Nov 14, 2023 City Council Meeting

[00:00:04]

IT'S 5:00, I'M CALLING TONIGHT'S MEETING TO ORDER.

[CALL TO ORDER]

ALL FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT.

PLEASE STAND AND JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE TO OUR FLAG.

ALLEGIANCE].

NEXT IS PRESENTATIONS.

[PRESENTATIONS]

OKAY. I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE STUDENTS FROM LA COSTA MEADOWS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

HANNAH PLOTNER AND PRESLEY [INAUDIBLE].

COULD YOU COME ON UP TO THE PODIUM, PLEASE? AND WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SAY A FEW WORDS AND THEN WE'LL ASK YOU TO SAY A FEW WORDS, AND THEN WE MAY HAVE A PHOTO OPPORTUNITY AFTER A COUPLE OTHER PROCLAMATIONS.

OKAY. SO WHEREAS THE CITY OF CARLSBAD RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING AND PRESERVING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES AND ADOPTING CONSCIENTIOUS HABITS THAT BRING ABOUT A CLEANER, SAFER, AND A MORE SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT.

AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF CARLSBAD'S ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDING PRINCIPLES SUPPORT MAXIMIZING RECYCLING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY EFFORT, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF CARLSBAD IS LEADING BY EXAMPLE, BY IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES THAT PROMOTE REDUCING, REUSING AND RECYCLING AND REAFFIRM THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP.

AND WHEREAS, WE MUST CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON WASTE REDUCTION, COMPOSTING, THE REUSE OF PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS, AND USE PRODUCTS MADE WITH RECYCLED MATERIALS.

AND WHEREAS TODAY WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING TOGETHER TO RECYCLE WASTE AND DEVELOP INNOVATIVE WAYS TO MANAGE OUR RESOURCES MORE SUSTAINABLY NOW, THEREFORE, I, COUNCILMEMBER CAROLYN LUNA, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DO PROCLAIM NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023 AS AMERICA RECYCLES DAY IN THE CITY OF CARLSBAD.

YOUR TURN.

GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS HANNAH AND MY NAME IS PRESLEY, ON AMERICA'S RECYCLE DAY, THE LA COSTA MEADOWS STUDENTS PLEDGE TO LEARN, ACT AND SHARE OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE THREE R'S REDUCING, REUSING AND RECYCLING.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECYCLE BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF ITEMS GOING INTO PLACES WHERE THEY SHOULDN'T BE, SUCH AS OUR CARLSBAD BEACHES.

BUT IF WE RECYCLE, WE CAN COLLECT THESE ITEMS AND TAKE THEM TO THE RECYCLING CENTERS WHERE THEY CAN BE SORTED RIGHT AND USED AGAIN.

RECYCLING IS TURNING SOMETHING OLD INTO SOMETHING NEW, LIKE OLD SODA CANS INTO A BASEBALL BAT.

AT LA COSTA MEADOWS ELEMENTARY, WE HAVE CREATED A TALKING TRASH COMMITTEE.

WE HELP OUR CLASSMATES REMEMBER HOW TO RECYCLE RIGHT AND SORT CORRECTLY.

DURING OUR BREAKFAST AND LUNCH TIME.

WE WORK WITH OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, MISS BARNHILL, AND OUR CUSTODIAN, MR. MIKE, TO MAKE SURE OUR CAMPUS IS A LEADER IN PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT.

TODAY, WE WANT TO THANK CARLSBAD CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND RECYCLING EFFORTS THROUGH THE YEAR IN OUR CITY.

ALSO, WE ASK CARLSBAD RESIDENTS AND FELLOW STUDENTS TO JOIN US IN THE THREE R'S REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE.

OVERALL, WE LOVE HELPING STUDENTS TO LEARN AND TO LEARN HOW TO RECYCLE.

AND KEEPING OUR CAMPUS CLEAN.

THANK YOU.

PLEASE STICK AROUND AS SOON AS WE FINISH WITH THE NEXT PROCLAMATION, THEN WE'RE GOING TO DO A GROUP PICTURE.

[INAUDIBLE]. THANK YOU.

WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME FOR SLIDES.

AND I GET TO DO THE NEXT PROCLAMATION.

I INVITE CHRISTINE DAVIS AND BRETT ASCHENBACH, TO THE PODIUM.

IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO LEARN HOW TO SAY ASCHENBACH, BUT I CAN SAY IT, BUT I CAN'T SPELL IT YET.

SO IT'S MY PLEASURE TO READ THE PROCLAMATION FOR SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY.

IT READS THE CITY OF CARLSBAD CELEBRATES OUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS THEY MAKE TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY AND COMMUNITY.

SMALL BUSINESSES REPRESENT 98% OF ALL FIRMS IN CARLSBAD, AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR NEARLY HALF OF ALL JOBS IN THE CITY.

PATRONIZING CARLSBAD SMALL BUSINESSES YIELDS LOCAL ECONOMIC BENEFIT, WITH DOLLARS SPENT STAYING IN OUR COMMUNITY PROMOTING VIBRANT COMMUNITIES.

96% OF CONSUMERS WHO SHOP ON SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY REPORT THE DAY MAKES THEM WANT TO SHOP OR EAT AT SMALL, INDEPENDENTLY

[00:05:04]

AND ACCORDING TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, THERE ARE 30.2 MILLION SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE UNITED STATES, EMPLOYING AN ESTIMATED 47.5% OF THE EMPLOYEES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

NOW, THEREFORE, I. KEITH BLACKBURN, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM NOVEMBER 25TH, 2023 TO BE SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY IN THE CITY OF CARLSBAD.

AND I INVITE YOU GUYS TO SAY A FEW WORDS, PLEASE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

AS YOU MENTIONED, SMALL BUSINESSES ARE THE HEART OF OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY, NOT JUST GLOBALLY, BUT HERE IN CARLSBAD SPECIFICALLY.

IN 2021, THERE WAS A RECORD NUMBER OF NEW BUSINESS LICENSES THAT WERE FILED IN THE US, 5.4 MILLION.

AND LAST YEAR WE ALMOST MATCHED THAT AT 5.1 MILLION.

SO THAT'S A GREAT SIGN OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE COUNTRY.

BUT SMALL BUSINESSES NEED A LOT OF SUPPORT.

SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU GUYS AND HOW YOU SUPPORT THEM.

INFLATION IS STILL THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN RIGHT NOW FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IS CONTINUES TO BE A CHALLENGE.

IT'S SOFTENING A LITTLE BIT WITH SOME OF THE TECH LAYOFFS, BUT WITH 10.8 MILLION JOB OPENINGS AND ONLY 5.9 MILLION PEOPLE ON UNEMPLOYMENT, THAT'S A BIG GAP.

AND SO THERE'S STILL A CHALLENGE IN FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO FIT THE RIGHT SEATS.

AND SMALL BUSINESSES ARE ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY.

66% DONATE TO LOCAL CHARITIES, 64% DONATE GOODS AND SERVICES TO LOCAL EVENTS, AND 56 OFFER DISCOUNTS TO GROUPS LIKE TEACHERS AND VETERANS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO AND YOU CAN DO TO SUPPORT THEM AS MUCH APPRECIATED.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I'D LIKE TO INVITE ALL OF YOU AND EVERYONE LISTENING TO SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY DOWN IN THE VILLAGE WHERE WE'RE BASICALLY THROWING A BIG OLD PARTY.

SO FROM 11 A.M.

TO 4 P.M., WE WILL HAVE A TENT SET UP AT THE CORNER OF GRAND AND STATE.

WE'LL BE GIVING AWAY OVER $1,000 WORTH OF GIFT CARD GIVEAWAYS TO RESTAURANTS.

SO COME SHOP, COME DINE, LISTEN TO HOLIDAY MUSIC AND HAVE A GREAT TIME.

WE DO HAVE A GRAND PRIZE TOO, A NIGHT STAY AT THE BEACH TERRACE END.

SO WE'RE SUPPORTING ALL OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ALL DAY LONG IN THE VILLAGE.

AND WE JUST WANT YOU TO COME DOWN AND SHOP, DINE AND CELEBRATE THESE AMAZING BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT'S QUITE AN HONOR.

THANK YOU. AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH A PICTURE WITH THE COUNCIL WITH THE TWO OF YOU PLEASE.

[00:11:21]

NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT.

[PUBLIC COMMENT]

THE BROWN ACT ALLOWS ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA.

PLEASE TREAT OTHERS WITH COURTESY, CIVILITY AND RESPECT.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING BY PROVIDING COMMENTS AS PROVIDED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THIS AGENDA.

THE CITY COUNCIL WILL RECEIVE COMMENTS AS REQUESTED, UP TO A TOTAL OF 15 MINUTES IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS MEETING.

ALL OTHER NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENTS WILL BE HEARD AT THE END OF THIS MEETING IN CONFORMANCE WITH THE BROWN ACT.

NO ACTION CAN OCCUR ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS. WE WELCOME CLAPPING DURING THE CEREMONIAL PRESENTATIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

HOWEVER, WE ASK THAT YOU REFRAIN FROM CLAPPING DURING THE BUSINESS SECTION OF THE MEETING, STARTING WITH THE NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT.

THIS WILL HELP MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS CAN BE CONDUCTED EFFICIENTLY, AND THAT THIS CHAMBER IS A PLACE WHERE ALL POINTS OF VIEW ARE WELCOMED AND RESPECTED.

WHEN THE CLERK CALLS YOUR NAME, YOU'LL BE INVITED TO THE PODIUM.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK.

AT THE 2.5 MINUTE MARK.

IT'LL TURN YELLOW TO GIVE YOU A WARNING.

YOU ONLY HAVE 30S LEFT.

I'VE ASKED THAT THE CLERK TURN OFF THE MICROPHONE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE THREE MINUTES.

THAT WAY, EVERYBODY GETS EXACTLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME.

CLERK PLEASE CALL THE FIRST SPEAKER, MARY LUCID, FOLLOWED BY DON CHRISTIANSEN.

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

I WANT TO TELL YOU, PEOPLE ARE WATCHING.

A FRIEND OF MINE GOT A PHONE CALL AND SAID, MARY, PEOPLE ARE CALLING ME ASKING ABOUT THE SENIOR CENTER.

SO I'M GLAD YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SENIORS AND THE SENIOR CENTER.

BUT INSTEAD OF CALLING PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND A WHILE AND KNOW A LOT ABOUT IT, COME TO THE SENIOR CENTER, TAKE A LOOK. THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN GOING THERE YOURSELF AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW ARE BLAMING ME FOR YOUR PHONE CALLS, SO RUN INTO THEM CASUALLY IF YOU HAVE TO, BUT PLEASE DON'T PHONE THEM.

COME TO THE SENIOR CENTER AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.

I'M STILL AMAZED THAT THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON THE COMMENT CARDS AT THE SENIOR CENTER.

BUT ONE OTHER THING THEY NEED THINGS THERE AND THINGS ARE DONATED THAT TIS THE SEASON TO BE GIVING.

THEY WON'T EVEN GIVE A 50 CENT CUP OF COFFEE EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN MONEY.

