINGNESS TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE. I THINK THAT'S CRITICAL. UM, I THINK WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF THE APPLICANTS. IF THERE'S, THERE'S INDIVIDUALS AROUND THE AREA THAT ARE APPLYING, I THINK THE LAST THING THEY WOULD WANT IS TO HAVE A PUBLIC INTERVIEW WITH EVERYBODY ELSE. YEP. UM, MORE THAN LIKELY, THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT ALREADY HAVE JOBS, SO THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB. AND TO, WELL, I'M SORRY, WHAT I'M REFERRING TO IS THE HIRING FIRM. YEAH. NOT THE CANDIDATES, THE FIRM ITSELF, THE CANDIDATE, BUT THE HIRING FIRM. THE HIRING FIRM. SO TO BRING THE HIRING FIRM HERE TO INTERVIEW, TO INTERVIEW THE INDIVIDUAL HIRING FIRM, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. BUT WHAT WOULD THE PUBLIC HAVE INVOLVEMENT OR KNOWLEDGE WITHIN THAT? THEY WOULD JUST REALIZE WHICH FIRM WE'RE SELECTING TO HIRE. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE HEARD IS THE SELECTIONS OF OUR CITY MANAGERS IN THE PAST HAVE NOT INVOLVED GOING THROUGH A HIRING FIRM PROCESS FOR SOME TIME. YEAH. AND THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT PROCESS. THEY WANT, THEY ARE ASKING FOR A TRANSPARENT PROCESS. I GUESS I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED. IS IT, IS IT ASKING FOR A PROCESS IN WHICH THE [03:35:01] PUBLIC GETS TO WEIGH ON WHO WE HIRE TO DO THE RECRUITMENT? YES. NOT THIS IS THE HIRING FIRM WE HIRE IN GENERAL, THE CANDIDATES. CORRECT. THE CANDIDATES WOULD THAT, THAT'S NOT WHAT WOULD BE THE, WHAT WOULD BE THE PURPOSE OF US INTERVIEWING THE HIRING FIRM? WELL, WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT, WHETHER WE DO IT THROUGH AN AD HOC COMMITTEE, WHICH IS THE OPTION, OR WE DO IT AS IN A OPEN SESSION FORUM, WHICH WOULD BE A SPECIAL MEETING. THAT, THAT SOUNDS YEAH, THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. I THINK. UM, UH, YEAH, THAT SOUNDS, THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. THE ONLY I'M THINKING OF THIS, KNOWING WHAT WE'VE BEEN, I'M SORRY, KNOWING WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH ABOUT THE LAST FOUR MONTHS OR SO, IS THAT, UH, PART OF THAT, SINCE IT'S A PUBLIC MEETING, YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE SUBJECT, EVERYTHING ELSE. AND IT COULD BE GOING ALL OVER THE PLACE AND BEFORE WE EVER GET TO EVEN TALKING WITH THE, THE FIRM. UH, SO IT'S, AND I SAY I, I DON'T REMEMBER EVER HAVING A DEAL WHERE, UM, AND I, I'VE BEEN WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES THAT HAVE DONE EXECUTIVE SEARCHES, AND I'VE NEVER KNOWN WHERE WE'VE DONE A, A PUBLIC DISCOURSE OF THIS ELECTION FIRM. I MEAN, I MEAN, I, YEAH, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT YOU TO SEE IF YOU GOT ANY INSIGHT OR, OR MAYBE IT HAS BEEN DONE. I'M JUST NOT AWARE OF IT. I NORMALLY DO NOT SEE THAT OCCURRING. IT IS NORMALLY DONE IN PRIVATE, AND YOU HAVE THAT ABILITY. IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT EASIER THAT WAY. JUST LIKE THE MAYOR STATED WITH EVERYTHING THAT HAS OCCURRED HERE AT THE CITY, WE DON'T WANNA TURN OFF ANY FIRMS THAT MAY BE WANTING TO WORK WITH US. I, I AM OPEN TO, I ACTUALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF TRANSPARENCY. AND, UM, I TEND TO DISAGREE WITH THE NOTION THAT BECAUSE WE ARE BEING OPEN AND TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE, THAT WE TURN PEOPLE OFF. LIKE FRANKLY, IF SOMEONE'S TURNED OFF BY US BEING OPEN ON CHALLENGES, I DON'T WANT THEM WORKING HERE ANYWAY. UM, SO, UH, WE ALL, EVERY CITY HAS CHALLENGES. UM, AND SO I LIKE THE IDEA OF A TRANSPARENT PROCESS. I JUST WANT TO KNOW MORE DETAILS ON HOW IT WOULD WORK, BECAUSE I, I, SO I'M, BUT I DON'T, I I'M OPEN TO OPTIONS ON HOW IT'S JUST SOME MORE SPECIFICS ON HOW THAT COULD WORK. BECAUSE THE FUNCTIONALITY OF IT, I THINK TO THE H HR DIRECTOR'S POINT, LIKE I, I'M STILL NOT CLEAR ON THE FUNCTIONALITY OF IT, BUT I'M, I'M, I'M OPEN, UM, MEYER BUSH, I JUST WANNA ALSO, IF WE WANT TO MOVE THIS PROCESS ALONG QUICKLY, YEAH. AN AD HOC COMMITTEE MAY BE THE EASIER THING. UM, IT, IT DOES TAKE THREE TO SIX MONTHS TO HIRE A CITY MANAGER WITH THE WHOLE PROCESS. SO THE LONGER WE DELAY, WE MAY BE LIMITED IN HAVING TO COME BACK AND HIRE ANOTHER RETIREE TO ASSIST THE CITY, BECAUSE OUR CITY MANAGER, OUR CURRENT INTERIM CITY MANAGER MAY BE OUT OF HOURS. THAT IS ANOTHER CONCERN THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT. I'M NOT, THANK YOU. I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT THAT CONCERN AS MUCH BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA START A NEW FISCAL YEAR IN OUR INTERIM CITY MANAGER. UM, LIKE THE HOURS THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT HE HAS, WE CAN KIND OF FRONT LOAD THEM. SO JUST FOR ME, I'D BE OPEN TO HEARING MY COLLEAGUES. I'M NOT AS CON, I, I RECOGNIZE THAT AS A CONCERN. I'M NOT AS CONCERNED, UH, ABOUT THAT. UM, I WANNA MOVE QUICKLY WITH THIS, BUT I WANT TO EXPLORE, UM, TO COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA'S POINT, WHAT A TRANSPARENT, UH, PROCESS COULD LOOK LIKE. BECAUSE ONE THING I THINK WE AS AN ORGANIZATION NEED IS MORE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OVERALL. AND I, I DON'T WANNA RUSH THIS. UH, I UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO GET THROUGH THE PROCESS, BUT NO, I DON'T WANNA MOVE QUICKLY. I WANNA BE VERY METHODICAL AND VERY CAREFUL. YES. UM, TO GET A HEADHUNTER, UH, FOR THIS POSITION, WE HAVE TO HAVE QUALIFICATIONS THAT YOU, THE GUYS, THE, THE FIVE, UM, HIRING PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TO, UM, TO, UM, UM, ESTABLISH. SO THEN THIS IS WHAT THE HEADHUNTER THAT YOU ARE GOING TO PICK WOULD, UM, ARE THEY COMFORTABLE IN, IN, IN HEADHUNTING THE QUALIFICATIONS THAT WE WANTED TO HAVE. SO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THE PROCESS IS THERE, BUT AS, AS YOU WANTED TO DO THE PROCESS PROPERLY, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, LET'S PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER WITH THE HELP OF OUR ICM TO WHAT QUALIFICATIONS ARE WE LOOKING FOR TOWARDS THAT PERSON. SO THEN THIS QUALIFICATIONS WILL BE PUT OUT THERE ON [03:40:01] ADVERTISING TO, FOR HEADHUNTERS TO SEE IF THEY WOULD WANNA BE HEADHUNTING FOR US. CAN I ASK A QUESTION? UM, I, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE ALREADY DECIDED HOW YOU ARE THINKING OF SELECTING THE HEADHUNTER. IS IT GONNA BE THE FULL COUNCIL OR IS IT GONNA BE AD HOC? 'CAUSE IF IT'S FULL COUNCIL, WE'RE DOING A NOTICE MEETING. UM, IT'S GONNA BE A OPEN MEETING. 