[00:00:40]
SO YOU MAY WANT TO SEE IF IT WORKS.
THAT RIGHT YOU GUYS?
YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOTTA BE FLEXIBLE, YOU GOTTA ROLL OUT THE PUNCHES.
SO SARAH, THIS IS MY CLEVER WAY TO PERFORM A COUP AND MAKE YOU CITY MANAGER
UM, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT I, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TODAY? I AM JUST, UH, VERY PROUD OF MY ENTIRE TEAM.
UM, I'D LIKE THEM TO STAND UP PLEASE.
UM, WE HAVE, THEY'RE STILL STARTING AROUND.
THEY'RE DOING ALL THE AB BUT WE ALSO HAVE OUR, UH, NETWORKING PROFESSIONALS.
WE HAVE OUR GIS PROFESSIONALS.
ALRIGHT, SO I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THE ENTIRE TEAM THAT MAKES THIS HAPPEN.
THERE ARE EIGHT OF US RIGHT NOW.
UM, WE HAVE OUR NETWORK PROFESSIONALS, WE HAVE OUR GIS, WHICH IS MAPPING AND DATA PROFESSIONALS.
WE HAVE A WHOLE TEAM OVER THERE TRYING TO GET THIS WHOLE ROOM WORKING.
UM, VERY PROUD OF ALL OF THEM.
THEY SUPPORT 11, UH, DIFFERENT, UH, FACILITIES.
UH, PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING WITH AN ON AND OFF SWITCH.
SO, UH, AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, TECHNOLOGY HAS INVADED EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES AND IT'S INVADED EVERY ASPECT OF CITY GOVERNANCE.
SO THEY'RE BUSY, THEY'RE HOPPING.
UM, BUT IT IS GREAT WORK, IT'S VALUABLE WORK AND REALLY PROUD OF COUNCIL, THE MAYOR AND, UH, THE WHOLE EXECUTIVE TEAM FOR THE SUPPORT THAT'S GIVEN TO OUR DEPARTMENT.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU.
WE'RE ALL VERY PROUD OF ALL THE WORK YOU DO.
WE, UH, LEAN ON YOU QUITE OFTEN TO HELP US WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY PROBLEMS. UM, I'M GOING TO, THERE'S A LOT HERE, BUT I'M GONNA SKIP TO THE END
SIGN THIS 18TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2025.
ONE LAST THING, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY KNOWS, WE TALKED ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO ABOUT AN INTERACTIVE DASHBOARD FOR HOMELESSNESS.
UM, LAST WEDNESDAY, UH, GRAHAM MITCHELL, UH, KATE GALLEGOS, EMILY OSBORNE AND I, UH, WERE, UH, PRESENTED WITH THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION GOLDEN WATCHDOG AWARD FOR THAT PROJECT.
SO, I JUST WANNA, AND WHAT'S AMAZING IS THIS STARTED AS A COUNCIL ACTION PRIORITY AND IT INVOLVED ALMOST EVERY DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY.
SO THIS REALLY IS A WHOLE CITY AWARD AND, UH, WE'RE VERY PROUD.
AND WE'RE BRAGGING JUST A LITTLE WELL, AND THAT'S A REALLY PRESTIGIOUS AWARD.
I, I IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE THAT.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE AT AGENDA CHANGES STAFF, DO YOU HAVE ANY AGENDA CHANGES? NO CHANGES TO THE AGENDA.
COUNSEL THAT BRINGS US THEN TO CONSENT ITEMS, CONSENT ITEMS, OR ROUTINE MATTERS ENACTED
[00:05:01]
BY ONE MOTION ACCORDING TO THE RECOMMENDATION LISTED BELOW WITH THE CONCURRENCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER OR PERSON OF ATTENDANCE MAY REQUEST DISCUSSION OF A CONSENT ITEM AT THIS TIME.ANGELA, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKER CARDS FOR CONSENT ITEMS? UM, THERE, I'M SORRY, SIR.
UM, THERE ARE NO SPEAKER CARDS.
OKAY, THEN I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT ITEMS. SECOND, PLEASE VOTE.
MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE.
DO WE HAVE A MICROPHONE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT YET? OKAY, GARY, I'M GONNA LET YOU, I'M NOT, I DON'T HAVE A MICROPHONE.
DOES YOUR MICROPHONE WORK? TESTING, TESTING? I DON'T THINK SO.
SO ALL OF THOSE MICS WORK? THOSE AND THIS ONE NOT.
OKAY, SO WE'LL JUST PASS IT DOWN AND I'LL SECOND IT.
IF I, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE DAAS AND THE PUBLIC COMMENTS IF SOMEBODY WOULD RUN THE MICROPHONE OVER ME.
WE'RE A PUBLIC COMMENT AT THIS TIME, ANY PERSON MAY ADDRESS A MATTER WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL HOUSING AUTHORITY SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE ELCON REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY THAT IS NOT ON THE AGENDA.
COMMENTS RELATING TO ITEMS ON TODAY'S AGENDA ALREADY TAKEN AT THE TIME THAT THE ITEM IS HEARD.
STATE LAW PROHIBITS DISCUSSION OR ACTION ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA.
HOWEVER, CITY COUNCIL AND HOUSING AUTHORITY MEMBERS MAY BRIEFLY RESPOND TO STATEMENTS OR QUESTIONS, AND AN ITEM MAY BE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA.
ANGELA, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKER CARDS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? THERE ARE NO SPEAKER CARDS, SIR.
AH, UH, WE HAVE NO WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
WE HAVE THREE PUBLIC HEARINGS ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
ITEM 12 IS A CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE CONSIDERATION TO VACATE A ROADWAY.
EASEMENT AND STAFF WILL TELL US ALL ABOUT THIS.
GOOD AFTERNOON, HONORABLE MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'M HERE TODAY TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE REQUEST TO VACATE AN EASEMENT ON SWALLOW DRIVE.
THE LOT WE'RE DISCUSSING TODAY IS LOT B UH, LOT B WAS CREATED IN 1964.
IT WAS CREATED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, VIA MAP 5 5 0 2.
AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, ON THE SCREEN IT IS BETWEEN 1623 SWALLOW DRIVE AND 1647 SWALLOW DRIVE, UM, HIGHLIGHTED ON THE LEFT SIDE.
UM, LOT B YOU CAN SEE THE GEOMETRY OF THE LOT.
UM, IT IS SUBSTANDARD FROM A STANDARD LOT, SO IT'S A, UH, WAS INITIALLY CREATED TO BE A STREET, WHICH IS SHOWN BY THE GEOMETRY.
UM, THE OTHER ITEM THAT I'D LIKE TO NOTE IS THAT IN THIS AREA WE HAVE SHOWN, UH, AUSTRALIA STREET, UM, AND IN A FEW SLIDES WE'LL SHOW THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCESS OFF OF AUSTRALIA STREET TO THE OPEN SPACE, UM, BEHIND LOTEE.
THESE ARE PHOTOS OF THE FRONTAGE OF LOTEE AS IT CURRENTLY IS TODAY, ACTUALLY CURRENTLY YESTERDAY.
UM, FROM THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT, YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PROPERTY CORNER BETWEEN 1623 AND LOT B LOOKING NORTH.
AND THEN THE PHOTO ON THE RIGHT IS FROM 1647.
SWALLOW DRIVE, LOOKING SOUTH TOWARD LOT B.
THESE PHOTOS SHOW AUSTRALIA DRIVE.
UM, THIS IS THE, TO THE SOUTH,
[00:10:01]
UM, BEHIND THE OPEN SPACE.UM, WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE IS THERE IS A FIRE HYDRANT, UM, THAT'S DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE OPEN SPACE.
AND THE OTHER NOTE IS THAT THE LAND UP INTO THE CITY'S RIGHT OF WAY IS OWNED BY THE HOA.
UM, THERE'S NO PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL OWNERSHIP, UM, ABUTTING THE RIGHT OF WAY.
SO IT'S RIGHT OF WAY TO HOA OWNERSHIP.
SO BACK IN 1982, UM, THE LOT B WAS BROUGHT TO CITY COUNCIL.
IT WAS REQUESTED TO VACATE THE ONCE DEDICATED PUBLIC STREET.
UM, AFTER HEARING PUBLIC COMMENT, CITY COUNCIL AGREED TO VACATE THE OFFER OF DEDICATION.
HOWEVER, THEY DID RESERVE TWO EASEMENTS.
ONE WAS FOR HELIX WATER DISTRICT, THE OTHER WAS RESERVED FOR THE CITY OF EL CAJON FOR A FUTURE EASEMENT ROAD.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, UPON REQUEST OF THE OWNER, HELIX WATER, UH, VACATED THEIR EASEMENT AND RETURNED RIGHTS BACK TO THE OWNER.
THIS NEXT SLIDE SLIDE SHOWS, UH, THE EASEMENT THAT WAS RESERVED, UM, NOTING THAT THE FULL LOT B WAS NOT RESERVED AS AN EASEMENT ROAD SOLELY 24 FEET.
UM, ON THE LEFT SHOWS THE MAP, UM, FROM THE ORIGINAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHTED IS THE EASEMENT ROAD, AND THEN ON THE RIGHT YOU CAN SEE THE CYAN OR BLUE HATCHING, THAT IS WHERE THE EASEMENT SITS ON THE LOT.
SO YOU CAN SEE IT'S ON THE NORTHERN HALF OF THAT LOT.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE WERE, UH, REQUESTED BY THE OWNER TO LOOK INTO VACATING THE CITY EASEMENT THAT WE HAVE.
UH, CITY COUNCIL, OR NOT CITY COUNCIL, EXCUSE ME, CITY STAFF, UH, REVIEWED THE REQUEST.
UH, THE ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE AND THE COMMUNITY SERVICES, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ALL REVIEWED THEIR REQUEST AND DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS NO CURRENT OR FUTURE NEED BY THE CITY FOR THIS EASEMENT.
THEREFORE, STACK HAS RECOMMENDED THAT THE EASEMENT BE VACATED.
THE FORMAL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS, ONE FOR CITY COUNCIL TO REOPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND RECEIVE TESTIMONY SUBSEQUENTLY TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND THEN THIRD, TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE SUMMARY VACATION FOR THE EASEMENT.
WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
WE HAVE TO COORDINATE THIS A LITTLE BIT.
ARE THERE QUESTIONS? CAN YOU SOMEBODY BRING, UM, TO USE THE MICROPHONE? THANKS, CHAIR.
YOU SAID THAT THE, THAT BACKSIDE OF THE PROPERTY, THAT HILL, THAT'S ALL OWNED BY THE HOA, CORRECT? YES.
AND THEN SO THEY'RE IN CHARGE OF MAINTAINING THAT? CORRECT? THE HOA IS IN CHARGE OF MAINTAINING IT.
AND THEN THE HELIX EASEMENT, WAS THEIR EASEMENT IN THE SAME LOCATION THAT THE CITY'S EASEMENT WAS, OR WAS IT IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION? I'LL HAVE TO RESEARCH THAT.
TO CONFIRM, UM, THE EXACT LOCATION OF THEIR EASEMENT.
I WILL RESEARCH TO CONFIRM THE EXACT LOCATION OF THEIR EASEMENT.
UM, BUT IT WAS VACATED EARLIER THIS YEAR.
WE DO HAVE THE, UM, A REFERENT REFERENCE DEED THAT WAS PROVIDED.
SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THIS, UH, EASEMENT IS NO LONGER NECESSARY FROM THE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE.
NOW WHAT, UM, WHAT LATITUDES DOES THE CITY HAVE IN NOT VACATING AN IS EASEMENT WHERE WE, WE DON'T NEED THE EASEMENT ANYMORE AND THAT MIGHT BE A CITY MANAGER OF COURSE.
YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT TO CONTINUE TO HOLD ON TO THAT EASEMENT, UH, RIGHT OF WAY.
UM, TYPICALLY THE COUNCIL HAS AGREED TO VACATE RIGHTS OF WAY WHEN IT HASN'T BEEN USED EVER.
UM, REALLY THE LAW IS THAT IF IT'S BEEN NOT BEEN USED FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, UM, THEN YOU HAVE THE ABILITY, YOU HAVE THE FIND, YOU CAN MAKE THE FINDINGS TO VACATE IT.
IT DOESN'T SAY YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE FINDINGS OR, OR ACTUALLY VACATE IT EVEN IF YOU HAD THE FINDINGS.
SO YOU CAN CHOOSE TO CONTINUE TO EX, UM, ALLOW THE EASEMENT TO EXIST ON THAT PROPERTY AND THE PROPERTY OWNER CAN HA UH, DEAL WITH THAT PROPERTY SUBJECT
[00:15:01]
TO THAT EASEMENT.IT LOOKS LIKE MR. ROB HAS A QUESTION.
SO FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY, OR ACTUALLY CITY MATTER TWO, THIS EASEMENT WAS ORIGINALLY AN ENTRANCE TO A CONNECTION TO AUSTRALIA DRIVE.
THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FOR SURE.
AND ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO STILL DO THAT SOMEDAY? THERE ARE NOT PLANS TO DO THAT.
IS THERE ANY REASON WHY WE SHOULD CONNECT THAT FOR FIRE REASONS OR FROM A CIRCULATION PERSPECTIVE? I, I DON'T SEE THE NEED FOR THAT.
IT WOULD JUST BE ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY FOR US TO MAINTAIN.
THAT'S PROBABLY UNDERUTILIZED.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOME CONCERN, UH, ABOUT ACCESS FOR FIRE.
AND DOES, DOES THIS, UH, MAKE THINGS ANY LESS SAFE FOR OUR RESIDENTS? MAYBE THE, MAYBE THE FIRE CHIEF WANTS TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
MAYOR WELLS, UH, RESPECTING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL CITY STAFF FROM FIRE'S PERSPECTIVE, MY BOOTS ARE STILL MUDDY.
I WENT OUT THERE AND WALKED THIS PIECE OF DIRT.
UH, IT REALLY IS NOT GONNA HAVE OPERATIONAL IMPACT AS FAR AS SAFETY GOES.
OUR ACCESS POINTS ARE GONNA BE PREFERRED FROM AUSTRALIA OR POTENTIALLY BETS, UM, JUST BECAUSE IT'S PAVED ROADS, THERE'S WATER SOURCES AVAILABLE AND IT'S GONNA BE BETTER ACCESS.
THIS IS JUST, UH, NOT REALLY A REALLY VIABLE ACCESS FOR FIRE APPARATUS TO GET IN THERE.
THANK, I THINK WE GOT ALL OUR QUESTIONS ADDED.
DID ANYBODY HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? OKAY.
UM, THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW OPEN.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? YES, SIR.
THE FIRST ONE IS FROM MICHELLE CROOK.
I HAVE THE EASEMENT FROM HERE.
HELLO, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MAYOR WELLS.
UM, MY NAME IS MICHELLE CROOK AND I LIVE ON SWALLOW DRIVE NEXT TO THE LOT CURRENTLY BEING DISCUSSED.
TODAY, I AM HERE TO EXPRESS MY OPPOSITION TO VACATING THE EL CAJON EASEMENT ON THE, THE LOT NEXT TO MY HOME.
AS DISCUSSED PREVIOUSLY WITH THE COUN WITH THIS COUNCIL, THIS PARCEL HAS BEEN USED TO ACCESS THE 50 ACRE HILLSIDE TO MAINTAIN BRUSH BY THE ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS AND THE FLETCHER HILLS, HOA FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS.
VEHICLE ACCESS TO THIS 50 ACRE HILLSIDE CAN ONLY BE DONE THROUGH THIS TINY 5,900 SQUARE FOOT PARCEL, WHICH WAS DESIGNATED TO BE A STREET WHEN THE FLETCHER HILL SUBDIVISION WAS CREATED.
I HAVE LIVED ON SWALLOW DRIVE NEXT TO THIS VACANT PARCEL FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS.
I'VE ENJOYED THE BEAUTY OF THE HILLSIDE THAT BLENDS INTO THIS COMMUNITY, AND I'VE ALSO ENJOYED AND HELP PROTECT THE WILDLIFE LIVING ON THIS HILLSIDE.
I'VE DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL AND IT IS MY BELIEF THAT DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PARCEL WOULD BE DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE CURRENT OWNER JOHN JARRET BRYANT HAS PLANNED FOR THIS PARCEL.
BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT HE DOES NOT LIVE IN EL CAJON.
IN FACT, HIS PRIMARY RESIDENCE IS 1 0 8 1 5 EXPLORER ROAD IN LA MESA.
HE PLANS TO EITHER SELL THE PROPERTY TO A DEVELOPER OR WILL TRY TO DEVELOP THE PROPERTY HIMSELF FOR PROFIT.
I DON'T BELIEVE MR. BRYANT CARES HOW HIS DECISION WILL IMPACT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
HE SEEMS TO ONLY BE INTERESTED IN MAKING A QUICK BUCK.
WHATEVER HE DECIDES TO DO, HE SHOULD KNOW THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND FLETCHER HILL'S, HOA WILL BE MOVING TO STOP ANY AND ALL DEVELOPMENT WITH THE FULL WEIGHT OF OUR LEGAL SYSTEM.
I ALSO WANT TO ADD THAT THIS HILLSIDE IS DESIGNATED AS A SEVERE FIRE RISK ZONE.
IF THIS EASEMENT IS VACATED AND THE OWNER BLOCKS ACCESS TO THIS HILLSIDE AND THE HOA AND HOMEOWNERS CANNOT CLEAR THE BRUSH, THE FIRE RISK WILL INCREASE RAPIDLY.
JUST ONE FIRE COULD POTENTIALLY ELIMINATE AN ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD JUST LIKE THE PALISADES.
THIS IS A RISK WE SHOULD NEVER TAKE.
I AM THEREFORE ASKING COUNSEL TO VOTE NO ON VACATING THIS EASEMENT, AND INSTEAD PRESERVE THE EL CAJON EASEMENT AND RECLASSIFY IT TO ALLOW ACCESS THROUGH THIS PARCEL TO CLEAR BRUSH AND MAINTAIN A FIREBREAK BY THE HOA AND ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS TO COUNCILMAN KENDRICK AND MAYOR WELLS.
I HAVE ALWAYS SUPPORTED YOU WITH MY VOTE.
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR YOU.
NOW I'M ASKING YOU TO BE THERE FOR ME AND MY NEIGHBORS.
[00:20:01]
I PAY PROPERTY TAXES AND TAKE CARE OF MY PROPERTY.I ESPECIALLY LOVE OUR POLICE AND ALL OUR GOVERNMENT SERVICES I RECEIVE.
WE NEED TO PRESERVE OUR COMMUNITIES AND MAKE DECISIONS THAT HELP KEEP OUR HOME VALUES AND KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE FROM NATURAL DISASTERS.
I AM ASKING YOU TO VOTE NO ON THIS AGENDA ITEM AND TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER WAY TO KEEP ACCESS THROUGH THIS PARCEL.
OPEN TO THE HOA AND ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS AND TO COUNCILMAN GOBEL, COUNCILMAN ORTIZ AND COUNCILWOMAN MITCHELL.
I KNOW YOU DON'T REPRESENT MY DISTRICT, BUT YOU DO HAVE A SAY IN WHAT HAPPENS HERE.
I KNOW YOU ARE ALL THOUGHTFUL, CARING PEOPLE WHO DON'T TAKE THEIR JOBS LIGHTLY.
I AM ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT AS AN EL CAJON RESIDENT.
PLEASE VOTE NO ON THIS AGENDA ITEM AND HELP US PRESERVE FLETCHER FLETCHER HILLS FROM OVERDEVELOPMENT AND FIRE HAZARDS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION.
I'M GOING TO SPEAK FOR ERLINDA UH, H****R BECAUSE SHE DID NOT GET NOTIFIED OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
ALL THAT WE RECEIVED WAS ALL WE SAW WAS A NOTICE POSTED ON A NO TRESPASSING SIGN.
SO I'M GONNA SPEAK ON HER BEHALF.
MY HUSBAND AND I LIVE AT 1660 SWALLOW DRIVE.
OUR HOME IS ACROSS FROM THE PARCEL IN QUESTION.
I AM A RETIRED REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL WITH 48 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING BOTH TITLE AND 32 YEARS WITH PUBLIC UTILITIES.
I AM RETIRED FROM PG EI AM ALSO A LICENSED REAL ESTATE BROKER.
I AM CURRENTLY OUT OF TOWN AND UNABLE TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE COUNCIL TODAY.
THEREFORE, MY NEIGHBOR, MICHELLE CROOK, FROM WHOM I LEARNED OF THIS IMPENDING ACTION AND NOT FROM THE CITY, WILL BE SPEAKING ON MY BEHALF.
TO BE ABLE TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS REQUESTED VACATION, I MUST PERFORM MY DUE DILIGENCE AND ATTAIN ALL DOCUMENTATION RELATIVE TO THIS PARCEL.
