San Diego City Council Committees Disrespect the Public
By Paul Krueger
Twice in one week, City Council Committees demonstrated blatant disregard for public interest and input on important issues.
At the November 19 Council Rules Committee meeting, Kent Lee was absent, and Vivian Moreno and Sean Elo-Rivera abruptly walked out — with no explanation — before the meeting ended.
Their absence deprived the Committee of a quorum, ending discussion and a committee decision on a proposed ballot measure calling for free Sunday parking in Balboa Park.
That proposal by Shane Harris was endorsed by several members of the public, who testified in person and by phone.
The Committee’s failure to finish its work could jeopardize Harris’ proposal, because there is a strict timeline for the council to review citizen-proposed ballot measures, and the Rules Committee isn’t scheduled to meet again until January.
To his credit, LaCava said he’ll do his best to calendar a December meeting, to ensure the free Sunday Parking proposal doesn’t miss the deadline. But that means Harris and his supporters will have to carve time out of the day for discussion of an issue that could have been dealt with last week.
Two days later, on November 21, Land Use & Housing Committee Chair Kent Lee abruptly adjourned that meeting, citing the lack of a quorum.
But Lee was wrong; three committee members were still present, which constituted a quorum.
When community activist and College area resident Danna Givot called out that fact from the audience and reminded Lee that non-agenda public comment had not yet been heard, the committee chairman shrugged, turned his back to the audience, and walked out.
Meeting over.
Givot wasn’t the only member of the public who’d sacrifice time to drive downtown, pay for parking, participate in a discussion of the College Area Plan Update, and wait patiently for non-agenda public comment, only to have the lights turned off and doors shut before she could speak.
In addition to Givot and other audience members, residents calling in from their home or office lost an opportunity to address the Committee on issues that are important to themselves and to others.
These two examples of the council’s disregard for the public’s time and input might not violate the state’s Open Meeting Act, but they demonstrate a blatant disregard for all San Diego residents, who value civic engagement and good government, and who pay the salaries of our elected officials and their staff.
“. . . Democracy dies in darkness”, and this council, with the help of this administration, is heading to the darkest hour that San Diego has ever experienced.
No surprise with Elo, and Foster has missed quite a few votes as well.
Yes, we know it all too well – missed mtgs and absentee voting. Such behaviors should bar them from serving on these committees.
This is nothing new or diverging from the behavior of past councils. I remember testifying in front of the council and a very serious matter and having the then-mayor making faces at me from her seat. Very disconcerting. And disrespectful.
Hmmm, let’s see … we’ve had several woman mayors over the years – Susan, Maureen, oh and Tony Atkins was a deputy mayor while she was on council.
Frank, I’ll tell you privately, if you really want to know.
that’s what you get when they are getting paid over 200K a year…..
I would like to point out that City Attorney Corrine Neuffer was present on 11/21/25 when LU&H Chairman Lee falsely declared the lack of a quorum (with Moreno, Elo-Rivera and Lee all present on the dais – 3 of the 4 committee members) and adjourned the meeting. The City Attorney did nothing to correct the situation, nor did Elo-Rivera or Moreno. They were all complicit in this blatant untruth as they turned their backs on the public and left the meeting, refusing to hear non-agenda public comment. At this point, even the pretense of respect for the public is gone among these so-called “public servants.”
“Cindy”: You need help. You seem to be spiraling out of control. Make an appointment with your primary care physician, and explain that you need a psychiatric referral. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Life can be very stressful, and sometimes people crack under the pressure. Just don’t put it off. Time is of the essence. Good luck.
A bit uncalled for, Kate. This person just sounds pissed off. Enough to belt out a written snarl from the large heavy bag of frustration she’s carrying about the clown show we call politics.
And honestly, aren’t you tired of the same old crap day after week after month after year after election cycle? Fighting the same battles over and over? Sometimes it DOES feel like a string of Don Quixote moments as different faces come and go depending mostly on how much money they pull in from ‘campaign’ contributors. There’s another word for that…
But the policies seem to always end up benefiting the same class of citizens. Or those that aspire to the exalted social status of privilege and power. So often it seems to be the worst of the worse even when they weren’t at first. Funny how that works, eh?
After all, this pattern has given us DJT back happily living in what is left of the White House with his Home Base glittering golden trinkets covering the walls, yes? He just “loves the under-educated.” The money game is well-entrenched in both the Democrat and Republican party leaders who are generally already part of that wealthy elite. Or beholden to those who are.
A two-party political system funded by the top bracket of the wealthy elite (for the most part) isn’t all that different than Rome was during its decline and fall.
And we have so many other civilizations that have imploded to compare with, too, that have suffered the same fate in near identical ways with one another thousands of years apart.
Big sigh. All Empires die, and it’s obviously always been an ugly process, at least according to different histories I’ve read.
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Cindy Grabewski: All I can offer is try to do something fun every day. Just one thing.
sealintheSelkirks
Comparing a woman running for elected office to “a street walker” begging for money calls for a total smackdown. There’s pissed off, and then there’s hateful and venomous. I stand by what I wrote. “Cindy” (not the poster’s real name, BTW) is spiraling out of control and does need help.
This is an outrage. There is almost nothing actually *required* of a councilmember other than to go to meetings (and approve a budget). When you’re not willing to do even this minimal amount of work you should not get paid.
There should be consequences for unexcused absences. Like any job.
Imagine walking out in the middle of a work meeting with a client. Unfashionable! I guess they don’t work for us anyways…
I’m beginning to think city councils are carrying out the dictates of Sacramento and Governor Newsom. Community input is no longer needed or wanted. It’s part of a much larger plan and we’re powerless to stop it.
How about the much larger plan that Trump dictates; be more worried about that than Newsom’s vicissitudes. At least he — along with a vast majority of Calif voters — moved against Trump and Texas with Prop 50. We the voters are powerful and hopefully we can stop fascism in its tracks.