SO IF YOU GIVE MONEY, PLEASE SPECIFY WHAT YOU WANT IT USED FOR.

TO BUY BACKGAMMON GAMES.

TO BUY YAHTZEE CARDS.

TO BUY COFFEE.

FOR SENIORS, IT'S $0.50 A CUP.

100 BUCKS WOULD KILL THEM FOR 200 CUPS OF COFFEE.

SO IF YOU'RE GIVING MONEY TO THE SENIOR CENTER FOR THE BENEFIT OF SENIORS, TELL THEM YOU WANT TO BUY COFFEE FOR PEOPLE.

TELL THEM YOU WANT SALAD.

APPARENTLY, THEY CAN'T AFFORD SALAD BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO GIVE THE MONEY BACK BECAUSE THERE'S NO OVERSIGHT.

I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE COMMUNITY FACILITIES, DISTRICTS AND FUNDS ARE COLLECTED FOR FUTURE PROJECTS LIKE A SECOND SENIOR CENTER.

[00:15:03]

CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE RUNNING IN DISTRICT FOUR, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE A SECOND SENIOR CENTER SOUTH OF TOWN.

COMMUNITY FACILITIES.

DISTRICT FOUR FUNDS.

PLEASE CHECK INTO THAT AND WHEN YOU'RE THERE OR TALKING TO SOMEONE AT CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU CAN REQUEST MONEY TO BE SPENT ON SALADS.

FOR ALL THOSE TV DINNERS WE HAD TO EAT DURING COVID.

SO MAYBE YOU'D WANT TO TELL THEM HOW TO SERVE SALADS, EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE HAD FOOD HANDLER'S TRAINING.

AND MAYBE SCOTT CHADWICK CAN SHOW THEM HOW TO FILL OUT COMMENT CARD RESPONSES, OR COME THERE AND HAVE AN ONCE A QUARTER MEETING.

YOU GUYS ARE WONDERFUL.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

MAYOR, COUNCIL STAFF, FELLOW CITIZENS.

MY NAME IS DON CHRISTIANSEN.

I LIVE AT 3715 LONGVIEW DRIVE AND I AM A DECENTRALIZED RENEWABLE ENERGY ADVOCATE.

I WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT HERE LAST WEEK FOR THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN MEETING, SO I'D LIKE TO JUST SHARE A FEW THOUGHTS TONIGHT, STARTING WITH THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND RENEWABLE ENERGY IN GENERAL.

I DID COMPLETE THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN SURVEY AND FOUND THAT, QUOTE, THERE IS A SUPPORTING ACTION GOAL TO ASSESS FEASIBILITY OF INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS OVER PARKING SPOTS AT CITY FACILITIES.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO CREATE SOLAR ELECTRIC CANOPIES WHERE FEASIBLE OVER ALL PARKING LOTS, INCLUDING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. OUR COMMUNITY VISION STATES SUSTAINABILITY BUILD ON THE CITY'S SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES TO EMERGE AS A LEADER IN GREEN DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY.

PURSUE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, PARTICULARLY ON SUSTAINABLE WATER, ENERGY, RECYCLING AND FOODS.

OUR COMMUNITY VISION WOULD BE BETTER SERVED BY CREATING SOLAR ELECTRIC CANOPIES WHERE FEASIBLE, OVER ALL PARKING LOTS IN CARLSBAD.

I AM VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY.

I THINK WE SHOULD DO WHAT WE CAN LOCALLY TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL, AND THEN BUILD TRANSMISSION LINES AND UTILITY SCALE PROJECTS AS NEEDED.

LOCAL ELECTRIC GENERATION CREATES LOCAL JOBS AND LOCAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, INCREASES RESILIENCY, DECREASES GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, AND CAN BE LESS EXPENSIVE IF FULL COST ACCOUNTING IS USED.

A COMMUNITY MICROGRID.

IS A LOCALLY BASED ENERGY SYSTEM.

A SMALL ELECTRIC GRID WITH ITS OWN ELECTRICAL GENERATION SOURCES.

IT COMBINES SOLAR PANELS AND OTHER LOCALLY AVAILABLE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES WITH ADVANCED INVERTERS, ENERGY STORAGE, AND SOFTWARE BASED CONTROL SYSTEMS. A COMMUNITY MICROGRID CAN BE ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE GRID TO TAKE CARE OF LOCAL NEEDS DURING ANY KIND OF EMERGENCY. I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO TAKE TWO MINUTES TO HAVE A LOOK AT THE VIDEO ON THE CLEAN COALITION WEBSITE THAT EXPLAINS COMMUNITY MICROGRIDS. TWO MINUTES QUICK AND EASY.

THE WEBSITE IS THE CLEAN COALITION.ORG.

TWO MINUTES CLEAN COALITION.ORG.

IT'S, I THINK IT WOULD BE TIME WELL SPENT FOR ANYONE THAT HAS AN INTEREST IN REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.

THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WHAT I THINK IS RELEVANT INFORMATION.

GOOD NIGHT. THERE ARE NO MORE SPEAKERS.

NEXT IS CONSENT CALENDAR WE HAVE.

[CONSENT CALENDAR]

DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS ON ANY OF THE THREE? YES. MARY LUCID.

ON ITEM NUMBER ONE.

GOOD EVENING AGAIN.

I'M BACK TO SPEAK ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.

[00:20:05]

CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE INTIMIDATED BY THE IDEA OF SAVING MONEY, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO SPEND ANY MONEY ON SENIORS AT THE SENIOR CENTER.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SHOULD SUGGEST.

THAT 80% OF THE BUDGETED AMOUNT ARE ALLOCATED AMOUNT BE SPENT.

IF POSSIBLE, YOU CAN BUILD UP A SUPPLY OF GAMES AND YOU CAN AFFORD COFFEE FOR SENIORS. 100 BUCKS A MONTH.

200 CUPS OF COFFEE DURING THE HOLIDAYS.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH SALAD COSTS, BUT COME ON GUYS.

SPEND SOME MONEY FOR SALADS LIKE IT USED TO BE.

IN ANY CASE, THERE IS NO ACCOUNTABILITY WHERE THIS MONEY GOES OR IF IT'S SPENT OR IF IT ISN'T.

I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD BE LOOKING INTO.

ACCOUNTABILITY. IF THE MONEY'S BUDGETED, THEN IT SHOULD BE USED FOR THE BENEFIT OF SENIORS AT THE SENIOR CENTER.

THE LIBRARIES COULD BE OPEN ON SUNDAY.

YOU COULD DO A LOT.

BUT NOBODY'S WATCHING OR NOBODY'S ENCOURAGING.

INTELLIGENT SPENDING AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

THAT'S ON YOU.

IT MAKES YOU THE CITY COUNCIL, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN CHARGE, THE MAYOR AND THE CITY MANAGER LOOK MEDIOCRE BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT SPENDING THE MONEY WISELY, REVERTING OR SENDING MONEY BACK TO THE GENERAL FUND THAT ISN'T SPENT ON SENIORS IS A WASTE OF RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY.

AND WHAT'S UP WITH CLOSING THE LIBRARY ON SUNDAY DURING THE NICE TIME OF THIS YEAR? NOVEMBER? DECEMBER? CITY MANAGER, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL.

NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER.

WOULD YOU PLEASE ENCOURAGE SPENDING SOME FUNDS ON THE RESIDENTS WHO WANT TO ENJOY THE FACILITIES, AND THE MONEY HAS ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED.

SO COME ON.

A 50 CENT CUP OF COFFEE.

FREE COFFEE. NOVEMBER, DECEMBER.

WOULD IT KILL YOU? MAYOR BLACKBURN COULD PROBABLY FUND IT AFTER BORROWING THE MONEY FROM SCOTT CHADWICK $30,000 BONUS.

THANK YOU SO GOT A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THE THREE CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS? SO MOVED. SECOND.

PLEASE VOTE. PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS THE MAYORAL APPOINTMENT OF ONE MEMBER TO THE HOUSING COMMISSION.

[4. MAYORAL APPOINTMENT OF ONE MEMBER TO THE HOUSING COMMISSION]

MY NOMINATION IS CHRISTOPHER HORTON.

DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON HIM? NO WHAT, MR. MAYOR, I THINK BECAUSE WE HAD 11 APPLICANTS AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T READ THE STAFF REPORT, THAT THE REASON WHY YOU HAVE THIS SELECTION IS BECAUSE THERE WERE CERTAIN QUALIFICATIONS THAT NEEDED TO BE MET, AND THIS WAS THE ONLY APPLICANT THAT MET THOSE QUALIFICATIONS.

THAT'S RIGHT. AND CHRISTOPHER HORTON MEETS THOSE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.

THANK YOU. NO DISCUSSION.

THEN THAT'S MY MOTION.

PLEASE VOTE.

PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SECOND GUESSING ON THESE APPOINTMENTS, WE DO NOT NEED A SECOND.

ORDINANCE FOR ADOPTION ITEM FIVE CITY MANAGER.

[5. ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. CS-461 - AMENDING CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 10.28 ADDING SECTION 10.28.997 TO ESTABLISH AN ALL-WAY STOP AT MADISON STREET AND OAK AVENUE]

AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE TO TITLE.

SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR THIS IS A SECOND READING.

SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR A MOTION AND SECOND.

DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS? THERE ARE NO SPEAKERS.

ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION FROM THE COUNCIL? NEED A MOTION.

MOVE ADOPTION OF THE ORDINANCE AND AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE.

SECOND. PLEASE VOTE.

PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

ITEM NUMBER SIX.

[6. ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL UPDATE FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF FISCAL YEAR 2023-24]

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ITEM NUMBER SIX IS THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL UPDATE FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF FISCAL YEAR 23-24.

MAKING OUR PRESENTATIONS TODAY, OUR ASSISTANT FINANCE DIRECTOR, ROXANNE MUHLMEISTER AS WELL AS OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, MATT SANFORD.

[00:25:12]

OKAY. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I AM MATT SANFORD, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER FOR THE CITY.

TODAY'S PRESENTATION WILL PROVIDE AN ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL UPDATE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2023-2024 FIRST QUARTER.

JUST AS A REMINDER, CARLSBAD'S GRP FOR 2022 WAS $16.6 BILLION AND IS THE SECOND LARGEST GRP IN THE COUNTY, BEHIND THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO.

WE SHOULD HAVE THE 2023 GRP NUMBERS FOR THE NEXT TIME THAT WE GIVE THIS UPDATE.

THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORS THAT ARE HAVING AN IMPACT ON CARLSBAD'S ECONOMY, INCLUDING LINGERING INFLATION, HIGHER FUEL PRICES, HIGHER COST OF CAPITAL, UNCERTAINTY DUE TO GLOBAL CONFLICT, AND LAYOFFS IN THE TECH SECTOR FOR THE TOURISM INDUSTRY, THE RESURGENCE OF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, INTERNATIONAL VACATION TRAVEL, AND STILL RECOVERING CORPORATE AND GROUP TRAVEL CONTINUES TO HAVE AN IMPACT.

THROUGHOUT ALL THIS, OUR ECONOMY HAS BEEN RESILIENT AND CONTINUES TO PERFORM WELL.