YESTERDAY, I REQUESTED THE RECORDED TRACK MAP AND THE RESERVED EASEMENT TOGETHER WITH THE VACATION TO ALLOW ME REVIEW AND CONSIDER THEIR PACT IMPACT ON OUR PROPERTY.
ADDITIONALLY, I WISH TO REVIEW THE STAFF REPORT, DETERMINE THEIR RE TO DETERMINE THEIR REASONING FOR THEIR DETERMINATION THAT THE CITY'S RESERVED EASEMENT IS NO LONGER USEFUL OR NECESSARY.
I BELIEVE THEIR DETERMINATION TO BE INCORRECT AND POTENTIALLY EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD, POTENTIALLY PLACING US IN A POSITION WHERE THE LOSS OF LIFE AND OR PROPERTY MAY OCCUR.
AS AN AFFECTED NEIGHBOR, I FEEL QUITE UPSET THAT THE CITY FAILED TO PROVIDE PROPER NOTIFICATION OF THIS INTENDED ACTION.
I ONLY LEARNED OF THE REQUESTED VACATION BEING ON THE CALENDAR TODAY BECAUSE OF MY NEIGHBOR'S DILIGENCE WHO WROTE AND DELIVERED A LETTER TO MY HOME AND NOT BECAUSE OF ANY ACTION BY THE CITY OR BY THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY.
DURING MY TENURE IN PUBLIC UTILITIES, WHENEVER I WAS ASKING FOR AN ACTION BY A CITY COUNCIL OR COUNTY BOARD SUPERVISORS, I FOUND IT IMPERATIVE TO SPEAK TO THE NEIGHBORS, TO ALLY ANY CON CONCERNS.
THE OWNERS FAILED TO DO SO AND THEREFORE I AM BRINGING MY CONCERNS DIRECTLY TO THIS COUNCIL AS I AM OUT OF TOWN AND WAS JUST NOTIFIED OF THIS REQUEST.
I HAVE ONLY STARTED MY RESEARCH.
GIVEN THAT THIS EASEMENT WAS A REQUIREMENT FOR THE RECORDATION OF THE TRACK MAC, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THIS EASEMENT WAS NECESS NECESSARY.
I NEED TO COMPLETE MY RESEARCH TO DEMONSTRATE CONCLUSIVELY TO THE COUNCIL THAT THIS EASEMENT IS USEFUL AND NECESSARY AND MUST BE RETAINED.
AS STATED EARLIER, I BELIEVE THE VACATING OF THIS EASEMENT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO THE LOSS OF LIFE AND OUR PROPERTY.
AND THEREFORE FURTHER RESEARCH MUST BE COMPLETED TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS VACATION.
THEREFORE, I RE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT EITHER A NO VOTE IS GRANTED TODAY, OR IF THE COUNCIL PREFERS TO DO SO, THAT IT POSTPONES ANY ACTION FOR A PERIOD OF NOT LESS THAN 90 DAYS FOR COMPLETION OF THE NECESSARY RESEARCH TO BE ABLE TO FULLY ADDRESS THIS COUNCIL.
I WOULD ALSO ASK THAT THIS COUNCIL REQUEST THE OWNER TO SPEAK WITH THE NEIGHBORS.
BY DOING SO, THE OWNER MAY ADDRESS OUR CONCERNS AND THEREFORE CREATE A MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE AGREEMENT.
I AGAIN, ASK THAT THE VACATION NOT BE GRANTED.
WE'RE ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES.
YOU GONNA GET YOUR STEPS IN HERE? YES.
UH, MS. COOK, UH, I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU.
UH, AND I, I'M, UH, NOT SURE IF I CAN, IF THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO ASK THAT.
SO, UH, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF A HOUSE WAS BUILT THERE? I DON'T SEE HOW THAT'S EVEN POSSIBLE, BUT I WOULDN'T LIKE IT.
YEAH, THAT'S AN EXPANSIVE SOIL LAYER AREA.
I BELIEVE YOU HAD THAT CLAY SOIL.
[00:25:01]
THING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.IT WOULD NOT GO WITH THE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT WOULD, I DUNNO, IT WAS CRAZY.
I KNOW THAT THEY SHOWED AUSTRALIA AS AN ACCESS POINT FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THAT'S FINE EQUIPMENT.
YOU GOTTA GO OUT THERE AND SEE HOW HUGE AND VAST THIS HILLSIDE IS.
THE ONLY WAY FOR THE HOA TO GET UP THERE IS THROUGH THAT, THAT SPOT.
AND THEY USE TRUCKS TO GET UP THERE AND THEY HAVE TO CLEAR ALL THAT BRUSH.
IS THERE ANY, UH, ACCESS FROM THE TOP? NO, THERE'S NO OTHER WAY TO GET UP THERE WITH THE VEHICLE.
OH, I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE CITY MANAGER.
UH, WAS THERE A REQUIREMENT TO SEND A NOTICE TO EVERYONE THAT LIVES WITHIN 300 FEET? THE, FOR A VACATION OF A EASEMENT? NOT, NOT A REQUIREMENT.
JUST QUICK, IS THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY HERE TODAY? YES, HE'S OKAY.
WE'LL HEAR FROM HIM IN, IN THE RIGHT IN GOOD TURN THEN.
HEY, GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF.
MY NAME IS CHUCK K I'M A FLETCHER HILLS RESIDENT.
I'M HERE TODAY TO SUPPORT MY NEIGHBORS AND OBJECT TO THE REMOVAL OF THE CITY'S ROAD EASEMENT AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 12.
MY OBJECTION IS BASED ON THE REAL FIRE DANGER IN FLETCHER HILLS.
THE LAST FIRE RELATED MEETING, FLETCHER HILLS FOCUSED ON THE PRESERVED SPACE AND THE USE OF A GRANT TO ACQUIRE A NEEDED FIRE APPARATUS.
DURING THE MEETING, WE WERE REMINDED THAT FIRE SEASON IS NOW ALL YEAR LONG.
I WOULD POINT OUT I DO NOT HAVE ANY FIRE EXPERTISE.
I ONLY KNOW ABOUT GETTING THE WET STUFF ON THE RED STUFF, BUT THERE IS A FIRE PLUG RIGHT AT THE ENTRANCE TO THAT EASEMENT.
AND I WOULD JUST ASK THAT YOU ASK THE FIRE CHIEF IF THERE'S ANY POSSIBLE SCENARIO IN HIS MIND WHERE HE COULD IMAGINE HAVING TO HAVE PEOPLE ON FOOT WITH A FIRE HOSE STRUNG OUT TO FIGHT A FIRE THAT'S CLIMBING UP THAT HILLSIDE.
SINCE THAT TIME OF THE MEETING, MANY OF US IN FLETCHER HILLS, WE'VE LOST OUR FIRE INSURANCE AND HAD TO SCRAMBLE TO FIRE NEW, FIND NEW FIRE COVERAGE.
I CONTACTED THE CITY TO LEARN WHAT I COULD LEARN ABOUT CITY INITIATIVES REGARDING THE FIRE DANGER IN EL CAJON AND WAS THANKFULLY CONNECTED TO OUR FIRE CHIEF.
HE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO INVITE ME TO A PUBLIC MEETING HOSTED BY CAL FIRE THAT HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED FOR INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES TO DO WHAT THEY COULD TO PREPARE FOR AND MITIGATE FIRE DANGER.
THE 2025 CITY COUNCIL ACTION PLAN IDENTIFIES PUBLIC SAFETY AS ONE OF ITS PRIORITIES AND MORE SPECIFICALLY FIRE READINESS.
I WOULD ASK YOU TO CONSIDER ADDING THE FOLLOWING, COMMIT TO A GREATER PUBLIC NOTICING WHEN DECIDING ON ANY ISSUE THAT MAY IMPACT FIREFIGHTING OR FIRE MITIGATION.
WHEN I WENT DOOR TO DOOR IN THE AREA, I DID NOT MEET ANYONE WHO KNEW ABOUT THIS ITEM OTHER THAN A FEW PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN CONTACTED BY THE CROOKS.
I'D ALSO ASK THAT YOU EXPLORE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THIS SURROUNDING WATER DISTRICTS TO EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL NEED OR BENEFIT OF INSTALLING A HE HELI HYDRANT IN OUR AREA.
ONE OF THESE WAS USED IN FALLBROOK OVER A YEAR AGO TO SUCCESSFULLY SUBDUE A FIRE AND ANOTHER WAS RECENTLY INSTALLED AT THE SAN DIEGO WILD ANIMAL PARK.
I WOULD ASK THAT YOU TAKE A SECOND LOOK AT THIS AND ERR ON THE SIDE OF SAFETY AND ASK IF THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF A WORST CASE SCENARIO THAT WOULD REQUIRE ROAD ACCESS DURING A FIRE.
YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COUNTER THE CASCADE OF CHANGE AND POOR LEADERSHIP AT THE STATE LEVEL.
OR AT THE VERY LEAST, POSTPONE FOR FURTHER REVIEW BY ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED TO RULE OUT ANY POSSIBLE BENEFIT TO MAINTAINING THIS ROADWAY.
UH, MR. GATE, I I WANT AT THE END, I'LL BRING THE FIRE CHIEF BACK UP TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT COME UP.
I MAY, I MAY HAVE TO REFER BACK TO YOU.
NEXT SPEAKER IS, UH, KURT CROOK.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR WELLS COUNSEL.
THE LAST TIME I SPOKE AT THIS, UH, AT THE COUNCIL MEETING, I MENTIONED THAT I HAD A CONCERN ABOUT MR. BRYANT AND WHAT HE MIGHT DO WITH THE PROPERTY THAT WOULD NOT BE CONDUCIVE TO THE CHARACTER OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH MR. BRYANT.
IN FACT, IN NOVEMBER OF 2023, WE PRESENTED MR. BRYANT WITH A FORMAL OFFER TO BUY THIS PROPERTY.
AFTER WE CONCLUDED THE MEETING, THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING, WE MET MR. BRYANT OUTSIDE AGAIN, OFFERED TO PURCHASE A PROPERTY
[00:30:01]
OR COME UP WITH OTHER SOLUTIONS THAT WOULD SATISFY ALL PARTIES.NOW, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT WHEN MR. BRYANT CAME UP HERE TO SPEAK, HE SAID, THIS IS HIS WORDS, NOT MINE.
WANTED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH IT.
WELL, IF YOU WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH IT, AND THERE WAS AN OFFER ON THE TABLE AND THERE WERE PEOPLE WAITING FOR A RESPONSE, I WOULD IMAGINE YOU'D TRY TO ENGAGE WITH SOME TYPE OF A NEGOTIATION OR SOME WAY OF TRYING TO RESOLVE THE MATTER THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
MR. BRYANT DOESN'T LIVE IN EL CAJON.
HE DOESN'T SEEM TO CARE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN WHICH WE AND OTHERS LIVE.
WHERE WAS MR. BRYANT WHEN THEY OWNED THIS PROPERTY FOR 32 YEARS? WHERE WAS HE? WE'VE MAINTAINED THAT PROPERTY.
THE HOA HAS USED THAT PROPERTY TO ACCESS THE AREA ON THE OPEN SPACE TO CLEAR THE BRUSH, TO MITIGATE THE FIRE HAZARD IN THAT AREA.
60 YEARS THE CITY HAS HAD THIS PROPERTY.
AND IN ALL THAT TIME, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY ISSUES, ANY PROBLEMS. THE EASEMENT HAS BEEN THERE AND HAS BEEN USED BY SEVERAL PEOPLE AGAIN TO MAINTAIN THE AREA.
NOW WE FACE AN ISSUE THAT INFECTS ALL OF CALIFORNIA SB NINE, PUTTING UP BOXES ON SMALL PARCELS FOR PROFIT, NOT FOR THE GOOD OR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE'RE HERE TODAY TO DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN THAT PROPERTY AS IS, AND WE WILL DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.
I AM RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL VOTE KNOW ON THIS RESOLUTION AND MAINTAIN THE CURRENT EASEMENT, OR AT THE VERY LEAST, GIVE US 90 DAYS TO ALLOW US THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO PUT TOGETHER A CONSORTIUM OF HOMEOWNERS LEGAL ADVISORS.
AND, OH, BY THE WAY, PLANS AND PERMITS THAT I HAVE REQUESTED FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT NOT ONLY MY PROPERTY, BUT THIS PROPERTY AS WELL.
REMEMBER, OUR PROPERTY WAS OWNED AS WELL AS THIS PROPERTY BY ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO GRADED OUR PROPERTY.
AND I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE ISSUES REGARDING THAT, THAT NEED TO BE DISCUSSED AND WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON THIS SCENARIO THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
WE'VE HAD AN EXCELLENT RESPONSE FROM THE NEIGHBORS IN, UH, UH, FLETCHER HILLS AND OF COURSE SWALLOW.
AND ALL WE'RE ASKING FOR IS MORE TIME TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.
QUESTIONS? NEXT SPEAKER IS DR. GRANT FOSTER.
UH, DR. FOSTER WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT TODAY, BUT HE DID SEND ME SOMETHING THAT I WILL TRY FINE.
I'M NOT TECHNICALLY SAVVY LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, BUT I, DR. GRAHAM FOSTER AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT ANYTHING THAT AFFECTS THE EASEMENT ADJACENT TO 1623 SWALLOW DRIVE.
I HAD HOPED TO ATTEND THE MEETING, THE COUNCIL MEETING REGARDING THIS.
HOWEVER, MY SCHEDULE WOULD NOT ALLOW FOR IT.
I'M A HOMEOWNER AT 6 13 63 HACIENDA DRIVE, EL CAJON.
I AM MANY OF, MANY OF THE HOMEOWNERS WHOSE PROPERTY IS ADJACENT TO THE OPEN SPACE THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED IF THE EASEMENT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR FIRE OR FOR BRUSH CLEARING.
IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT BALKING THE ACCESS ROAD.
MANY HOMES BECOME MUCH MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FIRE AND IT WAS ALREADY A VERY DRY BRUSH AREA.
ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE FORCED TO PAY VERY HIGH PREMIUMS FOR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE DUE TO THE LOCATION.
IT'S FOR THESE REASONS THAT IT, IN MY OPINION, THAT IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE FOR THE CITY TO ALLOW THIS ACCESS ROAD TO REMAIN PERMANENTLY BLOCKED.
SINCERELY, DR. GRANT FOSTER QUESTIONS? UH, NO, SIR.
THE LAST SPEAKER, SIR, IS DON COOK.
THE FIRST THING I'D LIKE TO DO IS TO COMMENT ON THE EXCELLENT STAFF REPORT THAT YOUR STAFF PUT TOGETHER.
UH, I FIND IT KIND OF AMAZING THAT REBECCA WASN'T EVEN ALIVE WHEN SOME OF THESE DOCUMENTS WERE, UH, MADE AND SHE WENT OUT AND FOUND 'EM.
ANYWAY, ON THE AGENDA IS THE VACATION OF A STREET EASEMENT, AN EASEMENT THAT'S BEEN IN PLACE FOR 61 YEARS.
AND IN THOSE 61 YEARS, THE CITY HAS NEVER FOUND
[00:35:01]
A USE FOR THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY.OKAY? IT'S A LITTLE ISLAND, IT'S A STREET TO NOWHERE.
IT YOU WERE TO TAKE THIS EASEMENT.
AND AGAIN, WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING IS THIS PROPERTY IS ABOUT THE SIZE OF THIS ROOM, OKAY? ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT HAVE COME UP TODAY, FIRE ACCESS, THE HOA IS NOT HERE SAYING THAT THEY NEED IT TO DO THEIR BRUSH CLEARING.
THE, THE FIRE CHIEF CAME AND SAID HE DOESN'T NEED IT.
IF HE'S GONNA DO THAT, HE'S GONNA DRIVE HIS TRUCK UP, AUSTRALIA, PUT IT AT THE DEAD END, HOOK IT UP AND FIGHT THE FIRE.
ALL THESE THINGS ABOUT THE BIRDS AND THE BEES.
A A PIECE OF PROPERTY THIS SIZE HAS NO IMPACT ON THE FLOOR AND FAUNA OF THE CITY OF EL CAJON.
OKAY, WE'RE HERE TO FIND THIS EASEMENT IN, IN 61 YEARS HAS NEVER BEEN USED.
YOUR STAFF HAS TOLD YOU THEY HAVE NO USE FOR IT.
FIRE DOESN'T, THE ENGINEERS DON'T.
THE EASEMENT THAT EXISTS HAS SERVES NO PURPOSE.
ALL OF THE SPEAKERS PRIOR TO ME, WERE TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH A STREET EASEMENT, BUILDING A STREET BY THE CITY OF EL CAJON.
IT'S TO HAVE A BETTER VIEW OF THE HILLS ABOVE ON THIS STREET IN FRONT OF THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY.
IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A CURB AND GUTTER.
IF YOU LOOK AT, AT REBECCA'S PICTURES, IT SHOWS CURB, GUTTER AND SIDEWALK TO THE WEST OF THIS PROPERTY, TO THE EAST OF THIS PROPERTY AND NOTHING IN FRONT OF THIS PROPERTY.
WILL JOHN BRYANT SOMEDAY DEVELOP ON THIS? MAYBE, MAYBE HE'LL BUILD A HOUSE, A HOME FOR HIMSELF AND BE ABLE TO COME BACK TO THE CITY WHERE HE GREW UP.
HIS FATHER WAS THE ONE WHO GRADED THIS SITE AND THE ADJACENT SITE AT 1623 AFTER THE LANDSLIDE.
I THINK IT'S IRONIC THAT NOW THAT HIS SON HAS INHERITED THE PROPERTY, THERE'S THE PERSON THAT LIVES IN THE PROPERTY THAT HE GRADED IS TRYING TO BLOCK HIS SON'S USE OF HIS INHERITANCE.
THIS SITE, THIS PRO, THIS EASEMENT DOES NOT, THIS PROPERTY DOES NOT BELONG TO THE CITY OF EL CAJON.
IT DOESN'T BELONG TO MR. CROOK OR TO ANY OF HIS FRIENDS.
AND THE ONLY THING THAT THE CITY HAS A RIGHT TO IS TO BUILD A STREET HERE.
A STREET THAT IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE WOULD BE A STREET TO NOWHERE.
AND A MISTAKE WAS MADE 61 YEARS AGO TO TAKE THIS EASEMENT.
IT WOULD BE EVEN A GREATER MISTAKE TO CONTINUE AN EASEMENT FOR A STREET THAT CAN'T BE BUILT AND THAT NO, THAT THE STAFF HAS NO PURPOSE FOR SUBJECT TO YOUR QUESTIONS, THAT CONCLUDES MY REMARKS.
UM, WHAT'S YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE PROPERTY, SIR? I AM JOHN'S FRIEND.
AND, AND IF YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION FOR HIM, HE WILL COME UP AND ANSWER IT.
IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER IF, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE THE SPOKESPERSON, THAT'S FINE.
HE'S ASKING ME TO SPEAK FOR HIM.
HE WASN'T SURE IF YOU WERE THE OWNER OR NO, I AM NOT THE OWNER.
JOHN'S, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OWNER, HE INHERITED IT.
UH, THESE OTHER CONVERSATIONS, THIS HEARING IS TODAY BECAUSE A MONTH AGO IT WAS REQUESTED FOR 30 DAYS TO GET LEGAL ADVICE.
AND NOW THE REQUEST IS, WELL, WE WANT MORE TIME, 90 MORE DAYS TO FIND MORE INFORMATION THAT THEY WERE NOT UNABLE TO ATTAIN.
THE STAFF HAS TOLD YOU THEY HAVE NO, THE CITY HAS NO PURPOSE FOR THIS PROPERTY.
NO CURRENT PLANS, NO FUTURE PLANS.
HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING WITH IT IN 61 YEARS.
SO JUST, JUST TO CLARIFY, YOU WOULD OBJECT TO THE IDEA OF POSTPONEMENT? YES, SIR.
UH, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THIS IS A SENSITIVE ISSUE.
DOES ANYBODY ELSE WANNA SPEAK ON THIS BEFORE I CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING? I, YEAH, JUST ADD ONE MORE THING.
HERE, LET ME GET YOU A MICROPHONE THOUGH.
JUST THE LAST, THE LAST, UH, COMMENT THAT THE, THAT THE HOA DOESN'T USE THIS PROPERTY.
THEY WERE HERE LAST TIME AND THEY DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO SPEAK BECAUSE IT RAN A LONG TIME AND HE HAD TO LEAVE AND HE WANTED TO BE HERE.
THE, THE PRESIDENT WHO IS A LAWYER ALSO, UM, THEY DO NEED THE PROPERTY TO ACCESS THE HILLSIDE.