'CAUSE I DON'T THINK YOU CAN DO THAT IN CLOSED SESSION. SO IF YOU, MAYBE IT'D BE HELPFUL FOR US IF YOU FIRST DECIDE WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO AD HOC WITH TWO, UH, BECAUSE IF YOU DO THREE, IT'S GONNA BE ANOTHER OPEN MEETING. YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN HELP US WITH THAT PART, THEN THAT WILL KIND OF ROLL INTO, UM, MAYBE ADDRESSING THE COMMENTS OF THE OPENNESS TOO. I, I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD JUST HAVE AN, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT MY COLLEAGUES. I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD JUST HAVE EVERYONE HAVE A SAY SINCE THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO INSTEAD AN AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT THAT'S, THAT'S ME. I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD JUST HAVE A SAY TO THE CHAIR. YES. I THINK THE QUALIFICATION THAT EACH COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, UM, TOWARDS THIS PERSON OR, UM, FOR THIS PERSON IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO. AND THEN WE CAN DECIDE WHO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT'S LIKE WHAT SCOTT SAID, GET THE HEADHUNTING HEADHUNTER. IF, IF SO, THE, THE, UM, THE, THE FIVE OF US WILL, UH, WILL MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS THAT. UM, BUT ONCE WE ARE, WE'RE, UM, CLEAR ABOUT WHAT WE WANTED FOR THAT PERSON, THEN AT LEAST OUR HR WILL ALSO BE CLEAR ON HOW HE WOULD CHEAT OR HE OR WE WOULD LOOK FOR THAT HEADHUNTER. SO I THINK LET'S JUST LIKE WHAT VICE MAYOR SAID, LET'S, UM, DISCUSS OR LET'S HAVE A INPUT ON WHAT WE WANTED FOR THIS PERSON TO BE. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? YOU KNOW, I MEAN, FOR THIS PERSON, YOU'RE, YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE HIRING FIRM, THE HEADHUNTER? MM-HMM . NO, NO, NO. THE QUALIFICATION OF THE PERSON. FIRST CITY MANAGER. EVENTUAL OF THE CANDIDATE OF THE CANDIDATE OR CITY MANAGER. YES. THE QUALIFICATION. WHICH THAT WOULD BE LATER, I THINK. YEAH. I THINK THAT WE'RE NOT THERE YET. WE'RE, WE'RE, I I THINK THAT'S LIKE STEP NUMBER SEVEN, , OR I THINK, I THINK IN, SO MAYBE IT'LL BE HELPFUL IF I CAN DESCRIBE, YOU KNOW, UM, THE EXPERIENCE I HAVE HAD AT LEAST, UM, IF IT'S AT ALL, AT, AT ALL, UM, THE VALUE THAT I HAVE SEEN WITH HIRING THE OPA, WHICH IS THE, UH, AUDITOR AT SANDAG, I WAS PART OF THE SELECTION COMMITTEE BOTH FOR THE FIRM THAT BECAME THE HEADHUNTER AND THE ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, HIRING OF THE CANDIDATES. AND THE WAY THAT PROCESS HAPPENED WAS THERE WAS A COMMITTEE, SO IT WASN'T THE FULL BOARD. THERE WAS A COMMITTEE THAT SAT AND INTERVIEWED, I DUNNO HOW MANY FIRMS, IT WAS PROBABLY FOUR FIRMS. WE ENDED UP GRADING. LIKE IT WAS VERY METHODICAL. WE GRADED THE FIRMS. WE DECIDED ON THE ONE THAT WAS GOING TO BE THE, THE, THE, THAT WAS GONNA BE AWARDED THE CONTRACT TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE A NATIONWIDE SEARCH FOR THE OPA. THEN WE WENT AHEAD AND SELECTED FROM 20 CANDIDATES, UH, THAT THIS PERSON, UM, OR THIS FIRM GAVE US THE RESUMES OF 20 FOLKS. OF THE 20 WE INTERVIEWED 10, WHITTLED IT DOWN TO THREE, THE THREE WENT ON TO THE BOARD, THE FULL BOARD. AND THEN FROM THE THREE, THEN WE SELECTED THE, THE, THE FINAL OFFICIAL CANDIDATE. UM, SO, SO THAT'S, THAT'S HOW I'M ANTICIPATING SOMETHING SIMILAR AS FAR AS COMING UP INTO HIRING A CITY MANAGER HERE AT NATIONAL CITY AND SEE NORMALLY, AND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS NORMAL PROCESS FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, BUT IT'S NORMALLY DONE THROUGH LIKE A COMMITTEE OR AN AD HOC. AND THEN WHEN YOU COME DOWN TO THE DEAL OF ACTUAL START INTERVIEWING THE, THE CANDIDATES, UH, FOR, IN THIS CASE CITY MANAGER, THAT'S DONE IN CLOSED SESSION. YEAH. BECAUSE THAT'S A PERSONNEL ISSUE. YES. AND, AND YOU DON'T LET THAT INFORMATION OUT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE DON'T WANT THEIR, WHERE THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE OUT LOOKING AT A JOB THEMSELF, THAT TYPE OF STUFF. UNDERSTOOD. I, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIND PLACES WHERE WE CAN BE, UH, OPEN, BECAUSE I KNOW AS SOON AS WE DO HAVE A POOL OF CANDIDATES THAT IS PRIVATE, THAT, THAT THOSE, THOSE INTERVIEWS CANNOT BE PERFORMED OPENLY. RIGHT. SO I WAS TRYING TO FIND WAYS WHERE WE CAN BE, UH, TRANSPARENT. NOW, IF THAT IS TOO CUMBERSOME, BECAUSE IT IS TOO DIFFICULT TO SCHEDULE MEETINGS, JUST TO HIRE THE HIRING FIRM, UM, I'M OKAY. WE CAN, YOU KNOW, DO IT VIA AN AD HOC COMMITTEE. IF WE CAN AGREE TO TWO FOLKS ON THIS DAIS TO INTERVIEW THE, THE HEAD HUNTERS FIRMS AND THEN SELECT FROM THREE OR FOUR. NOW [03:45:01] ALSO DURING MY BRIEFING, I UNDERSTOOD THERE IS A LIST OF MAYBE THREE OR FOUR THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, ALREADY MAYBE SELECT FROM AS FAR AS, UM, HAVING THEM SCHEDULE INTERVIEWS WITH US SO THAT WE CAN SELECT FROM THEM TO SEE WHO WE CAN AWARD A CONTRACT TO, TO BE THE HIRING FIRM. I, I FEEL LIKE THIS COULD BE A PRETTY JUST REGULAR PART OF, UH, THE MEETING. SO IF WE AGREE TO HIRE AN OUTSIDE CONSULTING FIRM, UH, THAT WE CAN GO THROUGH, UH, ADVERTISE THAT, AND THEN I DON'T SEE WHY THEY COULD, THE STAFF COULD MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEN IN THE TWO MINUTES, LIKE, THE FIRMS CAN COME HERE AND WE CAN INTERVIEW THEM HERE AND THEY COULD SPEAK IN THE TWO MINUTE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION. I MEAN, COULDN'T WE COULDN'T STAFF STILL MAKE A RECOMMENDATION FOR A FIRM AND THEN WE JUST DECIDE ON IT IN A PUBLIC MEETING? WELL, AND, AND I THINK THAT'S THE QUESTION, THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE SEEKING, BECAUSE THERE, WE DO HAVE SOME PROPOSALS ALREADY FOR POTENTIAL FIRMS. THEN THE QUESTION IS, DO YOU WANT US, DO YOU WANT TO APPOINT A SUBCOMMITTEE THAT INTERVIEWS THEM AND THEN COMES FORWARD, FORWARD WITH A RECOMMENDATION? OR DO YOU WANT TO COME FORWARD WITH ALL OF THEM TO AN INTERVIEW AS A FULL BODY? SO I THINK THAT'S A QUESTION OF, OF HOW YOU WANNA PROCEED NEXT. FOR, FOR ME, I DON'T, UM, FOR ME, I'D LIKE TO SEE ALL OF THE CANDIDATES THERE, UM, THEIR, THEIR CREDENTIALS. I DON'T MIND STAFF INTERVIEWING AND MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS AS LONG AS WE HAVE ACCESS IN, IN THE FULL COUNCIL. SO I'M OPEN, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE, UH, A LIKE, I THINK THAT WOULD HAVE SOME TRANSPARENCY IS, UH, HAVING THE, THE PUBLIC BE ABLE TO