SOME OF THESE TRENDS, LIKE LAYOFFS IN TECH AND LIFE SCIENCES, WERE ANTICIPATED BASED ON THE INDUSTRY TRENDS OF INCREASING AND THEN MAINTAINING STAFF THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC AND PANDEMIC RECOVERY PERIODS.

OTHER TRENDS, LIKE GLOBAL CONFLICT, ARE HARDER TO ASSESS IN TERMS OF THEIR POTENTIAL IMPACT FOR CARLSBAD.

INFLATION HAS CONTINUED TO DECREASE OVER THE PAST YEAR, BUT REMAINS ELEVATED ABOVE THE FEDERAL RESERVE TARGET OF 2%.

ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF LABOR AND STATISTICS, PRICES IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA, AS MEASURED BY THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR ALL URBAN CONSUMERS KNOWN AS CPIU, INCREASED 1.3% FOR THE TWO MONTHS ENDING IN SEPTEMBER 2023.

THE INCREASE WAS INFLUENCED BY HIGHER PRICES FOR HOUSING AND GAS.

THE CPIU FOR ALL ITEMS FOR THE SAN DIEGO AREA WAS UP 4.7% FROM ONE YEAR AGO, A SLIGHT UPTICK ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE INCREASED PRICE OF ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY.

BUT IN GENERAL, INFLATION HAS CONTINUED TO FALL OVER THE LAST YEAR.

FEDERAL NUMBERS WERE POSTED AGAIN TODAY THAT SHOWED THAT NATIONWIDE INFLATION IS DOWN TO 3.2%.

CARLSBAD'S UNEMPLOYMENT WAS 3.9% IN SEPTEMBER.

WE HAVE SEEN SEVERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS OF LAYOFFS WITHIN TECH AND LIFE SCIENCES INDUSTRIES IN CARLSBAD, AS WELL AS THE GREATER SAN DIEGO REGION IN THE LAST QUARTER.

THIS MATCHES THE TREND SEEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN PREVIOUS QUARTERS AND IS JUST KIND OF CATCHING UP HERE IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA.

SOME COMPANIES ARE ATTRIBUTING LAYOFFS TO A RIGHT SIZING FROM PANDEMIC ERA HIRING.

OTHERS ARE ATTRIBUTING TO REPRIORITIZATION OF OPERATIONS AND INCREASED COSTS.

OTHERS ARE CAUSED BY CONSOLIDATIONS.

THERE WERE 11,398 UNIQUE JOB POSTINGS IN CARLSBAD BETWEEN JULY AND SEPTEMBER.

THIS WAS A DECREASE OF 1863 JOBS FROM THE PREVIOUS QUARTER.

THE MEDIAN ADVERTISED SALARY FOR THOSE POSTINGS WAS $51,100, WHICH IS ON AVERAGE $1,500 LESS THAN JOBS POSTED IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER.

WHILE WAGES ARE GENERALLY UP OVER THE LAST YEAR, THE DIP IS ANOTHER INDICATOR OF LOOSENING IN THE LABOR MARKET, WHICH MAY HELP EMPLOYERS ACCESS TALENT MORE EASILY.

A RETAIL VACANCY.

RATES CONTINUE TO DROP THIS QUARTER OFFICE VACANCIES TICKED UP SLIGHTLY TO 12.7%.

INDUSTRIAL VACANCIES JUMPED TO 6.4%.

THIS, THE LAST ONE.

INDUSTRIAL VACANCIES IS LARGELY ATTRIBUTABLE TO A SELECT FEW PARCELS THAT WERE VACATED THAT WERE JUST VERY LARGE SPACES THAT MOVED THOSE NUMBERS.

WE ARE LIKELY TO SEE AN INCREASE IN OFFICE VACANCIES AS SOME PANDEMIC ERA LEASES LAPSE IN REMOTE WORK AND HYBRID WORK CONTINUE.

CARLSBAD REMAINS MUCH BETTER POSITIONED THAN MOST URBAN CORES THAT HAVE SEEN SKYROCKETING OFFICE VACANCIES.

MEDIAN HOME VALUES IN CARLSBAD ARE CURRENTLY AT 1.45 MILLION.

VALUES IN CARLSBAD, ALONG WITH SAN DIEGO COUNTY, HAVE REBOUNDED AFTER THE INITIAL SHOCK OF INCREASED INTEREST RATES.

JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER REPRESENTS THE PEAK QUARTER FOR TOURISM IN CARLSBAD IN GENERAL.

THIS YEAR LAGGED THE 2022 REVENGE TRAVEL PERIOD, WHICH SAW ALL TIME HIGHS IN THE AVERAGE DAILY RATE.

INDUSTRY EXPERTS SUGGEST THAT 22 IS LIKELY AN ANOMALY, IN THAT 2023 IS MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF TRENDS MOVING FORWARD.

THINGS THAT HAVE HAMPERED TOURISM IN 2023 INCLUDE INCREASED COSTS, ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS AND LOWER DEMAND.

THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 2436 BUSINESS LICENSES ISSUED LAST QUARTER, INCLUDING 1067 NON RESIDENTIAL, 620 RESIDENTIAL AND 749 OUTSIDE THE CITY LICENSES.

THIS IS AN INCREASE OF 138 TOTAL BUSINESSES OVER THE SAME QUARTER IN 2022.

IT'S ESTIMATED THAT THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 6654 BUSINESSES CURRENTLY IN CARLSBAD.

BETWEEN JULY AND SEPTEMBER, PERMIT ACTIVITY DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS DOWN TO 992.

[00:30:04]

IN TERMS OF KEY TAKEAWAYS, OUR CARLSBAD ECONOMY REMAINS IN A STRONG POSITION.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL CHALLENGES THAT ARE FACING BUSINESSES WHICH BRING A DEGREE OF UNCERTAINTY FOR THE FUTURE.

THE LOOSENING IN THE LABOR MARKET MEANS THAT BUSINESSES WILL BE ABLE TO SOURCE TALENT MORE EASILY, BUT EMPLOYERS ARE ALSO POSTING FEWER JOBS.

STAFF ARE KEEPING OUR FINGER ON THE PULSE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY, AND WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UPDATES AND PUBLISH THE QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SCAN, WHICH PROVIDES FURTHER CONTEXT.

AND NOW I WILL TURN IT OVER TO THE CITY'S ASSISTANT FINANCE DIRECTOR, ROXANNE MUHLMEISTER , TO GIVE THE FINANCIAL UPDATE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. SANFORD. YES, MY NAME IS ROXANNE MUHLMEISTER.

I AM THE CITY'S ASSISTANT FINANCE DIRECTOR.

AND TONIGHT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE FINANCIAL REVIEW FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF OUR FISCAL YEAR, WHICH COVERS THE MONTHS OF JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER.

I'M GOING TO START TONIGHT WITH OUR REVIEW OF OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUES.

THIS BAR CHART SHOWS THE TOTAL GENERAL FUND REVENUES GROUPED BY SOURCE.

THE FIRST COLUMN, THE ORANGE COLUMN, REPRESENTS THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF ACTUALS FROM LAST FISCAL YEAR.

AND THE SECOND COLUMN, WHICH IS THE GREEN COLUMN, REPRESENTS THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF EXPECTED REVENUE AMOUNTS FOR THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.

AND THE LAST COLUMN, THE THIRD COLUMN, WHICH IS BLUE, REPRESENTS THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF ACTUALS.

THIS IS WHAT WE'VE RECEIVED FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.

OVERALL, THIS YEAR'S FIRST QUARTER HAS EXCEEDED LAST YEAR'S ACTUALS AND THIS YEAR'S EXPECTATIONS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF DEVELOPMENT FEE REVENUE, WHICH IS STILL ABOVE THIS YEAR'S ESTIMATES BUT JUST SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN LAST YEAR DURING THE SAME PERIOD.

THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE FIRST QUARTER GENERAL FUND REVENUE DATA NUMERICALLY, WITH A COMPARISON OF THE FIRST QUARTER LAST FISCAL YEAR TO THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, FOCUSING ON THE TOP THREE REVENUE GENERATORS FOR THE GENERAL FUND.

FOR THE MOST PART, WE ARE SEEING POSITIVE PERFORMANCE MIXED WITH SOME EXPECTED PERFORMANCE, THE TOP THREE REVENUES BEING PROPERTY TAX, SALES TAX AND TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX. WE FOCUS ON THESE SOURCES BECAUSE TOGETHER THEY COMPRISE ABOUT 80% OF THE TOTAL GENERAL FUND REVENUES FOR THE YEAR.

PROPERTY TAX IS 900,000 OR 27% HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR, MAINLY DUE TO CONTINUED INCREASES ON AIRCRAFT TAXES.

THE MAJORITY OF THE CITY'S PROPERTY TAX IS RECEIVED IN DECEMBER AND APRIL OF EACH YEAR, SO WE'LL SEE THAT FIRST INSTALLMENT OF TAXES ON OUR NEXT QUARTER UPDATE.

ASSESSED VALUES IN CARLSBAD HAVE INCREASED BY 6.2% FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR.

OOPS. I DIDN'T MEAN, GO BACK.

CAN YOU GO BACK? SORRY. THANK YOU.

I HAD MORE TO SAY. MOVING TO SALES TAX.

THIS IS UP 2.4 MILLION OR 18% WHEN COMPARED TO LAST YEAR.

INCREASES ARE MOSTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO NEW AUTO SALES.

THE LARGEST ECONOMIC SEGMENTS IN THE CITY ARE AUTOMOBILE DEALERS, GENERAL RETAIL STORES, AND RESTAURANTS.

TOGETHER, THEY MAKE UP APPROXIMATELY 70% OF THE CITY'S SALES TAX REVENUES AND THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 TO 22, THE CITY EXPERIENCED ACCELERATED RECOVERY AFTER THE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC.

LAST FISCAL YEAR, 22-23 SAW HISTORICALLY HIGH LEVELS OF SALES TAX REVENUES.

THE CITY IS ANTICIPATING THAT THIS GROWTH IN SALES WILL LEVEL OFF AND SLOW DOWN THIS FISCAL YEAR.

AND FINALLY, TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX, OR TOT, IS CLOSE TO UNCHANGED WHEN COMPARED TO LAST YEAR.

IF YOU LOOK AT THIS CHART, IT DOES SHOW A $0 CHANGE.

BUT WE DID HAVE A VERY SMALL INCREASE OF 31,000 OVER THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR.

WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT 2023 AND 2024 ARE LIKELY TO BE WHEN WE SEE A NEW NORMAL POST PANDEMIC VISITOR TREND.

AND THEN NOW, SPEAKING ON THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE SIDE, THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, WE ADOPTED THIS YEAR'S BUDGET AT 216.9 MILLION.

THE WORKING BUDGET IS MADE UP OF THE ADOPTED BUDGET, PLUS ALL OPEN PURCHASE ORDERS AT THE END OF THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR, PLUS ANY APPROVED BUDGET CARRY FORWARDS BROUGHT FORWARD FROM LAST FISCAL YEAR TO THIS FISCAL YEAR.