AND IT'S ALL ABOUT ACCESSING THE HILLSIDE, THE EASEMENT.
[00:40:01]
CONSIDERED THE ROADWAY, UM, ISSUE WITH FIRE HAZARD BACK WHEN IT WAS ESTABLISHED, YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD BE A DIFFERENT OUTCOME.I DON'T THINK WE EVER ENVISIONED, WE WEREN'T GONNA PUT THE STREET IN.
SO NO CONSIDERATION TO FIRE WAS EVER THOUGHT OF WHEN THE EASEMENT WAS PUT INTO PLACE.
BUT WE'VE BEEN MAINTAINING IT.
THE HOA HAS BEEN MAINTAINING IT.
AND SO IF WE DON'T MAINTAIN THAT, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A FIRE HAZARD THERE.
IT'S NOT FOR LOOKING AT THE BIRDS AND THE BEES AND WHATEVER.
IT'S, IT'S ABOUT MAINTAINING AND PROTECTING THE HOUSES AND KEEPING IT FROM BEING ANOTHER PALISADE.
SO MICHELLE, THE CURRENT VACATION IS FOR THE REASON OF THE ROAD AND STAFF AND EVERYBODY SAID WE DON'T NEED THE ROAD ANYMORE, RIGHT? HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE, UH, SAY, WELL, WE'RE CHANGING THE REASON WHY WE WANT A VACATION? WELL, MY HUSBAND RESEARCHED THAT AND HE FOUND THAT YOU CAN KEEP THE EASEMENT FOR MAINTENANCE, FOR UTILITIES, FOR FIRE HAZARDS.
YOU WANNA COME UP AND TALK TO HIM ABOUT THAT.
SO, SO YOU'RE ASKING US TO CHANGE THE REASON WHY THERE'S A VACATION? WHY THERE'S A REASON OF THE PROBLEM.
WE COULD RECLASSIFY AND, AND I WANNA CLARIFY SOMETHING THAT THE PREVIOUS INDIVIDUAL SAID.
NO, THEY HAVE NOT MAINTAINED THAT AREA.
WE'VE LIVED THERE FOR ALMOST 18 YEARS.
WE'VE CUT THE BRUSH, WE'VE PICKED UP THE WEEDS.
WE'VE PICKED UP THE TRASH, WE'VE DONE IT.
NOT MR. BRYANT, NOT ANYBODY IN HIS FAMILY.
THE SECOND PART IS THAT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE CITY COULD ISSUE AN EASEMENT MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT THAT WE COULD ENTER TO ALONG WITH THE HOA AND WE COULD HAVE ACCESS THROUGH THAT PROPERTY TO MAINTAIN NOT ONLY THE OPEN SPACE, BUT ALSO THE PROPERTY ITSELF.
NOW, I'M NOT SURE IF THE CITY IS WILLING TO ENTERTAIN THAT, BUT THAT IS AN OPTION.
AND IT CERTAINLY WOULD SATISFY THE PROBLEM OF HAVING HOA USE THAT BECAUSE THEY DO USE THAT AREA FOR ACCESS.
BUT YOU'RE ASKING US TO CHANGE THAT AND CONDEMN HIS LAND FOR ANY OTHER USE THAT HE WANTS.
HOW DO WE COMPENSATE HIM FOR THAT? WELL, LET'S, LET'S ASK, UH, MR. BRYANT, WHAT HAPPENED IN NOVEMBER OF 2023 WHEN WE PRESENTED HIM WITH A FORMAL OFFER TO BUY THE PROPERTY.
WHAT HAPPENED? NEVER HEARD FROM HIM.
I UNDERSTAND YOU'VE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH HIM.
I'M SAYING, HOW DO WE COMPENSATE SOMEBODY BY CREATING A NEW EASEMENT THAT DEVALUES THIS PROPERTY USE? WELL, YOU MAY HAVE A PRESCRIPTIVE EASEMENT TO BEGIN WITH BECAUSE IT'S BEEN USED FOR THE NEXT, FOR, FOR DECADES OF USING THE HOA USING THAT TO MAINTAIN THEIR PROPERTY.
SO NOW WHAT ABOUT THE CITY TURNED WEIGH IN AT THIS POINT? YEAH, THANK YOU MR. GOBEL.
IF MR. BRYANT WAS NOT VOLUNTARILY ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT FOR MAINTENANCE, NUMBER ONE, WE'D HAVE TO CONDEMN THAT.
WE'D HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO GET APPRAISALS FOR THE VALUE OF THE EASEMENT.
WE THEN WE'D HAVE TO GO TO COURT IF HE DOESN'T ACCEPT THE OFFER AND IT'S COSTLY EXPENSE TO THE, TO THE CITY OF, OF EL CAJON, WE CAN'T JUST CALL IT A NEW EASEMENT.
WE ARE ONLY ALLOWED RIGHT NOW, WE ONLY POSSESS WHATEVER'S WRITTEN ON THE PAPER.
AND THAT'S AN, AN EASEMENT FOR ROADWAY PURPOSES.
TO, TO CHANGE IT WOULD REQUIRE LITIGATION BY THE CITY.
AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE ASKING THE CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER.
SO YOU, YOU, YOU CAN'T, WE, WE CAN'T TAKE A VOL VOLUNTARILY TAKE ACTION.
UNILATERALLY, UNILATERALLY TAKE ACTION TO CHANGE THE EASEMENT.
BUT THE HOA AND A HOMEOWNER COULD IF THEY HAVE A PRESCRIPTIVE EASEMENT.
YOU'VE TALKED TO YOUR LAWYERS AND IF YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT A PRESCRIPTIVE RIGHT, THEN YOU TALK TO YOUR LAWYERS ABOUT THAT.
SO MR. CITY ATTORNEY, YOU SAID YOU COULD LITIGATE AND USE THE WORD THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY DOMAIN, IT JUST MEANS RESTRICTING OF IT.
WELL, IT WOULD BE IMMINENT DOMAIN FOR THE NEW PURPOSES OF THE EASEMENT.
RIGHT NOW WE ONLY HAVE AN EASEMENT FOR, FOR PUTTING A ROADWAY IN THERE USING RUNNING VEHICLES OVER IT.
TAXPAYERS
BUT HE WOULD STILL RETAIN OWNERSHIP, JUST RESTRICT USE, CORRECT.
AND COMPENSATED CORRECT IF LITIGATION PREVAILED.
I'M JUST TRYING TO SEE ALL THE SCENARIOS.
[00:45:03]
MR. ATTORNEY, AS LONG AS WE'RE GOING THAT DOWN THIS ROAD, IF WE WERE TO VACATE THE EASEMENT TONIGHT, UM, I ASSUME THAT WOULDN'T PRO PROHIBIT THEM FROM, UH, ASKING FOR PRESCRIPTIVE EASEMENT THROUGH THEIR OWN ATTORNEY AND, AND ON PROPERTY AT THAT POINT.IS THAT, YEAH, I DON'T GIVE ADVICE TO THE PUBLIC.
SO LET'S TRY TO UNDERSTAND THEY WOULD HAVE TO UNDERTAKE THEIR EFFORTS TO TRY TO, UM, OBTAIN WHATEVER RIGHT.
IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN VACATED FOR 60 PLUS YEARS, IF NOT DONE ANYTHING WITH IT FOR 32 PLUS YEARS.
WHAT'S 90 DAYS? WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT, SIR.
I DON'T WANNA OPEN THIS UP TO A DEBATE AT THIS POINT, BUT I, I WANTED, STEVE WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION.
DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS, STEVE? I THINK WE'RE GOOD.
UM, SIR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME UP? YES.
GO AHEAD AND TELL ANGELA WHO YOU'RE, SO SHE CAN GET YOUR INFORMATION OVER.
UH, RICHARD IAN 1621 HACIENDA DRIVE.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE, UH, FIRE CHIEF, IF THERE'S SOMETHING OBSTRUCTING ACCESS TO AUSTRALIA STREET OR DRIVE, WHATEVER IT'S CALLED, DOES HE HAVE A SECOND POINT OF ACCESS TO PUT OUT A FIRE IN THAT AREA? UM, AT THE, AT THE END I'LL, I'LL BRING UP THE FIRE CHIEF TO ASK, ANSWER ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, BUT MR. K HAS ACCESS.
WHAT WAS YOUR QUESTION,
THIS WILL BE OUR, OUR LAST, UH, SPEAKER WANNA GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER THE, TO, TO ANSWER THE QUESTION ABOUT THE OFFER.
THE PROPERTY IS APPRAISED BY THE TAX RECORDS WHICH MR. BRYANT PAYS.
UM, AT 108,000, HE WAS OFFERED 10,000.
UM, AND, AND THE TAXES ARE ANOTHER IMPORTANT ISSUE BECAUSE THIS THING ABOUT ADVERSE POSSESSION OR ABANDONMENT OR ANYTHING, YOU GOTTA PAY THE TAXES TO MAKE THAT CLAIM.
AND MR. BRYANT AND HIS FATHER ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE ALWAYS PAID THE TAXES ON THIS PROPERTY.
OKAY? MR. BRYANT OWNS THE PROPERTY.
ALL THESE OTHER USES THAT HE'S ALLOWED OBVIOUSLY NOW.
AND, AND IN THE FUTURE, IF HE BUILDS A HOUSE THERE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT COMES AND SAY, HEY, WE WANT TO GO THROUGH YOUR SIDE YARD TO, TO FIGHT A FIRE YEAH.
JUST LIKE ANY OTHER PROPERTY IN, IN ELON OR ANY OTHER CITY, THEY CAN, THEY CAN HAVE ACCESS.
APPRECIATE YOUR CLARIFICATION.
UH, FOR EITHER KURT RELLE GOT A QUESTION.
KURT RELLE, I HAVE A QUESTION.
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? I HAVE A QUESTION.
THE PROPERTY AT 1647, UH, CORRECT.
HAVE LIVED IN FLETCHER HILLS IN MY YOUTH.
IS THAT THE PROPERTY WHERE THE SWIMMING POOL YES.
FELL DOWN THE HILL AND WELL, WHAT ESSENTIALLY CONDEMNED THAT HOUSE.
RIGHT? WHAT HAPPENED IN 1647? THE SWIMMING POOL'S STILL THERE.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, HE ACTUALLY REFURBISHED THE SWIMMING POOL.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF PROPERTY.
NOW, THE HOUSE THAT WAS THERE ACTUALLY SLID DOWN INTO THE PROPERTY THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.
THAT HOUSE WAS CONDEMNED A FEW MONTHS LATER, IT MYSTERIOUSLY CAUGHT FIRE.
AND THEN OF COURSE, AT THAT POINT, MR. UM, BRYANT BOUGHT THE PROPERTY, I BELIEVE IN 1992 OR 89, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NINETIES, SOMEWHERE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, BOUGHT THE PROPERTY, REMOVED THE HOUSE, AND THEN GRADED THE PROPERTY.
THAT'S THE DOCUMENTATION THAT I'M CURRENTLY GETTING FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT THAT REALLY SHOWS A CHANGE OF THE ORIGINAL GRADED LOT TO WHAT IT IS TODAY.
AND THAT, THAT HAS AN IMPACT ON MR. BRYAN'S.
MY QUESTION'S GOING A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.
MR. GOBEL IS AS AN ANNOYING AS THIS WOULD BE.
UH, WE'RE GETTING MESSAGES FROM THE PUBLIC THAT ARE WATCHING THIS MEETING ONLINE THAT CAN'T HEAR.
SO WE, WE DO NEED TO GO BACK AND FORTH THE, THE MICROPHONE PHONE.
YOU NEED TO TALK INTO THE MICROPHONE.
SO, BUT, BUT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE COUNCIL HAVE THE MICROPHONE TO ASK, SEE THE QUESTION.
I, SO WE'LL, WE'LL FERRY IT BACK AND FORTH.
HOW ABOUT I JUST GO STAND SO WE CAN THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
SO FOR 1647, THAT OWNER IS NOT GONNA EVER BUILD ON THAT.
[00:50:01]
SO 1647, UH, I SEE A POOL.IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT PROPERTY? YEAH, HE ACTUALLY HAS A PATIO AREA NOW, I'M SORRY, A PATIO AREA AND A LARGE EXPANDED AREA WITH A FENCE.
AND UH, I BELIEVE HE'S PUT SOME LANDSCAPING IN ALSO.
SO MY QUESTION IS, UH, WE'RE ASKING, UH, THE OWNER, UH, MR. BRYANT TO NOT BUILD ON HIS PROPERTY.
'CAUSE YOU WANT FIRE ACCESS THROUGH THAT MR. BRYANT'S PROPERTY.
IS THERE CURRENTLY FIRE ACCESS AT ALL THROUGH 1647? NO, NOT AT ALL.
THAT'S A STEEP SLOPE FROM THE TOP OF 1647 DOWN.
IT'S A STEEP SLOPE, ALMOST A ALMOST A ONE TO ONE RATIO SLOPE THERE.
I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND PLEASE VOTE.
MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE.
I'D LIKE TO ASK THE FIRE CHIEF TO COME BACK AND, AND MR. MAYOR, IF WE WANTED A RECESS, I THINK IF WE REBOOT THE SYSTEM RIGHT NOW, WHICH WILL TAKE JUST A FEW MINUTES, I THINK THE MICROPHONES WILL BE UP.
SO WE COULD EITHER CONTINUE ON THROUGH THIS AGENDA ITEM OR YOU WANNA REBOOT WE'RE ALL HAVING SUCH A GOOD TIME WITH DOING THIS.
UH, YEAH, I DON'T WANT, I DON'T WANNA INTERRUPT THE FUN.
THEN LET'S, LET'S, LET'S LET THE TECHNOLOGY FOLKS, UH, HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
WE'RE GONNA RECONVENE AND CHIEF BENT IS BACK.
SO, UM, CHIEF, I WANT TO ASK YOU A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT THE, UH, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THEM ALREADY FROM THE AUDIENCE.
UM, THE FIRST QUESTION HAD TO DO WITH A POSS UH, IT WAS ABOUT, IT WAS ABOUT ACCESS TO THE FIRE PLUG.
WAS IT WAS GONNA BE ANY IMPEDIMENT TO THAT? UH, IF WE VACATE THE EASEMENT? NO.
SO I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COUNT, UM, ON OUR MAP HOW MANY FIRE HYDRANTS ARE THERE.
IT'S REALLY A FAIRLY ROBUST, UH, WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THAT WHOLE AREA.
THERE'S 15, UH, HYDRANTS THAT I COUNTED THAT WILL HAVE ACCESS TO, TO THAT OPEN SPACE.
AND SO THAT SPECIFIC PRIOR HYDRANT WOULD NOT HAVE A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE SUPPRESSION EFFORTS.
AND, UM, THE OTHER QUESTION WAS VERY SIMILAR TO THAT IS ABOUT A, A SECOND POINT OF A SET, A POINT OF A SECOND POINT OF ACCESS.
I ASSUME WE'RE TALKING FROM THE TOP.
IS, IS THAT THE SECOND POINT THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU'RE REFERRING TO IF, IF AUSTRALIA WAS CLOSED OFF WHEN THERE WOULDN'T MANY ACCESS OR AVAILABILITY TO THAT HYDRANT, THE HYDRANT IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE WOULD BE THE NEXT LOCATION FOR THE ACCESS INTO THAT AREA.
SO SPECIFICALLY YOUR QUESTION IS, WELL, I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A QUESTION PER SE OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT ALTERNATE, UH, ROUTES TO THE AREA RIGHT THERE, THE FIELDED SPACE.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE KEY FOR US.
SO DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE, THE GIST OF THAT? YEAH, I, I, I THINK I DO.
SO, SO LOOKING AT FEEL FREE, OTHER FIRE HYDRANTS, THERE'S FIRE HYDRANTS ALONG SWALLOW DRIVE.
UM, THERE'S AT LEAST, IF I COUNTED CORRECTLY, ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE, THEY'RE ABOUT A COUPLE HUNDRED FEET APART.
AND SO LET'S SAY FOR WHATEVER REASON THAT HYDRANT WAS OUT OF SERVICE, THERE ARE REDUNDANT HYDRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
UM, THERE'S ALSO HYDRANTS ALONG HACIENDA AND, UH, AUSTRALIA AND BETS.
SO I COUNT, LIKE I SAID, I COUNTED ABOUT 15 HYDRANTS THAT WOULD BE SERVICING THAT AREA.
LET ME ASK IF THERE'S ANY MORE QUESTIONS FROM THE COUNCIL TO THE CHIEF.
UH, WE'LL START WITH PHIL AND THEN WORK OUR WAY DOWN IS, THANK YOU.
DOES A HOUSE PREVENT YOU IF YOU'RE ACCESSING A FIRE AND YOU'RE ON SWALLOW DRIVING? MAYBE.
I WISH, I'M LOOKING AT THE PICTURE OF THE PROPERTY.
DOES A HOUSE PREVENT LIKE THAT? YEAH.
DOES A HOUSE PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING INTO THE BACKYARD AND FIGHTING A FIRE IN THE BACKYARD AND DOWN THE HILL? IF YOU, IF THE, IF YOU CAME IN ON SWALLOW DRIVE, DOES, DOES THE HOUSE BEING, DOES ANY HOUSE ALONG SWALLOW DRIVE PREVENT YOU FROM FIGHTING A FIRE IN THAT BACKYARD OR THE, THE PROPERTY DIRECTLY BEHIND IT? NOT NECESSARILY.
I THINK A LOT OF IT COMES DOWN TO WHAT THE
[00:55:01]
CONDITIONS ARE, WHERE THE FIRE IS.AND ONE OF THE THINGS I DID WANT TO SHARE WAS EARLIER MENTIONED THAT THE FIRE HAS ITS SEVERITY ZONES IN, IN THAT AREA.
SO MOST RECENTLY THERE WAS AN UPDATE THAT CAME FROM, UH, STATE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE THIS YEAR AND THEY USED THE MOST LATEST, LATEST TECHNOLOGIES.
COMPUTER MODELING THIS AREA WAS, IS NOT EVEN HIGH OR MODERATE FIRE HAZARDS SEVERITY ZONE ANY LONGER.
BUT AS FAR AS OPERATIONALLY BEING ABLE TO FIGHT FIRE IN THOSE AREAS, UH, DEPENDING WHERE THE FIRE STARTS, WE WOULD THEN PRIORITIZE WHERE WE WOULD ACCESS AND, AND WHERE WE WOULD DEFEND THE STRUCTURE SPECIFICALLY.
BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, I'M NOT A FIREFIGHTER.
IT, DO YOU, IS THERE SCENARIOS WHERE YOU ARE ABLE TO FIGHT A FIGHT? IS FIGHT A FIRE AND GET ACCESS TO A BACKYARD AND ADJACENT PROPERTIES BEHIND IT? CAN THAT, IS THAT IN SOME SITUATIONS, MAINLY THIS ONE FUNCTIONAL, LIKE, SO FOR THE, I'M LOOKING AT THE NEIGHBORS, YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK GOING NORTH OR NORTH WEST, JUST GO UPWA GOING UP THE PITCHER.
SO IF A FIRE ON THAT SMALLER HILLSIDE OCCURRED, COULD WERE, WOULD THOSE HOMES IN THE WAY GET IN THE WAY OF FIGHTING THE FIRE OR COULD YOU JUST GO AROUND THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE, RUN THE HOSE AND BEGIN SUPPRESSING THE FIRE FROM THEIR BACKYARD ON THAT HILLSIDE? CORRECT.
WE, WE WOULD MOST LIKELY ACCESS IT AND, AND START FIRE SUPPRESSION EFFORTS AT THE SPECIFIC ADDRESS OR NEIGHBORING ADDRESS.
SO A STRUCTURE WON'T PREVENT YOU FROM FIGHTING FIRES? CORRECT.
UM, STEVE, PLEASE, WE'VE GOT A BRUSH RIG JUST DOWN THE STREET ON MARSHALL, DON'T WE? CORRECT.
AND IT, WOULD THAT BE OF ANY USE OR IS THE TOPOGRAPHY TOO DIFFICULT IN ANY, FROM ANY ACCESS POINT, LIKE THE CUL-DE-SAC OF VETS OR ANYTHING OR WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DRIVE IN THERE.
WE WOULDN'T, WE WOULD RELY ON, ON THE PAVED ROADS FOR ACCESS.
AND IN THE SAME WAY, COULD YOU FIGHT A FIRE FROM ABOVE ON HACIENDA DRIVE GOING THROUGH PEOPLE'S BACKYARDS? ABSOLUTELY.
AND, AND THAT'S OFTENTIMES WHAT WE HAVE DONE.
I DON'T REMEMBER, I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 2012 WHEN WE HAD A FIRE, UM, OPEN SPACE BELOW, I THINK IT WAS HACIENDA.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE ENDED UP FIGHTING FIRE AND DEFENDING HOUSES UP ABOVE.