SPEAK, HAVING ALL THE FIRMS, UH, THAT APPLY HA HAVING THEIR APPLICATIONS AS, AS ATTACHMENT AND THEIR COST. I DON'T, I DON'T SEE WHY THAT WOULDN'T BE, UM, AN ISSUE. AND IF STAFF RECOMMENDS INTERVIEWS AND RECOMMENDS A FIRM, I, YEAH, I DON'T SEE, I'M TRYING TO SEE WHAT THE, IF THERE WOULD BE AN ISSUE THAT, AND THAT WOULDN'T EVEN BE, WE WOULDN'T EVEN NEED A AD HOC COMMITTEE. IT WOULD, IT COULD JUST BE STAFF MAKING A RECOMMENDATION. AND THEN THE TRANSPARENCY PART OF THAT WOULD STILL BE BE DECIDING IN AN OPEN SESSION. I DUNNO, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I'M TRYING TO AWKWARD. WELL, I I GUESS FOR CLARITY FOR ME WOULD BE WHETHER STAFF RECOMMENDATION MEANS STAFF INTERVIEWS AND RECOMMENDS ONE AND YOU ONLY HEAR FROM THEM OR YOU HEAR FROM ALL OF THEM, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THE STAFF RE IF YOU'RE HEARING FROM ALL OF THEM, I GUESS THEN THERE'S A QUESTION OF, IT'S LIKE AN AGENDA ITEM. CORRECT. BUT WHAT, WHAT IS, IS THE AGENDA ITEM TO BRING ALL OF THEM? ALL OF THEM, OR TO BRING ALL THE COUNSEL? IS THAT WHAT YOU MEANT? ALL THE, I WAS OPEN TO ALL OF THEM, BUT I'M OPEN. BUT IF IT'S NOT PRACTICAL, I'M, I'M OPEN ON THIS. I THINK I'M, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR COMPROMISE IS. MR. MAYOR, I, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WILLINGNESS TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE. I THINK THAT'S VERY CRITICAL AND IMPORTANT. DO IT. UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE A VISION AND YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH IT RECENTLY AT SANDAG. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT VISION IN PAPER AND, AND HAVE IT BE KIND OF JUST WRITTEN SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESS AND THEN WE COULD, WE COULD DISCUSS IT AND DECIDE MOVING FORWARD. IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE JUST KIND OF PIECEMEALING IT TOGETHER, UH, AT THIS MOMENT. AND, UM, I DO AGREE WITH YOU ALL THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS METICULOUSLY AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CORRECT. AND HAVING IT IN WRITING BEFORE US AND GIVING STAFF A VERY CLEAR DIRECTION, I THINK IS, IS CRITICAL FOR THAT. SO I, I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF MAYBE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF FOLKS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN KIND OF DEVISING A PROCESS TO HIRE THE FIRM. UM, SO THAT, THAT WOULD BE PRESENTED TO US AT COUNCIL. SO IT'S VERY CLEAR, THE DIRECTIVE THAT WE'RE GIVEN TO THEM. DOES THAT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING? SO THE, I WOULD BE FINE WITH THE SUBCOMMITTEE IF WE CAN AGREE WHO, OF THE FIVE OF US, WHICH TWO GET TO, I MEAN, YOU, YOU SEEM TO HAVE A GOOD VISION. I'M, I'M MORE THAN OKAY. YOU WERE PART OF IT. I IF CAN BE HAVE ON THAT SUBCOMMITTEE. I'LL AGREE TO IT. , I'M MORE THAN OKAY WITH THAT. WELL, I MEAN, JUST, OKAY. UM, UH, YEAH, BECAUSE I SAY YOU AND I HAVE A LITTLE DIFFERENT VIEWS ON THIS, THIS DEAL, SO THAT'S FINE. UH, FINE. I WOULD, UM, YEAH. AND SO THE AD HOC COMMITTEES ARE MY APPOINTMENTS. SO I WOULD APPOINT MYSELF AND, AND YOU IF YOU DON'T MIND. AND, UH, TO WORK ON THAT ONE THEN. SO TO CLARIFY, IT'S THE SUBCOMMITTEE TO CREATE THE PROCESS, RIGHT. TO HIRE THE HEADHUNTER BEFORE GOING PUBLIC. AND THAT PROCESS WOULD BE BROUGHT BACK TO COUNCIL. WE COULD DISCUSS AND YEAH. NO, THAT'S, THAT'S REALIZING WE WOULD NOT BE EVEN MAKING A DECISION TO MOVE AHEAD WITH HEADHUNTER. RIGHT. UH, FOR, FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS. RIGHT. BUT AS MENTIONED EARLIER, IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE I KNOW, VERY GOOD DECISION I BRING UP IN WRITING PROCESS, MAKE EVERYONE REALIZES THAT. RIGHT, RIGHT. OKAY. WELL, I'M, WELL, DID YOU FOLKS FEEL, BUT I'M OKAY WITH IT. WELL, JOSE, DID YOU WANT TO ADD JUST CURIOSITY, EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE MAYOR'S APPOINTMENT AD HOC COMMITTEE, BUT DID YOU WANT TO, DID YOU HAVE AN INTEREST ON THE COMMITTEE? I'M OKAY. I [03:50:01] DON'T, I DON'T, UM, I'M OKAY. OKAY. YEAH. ALRIGHT. OKAY. AND, AND I SAY, AND I KNOW THAT, UH, REMEMBER MOLINA, I KNOW YOU JUST WENT THROUGH AN EXPERIENCE WITH SANDAG MM-HMM . WITH THAT. AND, UH, UM, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD THAT YOU GOT THAT. MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, KINDA THAT FRESH, UH, FRESH EXPERIENCE. I'LL PUT IT THAT WAY. OKAY. NOT, NOT TO MAKE IT COMPLICATED. I FELT LIKE MY ISSUE WITH THAT PROCESS, THAT SEEMED A LITTLE, BECAUSE SAND IS SO BIG, LIKE, IT JUST SEEMED LIKE LONG. I DON'T, I, I FEEL LIKE WE COULD GO SHORTER OR LESS. I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW. I'M O I'M OPEN. LEMME NOT OVERLAY. I, I'LL BE HONEST. OH, LET'S NOT OVERTHINK THIS. I, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, I THINK DEL MAR HAS USED THAT EXACT SAME FORMULA, YOU KNOW, AND THERE ARE 4,000 PEOPLE. AND SO IT, THAT'S, THAT'S THE COMMON FORMULA. IT REALLY IS. AND, UH, WELL I THINK WE HAVE THE EXPERT OVER THERE. ON DELMAR. WE NOT ON THAT ISSUE. NO, WE DON'T. THAT I WAS PICKING ON DEL LAMAR THERE. 'CAUSE OF THE SIZE. I, I WILL MAKE THAT IN THE FORM OF A MOTION. CAN I JUST ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION? UM, SO THE SUBCOMMITTEE, THE, THE, WHAT ACTION WOULD YOU ENVISION THAT THE SUBCOMMITTEE COMES BACK WITH? SO WOULD THE SUBCOMMITTEE COME BACK WITH, UH, A RECOMMENDATION OF FIRMS? SO WHAT WOULD THE NEXT ACTION BE FOR THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION OF PROCESS. PROCESS. PROCESS. WRITTEN PROCESS. PROCESS. TO HIRE THE HIRING FIRM. RIGHT. AND THEN AS SAY, THEN WE CAN MAKE THAT, THAT DECISION AT THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING AND THEN HOPEFULLY PUT IT INTO, PUT IT IN HIGH GEAR ONCE WE GET STARTED INTO THAT TO GET THINGS MOVING. AND, UH, SO WE DON'T WANNA RUSH, BUT WE DON'T WANNA, UM, WE DON'T WANNA BE THE TORTOISE EITHER. WE, SO, OKAY. UM, SO EVERYONE GOOD? YEP. AND, AND JUST I GUESS MAYBE A LITTLE INSIGHT. I WOULD PROBABLY JUST BE WRITING THE PROCESS THAT I JUST DESCRIBED. THE SAME SANDAG PROCESS. YEAH. WHICH IS WOULDN'T BE THE, UM, FIVE OF US INTERVIEWING THE FIRMS. IT WOULD BE VIA A SUBCOMMITTEE. WELL, UNTIL YOU GOT DOWN TO MAYBE LIKE TWO FIRMS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YES. RIGHT. BUT THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT. RIGHT. YOU'LL SEE IT, YOU'LL SEE IT DESCRIBED YEAH. THROUGH THE CHAIR. YES. I WILL ALSO, UM, UM, SHARE THE PROCESS THAT, UM, WE DID FOR THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY. SURE. 