The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and the San Diego general public informed about important Council and Planning Commission hearings and other city public meetings.
Editor’s note: Last Wednesday’s Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee agenda included an item on the impact of paid parking on Balboa Park. The item was pulled before the meeting at the request of city staff.
Monday, May 18: City Council, 2:00 p.m.
Item 200: FY2026 Third Quarter Budget Monitoring Report
Why it matters: FY2026 revenues are expected to be down $10.5 million versus the budget. Fortunately, expenditures will likely be $1.7 million less than the decreased $2.1 billion revenue. But here’s the fine print: If revenues don’t exceed expenditures, “authority is requested, as a contingency, to draw from the General Fund Stability Reserve as needed to ensure the General Fund ends the fiscal year balanced.”
Monday, May 18: City Council, 6:00 p.m.
Item 202: May Revision to the FY2027 Draft Budget and Public Hearing on the 2027 Draft Budget
Why it matters: Under pressure from an angry public, Mayor Gloria has restored funding for December Nights and shrunk proposed cuts to libraries and recreation centers. (Those restorations put $53 million back in the budget. Where did that money come from?) And as reported in the Union-Tribune, “local arts organizations are still facing the elimination of $11.8 million in annual city grants” and “cuts to homeless services, zoning investigators and facilities maintenance” are still in place.
Tuesday, May 19: City Council, 10:00 a.m.
Item 34 and 35: Al Teatro Catering Day and Callie Day
Why it matters: City Council proclamations are meaningful ways to acknowledge people who serve the public interest. But sometimes we wonder why certain honorees – in this case, a catering service and a restaurant – were chosen for special recognition. Given the Council’s ongoing concern about meetings that run long, it’s fair to ask: What are the selection criteria, and who exactly makes the selections?
Tuesday, May 19: City Council, 2:00 p.m.
Item 330: Residential Rental Price Gouging, Fee Exploitation, and Cost Transparency Ordinance
Why it matters: Once again, Sean Elo-Rivera has taken the worthy issue of tenants’ rights protection and used it to wage ideological warfare against landlords. The staff report cites national data and statistics from other cities and states. What is the scope of the problem here in San Diego? Honest landlords who face burdensome costs and restrictions will be forced to raise rents for everyone. How does that help tenants?
Thursday, May 21: Environment Committee, 1:00 p.m.
Item 4: Collection of Solid Waste Management Fee on County Tax Roll
Why it matters: This would re-authorize the city’s ability to add the bait-and-switch trash fees to county property tax bills for another fiscal year. It is certain to pass – Mayor Gloria has already warned that San Diego will go bust without the trash fees – but this meeting presents another opportunity for the public to condemn this loathsome cash grab.
Item 8: City-Provided Residential Solid Waste Management Services Implementation Update
Why it matters: The 8-page staff report for this agenda item paints a rosy picture of how wonderfully the new fee-based trash collection is serving the public. It emphasizes that the new service “directly aligns with all four of the [City of San Diego] Strategic Plan’s Operating Principles.” Here are two of them:
“Customer Service: We value our residents, customers, and employees by designing solutions and services that put people first.”
“Trust & Transparency: We value transparency by using data to make better-informed decisions and build trust with the public.”
Coercing residents to pay trash fees through their property taxes or face foreclosure doesn’t “put people first.” And deceiving voters with bait-and-switch fee estimates doesn’t “built trust with the public.”
In-person: Council, 202 C St.,
To participate via Zoom and submit written comments, click on the meeting agenda and look for the links.