WE WERE ABLE TO HOOK TO A HYDRANT SYSTEM AND ACTUALLY USE, UH, MASTER STREAMS IN THE BACKYARDS.
AND ARE ANY, UH, HELICOPTERS OR ARE THEY STATIONED AT GILLESPIE FIELD OR WHERE'S THE NEAREST FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTER STATION? THE AIR ASSETS, THEY'RE CONTROLLED BY THE STATE AND, AND THE CITY AND THE FEDERAL, UH, GOVERNMENT, HOWEVER, THERE IS GILLIS GILLISPIE FIELD HAS A COUNTY OR CAL FIRE HELICOPTER THAT'S THERE IF, IF IT'S NOT ON ANOTHER FIRE ASSIGNMENT.
BUT YEAH, WE DO HAVE AIR ASSETS THAT ARE AT OUR DISPOSAL ALSO NEARBY.
ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE CHIEF? ALRIGHT, CHIEF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I APPRECIATE ALL THE THANK YOU, ALL THE QUESTIONS.
ALRIGHT, UH, SO BACK WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, WE HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT THIS AND, AND A DISCUSSION.
I'LL OPEN A DISCUSSION AT THIS POINT.
UM, SO THIS SIMILAR SITUATION CAME UP BEFORE US BEFORE AND I HAVE A COUPLE OF, UM, COMMENTS OR INSIGHT.
FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE NO LEGAL REASON TO KEEP THE EASEMENT.
WE HAVE ALREADY DETERMINED THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY REASON.
THAT'S WHY HELIX, UH, GOT RID OF THEIR EASEMENT.
AND SO WE DON'T, RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE A LEGAL REASON TO KEEP THE EASEMENT.
MR. BRYANT WANTS FULL CONTROL OF HIS PROPERTY.
NOW GRANTED, HE MAY NOT HAVE LIVED THERE, BUT I IMAGINE THE, THE GENTLEMAN IS 40 AND MOVED OUT WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER.
HE'S NOT GONNA RUN HOME AND MOVE ON TO THE PROPERTY BECAUSE HIS DAD HAS PASSED AWAY.
SO SAYING THAT HE'S NEVER LIVED THERE OR HE HASN'T LIVED THERE IN A LONG TIME, I THINK IS KIND OF DISINGENUOUS BECAUSE THERE'S NO REASON HE HAS TO LIVE ON THAT PROPERTY.
UM, IS THE OWNER GONNA BLOCK ACCESS? I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING THAT HE WAS GOING TO BLOCK ACCESS.
[01:00:01]
OTHER THING IS, IS THAT MR. CROOK SAYS THAT HE HAS, UM, MAINTAINED THE PROPERTY.AND I, AND I DON'T MEAN TO BE RUDE ABOUT THIS MR. CROOK, BUT NO ONE ASKED YOU TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROPERTY THE HOA HAS HOLD ON THE, IF THERE HAS NOT BEEN A FORMAL AGREEMENT MADE.
AND SO WHAT YOU'RE ASKING IS FOR MR. BRYANT TO SELL HIS PROPERTY TO YOU FOR WHAT REASON? BECAUSE YOU WANT THAT PROPERTY.
AND IF HE DOESN'T WANNA SELL, THE CITY HAS NO BUSINESS IN IT.
AND IN MY OPINION, WE HAVE TO GIVE, UM, IT'S THE PROPERTY OWNER'S RIGHT TO EITHER KEEP THE PROPERTY OR NOT KEEP THE PROPERTY.
IF THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE PROPERTY NOT BEING MAINTAINED, THEN FILE A CODE COMPLIANCE AGAINST THE PROPERTY OWNER AND DO IT THAT WAY.
BUT TO HAVE AN EASEMENT FOR SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T EVEN NEED AND HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE LITIGATION, AS THE CITY ATTORNEY MENTIONED FOR WHAT, HOW IS THIS BENEFITING THE CITY? WE DON'T HAVE ANY REASON TO KEEP THAT PROPERTY.
SO MY, UH, MY OPINION IS THAT WE, WE LEASE IT BACK TO THE PROPERTY OWNER.
PHIL, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK? YEAH, THANKS MR. MAYOR.
UH, THIS IS NEVER, UH, ENJOYABLE OR FUN WHEN WE MAKE DECISIONS.
UM, AND IDEALLY MY OPINION IS THAT HOPEFULLY, UH, THE NEIGHBORS CAN WORK THIS OUT AMONGST THEMSELVES.
UM, GIVEN THE HOA, MAYBE THERE'S SOME, YOU KNOW, UH, ABILITY TO STRUCTURE ACCESS FOR, UH, THE BRUSH MAINTENANCE THAT THE LANDSCAPING COMPANY, I'M ASSUMING THEY'RE CONTRACTING IT, UM, CAN STILL HAVE, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH IF, YOU KNOW, OUR FIRE TRUCKS CAN'T HAVE VEHICLES THAT CAN ACCESS THAT AREA, IT'D BE PRETTY DIFFICULT FOR A LANDSCAPING COMPANY TO DO IT AS WELL.
UM, JUST BASED OFF OF THE NATURE OF, OF THE AREA.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S TWO THINGS HAPPENING HERE.
UM, ONE I'M HEARING THE NEIGHBORS, THEY WANT MR. BRYANT TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR.
UM, THIS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD, THIS IS A COMMUNITY AND THEY WANT THEM TO BE, THEY WANT MR. BRYANT TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED IN THE CITY IS TO BE NEIGHBORLY, TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS, TO THINK OF OTHERS, TREAT OTHERS THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING, UM, FROM THEM.
UM, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT, UH, TO THE NEIGHBORS, UM, I BELIEVE IN PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.
UM, AND IT IS UNJUST TO CONTROL YOUR NEIGHBOR, UM, AND WHAT THEY DO WITH THEIR PRIVATE PROPERTY.
UM, IF IT'S, UH, LEGAL, IF IT'S ZONED FOR IT, UM, IT'S, IT'S UNJUST FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO HOLD ONTO THAT PROPERTY OR TO TRY AND BLOCK SOMEONE TO DO THAT AS WELL.
AND IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THERE'S ANY, UH, DANGER TO THE COMMUNITY WITH REGARD TO FIRE.
UM, BASED OFF OF THE TESTIMONY OF OUR CHIEF, UM, AND I, SO I I'M ALWAYS INCLINED TO DEFAULT TO PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.
THAT'S THE, UH, NUMBER ONE FORM OR NUMBER ONE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO DEFEND PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.
UM, AND IT'S UNJUST TO PUSH IT, UH, TO, UM, TO HOLD ONTO PROPERTY UNJUSTLY.
UM, AND WE DID, MY COLLEAGUE DID MENTION THAT WE DID HAVE A SIMILAR SITUATION INVOLVING EASEMENT THAT THE CITY HAD WITH A SIDEWALK, UM, THAT PRIVATELY RAN THROUGH SOMEONE'S PROPERTY.
AND THE COMMUNITY CAME OUT AND THERE WAS A HUNDRED SIGNATURES SAYING, KEEP THE SIDEWALK, KEEP THE SIDEWALK.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S ONE NEIGHBOR OR A THOUSAND NEIGHBORS, YOU DON'T GET TO BULLY SOMEONE INTO MAKING A DECISION ON, UH, HOW THEIR PROPERTY IS UTILIZED.
UM, THE MOST VULNERABLE MINORITY IS THE INDIVIDUAL.
AND, UM, RIGHT NOW, MR. BRYANT IS THE INDIVIDUAL, AND I BELIEVE IT'S THE GOVERNMENT'S ROLE TO DEFEND THAT, THAT PRIVATE PROPERTY, RIGHT, OF THAT MINORITY.
[01:05:01]
I WANNA SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE CROOK FAMILY.UM, DOES THIS REFLECT THE GRATITUDE THAT I HAVE FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITY? UM, YOU HAVE BEEN AN EXTRAORDINARY BLESSING AND PILLAR, UM, TO OUR CITY AND OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND YOUR VOLUNTEERISM.
IT'S EXCEPTIONAL AND IT IS, UM, IT IS NOT, UH, IT IS NOT, IT IS VERY UNCOMMON THAT SOMEONE WOULD GO TO THE LENGTHS THAT YOU HAVE.
UM, SO I, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I SPEAK DIRECTLY TO YOU IN THAT.
UM, I HOPE YOU, I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE.
I HOPE YOU, I WOULD IMPLORE YOU AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR, UM, TO YOUR NEIGHBORS.
UM, AND, UH, RECEIVE WHAT YOU'VE HEARD TODAY AND DO YOUR BEST TO CONSIDER THEM, UM, SO WE CAN MAINTAIN A HEALTHY SENSE OF, UH, HARM HARMONY AS MUCH AS IT CAN BE, UM, AS MUCH AS IT CAN BE DONE.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, LOANING YOUR PROPERTY FOR COMMUNITY USE AND YOUR FATHER FOR LOANING YOUR PROPERTY FOR COMMUNITY USE FOR THE PAST 60 YEARS.
UM, THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S HAPPENED IS YOU'VE LOANED YOUR PROPERTY TO THE, TO THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY.
UM, UH, SO, UM, I I, I AM, I AM INCLINED TO VOTE, UH, TO VACATE THE PROPERTY, NOT ONLY FOR LEGAL REASONS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UM, STANDING TO, TO KEEP IT, THERE'S NO USE FOR IT, UM, FROM, FROM THE CITY'S PURVIEW.
I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES' WORDS.
I THINK WE ARE, THE COUNCIL IS NARROWED IN ITS OPTIONS BECAUSE OF THE, THE ITEM OF VACATION, UH, TO TALK ABOUT VACATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF A ROAD.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE ISSUE HERE IS.
THERE ARE OTHER DISCUSSIONS ABOUT ACCESS TO FIRE, HOW FIRE WOULD BE FOUGHT.
UH, BUT TO ME THE, I THINK WE ARE KIND OF NARROW TO YES OR NO ON THE EASEMENT VACATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF A ROAD.
AND THAT MAKES IT, UH, A VERY NARROW DECISION IN SOME WAY.
UH, HOW DO YOU, HOW DO WE PRESERVE SOME THINGS THOUGH? UH, PRESERVE ACCESS FOR THE COMMUNITY, BUT, BUT COMPENSATE A PROPERTY OWNER IF WE TAKE AWAY HIS RIGHTS TO DO WITH AS HE WISH.
IN FACT, YOU, YOU COULD ARGUE HE HAS, THE CITY HAS UNJUSTLY FOR A LONG, TOO LONG, UH, TAKEN AWAY HIS ABILITY TO DO MORE WITH THIS PROPERTY BECAUSE OF THIS WAS NOT VACATED.
AND I THINK IT WAS ONLY WE'RE HERE TODAY BECAUSE HE SAID, I'D LIKE TO GET RID OF, OF THIS EASEMENT ON MY PROPERTY.
SO THE FACT THAT WE'VE HAD IT THIS LONG KNOWING WE WERE NOT GONNA HAVE A A ROAD GOING THROUGH THERE IS, IT'S BEEN A, A BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY FOR ALL THAT TIME.
I, I THINK I, I, I AM GOING TO BE BECAUSE OF THAT NEAR REASON, DO WE DO WE VACATE AN EASEMENT BECAUSE WE NO LONGER NEED IT FOR A ROAD? I THINK THAT'S THE ISSUE.
WHETHER WE HAVE ANOTHER EASEMENT FOR A DIFFERENT REASON IS NOT THE MATTER BEFORE US TODAY, AND ONE THAT WE CAN'T VOTE ON.
UM, I HOPE THAT, AND I DO BELIEVE ALSO IN PROPERTY OWNERS' RIGHTS AS WELL.
PERHAPS THE PROPERTY OWNER WILL ENTERTAIN OFFERS FROM ONE OR MORE, OR A HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION TO BUY THAT PROPERTY TO KEEP IT AS IT IS.
THAT'S UP TO THE PROPERTY OWNER.
IT'S UP TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN MAKING SUCH AN OFFER.
UH, I DON'T THINK THAT WE NEED ANOTHER DELAY, BECAUSE IF WE DELAY, I THINK HE NEEDS TO BE COMPENSATED SOMEHOW.
AND I DON'T THINK THE CITY'S IN THAT POSITION, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPERTY THE STATE HAS, HAS REALLY CHANGED THE CHARACTERS OF NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THE STATE.
UH, YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE A DU SITUATION AND PACIFIC BEACH AND, AND THINGS, AND IT, UH, IT'S HAPPENING ON MY OWN STREET WHERE ONCE WAS ONE ACRE AND A HALF ACRE PROPERTIES.
UH, NOW THERE'S A DEVELOPMENT OF A ONE ACRE PROPERTY THAT COULD HAVE AS MANY AS 12 PARCELS, UH, ON THAT ONE OR 12 UNITS ON OUR STREET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.
THEY'RE ONLY BUILDING FIVE, THANK GOODNESS.
UH, BUT IT DOES RAISE SOME ISSUES ABOUT, UH, CHANGING THE CHARACTER OF A NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE STATE'S THING THAT WE
[01:10:01]
DON'T EVEN HAVE A SAY ON IT.THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S THE WAY THAT IS FOR THESE REASONS.
UH, I THINK I'M GOING TO VOTE TO VACATE THE EASEMENT AS WELL.
THAT MEANS, UH, ANYONE INTERESTED IN MAKING AN OFFER ON THE PROPERTY CAN, OR THAT INCLUDES ONE OR MORE INDIVIDUALS OR DIS ASSOCIATION.
AND IF IT'S WHETHER THE SELLER WANTS TO ENTERTAIN, THAT'S OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF VACATING THE EASEMENT BECAUSE WE NO LONGER NEED A ROAD.
I KNOW THIS IS A BIG DEAL TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE UNREASONABLE TO WAIT 90 DAYS SO WE CAN GET MORE INFORMATION ON THIS.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY POSITION.
THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON HERE.
AND I, I'D ALSO LIKE TO HAVE THE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVES COME IN.
SO THAT WOULD BE MY PREFERENCE DIFFERENCE.
I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU AN UNDERSTANDING OF MY PHILOSOPHY.
UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO PROTECT FOR GOVERNMENT, TO PROTECT PEOPLE.
AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO BE PROTECTED FROM GOVERNMENT.
AND THE ONLY WE CAN DO THAT IS TO HAVE A SET OF LAWS AND RULES AND STANDARDS THAT WE GO BY FOR EVERYBODY, REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU ARE.
SO, IF GOVERNMENT CAPRICIOUSLY SAYS, I WANNA HELP THIS PERSON, BUT I DON'T WANNA HELP THAT PERSON, I, I DON'T FEEL RIGHT ABOUT SOMETHING AND ABOUT SOMEBODY ELSE, OR I DON'T, I DON'T LIKE WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO ME, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN, I GOTTA, I GOTTA GO BACK TO THE THREE BASICS.
IS IT LEGAL, IS IT ETHICAL? IS IT WITHIN THE ZONING CODES? AND THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL TIMES WHERE I'VE, I'VE HAD THE RULE FOR SOMEBODY THAT I UNDERSTOOD WHY SOMEBODY DIDN'T WANT SOMEBODY TO OBSTRUCT SOMEBODY ELSE'S VIEW OR TO BUILD A FENCE THAT WAS UGLY.
BUT I HAD TO LEAN BACK ON THE, THE CONCEPT THAT IT WASN'T WITHIN MY PURVIEW TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
I, I HAVE TO LET THE LAW GUIDE ME.
SO FOR THAT REASON, I'M GONNA BE, UH, VOTING TO VACATE.
BUT I LIKE, LIKE PHIL SAID, I, I WOULD, IT WOULD BE MY WISH THAT EVERYBODY COULD WORK THIS OUT SOMEHOW, SO EVERYBODY WOULD BE HAPPY.
AND I HOPE, I HOPE THAT THAT STILL HAPPENS.
WOULD SOMEBODY LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION? UH, YEAH.
CAN WE DO, CAN WE DO A VERBAL VOTE? UM, YEAH.
MO I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO, UH, ADOPT THE RESOLUTION, UH, APPROVING THE VACATION IS OUTLINED IN THE STAFF REPORT.
MOTION CARRIES BY A 4 0 1 VOTE WITH MAYOR PROM.
ITEM 13 IS A PUBLIC HEARING AND SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO ADOPT BY REFERENCE.
THE 2025 CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE AND STAFF WILL TELL US ALL ABOUT THIS.
UH, NOAH ALVY, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
UH, SO AGAIN, THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING AND SECOND ORDINANCE READING, UH, FOR THE 2025 CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE.
UM, AT THE OCTOBER 28TH, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEETING, THE FIRST READING WAS HEARD, AND, UH, THE CLERK WAS DIRECTED TO SCHEDULE THIS PUBLIC HEARING.
UM, AGAIN, THESE ARE THE CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODES THAT ARE REVISED ON, UH, TYPICALLY A THREE YEAR CYCLE, AND THE CITIES ARE REQUIRED TO ADOPT THOSE CODES.
UM, SO WE'RE ASKING THE CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE 2025 EDITION OF THE CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE.
UM, WE DO HAVE ONE, UH, LOCAL EDIT, UH, TO THE FIRE CODE, WHICH IS JUST TO, UH, REFERENCE OUR APPEAL PROCEDURES, UH, THAT ARE CONTAINED IN THE, IN THE MUNICIPAL CODE, UH, JUST FOR PROCEDURAL ACTIONS.
SO THE RECOMMENDATION, UH, FROM STAFF IS JUST TO CONDUCT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN TO ADOPT BY REFERENCE THE 2025 EDITION OF THE CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE.
AND THEN TO REQUEST THAT THE CLERK, UH, RECITE THE TITLE OF THE ORDINANCE.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR NOAH? ALL RIGHT.
I'D LIKE TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME AND SPEAK.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE.
UH, SO WE'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT, UH, BY REFERENCE THE 2025 ADDITION OF THE CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE AND REQUEST THE CITY CLERK TO RECITE THE ORDINANCE BY TITLE ONLY.
[01:15:01]
MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE AND THE TITLE OF THE ORDINANCE IS AN ORDINANCE, REPEALING SECTIONS 15.5 6.00, AND 15.56050 OF CHAPTER 15.56 OF TITLE 15 OF THE ALCOHOL MUNICIPAL CODE ADOPTING THE CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE 2025 EDITION AS AMENDED BY REFERENCE AND ADDING NEW SECTIONS, 15.560, AND A 15.56 OF CHAPTER 15.56 OF TITLE 15 OF THE ALCOHOL AND MUNICIPAL CODE.THE LAST PUBLIC HEARING ON TODAY'S AGENDA IS ITEM 14.
IT'S FOR WINDOW TRANSPARENCY, TRANSPARENCY, LIMITATIONS FOR MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.
AND I'LL ASK STAFF TO TELL US ABOUT THIS.
UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL AGAIN.
UH, NOAH ALVY WITH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO THIS ITEM WAS DIRECTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL ON JUNE 24TH, 2025.
UM, THAT'S WHEN THE COUNCIL DISCUSSED, UH, HEALTHCARE, UH, PROVIDERS AS WELL AS, UH, WINDOW TRANSPARENCY.
UH, THE MAJORITY OF THAT DISCUSSION WAS REALLY RELATED TO PATIENT PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY.
UM, STAFF WAS DIRECTED TO ANALYZE POTENTIAL ZONING CODE, UH, AMENDMENTS, AS WELL AS, UH, UPDATES TO SPECIFIC PLAN 180 2 TO ADDRESS THE, UH, WINDOW TRANSPARENCY AND PRIVACY ISSUES.
SO, UNDER THE CURRENT REGULATIONS, UH, NO MORE THAN 15% OF A WINDOW CAN BE OBSCURED.
UH, WE DO ALSO HAVE, UH, PROVISIONS FOR WINDOW SIGNS.
UH, WINDOW SIGNS CAN, AS, UH, CURRENT ZONING RE REGULATIONS ALLOW, UH, OCCUPY UP TO 50% OF TOTAL WINDOW AREAS.
UH, WE DID DO, UM, A REVIEW OF MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, UM, ALONG MAJOR CORRIDORS.
UH, ONE OF THE ATTACHMENTS TO THE AGENDA REPORT, UH, SHOWED, UH, 15 DIFFERENT, UH, HEALTHCARE, UH, PROVIDERS.
UM, IT SHOWED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE, UH, WERE USING WINDOW BLINDS, UH, ABOUT A THIRD USING WINDOW BLINDS, I SHOULD SAY.
AND THEN THE, THE REST USING, UM, EITHER, UH, WINDOW TINTING OR, UH, WINDOW DECALS, UH, FOR PATIENT PRIVACY.