'CAUSE I SAT IN THAT HIRING COMMITTEE. YEAH. AND, UH, OKAY. YEAH. ALRIGHT, SO WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND AND, UH, MOTION MADE THE MOTION. YEAH. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, VICE MAYOR, UH, BUSH. BUSH. ARE YOU AMENDING YOUR MOTION AND YOU SECOND IT? I, I, YES. I'LL, I'LL AMEND IT AS, UM, STATED BY COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ. I'M SORRY, WHAT? I THINK THAT WAS I'M FINE AMENDING IT. RIGHT. SO WE'RE DOING AN AD HOC COMMITTEE. WE'RE COMING BACK WITH AN AD HOC COMMITTEE IN TWO WEEKS TO, UH, FINALIZE THE PROCESS. YES. OKAY. OKAY. THE PROCESS OF HIRING A, A RECRUITMENT FIRM. A RECRUITMENT FIRM. YES. YES. RIGHT. AND, AND WHAT WOULD BE THE PROCESS, YOU KNOW, FROM THAT GOING FORWARD AFTER THAT? YES. YES. SURE. OKAY. SO WE DO HAVE A MOTION, A SECOND. THERE WE GO. UH, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION APPROVE. UNANIMOUSLY. OKAY. SO WE'LL GET THAT ONE GOING. AND, UH, UM, OKAY. UH, OKAY. I AM GOOD. WHAT I'M GONNA DO NOW, BEFORE WE GET INTO MANAGER'S REPORT, AN ELECTED OFFICIAL REPORT, WE'RE [5. PUBLIC COMMENT (Part 2 of 2)] GONNA GO BACK TO THE SPEAKERS AND, UH, AND, UH, GO THROUGH ON THIS. WE'LL SEE WHO WE STILL HAVE HERE. UH, IRMA HERNANDEZ, I THINK SHE'S NOT HERE. JAMES KIM IS ARE, DO WE HAVE ANYONE OUT IN THE, UH, OUT THERE? OKAY. OKAY. I'M GONNA CALL 'EM OFF. IMA, IRMA HERNANDEZ. JAMES KIM. UH, AVA. UM, RIZ ZAI. SEE THAT ONE? ELIZABETH MURPHY. ROSARO. MARIN. B HUH? ROSA. OKAY. UM, JAN. JAN BRUCE LOOKS LIKE, OR BRULE. CAN'T SEE IF THAT'S AN E OR AN L. UH, MARIA STEVENSON. SHE LEFT. OKAY. UH, MARISSA CUEVAS. OKAY. BE FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL AGUIRE. I TAKE NOT HERE. YOU'RE NOT HERE? OKAY. GABRIELA NOT HERE. YES, SHE HAD ME. OKAY. MARTHA HERNANDEZ? YES. OKAY, THEN IT'LL BE LUISA MCCARTHY NEXT. OKAY. WAIT, [03:55:02] GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. UM, I KNOW IT'S LATE, SO I'LL MAKE THIS BRIEF. UM, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT TO ONE REITERATE THAT THE EXISTING CUP, UM, THE PROPONENTS, THE DEVELOPERS DID ALLOW THAT TO EXPIRE OF APRIL, 2024, THE SAME MONTH IN WHICH THE PROPOSED NEW CUP WAS GOING TO BE PUT IN PLACE. AND YET THEY HAD THE APPROVAL, THEY LET THAT EXISTING CUP EXPIRE BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD THE CITY SUPPORT BEFORE EVEN PROPOSING THE NEW CUP TO ALL OF YOU. MM-HMM . SO THAT IS SOMETHING, UM, IF YOU COULD PLEASE, YOU KNOW, REVIEW THE INTERIM REPORTS THAT WERE THE, WERE PROVIDED TO YOU, THE MULTIPLE PRESENTATIONS, YOU KNOW, TO REALLY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AND LOOK INTO THAT. AND FURTHERMORE, GOING OVER THE PROPOSED SOLUTION TO THE LITIGATION CASE IS RESTORING THE GENERAL LAND, THE GENERAL PLAN TO LOW MEDIUM DENSITY AND REZONING BACK TO RESIDENTIAL. GIVE THE ALLOW PROPERTY TO BE DEVELOPED FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE THERE INSTEAD OF WHAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT. AND THEY'VE CONTINUOUSLY TOLD YOU THAT THEY DON'T WANT THE GAS STATION, THEY DON'T WANT THE CAR WASH, THEY DON'T WANT, YOU KNOW, THE DRIVE THROUGH STORE. AND THAT WAS ALSO CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED TODAY WHERE THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO SPOKE ON THAT ITEM WERE, DID NOT APPROVE IT. THEY DID NOT. THEY WERE IN OPPOSITION TO THAT. AND THAT BEEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN AT THESE MEETINGS IN WHICH THE PUBLIC, THE NATIONAL CITY CONSTITUENTS HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY TELLING YOU THAT. ADDITIONALLY, MAYOR, EARLIER YOU SAID THAT WHEN IT COMES TO EVIDENCE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SHOWING YOU THE EVIDENCE AND NONE OF IT IS REAL. NONE OF IT IS TRUE. UM, AND YOU SAID THAT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S FACT, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE SAYING THAT. WELL, MAYOR, IF YOU'RE SO INNOCENT AS YOU CLAIM YOU ARE, WHY DIDN'T YOU ATTEND THE MEDIATION THAT HAPPENED? YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO ATTEND THE MEDIATION. IF YOU WANTED TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT, YOU WERE GONNA HAVE THE CITY ATTORNEY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, LUISA MCCARTHY, FOLLOWED BY, UH, MIKA BLANCO. GO PARK. WE HAD A MEDIATION SCHEDULED WHERE YOU WERE A NO-SHOW. PLEASE DON'T BE A RON CHICKEN MORRISON AND DELAY YOUR SCHEDULED DEPOSITION. YOU HAVE A LOT TO SAY IN SOCIAL MEDIA WHERE YOU MENTIONED THAT I, UH, SHOULD, SHOULD DON'T HAVE EVEN A FIRST YEAR LAW STUDENT TO UNDERSTAND I'M NOT A LAW STUDENT. TO UNDERSTAND AN EMAIL OF YOUR FRIENDS BRICO, TALKING ABOUT PUTTING THE PRO THE PROJECT ON HOLD TRUST AND BELIEVE I KNOW MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE. WHAT FOUR YEAR COLLEGE DID YOU ATTEND OR LAW SCHOOL? I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE AND I GRADUATED WITH HONORS. THANK YOU. IKA. POLANCO TO BE FOLLOWED BY. LETS SEE, GABBY IS NOT HERE. OKAY, KARINA. WE'LL SEE IF WE NEED MORE. THE REST OF 'EM ARE HERE. GOOD EVENING. I WANTED TO CONGRATULATE LOU, UH, MOLINA FOR BEING, UH, SO TRANSPARENT TONIGHT. IT WAS SUCH A BREATH OF FRESH AIR. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE. I KNOW IT'S HARD BEING UP HERE AND, UM, TAKING THE HEAT, UH, EVERY OTHER TUESDAY. UM, WHAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT TODAY IS THE, UM, POLICY 1, 1 9. I'VE READ EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF PAPER ON YOUR MANUAL THAT'S ON YOUR [04:00:01] WEBSITE. AND, UM, THERE'S QUITE A FEW THINGS THAT I, UM, ENCOUNTERED HERE. FOR ONE, UM, THE MAYOR, UH, YOU KNOW, IN, IN, IN ITEM NUMBER FOUR ON THESE 1 1 9, IT SAYS THAT MEMBERS SHALL RECOGNIZE THEIR SPECIAL ROLE IN DEALING WITH CITY EMPLOYEES TO, IN NO WAY CREATE PERCEPTION OF INAPPROPRIATE DIRECTION TO STAFF. I FEEL THAT THE STAFF WAS, UM, COMPROMISED IN THIS SITUATION WITH THIS, UM, UH, PROJECT. CAN YOU IMAGINE IF EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS WENT TO MARTIN READER AND DAVID WELSH AND ASKED HIM AND BEN MARTINEZ OR SCOTT HUGHE AND ASKED HIM TO MEET WITH YOU OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH, UH, DEVELOPERS THAT WOULD TOTALLY, UH, DISRUPT THE PROCESS, THE UNDUE PROCESS, THE IMPARTIAL PROCESS, THE FAIRNESS OF OUR SYSTEM. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT. ON ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, THERE'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, WHICH SAYS THAT YOU MAY AS ELECTED OFFICIALS NOT GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF A CONFLICT OF INTEREST BECAUSE YOU PARTICIPATE IN DELIBERATIONS AND DECISION MAKE MAKING WHERE CONFLICTS MAY EXIST. AND ALSO ON ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, IT SAYS THAT, THAT YOU SHOULD REFRAIN FROM ACCEPTING ANY GIFTS OR GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF BEING COMPROMISED. AND ALL THESE TURKEYS AND ALL THESE HANDS, THEY'RE NOT FREE. YOU'RE BEING COMPROMISED. SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL FOR THE REST OF YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, ROSA, UH, ROSA MARIN, UH, PATRICIA TERAN. YEAH, WE, SORRY, MAYOR. SHE, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT WHAT YOU SAID AFTERWARD WAS NOT THE TRANSLATION. OH, OKAY. YEAH. I CAN HAVE, UM, OUR TRANSLATOR TRANSLATE PROPORTION. OKAY. YEAH, IF YOU CAN DO THAT. CARLOS, CAN YOU PROVIDE THE TRANSLATOR? SO MY MESSAGE? YES. MY MESSAGE IS FOR RESIDENCE. UH, MAYOR, YOU ARE ASHAMED. YOU DO NOT BEHAVE AS A MAYOR SHOULD. HE IS A LIAR WHO USES HIS INFLUENCE TO APPEASE THE PEOPLE THAT CAN MAKE HIM LOOK GOOD WITH THE COMMUNITY. THOSE TURKEYS AND HAMS THAT YOU GET ARE NOT FREE. THEY COME IN EXCHANGE OF INFESTING THE CITY WITH GAS STATIONS, LIQUOR STORES, TOBACCO SHOPS, AND JUNK FOOD IN EVERY CORNER. HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE WELLBEING OF RESIDENTS OR SATURATING, UH, RESIDENTIAL AREA WITH TRAFFIC WHERE FUNERAL PROCESSIONS ARE INTERRUPTED BEFORE THEY CAN REACH VISTA MEMORIAL PARK. I TELL YOU THIS, FROM FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE, WE HAD TO SUE THE CITY AND, YOU KNOW, WELL, THAT LAWSUITS ARE THE LAST RESORT FOR OBTAINING JUSTICE. HIS WORDS DO NOT MATCH HIS ACTIONS. HIS OWN ASSISTANT ASKED US TO BE A, A PART OF AN ILLEGAL BRIBE. AND NO ONE HAS TAKEN A ACTION, BUT WE'RE WATCHING YOU, MAYOR AND THE CITY WOULD BE NEGLIGENT IF IT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME. UH, TODAY MY PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE HARD FOR ME BECAUSE THEY ARE ABOUT A PERSON THAT I HAVE HAD IN A VERY, VERY HIGH STANDARD. AND BECAUSE OF THIS, THE DISAPPOINTMENT IS EVEN BIGGER. UNFORTUNATELY, SHE'S NOT HERE TODAY TO HEAR THIS DIRECTLY FROM ME, AND IT'S BECAUSE MISS JOSIE FLORES NEPHEW PASSED AWAY AND THE, AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, AND THE OWNERS OF LA VISTA GAVE HER A FREE BURIAL, RIGHT, OF INTERMENT AND ALL THE SERVICES INVOLVED. AND THEN WE, A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER, SHE CAME BACK REQUESTING TO REDO THE CONTRACT WITH MORE ITEMS ON IT SINCE THE COMPANY WHERE HER NEPHEW USED TO WORK, WE'RE GOING TO REFUND IT TO HER. BUT, UM, SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY INTENTION TO PAY LA VISTA. SO SHE, SHE REQUESTED A NEW CONTRACT, WHICH WAS DONE. SHE TOOK IT TO THE COMPANY WHERE HER NEPHEW USED TO WORK AT TO CHARGE THE INSURANCE, BUT THE MONEY NEVER CAME TO LA VISTA. SO HOW DO I KNOW THIS? I KNOW IT FIRSTHAND [04:05:01] BECAUSE I AM THE ONE WHO WROTE BOTH CONTRACTS, THE CONTRACT THAT WAS MADE WITH THE FREE ITEMS AND THE CONTRACT THAT SHE REQUESTED WITH MORE ITEMS SO SHE COULD CLAIM THE, THE INSURANCE. AND SHE NEVER CAME TO PAY. SO THAT WAS A MOCK-UP CONTRACT. AND I DO NOT APPRECIATE THAT SHE GOT ME INVOLVED IN A FRAUDULENT ACTION. THIS MAKES ME BELIEVE THAT IF SHE HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS, WHAT HAS SHE DONE THROUGHOUT THE YEARS? THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT WITH THE POWER THAT SHE HAS HELD IN THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN NATIONAL CITY. THANK YOU. THAT IS ALL THE SPEAKERS WE DO. OKAY. PEGGY WALKER, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD EVENING. I STAYED ON TO SUPPORT THOSE WHO'VE SPOKEN IN SUPPORT OF A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSING PROGRAM. THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS FOR TLS TLS. THEY ENSURE APPROPRIATE TOBACCO OVERSIGHT AND ENFORCEMENT BY MONITORING TOBACCO SALES, BY FUNDING COMPLIANCE EFFORTS AND CREATING EFFECTIVE PENALTY STRUCTURES FOR VIOLATIONS. THEY ALSO REDUCE INITIATION TO NICOTINE AND TOBACCO THROUGH MONITORED COMPLIANCE WITH MINIMUM LEGAL SALES, AGE, AND ENFORCEMENT OF REGULATIONS SUCH AS PROHIBITIONS AGAINST FLAVORED PRODUCTS THAT ARE ATTRACTED TO YOUTH. AND THAT'S SO CRITICAL TODAY WITH SO MANY ILLEGAL PRODUCTS. TOBACCO PRODUCTS FLOODING THE MARKET, UNSTOPPED INCLUDING FLAVORED E-CIGS AND VAPES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO A SERIOUS YOUTH VAPE EPIDEMIC. E-CIGS ARE NOT ONLY A HEALTH HAZARD, BUT POTENTIALLY MORE OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT THAN EVEN CIGARETTE BOTS. SO I JUST WANNA SAY THAT A TRL IS A VITAL REGULATORY TOOL THAT CAN ADDRESS ISSUES LIKE E-CIG AND VAPE HAZARDOUS WASTE PROBLEMS, FOR EXAMPLE, BY, SAY, IMPLEMENTING A USER FEE AT POINT OF SALE TO COVER THE DISPOSAL DISPOSAL COSTS OF HAZARDOUS E-CIG AND FACED WASTE DISPOSAL. SO PLEASE GIVE TRL IMPLEMENTATION SERIOUS CONSIDERATION FOR ITS REGULATORY OVERSIGHT AND PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS. THANK YOU. BARBARA GERDEN. UM, THANK YOU. AS A PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATOR, I WANTED TO CONTINUE TO REMIND THE CITY THAT E-CIGARETTES REMAIN A CONCERN AMONG OUR YOUTH. A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE ORDINANCE CAN PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN REDUCING TEEN TOBACCO USE THROUGH SEVERAL MECHANISMS. IT WAS DISAPPOINTING, UH, THAT THE ORDINANCE WASN'T DOCKETED FOR, UH, TONIGHT'S, UM, AGENDA, AGAIN, DATA SHOWS THAT YOUNG PEOPLE ACQUIRE E-CIGARETTES 43% OF THE TIME THROUGH RETAIL SALES IN IMPLEMENTING A TRL PROGRAM CAN REDUCE ACCESS THROUGH LIMITED DENSITY, NEARNESS TO SCHOOLS AND OTHER SENSITIVE AREA. AGAIN, A STRONG REGULATORY FRAMEWORK WILL HELP ENSURE RETAILERS COMPLY WITH LOSS PROHIBITING THE SALE AND PROMOTION OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO MINORS. AGAIN, REQUIRING MANDATE TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES ON RESPONSIBLE TOBACCO SALE PRACTICES CAN ALSO PROMOTE FAIR BUSINESS PRACTICES. I THINK SETTING STANDARDS AND ENFORCING THE RULES THROUGH A TRL CAN EFFECTIVELY CURB ILLEGAL SALES OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS. AND AGAIN, I URGE THE COUNSEL TO DOCKET IN THE FUTURE A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSE OR ORDINANCE. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK. BECKY. WRAP. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS BECKY WRAP. AND AS A PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATOR, I'D LIKE TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. AND THEREFORE THE PUBLIC MUST BE WARNED OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF MARIJUANA CONSUMPTION AND ITS LONG-TERM MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS. I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU YET ANOTHER CONCERNING STUDY PUBLISHED IN JAMA NEUROLOGY. THE STUDY FOLLOWED OVER 6 MILLION PEOPLE AND FOUND THAT THOSE HOSPITALIZED DUE TO MARIJUANA HAD A 23% HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING DEMENTIA WITHIN FIVE [04:10:01] YEARS AND A 72% HIGHER RISK COMPARED TO THE GENERAL POPULATION. THESE FINDINGS ARE DEEPLY CONCERNING AND THEY POINT TO A GROWING GAP BETWEEN PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND MEDICAL REALITY. ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS IS THAT MARIJUANA IS NATURAL AND THEREFORE IS SAFE. BUT MANY OF TODAY'S PRODUCTS ARE NOT NATURAL AND THEY'RE SYNTHETICALLY DERIVED, HIGHLY POTENT, AND FULL OF CHEMICAL ADDITIVES. THESE CHEMICALLY DERIVED PRODUCTS ARE FAR MORE POWERFUL AND HARMFUL, ESPECIALLY FOR OLDER ADULTS. AND THOSE WITH PRE-EXISTING HEALTH CONDITIONS LEADING TO SERIOUS HEALTH CONSEQUENCES, INCLUDING ADDICTION, MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES, AND COGNITIVE DECLINE. WHEN SOMEONE BEGINS TO EXPERIENCE SERIOUS COGNITIVE DECLINE, THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO LOSE EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL SUPPORT AND HOUSING. S BECKY WRAP. YES. DID YOU LOSE ME FOR A SEC? YES. CONTINUE. OKAY. UM, I'M NOT SURE WHERE I LEFT OFF, BUT, UM, DO YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS? THESE PRODUCTS, THESE, WHEN SOMEONE BEGINS TO EXPERIENCE SE SERIOUS COGNITIVE DECLINE, THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO LOSE EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND HOUSING STABILITY. WITHOUT ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE OR EARLY INTERVENTION, MARIJUANA CAN BECOME A STEPPING STONE, NOT JUST TO ILLNESS, BUT TO HOMELESSNESS. AS A CITY, WE MUST RESPOND WITH CLEAR EVIDENCE-BASED EDUCATION, STARTING WITH THE MOST VULNERABLE OF OUR RESIDENTS, OUR SENIORS, AND OUR YOUNG ADULTS. THANK YOU. KELLY MCCORMICK. AND HELLO, THIS IS KELLY MCCORMICK AND I'LL BE BRIEF. I'D JUST LIKE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF A TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSING PROGRAM. MANY SMOKE SHOPS ARE STILL CARRYING FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE BANNED BY STATE LAW. AND SOME SHOPS SELL TO MINORS WITHOUT REGARD TO THEIR AGE. A TRL WOULD HELP THE CITY IN MANY WAYS, INCLUDING PROVIDING FUNDING AND A FRAMEWORK FOR ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS AND HOLDING VIOLATORS ACCOUNTABLE. IT ALSO PROTECTS LAW ABIDING RETAILERS FROM UNFAIR COMPETITION BY THOSE WHO DISREGARD THE LAW. IT IS A WIN-WIN ALL THE WAY AROUND. THANK YOU. MADISON WRAP. HI, GOOD EVENING. UM, I'D LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE EXPOSURE OF OUR YOUTH TO MARIJUANA ADVERTISING ON SOCIAL MEDIA. A RECENT STUDY REVEALED THAT CHILDREN AND TEENS ARE BEING TARGETED BY CANNABIS ADVERTISING ONLINE. DESPITE LAWS MEANT TO RESTRICT THESE MESSAGES THROUGH A LEGAL LOOPHOLE, CANNABIS BUSINESSES ARE USING THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO PUSH CONTENT DIRECTLY TO UNDERAGE USERS, BYPASSING AGE RESTRICTIONS AND EMBEDDING MESSAGES THAT GLAMORIZE AND NORMALIZE MARIJUANA USE. THESE ADS AREN'T JUST SEEN, THEY'RE SHARED, LIKED, AND ENGAGED WITH WHICH RESEARCH SHOWS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES THE TEEN'S LIKELIHOOD OF WANTING TO TRY CANNABIS. THIS IS HAPPENING DURING CRITICAL STAGES OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT WHEN CANNABIS USE CAN INTERFERE WITH MEMORY, COGNITION, AND EVEN LONG-TERM MENTAL HEALTH. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE WARNS US EARLY USE MEANS A HIGHER RISK OF ADDICTION. AND LET'S BE CLEAR, THIS IS NOT ACCIDENTAL. THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IS USING SOPHISTICATED PROVEN TACTICS, BRIGHT COLORS, SWEET FLAVORS, SEXY IMAGERY, AND YOUTHFUL INFLUENCERS. THEY'RE BORROWING DIRECTLY FROM THE PLAYBOOKS OF BIG TOBACCO AND BIG ALCOHOL WITH DANGEROUS SUCCESS. OUR KIDS ARE ONLINE, THE ADS ARE ALREADY REACHING THEM. IT'S UP TO US TO RESPOND WITH THE URGENCY AND RESPONSIBILITY THIS MOMENT DEMANDS. THANK YOU. LENA FLORES. HELLO, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS LENA DEGA FLORES AND I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION IN CALIFORNIA, THE LEADING PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATION FIGHTING TO REDUCE AND PREVENT THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF TOBACCO USE. I'M HERE TO EXPRESS YOUR STRONG SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE TOBACCO RETAIL LICENSING PROGRAM. AS A MUNICIPAL CODE, THIS PROGRAM CAN IMPROVE NATIONAL CITY'S TOBACCO CULTURAL GRADE FROM AN F TO AN A AND JOIN THE OTHER 11 JURISDICTIONS WITH A COMPREHENSIVE TRL PROGRAM IN THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO. WE URGE YOU THE ADOPTION OF A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY TO REDUCE AND PREVENT THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF TOBACCO USE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT CONCLUDES ZOOM PUBLIC COMMENT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, WITH [12. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT] [04:15:01] THAT, NOW WE GO TO CITY MANAGEMENT REPORT. ANYTHING TO REPORT? UH, YEAH, WE HAVE OUR BUDGET, SORRY. UH, WE HAVE OUR BUDGET WORKSHOP COMING UP THIS, UH, THURSDAY AT FIVE O'CLOCK. UM, AND, UH, UH, IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO WORK FOR YOU AND, UM, ALSO TO, UH, WORK WITH SUCH A GREAT TEAM. I THINK WE HAVE A OUTSTANDING, UH, TEAM OF EMPLOYEES HERE. AND, UM, UH, IT'S BEEN A, AN EDUCATION FOR ME THE LAST EIGHT DAYS, . AND, UH, I, I WILL, I EMBRACE IT THOUGH, AND, AND I THINK, UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT THINGS TO WORK ON. SO THAT'S ALRIGHT. UH, [13. ELECTED OFFICIALS REPORT] WITH THAT, START WITH THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS. WELCOME SCOTT. UH, MAN, A FEW WORDS. WELCOME, . THAT WAS FEW AS I'VE EVER HEARD. SAY JOKE. . WELCOME. . UM, UH, WE DID HAVE A LOT OF COMMENTS REGARDING THE TRL. DO WE HAVE A DATE, A FIRM DATE WHEN THAT'S COMING BACK TO COUNCIL? WE ARE PLANNING TO COME BACK AUGUST 5TH WITH THE ITEM THAT'S, THAT'S FIRM NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE. AS FIRM AS WE CAN SET IT. . WE'RE WORKING IN GOOD FAITH TO GET ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER. THERE'S A LOT TO CONSIDER BECAUSE IT'S NOT ONLY AN ORDINANCE, IT'S ALSO A PROGRAM WE'RE IMPLEMENTING. SO WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT ALL THE COMPONENTS TO MAKE IT ALL WORK. I APPRECIATE IT. NO, UH, COMMUNITY HAS BEEN COMING OUT AND, AND ASKING FOR THIS AND ORGANIZING FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW. SO, YES. AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, STAFF IS WORKING DILIGENTLY WITH SAY, SAN DIEGO AND OTHERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FORMULATE THE, THE, THE WHAT, THE MOST OPTIMUM PROGRAM THAT WILL MEET THE NEEDS OF, OF THE COMMUNITY. SO YES, WE ARE WORKING. THANK YOU TO DO THAT. THANK YOU. UM, ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WAS BROUGHT UP, UH, EARLIER ON THE RECREATION SUPERVISOR POSITIONS. UH, I KNOW THEY WERE BUDGETED LAST YEAR. UM, I'M NOT ASKING FOR LIKE A REPORT, BUT JUST TO LOOK INTO IT. WE DO HAVE A LOT OF PROGRAMMING IN THE SUMMER. A LOT OF KIDS ARE OUT AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE SUPPORT OUR, UM, OUR DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE OFFERING PROGRAMMING FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES. SO, UM, SOMETHING TO, UH, CONSIDER, UM, TO FILL AS, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UH, ANOTHER COMMENT EARLIER, UH, WAS REGARDING, UM, THE NATIONAL CITY HOST LIONS CLUB, PUTTING TOGETHER THE CARNIVAL. THEY'VE DONE THIS FOR 80, 90 YEARS. 79, OH GOD, 79 YEARS, 80 YEARS NEXT YEAR. UH, IT'S IMPRESSIVE. AND I'M, I'M VERY GRATEFUL AS OUR MOST NATIONAL CITY RESIDENTS, I DO ENCOURAGE MORE COLLABORATION WITH THEM. UM, AND I KNOW WE HAVE IN THE PAST AND WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT CONTINUES GOING FORWARD. AND SO, UH, I DO WANT TO, UM, UH, CONSIDER THE CITY SUPPORTING THEM MORE. SO, ESPECIALLY WITH SOME OF THOSE PERMIT FEES AND FEES WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, SOME OF OUR DEPARTMENTS. 'CAUSE THEY, THEY ARE VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE. UM, SO SOMETHING I WANNA ENCOURAGE AND ALSO JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP, KEEP AN EYE ON, ON. I'VE BEEN MENTIONING THIS ALREADY. UM, ALL POLITICS ARE LOCAL AND, UM, A LOT OF THE THINGS, ALTHOUGH WE, WE ARE DEALING WITH A LOT OF LOCAL ISSUES, THERE'S NATIONAL IMPLICATIONS THAT ARE OCCURRING TWO WEEKS AGO, UH, ALO MARTINEZ GOMEZ, WHICH WORKS, UH, WITH A NONPROFIT SUPPORTING IMMIGRANT CRISIS, RECEIVE NOTICE FROM DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO SELF DEPORT. THE PROBLEM IS HE WAS ACTUALLY BORN IN NATIONAL CITY AND HE'S A NATIONAL CITY NATIVE, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE. ADAM PENA, WHICH IS AN ATTORNEY FOR A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION IN SAN DIEGO, RECEIVED A SIMILAR NOTICE AND HE'S ACTUALLY BORN IN TEXAS. AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK THIS ADMINISTRATION IS CONTINUING TO DO. FEAR MONGER OUR COMMUNITY. AND ALTHOUGH SOME OF US MAY NOT EXPERIENCE THAT PERSONALLY, A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING THAT. AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE PAY ATTENTION TO THE IMPACT THAT IT'S HAVING ON OUR LOCAL FAMILIES. SEEING DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY COMMERCIALS, UH, OVER $200 MILLION SPENT IN COMMERCIALS ASKING PEOPLE TO SELF DEPORT. AGAIN, IT'S NOT IN OUR CONSCIOUSNESS BECAUSE MANY OF US DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT AS MUCH, BUT IT IS IN OUR LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY AND A LOT OF FAMILIES MINDS. SO SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AND TO ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT OUR TAXPAYERS ARE TAXPAYERS REGARDLESS OF THEIR ETHNICITY, BACKGROUND AND DOCUMENTED STATUS. AND SO SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. AND LASTLY, UM, WANTED TO THANK TREE SAN DIEGO CITY STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, NEIGHBORS, COLLEAGUES FOR COMING OUT LAST FRIDAY WE PLANTED 31 TREES, UH, ON FOURTH STREET AND AROUND FOURTH STREET. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT WAS A, A, A GREAT, UH, SUCCESS. THANK YOU, STEVE. THANK YOU. MARTA PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WAS FANTASTIC. UH, REALLY APPRECIATE IT. AND LOOKING TO, LOOKING FORWARD TO PLANT ANOTHER 30 TREES NEXT FRIDAY, MAY 16TH. WE ALREADY HAVE [04:20:01] A LIST OF 12 OR SO VOLUNTEERS. I THINK WE'LL GET TO, UH, 30 AS WE DID THIS PAST WEEK. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. COMMUNITY IS VERY APPRECIATIVE AND LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUE THIS EFFORT GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR, I HELP YOU PLANT FOUR . THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAY IS ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH. UM, THIS JUST RECOGNIZES THE MORE THAN 20 MILLION, UM, ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER, UM, CONTRIBUTION AND INFLUENCE ON OUR ECONOMY, OUR HISTORY, AND OUR CULTURE. I'D LIKE TO THANK, UM, ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND, UM, FOR MY COLLEAGUES WHO WERE THERE TO, UH, HELP, UM, UH, WITH THE RIBBON CUTTING OF THE FILIPINO PLAZA ON EUCLID AND UH, PLAZA BOULEVARD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, REQUEST OUR CITY MANAGER, I HAVE SPOKEN WITH YOU EARLIER, IF THERE'S ANY OPPORTUNITY TO HELP OUR BUSINESSES LOCALLY THAT WE SHOULD HELP THEM FIRST. UM, ALSO, UM, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE, UM, THERE WAS A, UH, UH, COMMENT EARLIER THAT, UM, DURING OUR, UM, LABOR AGREEMENT, THAT INFORMATION OR NOT PROVIDED, CAN YOU LOOK INTO THAT MR. CITY MANAGER AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL INFORMATION ARE PRESENTED TO US. UM, ALSO THE NOISE, UM, THE NO, THE NOISE ON RA RODEO MARKET. UH, CAN WE LOOK INTO THAT, UM, SIR, AS WELL AS, UH, CODE ENFORCEMENT ACROSS, UH, SWEETWATER AUTHORITY WITH REGARDS TO THAT ADDRESS. AND THEN CITY MANAGER, UM, IF YOU WOULD BE VERY KIND TO MAYBE SIT DOWN WITH THE, UH, WITH THE 4TH OF JULY, UM, GROUP, THE LINES CLUB TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE CAN, WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT, UM, 4TH OF JULY LIGHTS, NOT 6TH OF JULY, BUT 4TH OF JULY. UH, AND, AND MAYBE LOOK INTO, UM, SUPPORTING THAT, UM, PROGRAM. MR. CITY MANAGER. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT'S ALL FOR ME, MR. MAYOR. OKAY. I JUST WANNA WISH EVERYBODY OR ALL OF THE MOMS OUT THERE, UH, HAPPY MOM'S DAY. IT'S COMING UP FOR, UH, MEXICAN MOTHER'S DAY. IT'S MAY 10TH, AND THEN FOR ALL OTHER MOMS, OF COURSE, IT'S, UH, THIS COMING SUNDAY. SO HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MAMAS OUT THERE. THERE WE GO. NOTHING ON THAT ONE. OKAY. UH, YEAH, I GOT A FEW QUICK ITEMS. UH, ONE THING, YEAH, I, I THINK THAT WE DO NEED TO, UH, UH, WORK WITH OUR 4TH OF JULY GROUP. UH, LAST YEAR THEY CAME TO US BECAUSE THEY HAD RAN INTO A, UH, A CASH SHORTAGE BECAUSE OF A, A FLUKE THEY HAD WITH THEIR CONTRACT. AND SO THEY WERE GONNA HAVE A ONE YEAR SHORTAGE. SO WE DID AGREE LAST YEAR TO PAY INSTEAD OF HALF OF THE FIREWORKS, WE PAID FOR THE WHOLE FIREWORKS ON A ONE YEAR BASIS. AND THEY SAID, GREAT, IF WE GET THAT ONE YEAR THAT WE'RE GOOD, UH, WE DO PROVIDE THEM WITH $6,000 IN SUBSIDY IN CITY SERVICES. 6,000. YES. AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S A FIVE DAY DEAL, AND THEY GET $1,200 A DAY, UH, IN CITY SERVICES. SO THAT, THAT COMES OFF OF THAT, OFF OF THAT BILL THAT THEY, THEY, THEY DO. SO WE ALREADY PROVIDE THAT. PLUS WE PROVIDE NORMALLY HALF THE FIREWORKS. AND, UH, LAST YEAR WE DID ALL THE FIREWORKS. THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO ONLY BE FOR ONE YEAR, AND THOSE THINGS GET FORGOTTEN. UM, THIS MORNING I DID, UM, UH, I DID MEET WITH OUR, UH, PORT COMMISSIONER AND, 'CAUSE THERE WAS AN ITEM ON THE PORT COMMISSION TODAY, UH, THAT WAS INTERESTING. IT WAS THE MARINE TERMINAL, UH, OUTFALLS PROJECT. AND, AND WHAT IT, WHAT IT BASICALLY DOES IS TO BASICALLY, UH, TO SET CONTROLS SO THAT WHEN THE TIDE GETS HIGH, WE DON'T GET THE WATER COMING BACK INTO OUR STORM DRAIN SYSTEM. NOW, OF COURSE, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED ON JANUARY 22ND, A YEAR AGO, WAS WE HAD A HIGH TIDE. WE HAD ALL THAT COME BACK IN. UM, AND SO THIS IS TO SET, UH, SET FOR THAT THEY SET ASIDE, UH, $282,000 TO DO, TO REDO THE ALL THEIR SYSTEMS SO THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT WOULD HAVE CONTROLS OVER THAT. WELL, THE LOWEST RESPONSIBLE BID CAME IN AT, AT $687,000. AND SO THEY HAD IT ON THEIR AGENDA WAS BASICALLY TO ELIMINATE THAT PROGRAM, THAT PROJECT ENTIRELY. UM, AND AS I SAY, I DID, I DID TALK WITH OUR, UH, UH, PORT COMMISSIONER. UH, HE WENT TO THEM TODAY IN THEIR MEETING TODAY. AND, UH, UH, HE BROUGHT, IT WAS ON CONSENT CALENDAR. HE TOOK IT OFF OF CONSENT AND TALKED THE REST OF THE, UH, THE GROUP THAT THEY ARE PUTTING THAT PROGRAM BACK IN. THEY SAID IT'LL TAKE 'EM ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO GET IT STRAIGHTENED UP, BUT, UH, TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE AHEAD WITH THAT, SO THAT, THAT ONE HAPPENED TODAY. AND IT WAS GREAT WORK BY OUR POOR [04:25:01] COMMISSIONER, UH, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. UM, ALSO THEN, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE ALL KNOW ABOUT HOW SB 3 57, YOU KNOW, CREATED ALL THE PROSTITUTION PROBLEMS HERE LAST YEAR TO TRY TO FIX SOME OF THAT. THEY CAME OUT WITH SB 1414, AND THAT BASICALLY SAID THAT IT WAS BASICALLY ILLEGAL. IMAGINE THIS, I'M BASICALLY ILLEGAL TO BUY OR SELL, UH, A PERSON UNDER THE AGE OF 18. WELL, BY THE TIME THAT THEY GOT THROUGH COMMITTEE AND EVERYTHING, THEY CHANGED THAT. AND IT SAID IT WAS ONLY FOR 15 AND UNDER BECAUSE, BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON YOU HAVE TO BE SIX, YOU HAVE TO BE 21 YEARS OLD TO BUY A CIGARETTE, BUT IF YOU'RE 16 YEARS OLD, YOUR BODY CAN BE BOUGHT OR SOLD. SO THAT WAS SOME KIND OF WEIRD THINKING ON THAT. UH, SO THEY CAME UP WITH THIS YEAR WITH AB 3 79, WHICH PUT THAT BACK UP TO YOU, YOU KNOW, UH, ANYTHING UNDER THE AGE OF 18. AND LAST WEEK IN COMMITTEE, THE COMMITTEES TOOK IT OUT AGAIN AND PUT IT BACK DOWN TO WHERE IT COULD BE ONLY, UH, IT HAD TO BE 15 AND UNDER, UH, FOR IT TO BE A CRIME. AND, UH, THAT THEY GOT SO MUCH FLACK THIS WEEK SINCE THAT COMMITTEE DID THAT, UH, THAT TODAY THE, UH, DEMOCRAT MAJORITY HAS AGREED TO PUT IT BACK IN AND, UH, UM, AND OVERRIDE THE COMMITTEE. SO THAT, UH, IS, I THINK IS A, A HUGE WIN IN, UH, MUCH OF THE STUFF THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING TO DEAL WITH HERE AND A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT ARE BEING O OVERTLY AFFECTED. UM, THE, UM, UM, JUST REAL QUICKLY, I WILL WANNA, I, I GOTTA SAY JUST A COUPLE REAL QUICK THINGS. UH, ONE THING IS, UH, I NEVER TOLD, I WOULD NEVER TELL ANYONE THAT THEY'VE GOT A CUP, LET IT EXPIRE. THAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING IN THE WORLD. IF YOU GOT A CUP HANG ONTO IT AS LONG AS YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, UH, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S TOTALLY, THAT'S, THAT'S IDIOCY. AND UH, BUT AS YOU NOTICE, THEY BROUGHT ALL, THEY BROUGHT THEIR EMPLOYEES HERE TO ALL SAY THAT. YEAH, WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. YOU SAID THAT. NO, I WOULD NEVER SAY THAT TO ANYBODY. THAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING. AND THAT, THAT WOULD PROBABLY PUT ME LIABLE AND, UH, ON THAT ONE. SO ANYWAY, HERE WE GO AGAIN. ANYWAY, OTHER THAN THAT, THAT'S ALL OF IT FOR ME. UM, AND SO [14. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT] THE REPORT OUT FROM A CLOSED SESSION, CITY COUNCIL MAY ENC CLOSED SESSION ON TWO ITEMS. THE FIRST ITEM WAS ITEM 5.1, PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE, EVALUATION, DISMISSAL AND RELEASE UNDER GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 4 9 5 7 FOR POSITION OF CITY MANAGER. THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE TERMS OF THE MUTUAL SEPARATION OF FORMER CITY MANAGER BEN MARTINEZ, AND SIGNING OF A SEPARATION AGREEMENT AND RELEASE ON A THREE TO TWO VOTE. SECOND ITEM, ITEM 5.2, UH, MEANING ON EXISTING LITIGATION, UH, POLANCO FOR CITY, NATIONAL CITY, NO REPORTABLE ACTION. OKAY, AND WITH THAT, WE ARE ADJOURNED TO OUR NEXT REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING. THANKS EVERYONE. WE HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING ON THURSDAY FOR THE BUDGET. THANKS, EVERYONE. DRIVE SAFE HOME. * 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.