THESE APPROVED BUDGET CARRY FORWARDS ARE ONE TIME EXPENDITURE REQUESTS AND ARE NOT ONGOING INCREASES TO THE BUDGET.

AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, THERE IS A REMAINING BUDGET OF 168.7 MILLION, OR 70% OF THAT BUDGET.

THIS INCLUDES ALL ACTUAL EXPENSES THAT HAVE BEEN INCURRED, AS WELL AS ALL OPEN PURCHASE ORDERS.

WE OFTEN CALL THESE ENCUMBRANCES THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED, BUT THE EXPENSES HAVE NOT YET BEEN PAID.

THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE TOTAL OF GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES AND ENCUMBRANCES FOR THE FIRST QUARTER.

THE FIRST LINE SHOWS WHAT HAS BEEN BUDGETED AND THE SECOND LINE SHOWS LAST YEAR'S ACTUALS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER, AND THE THIRD LINE SHOWS THIS YEAR'S FIRST QUARTER

[00:35:07]

SHOWS A VERY SLIGHT INCREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR.

LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME WE WERE AT 34.2 MILLION, AND THIS YEAR WE WERE AT 34.8 MILLION.

WE'RE A BIT LOWER IN MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION COSTS WHEN COMPARED TO THE PRIOR YEAR.

TRANSFERS OUT IS LOWER THIS YEAR THAN LAST AT THIS TIME, BUT WE WILL REALIZE THE TOTAL AMOUNT BUDGETED BY THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR FOR A MAJORITY OF OUR BUDGETED TRANSFERS.

THESE ARE TRANSFERS TO FUND SOME OF OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND WE TRANSFER THESE AMOUNTS EVENLY OVER THE FISCAL YEAR.

THIS IS ONE FINAL LOOK AT THE EXPENDITURES ENCUMBRANCES NUMERICALLY AND ON THIS CHART.

WE DO BREAK OUT THE ACTUAL EXPENDITURES SEPARATELY FROM THE OPEN PURCHASE ORDERS.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE HAVE EXPENDED 22% OF OUR BUDGET.

YOU MIGHT ALSO NOTICE A NEW LINE ITEM THIS YEAR.

DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 2023-24 BUDGET ADOPTION COUNCIL DID APPROVE A $5.2 MILLION FOR THE VILLAGE TRENCHING PROJECT.

SINCE THIS EXPENSE DOESN'T REALLY FIT IN WITH MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS OR CAPITAL OUTLAY, WE DECIDED TO TRACK IT SEPARATELY FOR THESE QUARTERLY REPORTS.

NOW WE WILL JUST BRIEFLY TOUCH ON SOME OF THE CITY'S LARGER ENTERPRISE FUNDS.

FIRST, WE HAVE WATER AND WASTEWATER WHEN COMPARED TO THE PRIOR YEAR'S FIRST QUARTER.

WATER REVENUES ARE DOWN 1% AND EXPENSES ARE UP 9%.

THE DECREASE IN WATER OPERATING REVENUES IS DUE TO A 6% DECREASE IN WATER VOLUME SALES, OFFSET BY AN INCREASE IN USER RATES THAT WAS EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2023.

INCREASES IN EXPENSES IS MAINLY DUE TO BUDGETED SALARY INCREASES, ALONG WITH A 7.8% RATE INCREASE AND THE VARIABLE COST OF WATER PURCHASED FROM THE COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY. WASTEWATER REVENUES ARE UP 42% AND EXPENSES ARE UP 35%.

CHARGES FOR SERVICES ARE HIGHER THAN IN THE PRIOR YEAR, PRIMARILY DUE TO A 20% APPROVED RATE INCREASE THAT WENT INTO EFFECT THIS PAST JANUARY.

INCREASES IN WASTEWATER EXPENSES IS MAINLY DUE TO BUDGETED SALARY INCREASES AS WELL AS COST INCREASES IN ENCINA SERVICES.

AND FINALLY, THE GOLF COURSE NET INCOME IS $285,000 HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR, WHICH IS COMING IN NOW AT $554,000 PRIMARY OPERATING REVENUES AT THE COURSE HAVE REMAINED RELATIVELY CONSISTENT YEAR OVER YEAR.

GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS HAVE INCREASED OVER THE PRIOR PERIOD AS A RESULT OF COST OF LIVING INCREASES AND LINGERING INFLATION.

THIS INCREASE WAS ABSORBED BY PRUDENT OPERATIONAL SPENDING OVER GROUNDS AND MAINTENANCE, FOOD AND BEVERAGE, AND THE PRO SHOP.

SO THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.

ON NEXT STEPS, CITY STAFF WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR OUR REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES.

WE WILL PUBLISH ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL STATUS REPORTS TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE, AND WE PLAN TO RETURN TO COUNCIL IN FEBRUARY OF 2024 WITH A MID-YEAR UPDATE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

DO WE HAVE SPEAKERS? YES. MARY LUCID.

GOOD EVENING AGAIN.

I ENJOY THE OTHER ON HERE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS FOR, BUT AT LEAST YOU HAVE SOME MONEY FOR OTHER AND YOU'RE TRACKING IT.

I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE TRACKING THE MONEY THAT COMES BACK TO THE GENERAL FUND AT THE END OF THE YEAR, FISCAL YEAR, TO SEE HOW MUCH WAS ACTUALLY SPENT ON VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AS SOME AND HOW MUCH WAS NOT SPENT.

LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER FOR A BUDGET, BUT DOES NOTHING.

SO I WONDER IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IN WHAT THE OTHER COSTS ARE HERE AND WHAT ACTUALLY IS SPENT AND IS NOT SPENT.

THAT'S KIND OF INTERESTING BECAUSE IF.

MANAGERS ARE INTIMIDATED AND DO NOT SPENDING MONEY, FOR WHATEVER REASON, TO LOOK GOOD TO THEIR BOSS.

WE DON'T KNOW THAT.

BECAUSE IT'S NOT DATA THAT'S SHARED WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW WHY THE LIBRARIES AREN'T OPEN ON SUNDAY.

PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW WHY SALADS AREN'T BEING SERVED AT THE SENIOR CENTER, OR MONEY DONATED FOR COFFEE ISN'T BEING SPENT.

[00:40:09]

BUT THAT DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE CORRECT PICTURE OF WHAT YOUR DOLLARS ARE BEING USED FOR, AND HOW IT'S SERVING THE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO YOUR CITY.

BUT YOUR TOOLS TO TRACK MONEY ARE MORE SOPHISTICATED, AND I HOPE THAT YOU WILL INCLUDE IN YOUR MID-YEAR REPORT. MORE ABOUT HOW MONEY IS SPENT OR NOT SPENT FOR THE BENEFIT OF PEOPLE.

LIBRARIES NEED TO BE OPEN ON SUNDAY AND SENIORS NEED SALADS AND COFFEE.

SO I HOPE YOU CAN.

TELL THE MANAGERS, SPEND SOME OF THE MONEY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE.

ESPECIALLY NOW THAT IT'S NOVEMBER.

DECEMBER. REMEMBER, THE SENIORS ATE TV DINNERS FOR OVER TWO YEARS.

A SALAD WOULD KILL THE MANAGEMENT AND RUIN YOUR BUDGET? THANK YOU SO MUCH.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

VISIT THE SENIOR CENTER.

SPECIFY WHATEVER MONEY YOU GIVE.

IF YOU GIVE ANY MONEY.

AS TO WHERE IT SHOULD BE USED QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL.

MS. LUNA. AND MS. BURKHOLDER [INAUDIBLE].

I HAD MAYBE A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON THE STAFF REPORT ON PAGE FOUR OF 26 OF THE AGENDA HERE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SALES TAX, AND THERE'S A SENTENCE THAT SAYS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE THREE YEAR OVER YEAR INCREASE IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE AUTO SALES SECTOR AND CORRECTION IN METHODOLOGY [INAUDIBLE].

I JUST WANTED TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT THAT MEANT, ACTUALLY.

WE. SO WE RECEIVED OUR SALES TAX ALLOCATION RECENTLY FOR THE SECOND QUARTER, AND THERE WAS A JUMP IN THE NEW AUTO SALES CATEGORY TO A SPECIFIC RETAILER.

AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET SOME MORE INFORMATION FROM THE STATE.

WE DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S AN ANOMALY OR A CORRECTION OR SO WE ARE WORKING ON THAT.

WE WERE IT DID STICK OUT A LITTLE BIT.

YEAH. MAYBE IT'S THE NEW DEALERSHIP THAT OPENED OR.

YEAH, I WAS TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THAT ONE.

YEAH, SO THANKS.

AT LEAST YOUR'E. I CAN'T CALL THEM OUT.

BUT WE'RE ASKING IF IT WAS A CORRECTION OR.

OKAY. YEAH.

THANKS FOR THAT CLARIFICATION AND I'M SURE IT'LL COME BACK TO US AT SOME POINT AND WE'LL KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.

AND THEN THE LAST THING UNDER THE GOLF COURSE FUND, IT TALKS AT THE VERY LAST SENTENCE, TALKS ABOUT LEGAL EXPENSES.

AND I JUST WONDERED IF YOU COULD TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THOSE WHAT THAT ENTAILED.

YEAH. WELL I.

NOT ACTUAL CASES. YEAH.

I DON'T KNOW I'M LIKE I DON'T KNOW THE CASE THAT WAS INVOLVED BUT THE ACCOUNTING ADJUSTMENT BECAUSE IT'S SHOWING IN THE PRIOR YEAR AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, IT'S SHOWING A CREDIT OF EXPENSE, WHICH IS A NET NEGATIVE EXPENSE TO THAT ACCOUNT.

SO I'LL TRY TO EXPLAIN ITS ACCOUNTING.

SO THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR TO THAT WE HAD LEGAL FEES THAT WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY.

AND WE ACCRUED THOSE TO THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR BECAUSE WE KNEW THEY WERE COMING.

AND WHEN WE DO THAT TO 630 OF THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR, OUR SYSTEM TAKES THAT ENTRY, AND IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR WE GET TO JULY, IT REVERSES IT BECAUSE IT'S LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO PAY IT NOW, WHAT HAPPENED? BECAUSE THAT DID STICK OUT TO ME.

WHAT HAPPENED IS WE DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY THOSE BILLS CAME DUE IN LIKE OVER THE COURSE OF JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, LIKE IT TOOK LIKE SIX MONTHS FOR US TO PAY THOSE.

SO WHEN YOU GET TO THE END OF THAT FISCAL YEAR, IT'S NO LONGER A NEGATIVE BECAUSE THE BILLS WERE COMING IN AND WE WERE PAYING THEM.

IT'S JUST AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, SEPTEMBER OF THAT YEAR BECAUSE OF THAT ACCOUNTING REVERSAL IN ANTICIPATION OF US PAYING IT.

IT WAS SHOWING A CREDIT.

SO VERY GOOD.

THANK YOU. THAT EXPLAINS IT.

AND YOU HAVE EXCELLENT TASTE IN PINS.

OH THIS IS MY FAVORITE.

YEAH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MS. BURKHOLDER? MS. ACOSTA.

I JUST HAVE COMMENTS. THANK YOU.

MS. BHAT-PATEL.