SO I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THIS ONE BUILDING HERE.
UH, THIS IS WHAT I WOULD, UH, SAY IS A CASE STUDY FOR 1242, UH, EAST MAIN STREET.
SO IN THIS BUILDING, YOU CAN SEE, UH, THE DATE OF THIS PHOTO IS DECEMBER OF 2020.
UH, THIS BUILDING WAS, UH, BEING USED AT THE TIME FOR, UH, AS A DENTIST OFFICE.
UM, YOU CAN SEE THE LIGHT WINDOW TINTING, AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE USING, UH, BLINDS BEHIND THE WINDOWS, UH, FOR PATIENT PRIVACY.
SO THE NEXT PICTURE HERE IN, UH, MARCH OF 2023, UH, THE SAME BUILDING, UH, WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS THAT THEY APPLIED WINDOW DECALS OVER ALL THE WINDOWS.
UM, IN ORDER TO, UH, MAINTAIN PATIENT PRIVACY.
UH, THIS WAS A VIOLATION OF THE ZONING CODE 'CAUSE THEY WERE EXCEEDING, UH, THE 15%, UH, TRANSPARENCY.
UM, SO IT WAS REFERRED TO CODE COMPLIANCE FOR ACTION.
SO HERE IN OCTOBER, 2025, UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, THE WINDOWS WERE MODIFIED.
UH, THEY INCREASED, UM, THE AMOUNT OF WINDOW TINTING, AND THEN THEY REDUCED, UH, THE WINDOW DECALS DOWN TWO 50% TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH, UH, THE ZONING CODE.
SO, OVERALL, UM, BASED ON STAFF'S ANALYSIS, UH, THE NON-REFLECTIVE WINDOW TINTING, UH, WAS DETERMINED NOT TO DETRACT FROM EACH OF THE BUILDING'S APPEARANCE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CASE STUDY, YOU CAN SEE HOW KIND OF THE, THE WINDOW DEC DETAILS KIND OF OVERWHELM THE APPEARANCE OF THE BUILDING.
UM, THOSE DECALS TEND TO ATTRACT ATTENTION AND KIND OF DEFLECT FROM THE ORIGINAL ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER OF THE STOREFRONT.
UM, SO THAT WAS, UM, THE ANALYSIS BEHIND, UH, STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION.
UH, ADDITIONALLY, AS PART OF THAT, UH, WHEN LOOKING AT THE ZONING CODE REGULATIONS, UH, WHICH WE NOTED, UH, WINDOWS, UH, CAN'T BE SCUR BY MORE THAN 15%, BUT YOU DO ALLOW, UH, WINDOWS SIGNS TO GO UP TO 15, UH, FIVE ZERO, 50%.
AND SO IN ORDER TO CLEAN THAT UP AND BE CONSISTENT, UH, WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT YOU REDUCE, UH, WINDOW SIGNS DOWN TO 15%, UH, SO THAT THE SAME, UH, STANDARD APPLIES.
SO THE PLANNING COMMISSION, UH, RECOMMENDED THAT CITY COUNCIL, UH, APPROVE THE CHANGES TO, UH, BOTH THE ZONING CODE AS WELL AS TO SPECIFIC PLAN 180 2.
UH, ESSENTIALLY IT WOULD ALLOW A SOLID DARK WINDOW TINTING TO, UH, PRESERVE THE ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER OF THE BUILDINGS, UH, CITYWIDE, BUT ALSO TO ENHANCE, UH, PATIENT PRIVACY.
AND IT WOULD JUST BE FOR MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.
SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE, UH, CITY COUNCIL CONDUCT THE PUBLIC HEARING, UM, AND THEN MOVE TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTIONS FOR THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT EXEMPTION, AND THEN INTRODUCE, UH, EACH OF THE ORDINANCES AND REQUEST THAT THE CLERK, UH, TO READ THOSE ORDINANCES BY TITLE ONLY.
SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR NOAH? I, I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, ON THE WINDOW TINTING, UH, REMIND ME WHAT, WHAT'S THE LEVEL OF TINTING THAT KEEPS PEOPLE FROM BEING ABLE TO SEE INSIDE? AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE ZONING CODE STANDARDS DON'T HAVE A, UM, WINDOW TINTING, UM, THRESHOLD.
[01:20:01]
SO IT'S WINDOW TINTING IS ALLOWED AS LONG AS YOU CAN SEE THROUGH IT.UM, BEYOND THAT, THERE'S NOT LIKE, UM, LIKE TYPICALLY YOU'LL HAVE A WINDOW TINTING FOR AUTOMOBILES WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A WINDOW TINT, RIGHT, UH, METER WHERE THEY MEASURE THE WINDOWS.
WE DON'T HAVE, UM, ANY PROVISIONS IN THE ZONING CODE, UH, TO THAT LEVEL.
SO YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE INSIDE, ACCORDING TO OUR ZONING CODE RIGHT NOW, YES, AS OF RIGHT NOW IS PROPOSED AS OF RIGHT NOW.
UH, IT WOULD BE THAT YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THROUGH IT, BUT YOU CAN HAVE THE WINDOW TINTING.
UH, THE CHANGES THAT THE CODE THAT ARE PROPOSED ARE TO ALLOW, UM, SOLID, UM, WINDOW TINTING FOR ONLY FOR MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, WHICH WOULD BE NON-TRANSPARENT WINDOW TINTING.
SO ONLY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS WOULD BE EXEMPT.
WHAT DOES SOLID MEAN? YOU CAN'T SEE IN, YOU CAN'T SEE OUT AT ALL, CORRECT? NO SUNLIGHT IN, NO SUNLIGHT OUT, UH, JUST THAT YOU CAN'T SEE THROUGH IT.
ARE THE POLICE OKAY WITH THIS? YES.
UH, WE, UH, WORKED WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UH, THERE'S ACTUALLY ALSO A PROVISION, UM, IN THE CODE UPDATES, UH, THAT MAKE SURE THAT, UM, MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENTS ARE NOT INCLUDED, UM, IN THAT EXEMPTION, UH, BECAUSE THEY DO QUALIFY AS A MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDER UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.
UM, SO YES, WE WORKED WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ON THAT AND SOMETIMES, UH, LESSEES HAVE A RENTAL LEASE AGREEMENT WITH A LANDLORD.
AND THE LANDLORD AND LESSEE HAVE TERMS OF HOW MUCH OF A WINDOW CAN BE BLOCKED.
BECAUSE A LANDLORD DOESN'T WANNA SEE A LOT OF THINGS IN THE WINDOW, WHAT IF THEIR PERCENTAGE IS GREATER THAN 15%? SO THE ZONING CODE STANDARDS WOULD, UH, TRUMP ANY PRIVATE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE A TENANT AND LANDLORD.
AND WHAT'S THE DEFINITION OF OBSCURED? ONLY 15% MAY BE OBSCURED.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? JUST BLOCKING THE WINDOW, ESSENTIALLY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, NOAH.
I'D LIKE TO OPEN UP THE PUBLIC HEARING AND ARE THERE ANY SPEAKER CARDS ON THIS ITEM? WE HAVE NO SPEAKER CARDS.
I'D I CAN MO MAKE A MOTION THEN TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
MOTION CARRIE BY UNANIMOUS VOTE.
ALRIGHT, IT'S BACK TO COUNSEL.
IF A LOCATION IS NO LONGER USED AS ONE OF THESE EXEMPT THINGS, MUST THEY REMOVE, DO THEY HAVE TO REVERT BACK TO A, A CLEAR WINDOW? UM, IF A DENTIST OFFICE CLOSES DOWN AND BECOMES A CLOTHING STORE, DO THEY HAVE TO UNBLOCK THE WINDOWS AND MAKE IT CLEAR AGAIN? UH, YES.
ANYBODY, ANY DISCUSSION OR LOOKING FOR A MOTION? I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION.
UH, 3, 4, 5, AND SIX AS OUTLINED IN THE AGENDA IS, UH, IN THE AGENDA REPORT.
SECONDED, PLEASE VOTE AND I'LL SAY YES.
MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE.
AND REQUEST THE CITY CLERK TO READ THE ORDINANCE BY TITLE.
COULD WE GET A MOTION, PLEASE? WE NEED A MOTION FOR THAT.
MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE AND THE TITLE OF THE ORDINANCES.
READ AN ORDINANCE REPLACING SUBSECTION 17.1 5.3 0.1 TO ALLOW WINDOW TINTING FOR MEDICAL AND DENTAL PATIENT PRI PRIVACY AND SUBSECTION 17 9 2 8 FOR CONSISTENCY WITH WINDOWS SIGN LIMITATIONS FOR CHAPTER 17.115 AND 17.190 OF TITLE 17 OF THE ALCOHOL MUNICIPAL CODE RESPECTIVELY.
AND THE SECOND TITLE AND ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO SPECIFIC PLAN NUMBER 180 2 TO ALLOW WINDOW TINTING FOR MEDICAL AND DENTAL PATIENT PRIVACY.
OKAY, LET'S GO ON TO, UH, THE NEXT ONE.
WE HAVE THREE ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
ITEM 15 IS REGARDING THE EL CAJON ON-DEMAND MICRO TRANSIT PROJECT.
AND STAFF WILL PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THIS.
GOOD AFTERNOON, HONORABLE MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
YASMINE ANO, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING SERVICES, AND WE HAVE A BRIEF UPDATE FOR YOU TODAY ON THE CITY'S MICRO TRANSIT SERVICE PROVIDED BY VIA.
AS YOU'LL RECALL, THE SERVICE LAUNCH EARLIER THIS YEAR AND HAS NOW COMPLETED APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS OF OPERATIONS DURING THIS PERIOD.
CITY STAFF AND RV PARTNERS HAVE BEEN CLOSELY MONITORING RIDERSHIP, TRENDS, SERVICE, RELIABILITY,
[01:25:01]
ON TIME PERFORMANCE, AND USER EXPERIENCE.TO ENSURE THE SERVICE IS MEETING OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO PROVIDE THE CITY COUNCIL WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM'S PERFORMANCE SINCE THE KICKOFF, INCLUDING KEY METRICS AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS.
WE'VE INVITED OUR VIA EL CAJON, UH, VIA SAN DIEGO EL CAJON REPRESENTATIVE TO PRESENT THE MOST RECENT DATA AND SHARE INSIGHTS FROM THE PAST SIX MONTHS.
I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU ALEX BATISTI, WHO WILL WALK US THROUGH THE UPDATES AND WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT THE SERVICE.
AND, UH, THANKS MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR HAVING US.
I'M HERE JUST TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE SERVICE THAT WE HAVE IN EL CAJON.
WE'RE A LITTLE OVER SIX MONTHS NOW AND IT'S BEEN GOING INCREDIBLY WELL, BUT WANTED TO HAVE A VISIBILITY INTO THIS PROGRAM FOR YOU ALL, MAKE YOU ALL AWARE OF THE SUCCESSES THAT WE'VE HAD TO DATE.
I GUESS THAT MOVES QUICKLY HERE.
SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT VIA, THAT'S VIA.
WE ARE THE WORLD'S LEADING PROVIDER OF ADVANCED PUBLIC MOBILITY SOLUTIONS.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT, BROADLY SPEAKING, WE'RE TRYING TO GROW PUBLIC TRANSIT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WITH TECHNOLOGY.
AND WE'RE DOING SO RIGHT HERE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
WE HAVE 800 PARTNERS OR SERVICES WORLDWIDE, UH, IN ABOUT 40 COUNTRIES.
AND WE'VE SERVED OVER 165 MILLION RIDES.
AND A FEW OF THOSE HAPPENED RIGHT HERE.
WE HAVE A DEEP COMMITMENT TO CALIFORNIA, ESPECIALLY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
AND SINCE WE LAUNCHED THIS SERVICE AS PART OF THE VIA SAN DIEGO APP, WHICH HOSTS MULTIPLE SERVICES IN THE AREA, UH, WE'VE HAD A FEW OTHER LAUNCHES IN, UH, IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
WE'VE HAD A THIRD VIA SAN DIEGO SERVICE LAUNCH THIS TIME IN SOUTHEAST SAN DIEGO.
SO WE NOW HAVE ONE OBVIOUSLY HERE IN EL CAJON, ONE IN THE NORTH PARK AND, UH, CITY HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE DOUBLED DOWN ON OUR LOS ANGELES SERVICE AND HAVE A ZONE IN SOUTH CENTRAL.
WE HAVE A NEW COMMINGLED SERVICE IN ROSEMEAD THAT'S OFFERING BOTH MICRO TRANSIT, WHICH IS THE TYPE OF TRANSIT YOU HAVE HERE IN EL CAJON AND DIAL RIDE, A SENIOR FOCUSED SERVICE.
AND WE'VE ALSO LAUNCHED A STANDALONE DIAL RIDE SERVICE IN CALABASAS.
AND, UH, ONE QUICK THING I'LL JUST POINT OUT FOR THE COUNCIL HERE.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE PAST, BUT ONE TREND WE'RE SEEING IT VIA INCREASINGLY BEYOND JUST MICRO TRANSIT IS THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, SOME OF OUR PARTNERS DOUBLE DOWN AND HOST MULTIPLE SERVICES IN A SINGLE APP.
SO THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE A DIAL RIDE AND A MICRO TRANSIT SERVICE.
WE SEE THAT ELSEWHERE, OR THE VIA SAN DIEGO SERVICE, WHICH HOSTS THREE DISPARATE SERVICES IN ONE APP, SO THAT THERE ARE FEWER BARRIERS TO ENTRY FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
THERE'S LESS APPS FOR SAN DIEGOS TO HAVE TO DOWNLOAD.
UH, THERE'S INCREASED VISIBILITY FOR OUR PARTNERS THAT WE WORK WITH IN TERMS OF DATA SHARING.
UM, AND THIS IS ALL PART OF THE, OF SAND AGS FLEXIBLE FLEETS PROGRAM.
AND I'LL GET SPECIFIC ON OUR SERVICE.
SO WE RUN AN IN-APP SURVEY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE UNDERSTANDING WHAT OUR RIDERS THINK OF THE SURVEY OR OF THE SERVICE, EXCUSE ME.
AND WE'VE GOTTEN CONSISTENTLY POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM OUR RIDERS SINCE LAUNCH.
SO IMPORTANTLY, AT THE END OF EVERY RIDE, WE ASK A RIDER TO RATE, UH, THEIR RIDE OUT OF FIVE STARS.
WE HAVE A 96% FIVE STAR RATE, AN AVERAGE OF 4.9 STARS.
AND THEN WE OFFER OUR RIDERS THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE SOME FREEFORM FEEDBACK.
AND I'LL TAKE, I'LL JUST READ ONE OF THESE, THEY'RE ALL POSITIVE, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY TRANSPORTATION AND MY KIDS GO TO SCHOOL IN THE CITY OF EL CAJON.
IT'S VERY CONVENIENT, IT SAVES MONEY.
I'M A SINGLE MOM AND IT REALLY HELPS OUT A LOT.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE LOOK TO SEE.
WE'RE NOT SEEKING TO BE AN UBER REPLACEMENT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
WE ARE SEEKING TO BE A FORM OF PUBLIC TRANSIT THAT GETS EL CAJON RESIDENTS WHERE THEY NEED TO GO, WHEN THEY NEED TO GO THERE.
NOW, VIA SAN DIEGO, AGAIN, THAT'S ONE APP FOR THREE SERVICES IN THE COUNTY.
WE'VE BENEFITED FROM LOYAL RIDERSHIP AND STRONG GROWTH THROUGHOUT 2025.
AND ALL THREE VIA SAN DIEGO SERVICES ARE NEW IN 20 25, 70 2% OF RIDERS IN EL CAJON, IF THEY TAKE OUR SERVICE ONCE, THEY WILL RETURN FOR A SECOND RIDE.
NEARLY HALF OF THEM WILL COMPLETE MORE THAN FIVE RIDES.
THEY AVERAGE ABOUT 9.5 RIDES PER RIDER PER MONTH.
SO WE'RE SEEING STRONG STICKINESS HERE THAT'S IMPORTANT TO US.
WE DON'T JUST WANNA PUSH OUT MARKETING EFFORTS, GET FOLKS TO TAKE A FREE RIDE ONCE AND THEN NOT NEVER TAKE IT AGAIN.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT 5,000 ACCOUNTS CREATED, UH, SAN DIEGO WIDE.
AND IN EL CAJON SPECIFICALLY, WE HAVE 325 ACTIVE RIDERS.
AND I DON'T HAVE ON THIS SLIDE, BUT I WANNA CALL OUT THAT SINCE WE'VE LAUNCHED IN EL EL CAJON IN MARCH, THERE ARE ABOUT 20, 21 RESIDENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN A HUNDRED RIDES.
SO I DUNNO IF YOU'RE HERE, BUT WE LOVE YOU AND THANK YOU FOR RIDING OUR SERVICE ALMOST EVERY DAY, IT FEELS LIKE.
NOW, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE ONE APP FOR MULTIPLE SERVICES, WE WANT OUR OPERATIONS, ESPECIALLY OUR MARKETING, TO BE VERY COMMUNITY FOCUSED.
[01:30:01]
WHERE WE'RE OPERATING.AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS OBVIOUS TO EL CAJON IS THAT THERE'S A VERY LARGE ARABIC POPULATION, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CONDUCTING THE RIGHT MARKETING EFFORTS TO REACH ALL EL CAJON RESIDENTS AND THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
SO IN MAY WE LAUNCHED A TWO MINUTE ARABIC LANGUAGE FEATURE ON THE USA AND ARABIC TV.
IT NOW HAS MORE THAN 70,000 VIEWS.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, IN SOME SMALL PART, WE'VE SEEN AN AVERAGE OF 60% MONTH OVER MONTH GROWTH IN TERMS OF THE COMPLETED RIDES THAT THE VIA SAN DIEGO EL CAJON SERVICE IS SERVING.
SO THAT'S EXPONENTIAL, LIKE CLASS LEADING RIDERSHIP GROWTH AS FAR AS WHAT WE SEE AT VIA.
AND AGAIN, WE HAVE MORE THAN 800 OF THESE SERVICES WORLDWIDE.
NOW, ANOTHER THING THAT WE WANNA LOOK AT IS WHERE THE DEMAND IS BEING DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT EL CAJON OR ANY GIVEN SERVICE.
WE WANNA SEE DEMAND BE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED AND SORT OF SHOW, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO SEE ON THIS SCREEN, BUT THESE SPIDER LINES, UM, WHICH SHOWS US THAT DEMAND RESPONSE, IE LIKE POINT TO POINT SERVICE IS A GOOD FIT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
THE, THE, THE OTHER WAY THAT THIS COULD, THESE CHIPS COULD FALL IS IF WE SAW REALLY DARK BLACK LINES FROM ONE END OF THE CITY TO THE OTHER SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, EL CAJONS FROM A WANNA GET FROM A TO B AND THAT'S IT.
WELL, MAYBE FIXED ROUTE OR ADDITIONAL BUS ROUTES WOULD BE A BETTER OPTION HERE.
SO THIS IS REALLY A, A PROOF OF CONCEPT FOR US IN TERMS OF CONFIRMING THAT DEMAND RESPONSE RIDESHARE IS A GOOD FIT FOR EL CAJON.
NOW, OUR MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS COMBINE A HEALTHY MIX OF WHAT I'D CALL LIKE RESIDENTIAL, EDUCATIONAL, COMMERCIAL POIS WITH STRONG TRANSIT CONNECTIVITY.
SO I HAVE A FEW OF OUR TOP POIS LISTED HERE, BUT WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THAT EL CAJON TRANSIT CENTER IS ONE OF CONSISTENTLY ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PICKUPS AND DROP-OFFS DESTINATIONS.
SO THAT CONFIRMS THAT FOLKS ARE TAKING RIDESHARE AS INTENDED, NOT JUST TO GET WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.
IF YOU WANNA GO GROCERY SHOPPING, GO DROP YOUR KIDS OFF AT SCHOOL, THAT'S CERTAINLY A USE CASE, BUT IT'S ALSO TO CONNECT TO OTHER FORMS OF PUBLIC TRANSIT, WHICH IS EXCELLENT TO SEE.
THAT'S THE SORT OF MOBILITY DRIVER THAT WE WANNA SEE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S JUST A, YOU KNOW, MORE OR LESS THE HIGHLIGHT THERE.
AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NEGATIVE TO SHARE.
IT'S BEEN AN EXCELLENT SERVICE AND WE'RE INCREDIBLY WELL SUPPORTED BY THE ENGINEERING DIVISION.
AND SO THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE TIME.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
YEAH, LEMME SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS.
HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF MARKETING TO SPECIFIC KINDS OF BUSINESSES THAT PEOPLE NEED A RIDE FROM, LIKE DOCTORS OR CAR REPAIR OR A ABSOLUTELY.
