[CALL TO ORDER ]
          [00:00:03]
          WELL, IT'S 2:30 IN THE AFTERNOON FOR THIS SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CARLSBAD CITY COUNCIL. 
          LET THE CLERK NOTE THAT ALL FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. 
          BEFORE WE TURN IT OVER TO CELIA, IS THERE ANYBODY WISHING TO SPEAK ON AN AGENDA ITEM OR 
          [PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEM]
NON AGENDA ITEM? YES, MAYOR, WE DO HAVE ONE SPEAKER. 
          IT'S DIANE NYGAARD. 
          PLEASE PRESS STAR NINE TO RAISE YOUR HAND. 
          PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE. 
          UH. I GUESS I'M SUPPOSED TO SPEAK NOW. 
          YES. GO AHEAD, PLEASE. 
          I'M SORRY. THIS DIANE NYGAARD REPRESENTING NORTH COUNTY ADVOCATES. 
          WE THOUGHT WE'D JUST TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO CLARIFY WHY WE DID NOT SUPPORT THIS ACQUISITION WHEN WE WERE MEETING WITH CITY STAFF TO COME UP WITH WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS LANDOWNER, MOST OF WHICH WE CAN'T SAY HERE. 
          BUT GARY BARBARO CHARACTERIZED IT AS HE'S NOT A DEVELOPER, HE'S A LAND SPECULATOR, AND WE THINK HE JUST MADE A BAD BUSINESS DECISION AND NOW SEES THE CITY AS HIS WAY OUT. 
          OF COURSE, IN THEORY, WE'D LIKE TO SEE ALL AVAILABLE LAND PRESERVED AS OPEN SPACE, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS, SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S GOOD VALUE FOR THAT INVESTMENT. 
          EVERY OTHER PARCEL EVALUATED BY THE OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE CAME FROM STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE EVALUATED THIS INDIVIDUAL PARCELS. 
          BUT LATE IN THE PROCESS, 14 PARCELS AT SUNNY CREEK, INCLUDING THIS PARTICULAR ONE, WERE ADDED TO THE LIST. 
          BUT THEY DIDN'T COME FROM STAFF. 
          THEY CAME FROM COUNCIL AND THEY WERE NOT EVALUATED BY PARCEL. 
          14 WERE ALL LUMPED TOGETHER. 
          WE DON'T KNOW WHY THAT OCCURRED, BUT IT WASN'T CONSISTENT WITH HOW EVERY OTHER PROPERTY WAS EVALUATED AND PUT ON THE LIST. 
          WE WORKED REAL HARD YEARS AGO TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACTS OF DEVELOPMENT ON THIS PARCEL WHEN IT WAS ENTITLED, AND THE MAJORITY OF IT IS GOING TO BE PRESERVED AS OPEN SPACE, EVEN IF THERE IS NO ACQUISITION. 
          AND I WANT TO REPEAT THAT THE MAJORITY IS ALREADY REQUIRED TO BE PRESERVED AT NO COST TO THE CITY. AND WE, OF COURSE, ARE ALSO CONCERNED THAT IF LOWER VALUE ACQUISITIONS LIKE THIS ONE PROCEED, THEN WHEN WE'VE GOT A REAL HIGH VALUE ONE THAT WE'D LOVE TO SEE ACQUIRED, WE'LL HEAR, OH MY GOSH, WE'VE ALREADY SPENT TOO MUCH MONEY ON LAND ACQUISITIONS. WE CAN'T DO ANYMORE AND WE WE REALLY DON'T WANT TO RISK THAT HAPPENING. 
          AND WE NOTE THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING TO LEVERAGE FUNDS FOR ACQUISITIONS SO THAT THE CITY IS NOT PAYING 100 PERCENT OF THE COST. 
          THIS, OF COURSE, TAKES MORE WORK TO MAKE HAPPEN, BUT IT MEANS THAT WE CAN ACQUIRE MORE OPEN SPACE LAND WITH LESS TAXPAYER DOLLARS. 
          AND SINCE THE CITY STARTED USING MEASURES THESE FUNDS FOR ACQUISITION, THERE HAS BEEN NO EFFORT, NO LEVERAGING OF ANY OF THAT FUNDS. 
          AND WE WOULD ASK THAT THAT BE PART OF YOUR DIRECTION TO STAFF TO REALLY LOOK AT SALVAGING. AND LASTLY, WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW STAFF HAS BEEN INTERPRETING THE COUNCIL DIRECTION TO ONLY PURSUE ACQUISITIONS. 
          WHEN THERE IS A WILLING SELLER, THEY WAIT FOR THE OWNER TO COME TO THEM. 
          OF COURSE, NO ONE WOULD WANT A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY TO BE INVESTED ON PROPERTIES THAT ARE NOT FOR SALE, BUT DEVELOPERS ARE KNOCKING ON DOORS ALL THE TIME. 
          AND IF LAND OWNERS DON'T KNOW THEY HAVE AN OPTION FOR CONSERVATION SALE, WHY WOULD THEY EVER APPROACH THE CITY? THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY CAN SELL THEIR LAND FOR DEVELOPMENT, BUT THEY DO HAVE A CHOICE AND THEY COULD ALSO. 
          OK. I THINK MS. NYGAARD AND THEN I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU. 
          MS. BREWER, THANK YOU. 
          [CLOSED SESSION ]
IF YOU'RE READY, THE COUNCIL WILL NOW GO INTO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54956.8 TO DISCUSS REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATIONS WITH RESPECT TO A PIECE OF PROPERTY IN THE SUNNY CREEK SPECIFIC PLAN AREA. 
          WHEN YOU'RE READY, PLEASE JOIN THE ROOM.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.