OKAY. MY QUESTION IS, WOULD YOU PUT UP SLIDE NUMBER 14?

[00:45:10]

I MEAN, SORRY, $4.3 MILLION.

EXPLAIN WHY THAT'S SO LOW RIGHT NOW, WHEN AT THE END OF THE YEAR.

IT'S SO HIGH. YEAH, THAT'S LOW NOW BECAUSE BASICALLY THE ONLY TAX WE RECEIVE AT THIS TIME OF THE FISCAL YEAR IS AIRPORT TAXES IS PAID EARLIER IN THE FISCAL YEAR.

BUT MOST PROPERTY TAX.

SO LIKE MY PROPERTY YOUR PROPERTY LIKE IT COMES, WE PAY IT TO THE COUNTY.

AND THEN THE COUNTY REMITS IT IN DECEMBER AND APRIL EACH YEAR.

SO WE'RE GOING TO SEE A MUCH LARGER NUMBER WHEN WE COME WITH THE NEXT QUARTER.

SO THAT'S WHY IT'S ONLY SHOWING.

IT'S SHOWING VERY LITTLE RIGHT NOW.

YEAH. THANK YOU. YEAH.

BECAUSE TO SOMEBODY WHO'S LOOKING AT THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT WOULD SEEM ODD.

IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN IN LINE TO BUY GAS AT COSTCO, YOU MUST BE THINKING, GOSH, THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY WORTH OF GAS BEING BOUGHT AND THEY CHARGE SALES TAX ON THAT.

DO WE GET OUR PERCENTAGE OF SALES TAX REVENUE FROM GAS SALES? YES. OKAY.

THANK YOU. AND ALSO YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT INFLATION BEING 8% DROPPING TO 5%.

MY FRIENDS AND I HAVE A GAME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT FIND SOMETHING THAT'S ONLY GONE UP 10% AND WE CAN'T FIND ANYTHING.

HOW DID THEY FIGURE THIS INFLATION WHEN WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING GOING UP? JUST 5 OR 8%? I BELIEVE THEY DO LOOK FOR VARIOUS HOUSEHOLD ITEMS TO CALCULATE THAT.

HOWEVER, THINGS LIKE FUEL COSTS THAT WE SAW A BIG SURGE IN THE PAST QUARTER SKEW THINGS.

SO THEY WILL OFTEN LOOK AT CORE INFLATION, WHICH IS LESS FOOD AND GAS AS PART OF THAT AND LOOK AT THOSE ACTUAL PRODUCTS AND THE COSTS THAT THEY'VE GONE UP.

CERTAINLY PROBABLY NOT A PERFECT SCIENCE, BUT BY THE TIME YOU GET TO AN AVERAGE OF IT, THAT'S WHAT WE GET.

AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT THE CITY HAS TO PAY FOR, LET'S SAY, REPAVING OUR ROADS, WE HAVE TO BUY NEW PIPES TO BE INSTALLED UNDERGROUND FOR SEWER AND WATER AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT NONE OF THOSE HAVE GONE UP JUST 8% YEAR OVER YEAR.

IS THAT ACCURATE? THAT'S ACCURATE.

I'M SORRY. THEY'RE HIGHER. THEY'RE A LOT OF THINGS ARE HIGHER THAN THAT.

HIGHER THAN 8%? OKAY. I MEAN, ONE OF MY COMMENTS, MY COMPARISON, I MEAN, EVEN MCDONALD'S SAYS THEY'RE GOING TO RAISE THEIR PRICES 10%. AND WE KEEP SAYING WE HAVE AN 8% DOWN TO A 5% INFLATION.

I'M STILL HAVING A HARD TIME WRAPPING MY HEAD AROUND THAT.

SO MAYBE IN THE FUTURE, MAYBE BREAK IT DOWN.

WHERE IS IT? HOW DO WE JUSTIFY SAYING 8 TO 5% IN INFLATION WHEN THE LAYMAN LIKE ME IS SEEING WAY MORE INFLATION THAN THAT? SURE.

AND ONE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IS THAT IT'S CUMULATIVE.

IT ADDS UP. SO IF IT WAS 8% A YEAR AGO AND 4% NOW, THAT'S 12% OVERALL.

IT'S NOT THAT IT HAS.

THE PRICES HAVE NOW COME DOWN TO HALF OF WHAT IT WAS THEY HAVE ALREADY GONE UP AND THEN THEY'VE GONE UP A LITTLE BIT MORE ON TOP OF THAT.

RIGHT OKAY.

THANK YOU. COMMENTS, MS. LUNA. I'D LIKE TO THANK THE STAFF FOR PULLING OUT THE GOLF COURSE AND THE TRENCHING LINE ITEMS, WHICH WE HAD ASKED YOU TO DO.

PREVIOUSLY IT HAD BEEN INCORPORATED WHILE THE TRENCHING.

I DON'T THINK WE HAD YET, BUT I CAN TELL YOU MY CONSTITUENTS WOULD VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT.

THANK YOU. MS. BURKHOLDER.

YEAH, I WAS GOING TO SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT THE VILLAGE TRENCHING PROJECT, BECAUSE THAT REALLY IS MONEY JUST SITTING THERE UNTIL WE CAN GO AFTER BIGGER FISH IN THE SEA ON THAT PROJECT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT GOOD ATTENTION TO DETAIL.

MS. LUNA. I'M SORRY, MISS ACOSTA.

I'LL LEARN YOU GUYS NAMES ONE DAY.

THANK YOU.

I WANTED TO THANK STAFF FOR ALL THE HARD WORK AND FOR MAKING IT SO EASY TO UNDERSTAND.

I THINK THAT THE REPORT HAS GREAT INFOGRAPHICS AND CHARTS AND LOTS OF TABLES, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

THE NUMBERS ARE CLEAR AND BOLD AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND.

SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.

I WANTED TO ALSO.

PRAISE STAFF FOR WORKING SO HARD TO CALCULATE THE FEES FOR THINGS LIKE BUSINESS LICENSES AND

[00:50:04]

AND I KNOW THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THAT OVER THE LAST YEAR OR TWO, ADJUSTING OUR FEES, AND I THINK THAT WE'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB.

I THINK IT'S NOT JUST THE PEOPLE SITTING HERE AT THE TABLE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED IN THAT.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

AND I THINK THAT THAT WAY WE'RE CAPTURING THE, THE, THE FEES THAT OUGHT TO BE PAID, BUT STILL KIND OF HELPING AND SUBSIDIZING SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS COSTS WHEN THEY COME USE OUR SERVICES.

SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

I DID WANT TO ECHO THE CONCERNS ABOUT AFFORDABILITY THAT THE MAYOR MENTIONED.

I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON COSTS OVERALL FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING WITH THEIR UTILITY BILLS, WITH THEIR GAS PRICES AND OVERALL INFLATION.

RIGHT. INFLATION IS A BASKET OF GOODS.

IT'S THE THINGS THAT YOU BUY LIKE EGGS AND MILK AND BREAD.

AND EVERYBODY'S STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE BECAUSE IT IS CUMULATIVE AND IT IS GOING UP.

IT'S NOT JUST THE COST OF BUYING A HOUSE, BUT IT'S ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

SO JUST KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT.

AND I KNOW WE'VE PREVIOUSLY HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW TO RAISE MORE REVENUE, BECAUSE WE SEE THAT REVENUES MAY BE GOING DOWN AND EXPENSES UP IN THE FUTURE IN A FEW YEARS. BUT WE JUST NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF OF OUR FAMILIES, OF OUR WORKING FAMILIES AND RESIDENTS AND VISITORS WHO COME TO CARLSBAD AND WHAT THEY ACTUALLY PAY TO BE HERE.

SO THERE'S A BALANCE, AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE DATA.

I THINK WHEN WE USE DATA TO INFORM OUR DECISION MAKING, WE ARE SMARTER AT POLICYMAKING.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THIS AND FOR YOUR HARD WORK.

MS. BHAT-PATEL. JUST ECHOING THE SENTIMENTS OF GRATITUDE.

THANKS FOR ALL THE HARD WORK.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE PROBABLY ALL LOSE SLEEP OVER IS MAKING SURE WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO RUN THE CITY, AND TO GIVE THE RESIDENTS ALL OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE THINGS THAT THEY WANT. AND I'M WATCHING FROM THIS INFORMATION THAT INFLATION AND THE COST OF GOODS THAT THE CITY NEEDS TO OPERATE SEEM TO BE GOING UP A LITTLE FASTER THAN THE INCOME.

OUR LARGEST SOURCE OF INCOME IS PROPERTY TAXES, AND I THINK THAT ONLY GOES UP ONLY 2% PER YEAR.

YET THE INFLATION IS OUTPACING OUR LARGEST SOURCE OF INCOME.

WE'RE DOING EXCELLENT BECAUSE WE HAVE EXCELLENT FINANCE DEPARTMENT.

WE'RE DOING EXCELLENT BECAUSE WE'VE HAD A GREAT COUNCIL FOR MANY YEARS IN THE PAST WHO'VE SET US UP TO HAVE A GREAT DIVERSIFIED SOURCE OF INCOME TO OUR CITY.

BUT NOW WE'RE STARTING TO GET A LITTLE BIT FRIGHTENING.

AND I THINK ALL OF US ARE LOSING A LITTLE BIT OF SLEEP OVER WHAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN A FEW YEARS FROM NOW IF THINGS CONTINUE TO COST MORE.

BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME KIND OF INCOME INCREASES.

SO WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK IS THAT NEXT TIME WE COME FORWARD WITH AN UPDATE, I'D LIKE THE CITY MANAGER TO BRING TO US A LIST OF WHAT THE CITY ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO RUN, AND THEN WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE NICE TO HAVE IN OUR CITY.

AND THEN I THINK IT SHOULD BE UP TO THE COUNCIL TO MAKE SOME REALLY TOUGH DECISIONS ON WHAT WE COULD CUT OUT OF THE NICE TO HAVE ITEMS IN OUR BUDGET.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED TO VOTE ON THAT, OR CAN I JUST ASK THAT BE BROUGHT FORWARD AT THE NEXT TIME WE HAVE A BUDGET UPDATE? WELL, MAYOR, IF I COULD SUGGEST WE ARE PLANNING ON BRINGING FORWARD THE STRATEGIC PLAN AS A CHECK IN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.

AND THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS REALLY THE FRAMEWORK FOR CITY COUNCIL TO PROVIDE US.

THAT'S HIGH POLICY DIRECTION.

SO BY REVIEWING THIS, IF COUNCIL ENDS UP MAKING A DETERMINATION OF NICE TO HAVES VERSUS NEED TO HAVES IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN, THAT WILL, I THINK, HELP IN OUR BUDGETING. SO THAT'S THE PLAN.

NOW IF COUNCIL WANTS TO PROVIDE US A DIFFERENT DIRECTION, IT CERTAINLY CAN.

BUT AGAIN, THAT WAS THE INTENT THAT WE WERE PLANNING ON BRINGING FORWARD.

AND AGAIN, THAT'S GOING TO BE IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.

