CONNECT with the CityThe People’s Business – June 2, 2025
Councilmembers will hear the City Auditor’s report on Trash, Recycling and Organics Collection. They’ll also consider user fees for the coming two years for patient charges related to emergency ambulance services.
From the Office of Council President Joe LaCava
City Council Meeting – June 3, 2025 – 10 a.m.
10 a.m. – Consent Agenda, Proclamations, Information and Adoption Agenda, Non-agenda Public Comment
2 p.m. – Informational Items, Discussion Items, Public Facilities Financing Authority Agenda
Proclamations
Item 30 – Michael Hopkins Day
This proclamation recognizes the work of Michael Hopkins who served as CEO of Jewish Family Services for 13 years, supporting the most vulnerable members of our society.
Item 31 – Building Safety Month
This item seeks to raise awareness about building safety on a local, national and global scale.
Item 32 – Detective Sergeant Lawrence ‘Skip’ Cahill Day
This proclamation celebrates the Detective Sergeant who served the city for more than 38 years as a Canine Officer, in the Traffic Division, Southern Division and in the Court Liaison Unit.
Item S501 – WILDCOAST 25th Anniversary Day
This item honors WILDCOAST for a quarter century of engaging local communities to be stewards of their environment and focus on protecting coastal and marine ecosystems and wildlife.
Item S502 – Migraine and Headache Awareness Month
This proclamation encourages all citizens, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to support awareness, research, and improved access to care for headache diseases.
Consent Agenda
22 items fill the Consent Agenda including appointments and reappointments to the Municipal Golf Committee, Consolidated Plan Advisory Board, Historic Resources Board, Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission, and San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors. They also include two items to designate Arts Culture and Community Festivals Funding.
Information and Adoption Agenda— to be heard at the 10 a.m. session
Item S500 – Performance Audit of the City’s Trash, Recycling and Organics Collection and Handling
To combat landfill waste’s negative effects, the City set a target to divert 75 percent of all waste from landfills by 2020 and 100 percent by 2040. However, the City has not met its targets.
The Office of City Auditor conducted a performance audit with three objectives:
- Determine if the City’s franchise hauler agreements ensure compliance with the City’s Zero Waste Plan goals, Climate Action Plan goals, and other relevant state and local regulations;
- Determine if the City’s fee structure for waste, recycling, and organics collection and disposal conducted by franchise haulers ensures compliance with the City’s Zero Waste Plan goals, Climate Action Plan goals, and other relevant state and local regulations and goals; and
- Determine if the City’s oversight of the franchise hauler agreements ensure compliance with the City’s Zero Waste Plan goals, Climate Action Plan goals, relevant state and local regulations, and required fees.
This is an informational item.
Item S506 – Approval of a Request for a Conflict-of-Interest Waiver from Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC
This item would approve a resolution granting the waiver of conflict-of-interest request by Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC and consenting to the law firm’s representation of the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), in anticipated litigation brought by the City of San Diego against LAFCO.
Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC (Law Firm) informed the City that the Law Firm represents LAFCO as general counsel and that LAFCO has asked the Law Firm to defend LAFCO in any lawsuit the City may file against LAFCO to challenge the issuance of the Certificate of Sufficiency.
The Law Firm currently represents the City in Patz v. City of San Diego (4th District Court of Appeal Case No. E083543) and in Allred v. City of San Diego (San Diego Superior Court Case No. 37‐2021‐00030939). The Patz and Allred cases involve Proposition 218 challenges. Patz involves a challenge to the City’s tiered water rates and Allred involves a challenge to the City’s wastewater rates.
The City Attorney recommends granting the Law Firm’s request as the conflict waiver does not pose a detrimental impact to the City, and the Law Firm has obtained no confidential City information related to the City’s anticipated lawsuit against LAFCO, and is unlikely to do so assisting in the City’s defense of the Patz and Allred matters.
Discussion Items — to be heard at the 2 p.m. session
Item 330 / FA 1 – Authorization For the Public Facilities Financing Authority of the City of San Diego 2025 Lease Revenue Bonds and Ballpark Refunding Bonds
This item would authorize the issue of long-term Lease Revenue Bonds and Lease Revenue Refunding Bonds in one or more series, to generate new money proceeds to finance priority capital improvement projects, and to potentially refund all or a portion of the City’s outstanding Public Facilities Financing Authority Lease Revenue Bonds, Series 2015A and 2015B, to generate debt service savings.
It also authorizes the issuance of Lease Revenue Refunding Bonds to refund all or a portion of the City’s outstanding PFFA Lease Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2016 to generate debt service savings.
Item 331 – Proposed Fiscal Years 2026-2028 User Fees for Patient Charges Related to Ground Ambulance Transport
In November 2021, Falck began providing ambulance transport service in the City of San Diego in a single provider fee-for-service contract. In 2023 that contract was amended to add AMR as an additional provider in the Alliance Model in which the City assumed responsibilities as the provider.
In Fiscal Year 2024, the City began charging and collecting Patient Charges for emergency ground ambulance transport as part of the Alliance Model Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. The City now seeks approval to increase the Patient Charges for Fiscal Years 2026-2028.
The Proposed User Fee adjustments would be effective beginning July 1, 2025, which include a 7% increase for Fiscal Year 2026, a 5% increase beginning on July 1, 2026 for Fiscal Year 2027, and a 5% increase beginning on July 1, 2027 for Fiscal Year 2028.
Item S505 – Report from San Diego County Water Authority Regarding 2026 Rates & Charges
The San Diego County Water Authority is the wholesale water provider for the San Diego region, operating 308 miles of large-diameter pipeline to deliver imported water and desalinated seawater.
The Water Authority is currently setting rates for 2026, following years in which it used nearly $500 million from reserves, grants, litigation proceeds, and other sources to protect member agencies and minimize rate increases.
The Water Authority will provide an update on activities and priorities of the agency, with a focus on rate-setting and charges for 2026.
Item 332 – Vista Santo Domingo Rezone and Plan Amendment Project No. PRJ-1110197
The proposed project is an amendment to the General Plan to:
- Redesignate a 5.58-acre site from Residential to Industrial Employment
- Amend the Otay Mesa Community Plan to redesignate the land use designation from Residential-Medium to Light Industrial
- Rezone from RM-2-4 (Residential Medium) to IL-1-1 (Industrial-Light)
- Amend the San Diego Municipal Code Chapter 13, Article 2, Division 14 - Community Plan Implementation Overlay Zone boundaries for the Otay Mesa Community Plan for Assessor Parcel Number (APN) No. 645-050-4400 located southeast of the current terminus of Vista Santo Domingo and Exposition Way and north and west of Innovative Drive.
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