AND WE WORK, UH, WEEK OVER WEEK WE HAVE A WEEKLY MEETING WITH OUR PARTNERS AND THAT'S THE EXACT KIND OF THING THAT WE'RE CONTINUOUSLY NOODLING ON.
AND WE HAVE A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM AT VIA THAT WILL PERIODICALLY COME DOWN HERE AND WE'LL TABLE AT SPECIFIC EVENTS.
BUT AGAIN, WHERE WE MARKET IS VERY SERVICE TO SERVICE SPECIFIC.
IF YOU HAVE A LARGE SENIOR POPULATION, WE'RE DOING EXACTLY WHAT YOU DESCRIBED COUNCIL MEMBER, WE'RE REACHING OUT TO THOSE SENIOR CENTERS AND MAKING SURE WE'RE MARKETING TO THEM, UH, IN OTHER TOWNS, OTHER SERVICES, IT MIGHT BE MORE THE USE CASES THAT YOU DESCRIBED, BUT WE DEFINITELY TRY TO GET SPECIFIC.
IT'S NOT JUST PUSHING OUT, YOU KNOW, FACEBOOK ADS OR STUFF LIKE THAT, ALTHOUGH WE DO THOSE.
UM, I LOVE THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION'S DATA DRIVEN AND, UH, I'M CURIOUS, MAYBE YOU COULD OPINE OR COMMENT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR VIA, I MEAN, THIS IS GREAT THAT THE GRANT IS THERE AND THE PROOF THAT'S ENABLED YOU TO SHOW THE PROOF OF CONCEPT IS EFFECTIVE AND IT WORKS AND THERE'S A, A DEMAND AND IT'S NEEDED.
UM, I I, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH IT COULD BE A GOOD SUBSTITUTE.
I'M PROBABLY STEPPING ON TOES.
UM, A GOOD SUBSTITUTE FOR BUSES, UM, AND UH, IT'S MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE.
UM, IT LEVERAGES TECHNOLOGY, UM, AND IT'S INCREDIBLY MORE EFFICIENT WITH REGARD TO MAINTAINING A FLEET OF BUSES THAT ARE BEING REQUIRED TO BE ELECTRIFIED, WHICH IS SURE CRA A CRAZY MANDATE.
UM, VERSUS, YOU KNOW, QUICK, NIMBLE.
SO GIVEN THE LANDSCAPE, WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE? IF YOU COULD GIVE US SOME COMMENTS? IT SO DEPENDS ON, ON WHERE WE'RE OPERATING.
YOU KNOW, FIRST OFF, WE ALSO OPERATE BUS ROUTES, YOU KNOW, IN A NUMBER OF THOSE SERVICES.
SO WE ARE NOT BY ANY MEANS ANTI BUS AT ALL.
UH, VERY OFTEN WE WILL HAVE A MICRO TRANSIT SERVICE OPERATE AS A PILOT FOR A YEAR.
AND WE USE THOSE DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS TO ADJUST FIXED ROUTE AND MAKE IT BETTER NOT TO CANNIBALIZE IT.
NOW THAT BEING SAID, THERE ARE SOME INSTANCES WHERE WE HAVE A MICRO TRANSIT SERVICE WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO SERVE 5, 6, 7 PASSENGERS AN HOUR.
AND MAYBE THERE'S ONE LEGACY FIX ROUTE THAT SERVES ONE PASSENGER AN HOUR AND COSTS A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY TO THE CITY.
UM, THAT'S ALL TO SAY THAT IT'S VERY CITY TO CITY AGENCY TO AGENCY SPECIFIC, BUT THE GOAL FOR VIA IS FOR US TO CONTINUE TO GROW, TO
[01:35:01]
CONTINUE TO GROW PUBLIC TRANSIT BROADLY, AND TO INFORM WHETHER IT'S A CITY, A TRANSIT AGENCY, TO GIVE THEM AS MUCH DATA AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THEY CAN FIND THE RIGHT MODE AND THE RIGHT COMBINATION OF MODES OF TRANSIT FOR THEIR RIDERS IN THEIR RESIDENCE.I KNOW WE'VE HEARD A LOT IN THE SAN DIEGO REGION ABOUT, UH, A LARGE, YOU KNOW, INVESTMENT IN A REGIONAL, UH, UH, REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT AND IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA, IT JUST, IT JUST DOESN'T WORK.
THE FREEWAY SYSTEM IS THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND ONE OF THE BIG QUESTION MARKS OR PROBLEMS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO BE SOLVED IN THAT DISCUSSION, THAT PUBLIC DISCUSSION IS THAT LAST MILE.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE IF THERE WAS ANY, UH, VIABLE SOLUTION, UH, FOR THAT LAST MILE, IT'S NOT ADDING MORE BUSES IT SEEMS LIKE VIA, UM, IF, IF, IF A GOVERNMENT IS GONNA MOVE TOWARDS ANYTHING, IT SHOULD BE NIMBLE AND QUICK AND RESPOND TO THE DEMAND, UM, AND NOT BE SLOW AND ARDUOUS.
SO THESE ARE MY, THESE ARE MY, UH, UH, PERSONAL, UH, POINTS, BUT, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'VE SOLVED THAT LAST MILE, UM, QUESTION TO A LARGE DEGREE.
SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
I THINK THAT MICRO TRANSIT SUPPLEMENT, AND I'M USING A LOT OF TERMS INTERCHANGEABLY HERE, MICRO TRANSIT RIDE SHARE, IT'S THAT POINT TO POINT ON DEMAND, YOU KNOW, SHARED CAR SERVICE THAT REALLY FITS THAT FIRST MILE, LAST MILE USE CASE.
WE WANT TO GET FOLKS TO FIXED ROUTE, WHETHER IT'S LIGHT RAIL, IT'S A BUS ROUTE.
UM, SO YOU HAVE THAT HUB AND SPOKE MODEL, AND SO THAT RESIDENTS THAT MAYBE LIVE IN HILLIER NEIGHBORHOODS OR MORE SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOODS AND AREN'T WALKABLE TO THEIR FIXED ROUTE, WELL MAYBE THEY'LL LEAVE THE CAR AT HOME THAT DAY AND ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, TAKE OUR SERVICE FOR FREE OR FOR A DOLLAR DEPENDING ON THE SERVICE AND CONNECT TO THE BUS.
ANY MORE QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK ALL FOR THE TIME THIS PRESENTATION.
UM, ANGELA, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKER CARDS ON THIS ITEM? OKAY, SO, UM, I LEAVE IT TO, UM, LEAVE IT TO COUNSEL TO GIVE ME A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE REPORT.
I BELIEVE, UH, A MOTION TO RECEIVE THE REPORT.
MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE.
UH, THE NEXT ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT, ITEM 16 IS THE SIGN AND LIGHT REGULATIONS IN THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT AND STAFF WILL TELL US ABOUT THIS.
I, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
THANK YOU FOR, UH, THE TIME TO PRESENT TO YOU.
I AM A SENIOR MANAGEMENT ANALYST IN THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
UH, ONE OF MY RESPONSIBILITIES IS REPRESENTING THE CITY ON THE BOARD OF THE DOWNTOWN EL CAJON BUSINESS PARTNERS, WHICH OVERSEES THE DOWNTOWN EL CAJON PROPERTY BASED IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, OUR P BID.
TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND, ON DECEMBER 10TH, 2024, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED SIGN REGULATIONS THAT, UH, PROHIBITED FLASHING LIGHTS AND COLORED LIGHTS IN THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT.
UH, AFTER SOME DELIBERATION, THE CITY COUNCIL EVENTUALLY SETTLED ON THE DECISION TO BAN FLASHING LIGHTS AND COLORED LIGHTS AND ONLY ALLOW NON FLASHING WHITE LIGHTS.
RECENTLY A REQUEST CAME IN FROM THE DOWNTOWN EL CAJON BUSINESS PARTNERS TO UPDATE THE DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN, OR THE SPECIFIC PLAN NUMBER 180 2 TO ALLOW FOR COLORED LIGHTS TO BE USED IN THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT.
THE DOWNTOWN OUTGOING HOME BUSINESS PARTNERS ARE HOLDING MORE EVENTS.
UM, THEY'RE WORKING HARD TO ACTIVATE THE AREA AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE THE VISITS AND THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
THEY BELIEVE THAT ALLOWING FOR MORE LIGHT COLORS WILL ENHANCE THEIR EFFORTS.
UH, THE RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF IS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL PROVIDES DIRECTION REGARDING POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS TO SPECIFIC PLAN NUMBER 180 2 FOR SIGNAGE AND LIGHTING IN THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT.
CHRIS GOMEZ IS HERE REPRESENTING THE DOWNTOWN EL CAJON BUSINESS PARTNERS, AND HE HAS A PRESENTATION PREPARED AND HE'S, UM, HE HAS A LOT MORE DETAILS AND HE'LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
SO I'LL TURN THE TIME OVER TO CHRIS.
OKAY, GOOD EVENING, UH, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I AM THE BRAND COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER FOR THE DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA BUSINESS PARTNERS.
UH, I WORK FOR A COMPANY CALLED NEW CITY AMERICA THAT IS A MANAGEMENT COMPANY THAT FACILITATES ASSESSMENT DISTRICTS ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES.
AND SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IN OUR COMMUNITIES IS AS WE SEE THINGS THAT WORK AND DRIVE ECONOMIC, UH, UH, SUCCESS TO OUR COMMUNITIES VIA
[01:40:01]
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS, AMENITIES, WE LIKE TO BRING THEM INTO ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES TO KIND OF ELEVATE THAT EXPERIENCE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.SO, UH, JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE BACKGROUND, THE PROJECT HISTORY IS THE DOWNTOWN EL CAJON BUSINESS PARTNERS, UH, HAS BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH CITY OF EL CAJON, UM, AS WELL AS STAFF TO ADVANCE TO THE ONGOING REVITALIZATION OF THE DOWNTOWN EL CAJON P BID AREA.
UH, IN SUPPORT OF THESE EFFORTS, THE CITY AWARDED THE D UH, DOWNTOWN CAJON BUSINESS PARTNERS, A GRANT THAT INCLUDED FUNDING FOR ENHANCED PEDESTRIAN COLOR CHANGING LIGHT PROJECT.
UH, WE'VE NOW INSTALLED, UM, ACTUALLY IT'S BEING INSTALLED AS WE SPEAK OVER PRESCOTT PROMENADE AS WELL AS ALONG EAST MAIN STREET BETWEEN MAGNOLIA AND CLADE.
UH, THIS PARTICULAR PRODUCT THAT WE WOULD BE INSTALLING, UM, IS KNOWN AS CHROMA STAR FLEX, LED.
UH, IT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE FOUR IN ONE LED DESIGN AND CONSISTENT RGB COLOR, BASICALLY SAYING WE CAN CHANGE IT TO ANY COLOR UNDER THE SUN THAT WE WOULD LIKE.
UH, DMX CONTROL THAT ALLOWS US TO CONTROL ANIMATION, MOTION BLINKING CAPABILITY, EXCUSE ME, BLINKING CAPABILITIES, WHICH WOULD BE DONE, UM, OBVIOUSLY IN, IN CONJUNCTION WITH TRAFFIC AND ENGINEERING TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT CREATING A HAZARD FOR THE RIGHT OF WAY OR VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, UH, PROGRAMMABLE, UH, PROGRAMMABLE COLOR TRIGGERS, UH, WHICH ALLOW US TO DO SEASONAL COLOR DISPLAYS.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE WANTED TO CELEBRATE THE CENTENNIAL OF, UH, DOWN OR THE CITY OF EL CAJON, WE COULD CHANGE ALL OF DOWNTOWN EL CAJON TO PURPLE OR PURPLE AND GOLD OR WHATEVER WE WANTED.
UM, AND WE'LL GO OVER THOSE TRIGGER OPPORTUNITIES IN A SECOND.
UH, THE OTHER THING IS THAT THIS IS A LOW VOLTAGE POWER ENERGY PROGRAM.
UH, SO ONE, IT, UH, REDUCES, UH, THE AMOUNT OF POWER THAT'S BEING PULLED IN ORDER TO SUSTAIN THE PROGRAM.
BUT TWO, IT ALSO IS, UH, SAFE FOR, UH, THE RIGHT OF WAY.
AND FINALLY, WE HAVE REMOTE MOBILE ACCESS, UH, CONVENIENT FOR REAL-TIME CONTROL.
SO IF THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT CAME UP AND WE WANTED TO HONOR SDSU, GOING TO MARCH MADNESS, AND WE WANTED TO GO RED, WE COULD CHANGE THE LIGHTS TO RED WITHIN 24 HOURS, IF NOT LESS, ACTUALLY WITHIN THE HOUR.
SO, UH, THIS IS, UH, THE IMAGE AT THE BOTTOM IS ACTUALLY WHAT THE FESTOON OR THE, UH, THE CHROMA STAR FLEX LIGHT LOOKS LIKE.
IT IS ON A GAUGE WIRE THAT IS HUNG ON, UM, AIR, AIR, AIR TRAFFIC WIRE CON, UH, THAT GOES FROM POLE TO POLE, UM, AND HAS ALREADY BEEN INSTALLED, UH, WITH APPROVAL FROM THE CITY.
UH, THE PRODUCT EXAMPLES, UH, HERE IS SOMETHING SIMILAR, UH, THAT YOU CAN SEE.
UH, IT IS USED IN MANY COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE, THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, UH, USUALLY AN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT.
SO EXAMPLE, LIKE LITTLE ITALY HERE, WE, YOU CAN SEE IT ABOVE THE PIAZZA DE LA FAMILIA, UH, GAS LAMP QUARTER USES IT.
EAST VILLAGE AND OTHER MAJOR METROPOLITAN CITIES USE IT FOR THEIR OWN ASSETS AND AMENITIES, SUCH AS THE ONE OVER THE BRIDGE.
HERE'S SOME EXAMPLES OF SPRING, UH, SOME TRIGGERS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH CITY STAFF ON, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD AND ESTABLISH A, A SET PROGRAM FOR THE YEAR SO THAT, UH, YOU HAVE DYNAMIC LIGHTING FOR DOWNTOWN.
PATRICK'S DAY, EASTER WEEK, CAJON CRUISE, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR, OUR EVENTS THAT WE PUT ON, UM, IN THE MONTH OF MAY IN HONOR OF FIRST RESPONDERS GOING TO STATIC BLUE, UM, ART OF ALL, WHICH WAS A, UH, OUR ART FESTIVAL THAT WE PUT ON AND VARIOUS OTHER ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING CITY ACTIVITIES LIKE HAUNT FEST, UM, AND ANY OTHER, UM, ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD BE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
WE'D ALSO HONOR, UH, THOSE HOLIDAYS IN THE WINTER MONTHS, UH, HANUKKAH, CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR'S, A VALENTINE'S DAY.
AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WHEN THERE WAS NO SET PROGRAM ESTABLISHED OR TRIGGER, WE WOULD ACTUALLY LEAVE IT AT AS WARM WHITE, SO IT WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE CURRENT, UH, PLAN.
SO THE REQUEST FOR ACTION IS THAT THE DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA, UH, BUSINESS PARTNERS RESPECTFULLY REQUEST, UH, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL REMOVE THE CURRENT RESTRICTIONS ON COLORED LIGHTING AND LIGHT MOVEMENT, UH, FOR CITY, FOR CITY OWNED ASSETS, AS WELL AS ASSETS, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP INSTALLED WITH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY.
WE FURTHER REQUEST AUTHORIZATION FOR CITY STAFF TO COLLABORATE, UH, WITH THE DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA BUSINESS PARTNERS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT UPDATED LIGHTING GUIDELINES, INCLUDING COLOR TRIGGERS, ANIMATION STANDARDS, AND SCHEDULING TO ENHANCE THE DOWNTOWN EL CAJON VIS, UM, VISUAL APPEAL AND COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE.
WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU AND I'M WELCOME TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, SO THIS IS JUST FOR PRESCOTT PROMENADE AND DOWN THE STREET, BUT IT HAS NOT, IT IS NOT FOR THE BUSINESSES THEMSELVES, CORRECT? IT IS A, IT'S IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
IT IS A, IT'S, AND IT IS FUNDED BY A CITY GRANT.
SO YOU GUYS WOULD CONTROL THE LIGHTS PER HOLIDAY PER EVENT.
THE BUSINESSES HAVE TO STAY MAIN AND MAINTAIN WHITE.
THAT'S WHY OUR BIGGEST FOCUS WAS TO USE THE LANGUAGE TO NOT, UH, TO NOT AMEND ALL COLOR RESTRICTION, BUT SPECIFICALLY THOSE THAT ARE CITY PROPERTY ASSETS OR, UM, PARTNERED INSTALLATIONS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH OH, GO AHEAD STEVE.
I THOUGHT OUR DECEMBER THING I'M LOOKING AT STAFF, UH, EXCLUDED THESE LIGHTS.
[01:45:01]
THOUGHT IT WAS JUST FOR WINDOW LIGHTS WAS THE WHOLE THING.IT, IT'S FOCUSED ON THE WINDOW LIGHTS, BUT IT, IT SORT OF WAS SILENT ON THESE LIGHTS.
SO TO HAVE SOME CLARITY, I THINK THE CODE, IF, IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO GO THIS DIRECTION, WE THINK THE CODE SHOULD BE AMENDED TO SPECIFICALLY CALL THESE LIGHTS OUT AS A DIFFERENT THAN THE BUSINESS LIGHTS.
BECAUSE THE PROBLEM REALLY WAS THE DOWNTOWN, UH, BUSINESSES THAT HAVE VERY BRIGHT LEDS THAT ARE CHASER OR FLASHING.
THAT'S WHAT WE WERE ADDRESSING, CORRECT.
NOT, WE, WE KNEW THAT THE, THE STRUNG LIGHTS ON TOP WERE WERE FINE.
WAS THERE A DESIRE FROM ANY OF THE BUSINESSES THAT YOU, YOU SPOKE TO, TO, FOR THEM TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE LIGHTS THAT REFLECT THIS SCHEDULE ON THEIR BUSINESS? UH, WE HAVE NOT OPENED THAT CONVERSATION UP TO THE BUSINESSES AT THIS POINT.
ANY SPEAKER CARDS FOR THIS? ALL RIGHT.
UM, YOU'RE FOR OPEN FOR DISCUSSION.
PEOPLE PAY BIG BUCKS OR WALK DOWN MAIN STREET, USA AND DISNEYLAND.
THEY GET TO DO IT IN EL CAJON FOR FREE NOW,
SO, YOU KNOW, I I THINK THE LIGHTING REALLY ENHANCES, UH, THE AMBIANCE THAT WE HAVE DOWNTOWN AND IT'LL DETER CRIME.
UH, I WOULD, AND IT'S KIND OF A DRAW FROM PEOPLE COMING OUT FROM THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER WHEN THEY GO, WOW, LOOK AT ALL THOSE LIGHTS.
LET'S, LET'S GO HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE OR A SANDWICH.
SO, UH, I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA.
YOU KNOW, I WANNA BRING UP SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE A LITTLE DAMPER ON THIS.
UM, COLORS IN 2025 CAN BE CONTROVERSIAL.
THEY CAN BE POLITICAL, THEY CAN, AND WE CAN, WE SEE THIS IN THE, THE WHITE HOUSE.
WE SEE THIS ON, UH, IN TIMES SQUARE.
PEOPLE ARE USING COLOR SCHEMES TO MAKE A POLITICAL POINT.
AND IT MIGHT BE A POLITICAL POINT, WE DON'T WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN EITHER WAY.
AND SO I'M A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS PARTNERS MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN THAT'S GOING TO COME BACK TO OUR DESK AND PEOPLE ARE GONNA SAY, WHY DID YOU ALLOW THIS? YOU HURT MY FEELINGS.
UH, I, I'M, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS, I'M RIGHT, BUT I'M OPEN TO DISCUSSION IF ANYBODY HAS ANY THOUGHTS ON THIS.
WELL, CAN, NATE, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE SCHEDULE THAT'S BEING PROPOSED FOR THE EVENTS? AND THESE ARE JUST SOME POSSIBILITIES, BUT, UM, BUT I'LL ALSO JUST TO THROW OUT, UM, THE RECOMMENDATION IS BASICALLY IF WE WANNA GET YOUR OPINION ON IF WE CAN REVISIT THIS AND BRING IT BACK SO THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR TO, TO WORK OUT SOME OF THOSE ISSUES AND, AND MAYBE FIGURE OUT SOME MORE OF A SET SCHEDULE, SOMETHING THAT'S PRE-APPROVED.
UH, SO I, I, I THINK WE COULD WORK THROUGH SOME OF THOSE ISSUES, BUT JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE, I'M COMFORTABLE WITH THAT.