DO YOU SEE SOMETHING AS BLATANT, AS BLUNT AS LAYING OUT THE THINGS THAT ARE NEEDS TO HAVE AND THE THINGS THAT ARE NICE TO HAVE, AND HAVING STAFF BRING THAT FORWARD? ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE COUNCIL COME UP WITH ALL? WELL, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT BECOMES, I THINK ALWAYS A CHALLENGE IS IF STAFF IS THE ONE MAKING THE DETERMINATION OF NICE TO HAVE AND NEED TO HAVE, ULTIMATELY IT'S A POLICY CALL OF CITY COUNCIL.

AND SO CITY COUNCIL, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME THINGS WHERE REGULATORY COMPLIANCE OR THINGS THAT WE WE TRULY HAVE TO RESPOND TO OR PARTICIPATE IN. THOSE ARE OBVIOUSLY THINGS THAT, AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY AND NOT PROVIDING THE SERVICE.

BUT THAT SAID, I THINK GOING BACK AND BRINGING SOMETHING FORWARD FOR COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION RELATED TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN, I THINK THAT WILL HELP PROVIDE

[00:55:06]

BUT IF YOU'D LIKE THAT OVERLAY AS WELL, FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS, STAFF COULD CONCEIVABLY COME UP WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

WHAT'S THE THOUGHTS OF THE REST OF THE COUNCIL? WELL, IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN WE HAVE CORE BASIC SERVICES.

SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, MR. MAYOR, FOLLOWING UP ON WHAT YOUR SUGGESTION IS THAT WHAT ARE OUR CORE BASIC SERVICES? WE HAVE THOSE IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.

WE DO A VERY GOOD JOB AT DELIVERING THOSE.

AND THEN I WOULD SAY THEN OTHER.

SO THAT'S HOW I WOULD LOOK AT IT.

MISS BURKHOLDER, I THINK THIS IS SORT OF.

THANK YOU, MAYOR. I THINK THIS IS SORT OF A IN LIEU OF AN ADHOC COMMITTEE WHERE WE WORK WITH FINANCE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS FEASIBLE AND WHAT NOT.

SO I'M WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CONVERSATION, BUT I DO THINK WE HAVE TO ALSO CONSIDER NOT JUST WHAT'S NICE AND WHAT WE HAVE TO HAVE, BUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO PAY FOR IT AT THE END.

AND SO I'M GLAD WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING THAT DISCUSSION.

THANKS. MISS ACOSTA, THANK YOU.

I JUST WANT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT CONFLATING STRATEGIC PLAN WITH THE BUDGET WORKSHOP PROCESS.

I THINK STRATEGIC PLAN IS REALLY OVERARCHING AND HAS THE FRAMEWORK OF OUR VALUES THAT WE'VE ALL AGREED TO, THE FIVE MAJOR SECTIONS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN.

IT'S NOT LIKE WE CAN JUST TAKE AWAY THE FIVE MAJOR THOSE ARE OUR VALUES, THEY'RE REALLY MAJOR KIND OF PILLARS THAT UPHOLD OUR POLICY MAKING.

IT'S ACTUALLY THE MORE OF THE BUDGET WORKSHOP.

SO I WOULD JUST JUST CAUTION CARE WITH HOW WE'RE NOT CHANGING THE STRATEGIC PLAN.

WE'RE LOOKING AT THE ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND THEN DECIDING WHICH ONES OF THOSE WE CAN CUT.

SO I WOULD JUST I JUST WANTED TO PRESERVE THE STRATEGIC PLAN.

WE COULD DO IT DURING THE SAME TIME, SAME MEETING.

BUT IT'S ACTUALLY A DIFFERENT THING.

MS. BHAT-PATEL. SURE I'M OPEN TO A DISCUSSION.

I THINK I HAD MENTIONED WHEN WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION A FEW WEEKS AGO THAT DEFINITELY OPEN TO DIALOG WITH REGARDS TO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING WITHIN.

BUT I ALSO DO THINK THAT WE SHOULD ALSO BE LOOKING AT OPTIONS OUTSIDE OF THE ORGANIZATION AS WELL.

THAT'S THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.

THANKS. CITY MANAGER, YOU'VE HEARD FROM ALL FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS.

NOW, IS THAT ENOUGH TO MASSAGE YOUR PRESENTATION FOR THE NEXT MEETING OR THE NEXT PRESENTATION? I BELIEVE IT'S ENOUGH TO MASSAGE THE PRESENTATION.

YEAH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

THANKS. NOW, DOES THIS NEED A VOTE? LET'S SEE. THIS IS JUST A REPORT.

THIS DOES NOT NEED A VOTE, DO WE? DID WE ALREADY DO CLOSINGS? OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, CITY MANAGER.

[7. HOMELESSNESS ACTION PLAN FISCAL YEAR 2022-23 ANNUAL REPORT AND FISCAL YEAR 2024-25 FUNDING PLAN]

ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IS THE HOMELESS ACTION PLAN FISCAL YEAR 22-23 ANNUAL REPORT IN FISCAL YEAR 24-25 FUNDING PLAN MAKING.

OUR PRESENTATION TODAY IS OUR HOUSING AND HOMELESS SERVICES DIRECTOR, MANDY MILLS ALONG WITH OUR HOMELESS SERVICES MANAGER, CHRIS SHILLING, AND OUR POLICE CAPTAIN, JEFF SMITH.

THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I'M MANDY MILLS, THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING AND HOMELESS SERVICES.

AND PRESENTING WITH ME TONIGHT ARE CHRIS SCHILLING FROM THE HOUSING AND HOMELESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND CAPTAIN JEFFREY SMITH FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

TONIGHT, WE WILL BE PRESENTING ON THE CITY COUNCIL'S GOAL TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE COMMUNITY IN CARLSBAD.

THE REPORT LOOKS BACK AT THE ANNUAL DATA COVERING THE FISCAL YEAR 22-23 AND LOOKS AHEAD TO PLAN FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR'S FUNDING PLAN WITH THE FISCAL YEAR 24-25 STARTING JULY 1ST.

AND ON A RELATED MATTER, WE WILL ALSO BE REPORTING OUT ON PLANS TO UTILIZE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS.

TONIGHT'S REPORT INCLUDES TWO RESOLUTIONS FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION RELATED TO THE FUNDING PLAN, AS WELL AS THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDING.

THE CARLSBAD CITY COUNCIL HAS PRIORITIZED ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS AS ONE OF ITS TOP CITY PRIORITIES.

THE CITY COUNCIL FIRST ESTABLISHED A PRIORITY GOAL IN MARCH OF 2021 AND REVISED THE HOMELESSNESS GOAL AS PART OF THE FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN IN OCTOBER OF 2022.

THE GOAL IS NOW REALLY A TWO PART GOAL TO ASSIST PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AS WELL AS THE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY.

[01:00:09]

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PROGRESS AROUND HOMELESSNESS ARE INCORPORATED INTO SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.

THE HOMELESSNESS ACTION PLAN INCLUDES HIGH LEVEL POLICY DIRECTION AND STRATEGIES.

EXISTING SERVICES THAT ASSIST WITH ACHIEVING THE OVERALL GOAL ARE IDENTIFIED AS CONTINUED SERVICE COMMITMENTS.

ADDITIONALLY, WORK PLANS AND RESOURCE NEEDS ARE PRESENTED EACH YEAR AND INCLUDED IN THE CITY'S ANNUAL BUDGET.

IDENTIFYING ALL THE SERVICES IN ONE CONSOLIDATED WORK PROGRAM ALLOWS THE CITY STAFF TO MORE EASILY IDENTIFY GAPS, DUPLICATION, OR ALTERNATE FUNDING RESOURCES WHICH MAY BE AVAILABLE.

CITY STAFF WILL PRESENT PRIOR YEAR ANNUAL DATA AS PART OF THIS COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION FOR FUTURE SERVICE NEEDS.

WHILE PRESENTING THE ANNUAL WORK PLAN.

WHEN WE CREATED THE HOMELESSNESS ACTION PLAN, WE RECEIVED A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.

DATA EVALUATION AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE EXISTING WORK PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.

CITY STAFF IDENTIFIED THREE KEY AREAS OF IMPACT THAT THE CITY CAN FOCUS ON TO ACHIEVE THE CITY COUNCIL'S GOAL OVER TIME.

THESE AREAS INCLUDE SHELTER AND HOUSING, OUTREACH AND ACCESS TO SERVICES, AND PUBLIC SAFETY.

IN MAY OF 2023, THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED A FUNDING PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 20 2324, THE YEAR THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN.

THAT INCLUDES THE CITY'S HOUSING TRUST FUND, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDING DEDICATED TOWARDS HOMELESSNESS, AS WELL AS NEW GRANT SOURCES THAT WILL BE USED FOR PROGRAMS IDENTIFIED IN THE ACTION PLAN.

SINCE WE WILL NOW BE REPORTING OUT ON THESE FUNDS COMPREHENSIVELY.

THIS CHART DISPLAYS THE FUNDING EXPENDITURES BY CATEGORY FOR FISCAL YEAR 22-23.

SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THE CITY OF CARLSBAD FUNDS INCLUDE A ROBUST HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, SOCIAL WORKER OUTREACH, RAPID REHOUSING, HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION THROUGH HOUSING ASSISTANCE, AND EMERGENCY SHELTER.

SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO CHRIS SCHILLING TO REVIEW SOME OF THE HIGH LEVEL ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM 2022-23 AND TO GO OVER THE FUNDING PLAN.

THANK YOU. SO YES.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO REVIEW THE FISCAL YEAR 22-23 DATA.

DURING THE YEAR, CITY FUNDED PROGRAMS HELPED 105 HOUSEHOLDS TRANSITION INTO PERMANENT HOUSING.

66 PEOPLE.

ACCESS TEMPORARY SHELTER.

WE THEY INTERACTED WITH 565 UNDUPLICATED PEOPLE AND CLEANED UP 106 ENCAMPMENTS.

WE ALSO PROVIDED 45 MOTEL VOUCHER STAYS AND RESPONDED TO 8322 POLICE CALLS FOR SERVICE.

SO WE ALSO CONTINUE TO SEE PROGRESS.

WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DATA.

YEAR TO YEAR HOUSING PLACEMENTS WERE UP 3%.

AND THIS IS WHEN WE TOOK OUT DATA FROM THE LA POSADA SHELTER.

LA POSADA SHELTER WAS ADDED IN BECAUSE WE STARTED FUNDING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS FISCAL YEAR.

SO WE WANTED TO LOOK AT A COMPARISON WITHOUT THOSE NUMBERS, AND IT WAS UP 3% WHEN YOU TOOK IT OUT.

WE ALSO REDUCED VETERAN HOMELESSNESS BY 73% FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TO THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.

AS WE'VE DISCUSSED BEFORE, THERE'S A LOT OF FEDERAL RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY FOR VETERANS, BUT VETERANS CAN OFTENTIMES HAVE A HARD TIME ACCESSING THEM.

SO WE FOCUSED A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY EFFORTS TOWARDS IDENTIFYING VETERANS IN THE COMMUNITY, CONNECTING WITH THEM AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY ACCESS THOSE RESOURCES.

AND AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, THE VETERANS THAT STILL REMAINED WERE ALL SHELTERED.

WE ALSO YEAR TO YEAR, SAW A 23% REDUCTION IN DISPATCH CALLS FOR SERVICE FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

SO, AS CAPTAIN SMITH WILL TALK ABOUT LATER, THERE'S TWO TYPES OF CALLS FOR SERVICE.

THERE'S PROACTIVE CALLS WHERE POLICE ARE SEEING SOMETHING AND ENGAGING, BUT THERE'S ALSO DISPATCH CALLS WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE CALLING TO MAKE A COMPLAINT ABOUT SOMETHING AND HAVE A RESPONSE. AND THOSE COMMUNITY CALLS WERE DECREASED.

WE SAW ALSO SAW A 25% DECREASE IN THE UNDUPLICATED INDIVIDUALS THAT WE ENCOUNTERED.

SO IN THE PRIOR YEAR, THERE WERE 749 UNDUPLICATED PEOPLE ENCOUNTERED AND IN THIS FISCAL YEAR THERE WERE 565.

WE ALSO FINALLY HAVE THE FIRST YEAR OF DATA FROM THE EMPLOYMENT, AND BENEFITS PROGRAM, WHICH OPERATED FOR NINE MONTHS DURING THE YEAR.

[01:05:09]

AND WE'LL BE SHARING A SUCCESS STORY FROM THAT PROGRAM A LITTLE LATER SO THAT WE CAN SEE THE IMPACT.

WE KNOW THAT PREVENTING FAMILIES FROM BECOMING HOMELESS IN THE FIRST PLACE, WHENEVER POSSIBLE, IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

SO WE USE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS TOWARDS HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION, AND THROUGH THOSE FUNDS, WE WERE ABLE TO PREVENT 75 CARLSBAD HOUSEHOLDS FROM BECOMING HOMELESS DURING THE YEAR.

IN TERMS OF OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT.

DURING THE YEAR, OUR OUTREACH TEAM HAD A 93% SUCCESS RATE IN CONTACTING AND WORKING WITH PEOPLE WHO ACCEPTED RESOURCES AND SERVICES.

WE HAVE A CONTINUOUS ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY, AND WE CONTINUE TO TRY TO PROVIDE OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO HELP THEM IN THEIR HOMELESSNESS.

NOW I'M GOING TO TURN THE PRESENTATION OVER TO CAPTAIN SMITH FOR MORE ANNUAL DATA REVIEW.

FOR 22-23, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HANDLED 8322 CALLS FOR SERVICE RELATED TO HOMELESSNESS.

OF THESE CALLS FOR SERVICE, 4568 OR APPROXIMATELY 60% WERE OFFICER INITIATED.

THIS MEANT THAT THE OFFICER IN THE FIELD INITIATED THE CALL BY PROACTIVELY CONDUCTING ENFORCEMENT AND OR EDUCATION WITH INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

CONVERSELY, 3754 CALLS FOR SERVICE WERE WHEN OUR COMMUNICATIONS CENTER DISPATCHED AN OFFICER TO HANDLE AN INCIDENT RELATED TO HOMELESSNESS. THE 8322 TOTAL CALLS MADE UP APPROXIMATELY 7.5% OF OUR TOTAL NUMBER OF CALLS FOR SERVICE THAT YEAR THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HANDLES IN THE SAME TIME FRAME.

NEXT SLIDE. THIS REPRESENTS HOMELESSNESS ISSUES AS THEY RELATE TO THE TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE.

THE FIRST IS HOMELESS RELATED CALLS FOR SERVICE, AS DISCUSSED ON THAT PRIOR SLIDE.

THE DEPARTMENT AVERAGED 7.5% OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CALLS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD IN THE SAME TIME FRAME.

OVERALL, THE CALLS FOR SERVICE DECREASED AND THEN REMAINED APPROXIMATELY THE SAME FROM QUARTER TO QUARTER.

HOMELESS RELATED ARRESTS REMAINED THE SAME EXCEPT FOR A 2% DECREASE IN QUARTER THREE.

HOMELESSNESS RELATED CITATIONS MIRRORED THE ARRESTS AND REMAINED THE SAME EXCEPT FOR A 2% DECREASE IN QUARTER THREE, AND THEN HOMELESSNESS RELATED MENTAL HEALTH HOLDS REMAINED RELATIVELY THE SAME, WITH A SLIGHT INCREASE IN QUARTER THREE AND A SLIGHT DECREASE IN QUARTER FOUR.

NEXT SLIDE. DURING 22-23, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD 103 CLEAN UP DAYS WHERE WE CLEANED UP 106 ENCAMPMENTS. THIS RESULTED IN A REMOVAL OF 582YD³ OF TRASH FROM OUR OPEN SPACES AND NOW I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO CHRIS TO CONTINUE THE PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU. SO AS WE KNOW, THE CITY USES A VARIETY OF DATA POINTS TO MEASURE AND TRACK PROGRESS ON ITS EFFORTS TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS.

TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHO IS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN CARLSBAD AND COORDINATE EFFORTS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS, THE CITY IS MAINTAINING A NEW COMPREHENSIVE BY NAME INTERNAL LIST WHICH TRACKS ALL INDIVIDUALS ENROLLED IN HOMELESS SERVICES.

THIS EXPANDS UPON THE DATA TO ALSO INCORPORATE INDIVIDUALS WHO RECEIVE SERVICES THAT ARE NOT FUNDED DIRECTLY BY THE CITY.

DURING FISCAL YEAR 2022-23, THERE WERE THERE WERE 431 NEW ENTRIES ONTO THE BY NAME LIST.

197 HAD NEVER BEEN IN THE HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM BEFORE.

THEY WERE NEW TO HOMELESS SERVICES IN SAN DIEGO.

234 HAD BEEN IN THE SYSTEM BEFORE BUT WERE NEW WITHIN THE YEAR.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, THERE WERE 683 UNDUPLICATED PEOPLE, WHICH IS STILL A REDUCTION WHEN WE LOOK AT THE JUST CITY FUNDED PROGRAMS NUMBER FROM THE YEAR BEFORE, WHICH WAS 749.

WE ALSO SAW A 5% DECREASE IN UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, FROM 204 PEOPLE IN THE FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR TO 193 PEOPLE IN THE LAST MONTH OF THE YEAR. AND OVERALL, THERE WERE 128 PEOPLE WHO EXITED THE LIST TO PERMANENT HOUSING.

SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE ENDED THE YEAR WITH 241 PEOPLE ON THE LIST.

THOSE ARE BOTH SHELTERED AND UNSHELTERED.

3.7% OF THEM WERE VETERANS AND THEY WERE ALL SHELTERED.

[01:10:03]

34% WERE SENIORS OVER THE AGE OF 55, AND THEY HAD AN AVERAGE INCOME OF ABOUT $794.

AND 42% IDENTIFIED AS CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, WHICH MEANS THEY HAVE A PERMANENT DISABILITY AND HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS FOR AT LEAST A YEAR.

SO THESE DEMOGRAPHICS GIVE US ADDITIONAL INSIGHT INTO WHAT HOMELESSNESS LOOKS LIKE IN THE COMMUNITY AND HOW WE CONNECT WITH THEM AND DESIGN OUR PROGRAMS. SO NOW WE'D LIKE TO SHARE TWO SUCCESS STORIES FROM THE YEAR.

THE FIRST ONE IS FROM BETH.

SO BETH WAS SEEKING EMPLOYMENT AND CAME TO THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS PROGRAM AS A REFERRAL FROM THE INTERFAITH COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIAL WORKERS.

AT THE TIME, SHE WAS LIVING OUTSIDE AND WORKING PART TIME AT A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT, BUT SHE COULDN'T AFFORD A PLACE TO STAY OR EVEN A MOTEL ROOM, SO THE EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS SPECIALIST WORKED WITH BETH ON EMPLOYMENT, HELPED HER UPDATE HER RESUME USING A COMPUTER AND GIVING HER THE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO MAKE YOUR RESUME STAND OUT WHEN YOU'RE SUBMITTING.

IT HELPED HER UNDERSTAND WHAT JOBS TO APPLY FOR, AND HELPED HER APPLY FOR THOSE JOBS.

AND THEN WHEN SHE GOT AN INTERVIEW, DID INTERVIEW PREP WITH HER, AND HELPED HER MAKE IT TO THE INTERVIEWS THAT SHE HAD, SHE WAS ABLE TO SECURE A NEW JOB THAT WAS FULL TIME. AND WHEN SHE DID, THEY USED THE FLEXIBLE FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO PUT HER INTO A MOTEL ROOM SO THAT SHE COULD HAVE A PLACE TO TAKE A SHOWER AND BE PRESENTABLE AND SURE, SHE COULD SHOW UP TO WORK ON TIME.

WHILE SHE WAS IN THE MOTEL, SHE WAS ABLE TO SAVE UP SOME MONEY, AND THE PROGRAM HELPED HER FIND A ROOM TO RENT, WHICH WAS WITHIN HER BUDGET.

SINCE. SINCE THAT TIME OF OF MOVING INTO THE ROOM AND BEING EMPLOYED, SHE'S ALREADY BEEN PROMOTED TWICE AND SHE'S NOW A SHIFT LEADER IN HER JOB.

SO WHAT WORKED. THE INTERFAITH SOCIAL WORKERS WERE OUT ON THE STREETS AND ABLE TO CONNECT WITH BETH, UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE NEEDS, AND THEN CONNECT HER TO THE EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS SPECIALIST. THE EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS SPECIALISTS UNDERSTOOD HOW TO MAKE HER MORE MARKETABLE IN THE EMPLOYMENT FIELD, AND HAD CONNECTIONS WITH LOCAL EMPLOYERS THAT WOULD BE WILLING TO GIVE HER AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW.

AND THEN, BECAUSE OF FLEXIBLE FUNDS, THEY WERE ABLE TO PUT HER INTO A MOTEL ROOM, WHICH ALLOWED HER TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT STARTING HER NEW JOB AND SAVE UP MONEY SO THAT WHEN AN OPPORTUNITY WAS AVAILABLE FOR A ROOM, SHE HAD MONEY TO SECURE IT, AND COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER HELPED HER FIND THAT PLACE TO LIVE.

SO WE REALLY THINK THAT THIS DEMONSTRATES THE IMPACT OF THE EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS PROGRAM.

WITHOUT IT, BETH PROBABLY WOULD HAVE LOST HER PART TIME JOB AND RESULTED IN FALLING DEEPER INTO HOMELESSNESS.

BUT INSTEAD, SHE HAD THE HELP SHE NEEDED TO GET OFF THE STREETS AND TURN HER LIFE AROUND AND OBTAIN PERMANENT HOUSING.

SO NOW CAPTAIN SMITH IS GOING TO COVER THE NEXT SUCCESS STORY.

SO HERE WE MEET DORIS.

DORIS GREW UP HERE IN CARLSBAD, AND SHE GRADUATED FROM CARLSBAD HIGH SCHOOL.

SHE RAISED HER FAMILY HERE, AND HER KIDS ARE NOW ADULTS.

ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO, SHE ENDED UP IN A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION WHERE SHE HAD TO FLEE HER HOUSE.