YEAH, I, I, I, I THINK WE SH THE DIRECTION WE SHOULD GIVE TO STAFF IS GIVE US A LIST OF, OF, UH, TRIGGERS I GUESS, AS YOU'RE DEFINING THEM.
AND THEN WE'LL LET YOU KNOW, AH, WE THINK YOU'RE GETTING TOO, THAT'S GETTING INTO A SOCIAL ISSUE THAT MAY CAUSE CAUSES TROUBLE.
UH, BUT I THINK WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO HAVE A PLAN TO COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL WITH, I'D ALSO SUGGEST OPEN FOR DISCUSSION, UH, THAT YOU CREATE A PALETTE, A COLOR PALETTE, TO GO WITH THESE TRIGGERS THAT YOU COULD SAY TO BUSINESSES, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO USE THESE COLORS DURING THIS PERIOD.
UH, LET'S SAY THANKSGIVING TO CHRISTMAS.
YOU ARE ALLOWED TO USE RED AND GREEN IN YOUR WINDOWS OR VARIATIONS THEREOF, UH, THAT DON'T FLASH, THAT DON'T RUN.
BUT THAT WOULD COMPLIMENT WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING UP ON TOP.
I THINK THAT WOULD ACTUALLY ADD EVEN MORE.
AND I'D LIKE TO SEE A RECOMMENDATION.
I THINK I, I LIKE THAT, STEVE.
AND AGAIN, UH, THE IDEA IS TO HAVE ANYTHING THAT WE DO NOT SHOOT FROM THE HIP.
IT LITERALLY IS A PROGRAM SCHEDULE THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU AS WELL AS CITY STAFF TO ENSURE THAT IT IS VETTED BEFORE WE DO IT.
UM, AND THIS IS ALSO AN ASSET THAT AT ANY TIME THE CITY WANTED TO ACTIVATE IT, IT'S AVAILABLE, OBVIOUSLY FOR THE CITY TO USE AS WELL.
SO AGAIN, FOR THOSE SPECIAL OCCASIONS, IF YOU WANNA HONOR SOMEONE THAT MAY HAVE PASSED OR SOMETHING, WE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT AT IN A MOMENT'S NOTICE.
BUT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, UM, DATES, NOT JUST COLORS OR TRIGGERS, BUT IF I'M A BUSINESS, WHAT DATES CAN I PARTICIPATE?
[01:50:02]
AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOU TO DEFINE THE COLORS THAT WOULD BE OKAY DURING THAT RED, DURING VALENTINE'S WEEK.THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE ONLY COLOR I COULD THINK OF.
IF YOU CHOOSE TO GO TO VALENTINE'S WEEK.
BUT LIKE, LIKE SENDING OUT A NOTICE, SAY EVERY EVERYBODY WEAR UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS ON, ON THURSDAY, OR WEAR GREEN TIES ON, ON A EXACTLY.
ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO PUT RED LEDS IN THEIR WINDOWS FROM THANKSGIVING TO CHRIS RED OR GREEN DURING CHRISTMAS, THE WEEK BEFORE VALENTINE'S DAY, ANYBODY WANTS TO PUT RED IN THEIR WINDOWS, TAKE IT DOWN THE DAY AFTER VALENTINE'S, YOU GET THE IDEA BECAUSE YOU'RE THINKING THEY ALREADY HAVE THESE LIGHTS THAT CAN CHANGE COLORS ANYWAY.
SO I DO, THEY CAN UTILIZE, IF THEY'RE LEDS, THEY CAN EASILY JUST BE SWITCH RUDE, I THINK.
AND OUR BIGGEST FOCUS, EXCUSE ME, WAS JUST REALLY TO KIND OF CREATE A DESIGNATION, A SEPARATION BETWEEN THE BUSINESSES, BECAUSE THAT PARTICULAR DOCUMENT THAT WAS ADOPTED WAS CALLED OUT WINDOWS.
AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AMENITIES THAT ARE IN THE RIGHT OF WAY ARE DEEMED SEPARATE THAN THAT.
MY ONLY, UH, THOUGHT AND JUST THROW IT OUT TO MY COLLEAGUES IS MAYBE WE BEGIN WITH A VERY NARROW SCOPE.
SO WE DON'T GET FAR AND WIDE AS WE'RE ROLLING THIS OUT, WE, WE START WITH A NARROW GROUP OF, OF HOLIDAYS, UM, TO KIND OF BETA TEST THIS.
INSTEAD OF GOING, HEY, LET'S DO ONE FOR EVERY WEEK.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S LIKE, WELL, IT'S DIFFERENT COLORS EVERY WEEK, WHAT'S GOING ON? SO MAYBE CREATE SOME UNIFORMITY AND SOME BUY-IN WITH THE BUSINESSES.
KEEP IT, YOU KNOW, UH, A LOW AMOUNT.
UH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE, THE ORDINANCE, THERE'S ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE, UM, HOLIDAYS THAT SOME VARIANCES ALLOWED.
UM, SO, SO WE DO HAVE A STARTING POINT, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHY THEY ALREADY INVESTED.
'CAUSE THERE IS FOUR OR FIVE HOLIDAYS THEY ARE ABLE TO USE IT.
UM, BUT THERE, THEY WERE JUST LOOKING FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE.
BUT, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING VERY REASONABLE THAT I'M SURE WE CAN WORK OUT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKER CARDS ON THIS ITEM? NO.
IS THIS JUST A GIVE DIRECTION ITEM RIGHT TO, TO PROCEED AND THEN HAVE 'EM COME BACK TO US WITH THE OPTIONS? GREAT.
DID YOU WANNA MAKE A MOTION, PHIL? DO WE, DO WE NEED A MOTION FOR YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE THE DIRECTION NEEDED? OR DO WE HAVE, DO YOU HAVE WHAT YOU NEED? BECAUSE THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME CONSENSUS THEN WE CAN, YEAH, I CAN MOVE FORWARD.
ANYBODY IN OPPOSITION TO THIS? NO.
ALRIGHT, THE LAST ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT.
MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR IS THE LEGISLATIVE REPORT FOR 2025.
AND ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, VINCE DE MILES HERE TO GIVE US ALL THE GOOD NEWS.
HE'S, HE'S STILL REELING FROM THAT DODGER WIN
YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE, UM, AS MUCH MATERIAL AS I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA HAVE, UM, THIS TIME AROUND.
THAT'S A GOOD THING THAT, THAT COULD BE A GOOD THING THING.
SO, UM, THE CURRENT LEGISLATIVE SESSION, UM, ENDED ON OCTOBER 13TH, 2025.
AND AS THE STAFF REPORT SAYS THERE WERE ABOUT 2,250 BILLS INTRODUCED AND 917 MADE IT TO THE GOVERNOR'S DESK, UH, OF WHICH HE VETOED 15%.
AND I'LL STOP THERE, AND I'LL JUST SAY, I WOULD ANTICIPATE IN THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND THE SESSION AFTER THAT, THAT HE'LL VETO EVEN A HIGHER PERCENTAGE.
THIS PERCENTAGE WAS GENERALLY WHAT WE TYPICALLY SEE IN THE GOVERNOR'S, UH, VETO OF THE NUMBER OF BILLS.
USUALLY IT'S AROUND 10 TO 15%.
UM, I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT MR. NEWSOM HAS PRESIDENTIAL, UM, ASPIRATIONS.
AND SO THE, THE, THE LEVEL OF CRAZINESS THAT GETS TO HIS DESK IS NOT GOING TO BE AS ACCEPTABLE TO HIM AS IT PERHAPS WAS IN THE PAST.
SO WE MAY SEE A TONING DOWN AND A HIGHER LEVEL OF VETOES, WHETHER THOSE, THOSE VETOES COULD EASILY BE OVERRIDDEN, BY THE WAY, BECAUSE OF THE SUPER MAJORITY IN THE LEGISLATURE.
BUT WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE TO JUST WAIT AND SEE WHAT, WHAT NEXT YEAR BRINGS.
UM, WE OBVIOUSLY DON'T CHART OR TRACK ALL 2,250 BILLS, BUT WE TRY, UH, WITH VARIOUS RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE TO CHART AS MANY OF THEM AS WE CAN THAT WE THINK ARE GOING TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON US AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO I'LL GO THROUGH SEVERAL OF THEM.
UM, AS I MENTIONED IN THE BODY OF THE STAFF REPORT, UH, WE STILL SEE THAT COMMON SENSE BILLS DON'T GET ANY TRACTION SPECIFICALLY, UH, CLASSIFYING, UH, ILLICIT DRUGS LIKE TRAN AS
[01:55:01]
SCHEDULE THREE SUBSTANCES.UM, THAT'S THE SECOND TIME THAT THAT, UH, A BILL LIKE THAT HAS DIED.
UM, THE EL CAJON INSPIRED THIS WAS, THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY MANAGER AND I, UH, SOUGHT TO GET SPONSORSHIP FOR, AND WE DID, UM, THROUGH, UH, LEGISLATOR, UH, HERTADO, UM, THAT WAS SB 4 96, WHICH WE PROPOSED TO DELAY THE REQUIRED ELECTRIFICATION OF PUBLIC WORKS VEHICLES PASSED 2032 BECAUSE PUBLIC WORKS IS A FIRST RESPONDER IN THE SAME VEIN AS POLICE AND FIRE IN THE TIMES OF, UH, NATURAL DISASTER.
AND IF WE ARE FORCED TO COMPLY WITH ELECTRIFICATION MANDATE FOR PUBLIC WORKS VEHICLES, AND WE DON'T HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE BY 2032, UM, AND WE DO HAVE TO RESPOND TO A SIZABLE EMERGENCY, UH, WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO SO BECAUSE WE ARE REQUIRED TO ELECTRIFY, UH, THESE VEHICLES BECAUSE THERE'S NO EXEMPTION.
THERE IS AN EXEMPTION FOR POLICE AND FIRE VEHICLES.
THERE'S NO EXEMPTION FOR PUBLIC WORKS VEHICLES.
AND WE PROPOSED THAT AND IT DIDN'T GET ANY TRACTION.
UM, IRONICALLY, WITH OUR AV CHALLENGES TODAY, UM, SB 7 0 7, UH, HAS SUBSTANTIAL, UH, TELECONFERENCING, UH, REQUIREMENTS AND IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE.
AND PERHAPS GIVEN TODAY'S, UH, SITUATION, THE COUNCIL IS OKAY INVESTING IN AV IMPROVEMENTS, UH, FOR THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, THE CITY NEEDS TO PROVIDE TWO-WAY AUDIO, VISUAL AND TELEPHONIC, UH, PLATFORM FOR ALL OPEN MEETINGS, INCLUDING CLOSED CAPTIONING.
SO THIS, THIS HAS A NUMBER OF REQUIREMENTS THAT WE MUST IMPLEMENT, UM, TO MAKE MEETINGS MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO ATTEND IN PERSON.
AND SO THIS, UM, WE'RE STILL DIGESTING ALL OF THE INS AND OUTS, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE COSTLY AND IT'S GOING TO BE TIME CONSUMING.
UH, AV IMPROVEMENTS IN A BUILDING THAT'S 50 YEARS OLD IS, IS GOING TO BE, UM, VERY EXPENSIVE.
UM, BUT WE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH IT.
UM, ANOTHER BILL, WHICH HAS A GREAT PURPOSE, BY THE WAY, I WOULD SAY, UM, AB 1757, UM, WAS, IS, IS OR WAS AN EFFORT TO EXPAND ACCESSIBILITY OF WEBPAGES TO THOSE VISUALLY AND HEARING IMPAIRED, UM, THROUGH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS, UH, AND, AND MANEUVERS.
UH, THE BILL ITSELF DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE, BUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UM, AMENDED THE, UM, A DA, THE, THE FEDERAL JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AMENDED THE A DA.
AND BY THE FACT THAT OUR CIVIL RIGHTS ACT HERE IN CALIFORNIA INCORPORATES THE FEDERAL A DA LAW BY REFERENCE.
THE STANDARDS ARE AUTOMATICALLY INCUMBENT UPON US TO IMPLEMENT.
AND THIS NEW STANDARD REQUIRES STAFF TO CONVERT LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF CITY WEBPAGES AND ATTACHMENTS INTO FORMATS THAT CAN BE READ BY TECHNOLOGY THAT IS USED BY THOSE THAT ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED.
WE, WE OBVIOUSLY WANT TO EXPAND ACCESSIBILITY TO WEBPAGES FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES, ALL TYPES OF DISABILITIES.
BUT THIS IS GOING TO, THIS IS GONNA HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON WHAT CITIES CHOOSE TO INCORPORATE IN THEIR WEBSITES.
MANY CITIES ARE ALREADY TALKING ABOUT TAKING DOWN, UM, WHAT THEY CONSIDER TO BE A NON-ESSENTIAL, UH, WEBPAGE AND GOING WITH THE MINIMAL AMOUNT OF WEBPAGE THAT THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH BECAUSE IT IS, IS TIME CONSUMING AND COSTLY TO TAKE DOWN THESE, THESE WEBPAGES, ARCHIVE EVERYTHING, AND THEN CONVERT IT TO, UM, UH, TO A PLATFORM THAT THAT CAN BE USED WITH THE TECHNOLOGY THAT, THAT, UH, THE VISUALLY AND HEARING IMPAIRED USE.
SO AGAIN, THIS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO ROLL OUT BY APRIL.
UM, SO WE ARE, THIS IS, UM, LABOR INTENSIVE AND IT'S, IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA BE A SIGNIFICANT EFFORT TO, TO DO THIS.
NOW, THERE IS A GRANDFATHERING CLAUSE IN THIS, SO THAT CERTAIN PAGES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE ON OUR WEBSITE DO NOT BE, DON'T HAVE TO BE CONVERTED.
BUT CERTAINLY AS WE UPDATE OUR, OUR WEBPAGE BEYOND APRIL OF 2026 AND INCORPORATE NEW INFORMATION, THAT INFORMATION WILL HAVE TO BE, UH, IN COMPLIANCE WITH THESE GUIDELINES.
UM, YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT WE DID A SEPARATE, UH, HEARING EARLY ON IN THE SESSION ON AB 1333, THE CHANGE IN DEFINITION FOR JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE WHEN SOMEONE'S DE DEFENDING THEIR HOME OR PROPERTY.
YOU MAY ALSO REMEMBER THAT THAT PARTICULAR LEGISLATOR HELD A, A PRESS CONFERENCE SAYING HE WAS GONNA WITHDRAW THE BILL.
UM, THE BILL WAS NEVER WITHDRAWN.
IT, IT WAS STILL, IT DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE.
UH, IT'S STILL THERE, BUT THIS IS ALSO A TWO YEAR SESSION.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO PAY ATTENTION TO NEXT SESSION BECAUSE IT'S STILL, IT'S STILL HOVERING, UH, IN, IN THE PROCESS.
[02:00:02]
AND THEN, UH, SB 6 34, UH, WHICH WAS, UH, SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED, UH, TO PREVENT CITIES FROM, UH, REMOVING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS.THIS WAS BY OUR, ONE OF OUR FAVORITE LEGISLATORS IN SAN FRANCISCO.
UM, THAT DID NOT, THAT DID NOT GO ANYWHERE.
AND, UM, THAT WAS AMENDED, UM, IN, ITS, IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM WHEN IT WAS AMENDED.
IT EVENTUALLY WAS PASSED AND SIGNED, BUT IT DID NOT INCLUDE THE PROVISION, UH, TO, TO, UM, PREVENT CITIES FROM, FROM TAKING DOWN ENCAMPMENTS.
I'LL GO OVER A FEW OTHERS HERE THAT WERE NOT MENTIONED IN THE BODY, THE REPORT, BUT ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR ATTACHMENT.
UM, SB UH, 35, UH, PROVIDES FOR INVESTIGATIONS AND OR PROPOSED, UH, FOR INVESTIGATIONS AND ENFORCEMENTS OF UNLICENSED DRUG TREATMENT AND SOBER LIVING FACILITIES.
AND I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE STAFF HAS RECEIVED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT FACILITIES THAT ARE SOBER, LIVING FACILITIES AND INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES.
UM, THIS SEEMED LIKE, UH, A DECENT, UH, PIECE OF LEGISLATION, BUT IT DIED.
AND WHEN I SAY DIED, IT DIED IN THIS SESSION.
UM, WE HAVE A TWO YEAR SESSION, SO ANY OF THESE COULD POTENTIALLY COME BACK IN ANOTHER FORM.
SO, UM, AB EIGHT 70, UH, FOUR WOULD ESSENTIALLY, UH, IT DOESN'T APPLY TO US BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES, BUT ESSENTIALLY IT WOULD OUTLAW DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES.
AND THAT IS, UM, PART OF THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING THAT OUR LEGISLATURE HAS ABOUT WHY DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES ARE USED, PARTICULARLY IN CITIES THAT HAVE A STRONG URBAN RURAL INTERFACE WHERE NEW FACILITIES ARE CONSTRUCTED, ARE PAID FOR BY DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES AS DEVELOPERS EXPAND THE BOUNDARIES OF, OF THE URBAN LANDSCAPE INTO THE RURAL LANDSCAPE OR THE SUBURBAN LANDSCAPE.
AND SO IN OUR, IN OUR CASE, WE'RE BUILT OUT.
SO EVEN IF WE HAD DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES THAT WOULD ONLY BE COLLECTED IN A CERTAIN SPECIFIC, UH, CASE, UH, FOR NEW INFRASTRUCTURE OR NEW EXPANSIONS OF, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE IT, IT WON'T AFFECT US, BUT IT, IT'S JUST ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE FACT THAT, THAT THE LEGISLATURE IS PROPOSING THINGS THAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY SERVE THE LARGER, UH, HOW, HOW CITIES OPERATE, QUITE FRANKLY.
UM, AB 1154, UH, THIS, THIS BILL WOULD, UH, PROHIBIT A LOCAL AGENCY FROM IMPOSING ANY PARKING STANDARDS ON ANY ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT OF 500 SQUARE FEET OR SMALLER, UH, THAT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW.
SO AGAIN, SMALLER ADUS, NO PARKING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THE STATE'S EFFORTS TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE PARKING REQUIREMENTS IN MANY, MANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
THIS IS JUST THE LATEST CIRCUMSTANCE.
SO IT WOULD BE ON STREET PARKING AB 9 92.
THIS IS INTERESTING, UH, REQUIRES PEACE OFFICERS TO ACQUIRE AN ASSOCIATES BACHELORS OR TWO YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE WITHIN 30 MONTHS OF RECEIVING POST CERTIFICATION.
NOW WE HAVE, OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE VETERANS ON OUR, ON OUR POLICE FORCE.
I DON'T KNOW, UH, HOW MANY OF OUR RANK AND FILE POLICE OFFICERS HOLD SOME TYPE OF DEGREE, BUT, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A GRANDFATHERING, UH, CLAUSE IN THIS, AND THIS WOULD ONLY APPLY TO NEW PEOPLE COMING OUT OF POST CERTIFICATION INTO THE, INTO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT FIELD.
BUT THIS IS A NEW REQUIREMENT, UH, AB UH, 400, UH, THE BILL WOULD REQUIRE EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY THAT HAS A CANINE UNIT TO MAINTAIN A POLICY.
UH, THIS, AGAIN, WE'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE IN YEARS PAST, WHERE THERE WAS AN EFFORT TO OUTLAW ALL CANINE UNITS WHERE THERE WAS ANOTHER EFFORT TO, UH, TALK ABOUT STRONGER POLICIES WITH REGARD TO CANINE UNITS.
AND THAT THOSE POLICIES HAD TO GO THROUGH STATE APPROVAL PROCESS.
THIS IS A MUCH MORE WATERED DOWN VERSION.
UM, THIS WAS ACTUALLY VETOED BY THE GOVERNOR.
UM, I HAVE NO WORD YET ABOUT THE, THE OVERRIDE OF THE VETO, BUT THIS WAS VETOED.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S A LOT LIKELY TO GO ANYWHERE AT THIS POINT.
UM, SB 3 46 AUTHORIZES LOCAL AGENCIES TO ADOPT ORDINANCES, UH, THAT REQUIRE SHORT TERM RENTAL FACILITATORS.
THESE WOULD BE AIRBNB, VRBO TO TRANSMIT INFORMATION TO THE CITIES THAT ALLOW THE CITIES TO ADOPT ORDINANCES FOR THE PURPOSE OF COLLECTING TOT ON THOSE, ON THOSE FAC ON THOSE, UM, UH, PLACES, YOU KNOW, THE VACATION RENTALS, IF YOU WILL.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL MAY WANT TO CONSIDER, MAY WANNA REVISIT.
UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THESE TYPE OF FACILITIES BEFORE THESE AIRBNBS, UM, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE ABLE TO ACCURATELY GAUGE, UH, HOW MUCH AND WHETHER THEY ARE PAYING TTS.
THIS, THIS LAW GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO, UM, TO, TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE THAT REQUIRES THE AIRBNB
[02:05:01]
FACILITATOR OR THE FACILITATORS OF SHORT TERM RENTALS TO TRANSMIT THE INFORMATION SO THAT YOU CAN COLLECT THE TOT UH, AB SEVEN, UH, THIS WAS, THIS WAS VETOED.UM, IT, IT, IT'S ONE OF THE, IT WAS ONE OF SEVERAL OF, OF, UH, DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY IN CALIFORNIA, UM, PROVIDING A PREFERENCE AND ADMISSIONS TO CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, UH, TO AN APPLICANT WHO WAS A DESCENDANT OF SLAVERY.
SO THERE WERE SEVEN DIFFERENT SLAVERY BILLS THAT WENT THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE THIS TIME AROUND.
THIS ONE WAS VETOED, THE OTHERS DID NOT GO ANYWHERE.
SO, AGAIN, AN INTERESTING PUSH BY A CERTAIN PART OF THE LEGISLATURE IN THIS, IN THIS RESPECT.
UH, AB 2 53, THIS HAD A NUMBER OF SPONSORS.
IT, UM, UH, IT DOES MANY, MANY THINGS BY THE WAY, BUT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WOULD BE IT WAS AUTHORIZE AN APPLICANT TO CONTRACT OR EMPLOY A PRIVATE PROFESSIONAL, UH, TO PERFORM A PLAN CHECK IF THE CITY DOES NOT PERFORM A PLAN, CHECK ON THEIR BUILDING PLANS WITHIN A CERTAIN SET PERIOD OF TIME.
AND THAT'S DEFINED IN THE LAW.
UM, AND IN FACT, IT'S THE, THE TIMEFRAME EXCEEDS 30 DAYS AFTER THE APPLICATION IS CONSIDERED COMPLETE.
SO IF THE CITY DECLARES AN APPLICATION, UH, COMPLETE AND DOES NOT, UM, CONDUCT THE PLAN CHECK WITHIN 30 DAYS, THE APPLICANT HAS THE ABILITY TO HIRE SOMEBODY TO DO THAT FOR THEM.
AND THIS OBVIOUSLY NEEDS TO BE A CREDENTIALED PROFESSIONAL, AND, BUT THEY CAN, THEY CAN MOVE THE PROCESS ALONG FASTER.
AND THIS IS ALL PART OF WHAT THE LEGISLATURE BELIEVES IS THEIR ATTEMPT TO, UH, ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO MORE HOUSING AND, AND, YOU KNOW, STRENGTHEN RENA AND ALL THAT KIND OF THING.
UM, OH, THIS IS A, THIS IS ONE, THIS IS ONE THAT, THAT IS A CRAZY ONE.
UM, AB 5 0 7 ALLOWS, UH, THIS WAS SIGNED INTO LAW.
IT, IT ALLOWS ADAPTIVE REUSE PROJECTS, WHICH IS, MEANS THE CONVERSION OF ANY COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN ANY ZONE BY RIGHT, REGARDLESS OF THE ZONING, UM, AND SUBJECT TO A STREAMLINED 60 DAY MINISTERIAL REVIEW PROCESS.
SO NO PLANNING COMMISSION, NO CITY COUNCIL, UH, THIS AGAIN IS, IS, IS REALLY QUITE RIDICULOUS BECAUSE COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS ARE BUILT WITH A WHOLE DIFFERENT SET OF STANDARDS THAN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ARE.
AND TO SIMPLY ALLOW THE CONVERSION TO RESIDENTIAL, UM, ON, ON, WITH, WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS, IN ANY ZONE, IN ANY ZONE, IT COULD BE A COMMERCIAL BUILDING THAT, UH, MARKS THE FRONTIER BETWEEN A, A LIGHT COMMERCIAL AND A HEAVY COMMERCIAL USE.
SO YOU COULD BE PUTTING PEOPLE IN AN UNFAVORABLE SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES WITH THE ADJACENT USES.
SO THIS IS, AGAIN, THEY'RE NOT CONSIDERING HOW ZONING WORKS, HOW CITIES FUNCTION, HOW CITIES ARE CONSTRUCTED.
UM, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THIS IS SOMETHING ACTUALLY WE ARE SEEING.
I KNOW MR. GOBEL AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT WE ARE SEEING THIS, UM, UH, ILLEGALLY.
WE ARE SEEING THE ILLEGAL CONVERSION OF, UM, OF COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS THAT ARE BEING PURCHASED AND ARE BEING USED TO HOUSE INDIVIDUALS.
AND SO THEY CAN DO IT NOW, BUT THEY HAVE TO DO IT CORRECTLY.
UM, BUT PEOPLE ARE ALREADY, ARE ALREADY DOING THIS.
SO, UH, JUST A COUPLE OF MORE HERE.
THIS IS AGAIN, UM, TWO OF 'EM.
THE LAST TWO THAT I HAVE AGAIN, ARE FROM OUR, OUR FAVORITE LEGISLATOR IN, IN SAN FRANCISCO, SENATOR WIENER.
UH, SB 79, UH, IS THE ONE THAT ALLOWS, UM, UH, UP TO 85 FEET HIGH AND 104 DWELLING UNITS, UH, PER ACRE, NEAR TRANSIT STOPS, UM, THAT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW.
UH, IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT A NUMBER OF, UH, DIFFERENT PROVISIONS LIKE UPZONING RESIDENTIAL, UH, MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL USES WITHIN A QUARTER MILE OF A MAIN, MAJOR TRANSIT STOP.
UM, AND IT, IT, AGAIN ALLOWS, ALLOWS NO NO PARKING STANDARDS AND IT, IT ALLOWS THOSE VERY HIGH BUILDINGS.
UM, ONE OF THE ONES THAT WIENER PROPOSED THIS WOULD BE SB 6 77, PROPOSED A NUMBER OF SWEEPING CHANGES TO SB NINE.
UM, THE, THE BIG ONE OF WHICH WOULD REQUIRE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO SUBMIT ANY NEW SB NINE RULES, REGULATIONS OR ORDINANCES TO HCD FOR APPROVAL.
SO ANY, ANY CITY THAT WANTED TO MAKE ANY SORT OF POLICY OR ANY SORT OF ORDINANCE THAT TOUCHED, UH, HOW THEY WOULD REGULATE THE SB NINE, UH, WOULD HAVE TO GO TO HCD FOR APPROVAL.
AND SO THAT, THAT, THAT DIED, THAT, THAT DID NOT GO ANYWHERE, THANKFULLY.
IT ALSO PROPOSED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CHANGES TO SB NINE, UM, PERTAINING TO THE ELIGIBILITY OF ANY SINGLE FAMILY HOME OR REMOVING HOMEOWNER OCCUPANCY REQUIREMENTS, UH, FOR A DU PROPERTIES EXEMPTING, UH, PROJECTS FROM HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION CONTROLS, COVENANTS, UH, CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS
[02:10:01]
THAT HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS OFTEN PASS TO PREVENT SB NINE.UM, SO A LOT OF THESE THINGS, IT WAS A, IT WAS A SWEEPING BILL AND IT, AND IT, IT DIED.
SO THAT'S, WE HAD A COUPLE OF CRAZY ONES.
UM, MOSTLY, UM, THEY WERE SOMEWHAT RESTRAINED.
I'M SURE WE'LL DISCOVER MORE IF WE DISCOVER MORE THAT I DIDN'T COVER THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, I WILL, UM, GET, GET A MEMO OUT TO EACH OF YOU, UM, BECAUSE WE TYPICALLY DO DISCOVER THEM AS, AS THE, AS THE TIME GOES ON.
SO I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH.
AB 9 92, UH, THAT REQUIRES BACHELOR ASSOCIATES.
CAN, UM, CAN YOU, UH, HAVE AN IMPACT REPORT FOR HOW THAT'S GONNA AFFECT OUR CURRENT STAFF AND THEN LIKE RECRUITING? 'CAUSE I HAVE TO IMAGINE IT'S GONNA HAVE SOME KIND OF AN IMPACT, UM, IF OUR OFFICERS HAVE TO GET A ASSOCIATES BACHELOR'S OR THEY ENLIST MM-HMM
AND THEN I WANNA CLARIFY AB 5 0 7, THE BUY RIGHT WITH COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES BUILDING TO RESIDENTIAL IS THE LAW.
THEN SB 79, WHICH IS THE UP ZONE UP TO 85 FEET, THAT'S WHAT, SEVEN STORIES? YEAH.
ABOUT, YEAH, ABOUT SEVEN STORIES.
SO ANY COMMERCIAL PROPERTY WITHIN A QUARTER MILE OF A TRANSIT CENTER CAN NOW BY RIGHT.
BECOME A SEVEN STORY APARTMENT COMPLEX.
IF YOU'RE READING BOTH OF THOSE TOGETHER, THAT'S CORRECT.
BECAUSE IT WOULD BE ADAPTIVE REUSE ON THE ONE HAND, RIGHT.
SO YOUR ADAPTIVE REUSE FROM THE COMMERCIAL TO RESIDENTIAL, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THE NEW REQUIREMENTS THAT ALLOW FOR THOSE INCREASED DENSITY.
SO RED TOGETHER, THIS COULD, YOU JUST COULD HAVE HIT UPON ONE OF THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF THESE OR, OR INTENDED, YEAH.
I I MEAN OF THESE LAYERS UPON LAYERS, UPON LAYERS OF, OF THIS, YOU KNOW, UNIFORM ZONING EFFORT IS WHAT THEY'RE UNDERTAKING IS A UNIFORM ZONING EFFORT ACROSS THE STATE.
I MEAN, IF YOU LIVE NEAR A TRANSIT CENTER, JUST EXPECT, WAS IT A TRANSIT CENTER? IS IT A BUS STOP COUNT AS THAT, OR IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A A, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE LIKE AN MTS TRANSIT CENTER.
DESIGNATED TRANSIT CENTER, BUT OVER BY OUR ANIMAL SHELTER.
THERE'S A TRANSIT CENTER THERE AND THERE'S A LOT OF INDUSTRIAL THERE.
SO A LOT OF BUILDINGS COULD BE AFFECTED BY THAT.
I MEAN, THE WHOLE IDEA OF ZONING, GOING BACK TO OBVIOUSLY THE BEGINNING OF CITIES.
THE, THE AMBLER DECISION, WHICH IS WHAT, YOU KNOW, UH, STARTED THE AMBLER VERSUS, UH, AMBLER REALTY AND DECISION.
UM, THE, THE WHOLE IDEA OF CREATING ZONES AND THE SUPREME COURT UPHELD THIS IS TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM, YOU KNOW, A HORSE RENDERING FACILITY NEXT TO, YOU KNOW,
I MEAN, THAT, THAT'S AN EXTREME SITUATION.
SPEAKING OF SB 79, COULD YOU CHECK OUT FOR US FAA REGULATIONS AS THEY RELATE TO RELATE TO THE HEIGHT OF THOSE, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, NEW YORK GILLESPIE TRANSIT STATION IS WITHIN THE GILLESPIE FLIGHT ZONE.
SO WHO, WHO'S, YEAH, THAT'S FEDERAL.
AND THEN SB 7 0 7, THE, UH, COUNCIL MEETINGS, UH, SAYS MUST ALLOW ALL OPEN AND PUBLIC MEETINGS TO BE ACCESSIBLE VIA TWO-WAY TELEPHONIC OR AUDIO VISUAL.
IS IT EITHER OR OR IS IT BOTH? AND IT'S BOTH.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE PROVISIONS FOR BOTH.
SO IF SOMEBODY HAS VISUAL CAPABILITY, THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT.
IF THEY ONLY ARE TELEPHONIC, THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT AS WELL.
WOULDN'T THAT PUT US IN A SITUATION WHERE WE COULD LITERALLY HAVE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF PUBLIC COMMENTS YES.
AND THEY DON'T, YOU KNOW, THAT'S RIGHT.
THEY COULD BE FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE IN FOR SOME LONG MEETINGS.
I WILL GET, UH, I WILL GET A MEMO OR, OR OTHER, UH, COMMUNICATION TO YOU ON, UH, MR. ORTIZ'S, UM, REQUEST.
UH, YEAH, ACTUALLY, AND IF YOU COULD KIND OF SIMPLIFY IT FOR US NON PLANNER TYPES, UM, EXACTLY WHAT ALL OF THESE CHANGES HAVE TO DO WITH, WITH BUILDING, WITH BUILDING NEW HOUSING AND NEW.
IF YOU KIND OF SPELL IT OUT FOR US, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, YEAH, I KNOW, I KNOW IT'S EXTRA WORK.
UM, ANGELA, YOU SPEAKER CARDS FOR THIS? ALRIGHT, WELL IT'S JUST INFORMATION ITEM, SO UNLESS ANYBODY ELSE HAS SOMETHING TO SAY, I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO THE NEXT.
UH, WE HAVE NO COMMISSION REPORTS ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
ITEM 18 IS MY ACTIVITIES REPORT.
UM, IT REMAINS AS STANDARD, BUT I, UM, I DID A COUPLE OTHER
[02:15:01]
THINGS ON, UM, SATURDAY NIGHT I WENT TO THE HOPE FOR IRAQI CHRISTIANS GALA.OH, ACTUALLY IT WAS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT I WENT TO STAND WITH US GALA.
THIS MORNING I MET WITH THE MCALLISTER INSTITUTE AND THE FREEDOM RANCH, UH, REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE MCALLISTER INSTITUTE AND THEN LATER REPRESENTATIVES WITH FREEDOM RANCH.
ALRIGHT, UM, MR. GOBEL, UH, MINE'S AS REPORTED.
I DID GO TO THE PICKLEBALL GRAND OPENING ON FRIDAY.
THAT IS JUST AN IMPRESSIVE PROJECT.
IT'S DOWN TO THE POINT WHERE THEY HAVE LED LIGHTING THAT WILL COME ON AT 50% SAY AT FOUR 30, BUT AT 70% AT EIGHT O'CLOCK.
SO IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE AMBIENT LIGHT AND HOW WE LIGHT THINGS.
IT'S A GREAT, THEY'VE SET UP A CLUB MEMBERSHIP FOR $25 FOR SENIORS THAT YOU CAN RESERVE A COURT.
EVERYTHING WAS SO WELL THOUGHT OUT AND THE PLACE WAS PACKED ON FRIDAY.
DID YOU PLAY? NO, BUT I AM TAKING MY FIRST PICKLEBALL CLASS TOMORROW MORNING AT BOSTONIAN REC CENTER.
I'LL SHOW THE BRUISES NEXT TIME.
UH, MR. KENDRICK AS REPORTED, MS. MITCHELL, UM, AS REPORTED, I DO HAVE TWO THINGS TO ADD.
I ALSO WENT TO THE PICKLEBALL GRAND OPENING AND UH, LAST WEEK I ATTENDED THE, UM, WALK RALLY FOR HOMESTART FOR HOUSING FOR YOUTH.
AND IT'S MY FOURTH YEAR AND, UH, IT'S ALWAYS INSPIRING.
WE HAD A LOT OF REALLY GREAT KIDS.
WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE ATTEND THE WALK RALLY AND UM, HOPEFULLY WE CAN BRING MORE AWARENESS TO GET HOUSING FOR YOUTH.
AS REPORTED, THERE ARE NO JOINT COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS, NO GENERAL INFORMATION ITEMS ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
ITEM 23 IS A FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE APPLICABLE TO THE AGE OF PERSONS ALLOWED TO PURCHASE TOBACCO PRODUCTS.
AND I'LL ASK STAFF TO TELL US ABOUT THIS.
UH, HELLO MAYOR AND COUNCIL, UH, AGAIN, NOAH ALVY WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AT THE OCTOBER 28TH, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEETING, UH, WE CONDUCTED A PUBLIC HEARING ON TOBACCO REGULATIONS, UH, THAT INVOLVED, UH, DISPLAY, UH, THE PURCHASE AGE, UH, FOR INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS, UH, OPTIONS TO ALLOW SMOKE SHOP, UH, RELOCATIONS.
UM, SO, UH, THE COUNCIL ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO MAKE NO CHANGES TO THE TOBACCO DISPLAY AREAS, UH, BUT COUNCIL DIRECTED STAFF TO COME BACK WITH AN ORDINANCE TO UPDATE THE AGE OF PEOPLE ELIGIBLE TO BUY TOBACCO AND TO ALLOW FOR THE SMOKE SHOP RELOCATIONS.
SO WE'VE CLEANED UP THAT ORDINANCE AND IT'S PRESENTED TO YOU, UH, THIS EVENING FOR ITS, UH, INTRODUCTION.
AND THEN FOR, UH, AND THEN WE'RE, UH, RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY CLERK, UH, RECITE THE TITLE.
UM, COUNSEL, HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR NOAH? UH, ANGELA, DO YOU HAVE SPEAKER CARDS ON THIS ITEM? NO SPEAKER CARDS, SIR.
UNLESS THERE'S NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO INTRODUCE THE ORDINANCE.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO INTRODUCE THE ORDINANCE AND REQUEST THE CITY CLERK TO READ THE TITLE.
READ THE ORDINANCE BY TITLE ONLY.
I'LL SECOND THAT AND I'LL VOTE YES.
MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE AND THE TITLE FOR THE ORDINANCE IS AN ORDINANCE REPLACING SECTION 17.24 0.07, ZERO POINT E, UPDATING THE MINIMUM AGE FOR PERSONS PURCHASING TOBACCO FROM 18 TO 21 AND ADDING A NEW SECTION 17.24 0.095 APPLICABLE TO THE RELOCATION OF SPOKE SHOPS TO CHAPTER 17.240 OF TITLE 17 OF THE EL CAJON MUNICIPAL CODE.
THERE ARE NO SECOND READINGS OR ORDINANCES ON TODAY'S AGENDA THAT BRINGS US TO CLOSED SESSION.
OUR CITY ATTORNEY WILL RECITE THE TITLE AND LEAD US INTO CLOSED SESSION.
UH, THE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE MEETING IN CLOSED SESSION FOR TWO ITEMS. ONE IS A CLOSED SESSION FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 5 4 9 5 7 B ONE, THE TITLE OF THE POSITION OF CITY ATTORNEY.
AND THE SECOND IS A CLOSED SESSION FOR CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL ON EXISTING LITIGATION PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH ONE OF SUBDIVISION D OF GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 4 9 5 6 0.9.
THE NAME OF THE CASE IS JASON, SERGEANT VERSUS CITY OF EL CAJON.
THAT'S A SUPERIOR COURT CASE HERE IN SAN DIEGO.
UH, CASE NUMBER TWO FIVE CU 0 4 9 8 6 3 C.
ALRIGHT, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN TO CLOSE SESSION.
I SAY YES, YES, YES, YES, YES.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE'LL BE RIGHT.
OH, THANK YOU LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE'LL BE BACK IN A MINUTE TO CONCLUDE THE MEETING.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE'RE BACK FROM CLOSED SESSION AND I'M GONNA ASK, UM, OUR CITY ATTORNEY TO REPORT ON THE, ON WHAT
[02:20:01]
HAPPENED IN CLOSED SESSION MORE, UH, GRAHAM, DO YOU, HOW GRAHAM ARE YOU, DO YOU NEED TO REPORT ON THIS AS WELL? THANK YOU MAYOR.THE CITY COUNCIL MET ENCLO SESSION ON TWO ITEMS. THE FIRST ITEM WAS A CLOSED SESSION FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT PURSUANT TO CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 4 9 57 B ONE.
THE TITLE OF THE POSITION WAS A CITY ATTORNEY AND MR. MITCHELL HAS THAT ANNOUNCEMENT.
THE CITY COUNCIL HAS UNANIMOUSLY APPOINTED JENNIFER LYON TO SERVE AS THE ATTORNEY FOR THE CITY OF EL CAJON PENDING, UM, PENDING SOME CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS.
AND THE, UH, OTHER ITEM WAS CLOSED SESSION FOR CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL ON EXISTING LITIGATION PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH ONE OF SUBDIVISION D OF GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 4 9 5 6 0.9 AS DESCRIBED PREVIOUSLY.
AND DIRECTION WAS, IT WAS AN INFORMATIONAL ITEM, SO THERE WAS NO ACTION TAKEN ON THAT ITEM.
ALRIGHT, THIS BRINGS US TO THE ADJOURNMENT, THE SPECIAL JOINT MEDIA OF THE ELON CITY COUNCIL.
EL CAJON HOUSING AUTHORITY SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE EL CAJON REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY HELD THIS 18TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2025 IS ADJOURNED UNTIL TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9TH, 2025 AT 3:00 PM THANK YOU VERY MUCH.