AND SINCE THEN, SHE'S BEEN STAYING OUTSIDE IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE CITY OF CARLSBAD'S HOUSING NAVIGATOR COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTERS RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAM AND THE INTERFAITH COMMUNITY SERVICE SOCIAL WORKER, SHE WAS ABLE TO FIND AN APARTMENT AND THAT ENDED HER TIME ON LIVING OUTSIDE. SHE'S ENROLLED WITH THE EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS SPECIALIST AT COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER, AND IS WORKING ON SECURING A LONG TERM DISABILITY BENEFITS WITH HER DISABLING CONDITION.

AND THEN SHE'S WORKING ON HER PHYSICAL HEALTH AND IS PLANNING TO GIVE BACK TO HER COMMUNITY WHEN SHE'S ABLE TO.

NEXT SLIDE. SO IN THIS CASE, WHAT WORKED WAS THE CITY OF CARLSBAD HOUSING NAVIGATOR WORKED WITH DORIS TO HELP LOCATE A UNIT AND THEN TRANSITION INSIDE.

THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER HELPED DORIS WITH THE SECURITY DEPOSIT AND HELPED IN WITH MOVE IN AND SUPPORT.

THE INTERFAITH COMMUNITY SERVICE WORKERS ENGAGED WITH DORIS AND HELPED HER ACCESS NEW FURNITURE FOR THAT NEW PLACE THAT SHE GOT.

AND THEN THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER CONTINUES TO SUPPORT HER WITH EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS PROGRAM TO SECURE HER PERMANENT BENEFITS.

I'LL NOW TURN IT BACK OVER TO CHRIS TO CONTINUE.

THANK YOU. SO IN SUMMARY, THE ANNUAL DATA SHOWS THAT THE CITY CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS YEAR TO YEAR.

WE HAVE MORE DATA AVAILABLE NOW TO UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF HOMELESSNESS AND TRACK OUR ONGOING PROGRESS.

AND BASED ON THE DATA IN THIS ANNUAL REPORT, WE AREN'T RECOMMENDING ANY MAJOR PROGRAM CHANGES.

[01:15:07]

THE PIE CHARTS SHOWN HERE DETAIL THE YEAR TO YEAR FUNDING CHANGES.

YOU CAN SEE THAT WE CONTINUE TO INCREASE OUR FUNDING SOURCES, WHICH ALLOWS US TO ALLOCATE MORE TOWARDS HOMELESSNESS WHILE REDUCING THE AMOUNT EXPENDED FROM THE GENERAL FUND.

THE GENERAL FUND REQUEST FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024-25 IS ABOUT $145,000 LESS THAN THE CURRENT YEAR, AND IS ABOUT $295,000 LESS THAN WHAT WAS BUDGETED IN FISCAL YEAR 2022-23.

THE FUNDING PLAN INCREASES THE ANNUAL BUDGET TO ABOUT $6 MILLION FOR THE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE SEEN HERE ON THE SLIDE.

HOUSING ASSISTANCE IS THE SECOND HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL FUNDING, BUT ONLY 5% OF THE GENERAL FUND DUE TO OUTSIDE FUNDING SOURCES INVESTED IN THIS ACTIVITY.

SHELTER IS ALSO 10% OF TOTAL FUNDING, BUT ONLY 4% OF THE GENERAL FUND REQUEST.

THE LARGEST GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE IS THE POLICE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM, WHICH CONTINUES TO PROVIDE COVERAGE IN THE COMMUNITY SEVEN DAYS PER WEEK.

THE PLAN INCLUDES TWO NEW GRANT SOURCES.

THE FIRST IS THE ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION GRANT, WHICH IS A THREE YEAR GRANT.

THE BUDGET HERE IS BASED ON ONE YEAR OF SPENDING, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE THREE YEARS TO SPEND THE FUNDS, WE HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY TO SPEND MORE OR LESS EACH YEAR IF NEEDED.

IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS IS A THREE YEAR GRANT, AND IT IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE RENEWED AT THE END OF THAT TERM.

THE SECOND IS A NEW SUPPORTIVE HOUSING GRANT FROM THE FROM HUD, WHICH PROVIDES SUPPORT SERVICES TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN CONNECTED TO HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS.

IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE THAT GET CONNECTED TO VOUCHERS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE COMING FROM EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, HAVE SUPPORT SERVICES.

THIS PROVIDES CASE MANAGEMENT.

IT PROVIDES FUNDING FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

IT ALSO PROVIDES ADMINISTRATIVE FEES, WHICH HELPS TO REDUCE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES AND A PORTION OF OUR HOUSING NAVIGATORS TIME BECAUSE SHE'S WORKING WITH PEOPLE WITH HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS.

SO STAFF WILL RETURN TO THE COUNCIL AT A FUTURE MEETING AFTER FINAL AWARD OF THESE FUNDS TO AUTHORIZE ACCEPTANCE OF THE FUNDS AND POSSIBLE CONTRACT FOR SERVICES.

THIS CHART IDENTIFIES THE PERCENTAGE OF FUNDING GOING TO EACH TYPE OF DIRECT SERVICE.

YOU CAN SEE THAT HOUSING ASSISTANCE IS THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE AT 49%, WITH 68% OF THE TOTAL DIRECT SERVICES FUNDING GOING TO SHELTER AND HOUSING. THESE BAR GRAPHS PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT FUNDING BY ACTIVITY HAS LOOKED LIKE OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS. THE LARGEST ACTIVITY INCREASE HAS BEEN IN HOUSING ASSISTANCE.

EVEN THOUGH GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES TOWARDS HOUSING ASSISTANCE HAVE ACTUALLY DECREASED DUE TO NEW GRANT FUNDING, OUTREACH AND CASE MANAGEMENT HAS ALSO INCREASED FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH THE ADDITION OF THE ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION FUNDS.

AND THE TOTAL AMOUNT SPENT ON ALL ACTIVITIES YEAR TO YEAR HAS CONTINUED TO GROW WITHOUT INCREASING GENERAL FUND SPENDING AND IN FACT, DECREASING IT.

IN SUMMARY, THE PROPOSED HOMELESSNESS ACTION PLAN FUNDING PLAN ALLOWS THE CITY TO CONTINUE WHAT'S WORKING AND ALIGNS WITH THE CITY COUNCIL'S GOAL.

THE PLAN FOCUSES ON FILLING THE GAPS AND DIRECTS RESOURCES WHERE THEY WILL HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT.

NEW FUNDING SOURCES SECURED ALLOW THE CITY TO EXPAND DIRECT SERVICES TO COMBAT HOMELESSNESS IN CARLSBAD AT LESS COST TO THE CITY.

NOW CAPTAIN SMITH IS GOING TO REVIEW THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDING.

IN JULY OF 2021, THERE WAS A NATIONWIDE SETTLEMENT TO RESOLVE OPIOID LITIGATION BROUGHT BY STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AGAINST THE THREE LARGEST PHARMACEUTICAL DISTRIBUTORS AND THE LARGEST MANUFACTURER.

ON DECEMBER 14TH, 2021, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT SETTLEMENT.

THE CITY HAS STARTED TO RECEIVE SETTLEMENT FUNDS AND NEEDS TO START SPENDING ON APPROVED ACTIVITIES IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT.

NEXT SLIDE. THERE WAS AN INTERNAL WORKING GROUP WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, FINANCE AND HOUSING AND HOMELESS SERVICES TO IDENTIFY THE BEST WAY TO USE THESE FUNDS AND TO MEET THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS, WHICH STATE THAT 50% OF THE FUNDS ARE TO BE USED IN HIGH IMPACT ABATEMENT ACTIVITY.

THE GROUP DEVELOPED A SUBSTANCE ABUSE OUTREACH, EDUCATION AND REFERRAL PROGRAM THAT WOULD WORK WITH OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS, WITH OUR AT

[01:20:09]

I NOW TURN THE PRESENTATION BACK OVER TO MANDY FOR THE.

GREAT. THANK YOU, CAPTAIN SMITH.

SO THAT SUMMARIZES THE DATA AND ACTIONS FROM LAST YEAR, AS WELL AS GIVES YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE PLANS FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR, TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF SOME OF THE CURRENT THINGS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON THAT WILL BE ABLE TO REPORT OUT IN FUTURE.

REPORTS ARE HIGHLIGHTED ON THIS SLIDE.

SO IT'S ALREADY THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN.

OUR ANNUAL POINT IN TIME COUNT IS JUST A LITTLE OVER TWO MONTHS AWAY, SO WE ARE ALREADY PLANNING FOR THAT.

VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION ACTUALLY HAS JUST OPENED, I THINK LAST WEEK OR SO ON THE REGIONAL TASK FORCE ON HOMELESSNESS WEBSITE.

SO IF ANYBODY IS INTERESTED IN HELPING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND THE END OF JANUARY, THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY.

STAFF CONTINUES TO WORK WITH CATHOLIC CHARITIES ON POTENTIAL EXPANSION OF THE LA POSADA SHELTER, AND STAFF ARE WORKING ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, PARTICULARLY THE INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, TO IMPLEMENT A DATA VISUALIZATION TOOL FOR THE CITY'S WEBSITE TO SHOWCASE ALL THIS DATA THAT WE'VE PROVIDED.

AND YOU CAN SEE FROM OUR PRESENTATION THAT CITY STAFF ARE DILIGENT TRACKING GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND SUBMITTING APPLICATION WHEN THOSE OPPORTUNITIES ARISE.

SO THAT CONCLUDES STAFF'S PRESENTATION.

THE THERE ARE TWO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ITEM THERE.

ONE RESOLUTION APPROVES THE FUNDING PLAN FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR, AND THE OTHER RESOLUTION AUTHORIZES STAFF TO SEEK AND PROCURE SERVICES UTILIZING THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS.

AND WE ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING A LITTLE UNORTHODOX.

I'M GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FACT WE HAVE A COUPLE OF DOZEN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE AUDIENCE.

I COULD SEE THERE THEM HAZING OVER A LITTLE BIT WHEN WE WERE GOING OVER ALL THIS INFORMATION.

ALTHOUGH THIS INFORMATION IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US BECAUSE IT TALKS ABOUT THE DOLLARS, THE STATISTICS, HOW WE'RE GOING TO MAKE OR BRING IN THE DOLLARS FOR HELPING TO ERADICATE THE HOMELESS ISSUES.

BUT I WANT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF AN EXPLANATION OF HOW IT WORKS.

IT'S MORE JUST DISCUSSION.

FIRST, I'M GOING TO ASK, CAPTAIN, HOW MANY POLICE OFFICERS AND SERGEANTS DO WE HAVE WORKING SPECIFICALLY ON THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM? CURRENTLY SIX OFFICERS AND ONE SERGEANT.

SO WE HAVE SEVEN OF OUR OF OUR PATROL PERSONNEL DEDICATED TO THE HOMELESS OUTREACH.

HOW MANY SOCIAL WORKERS WORK WITH THEM? WE TWO, WE HAVE TWO FROM INTERFAITH.

SO WE HAVE 7 OFFICERS AND 2 SOCIAL WORKERS ALL WORKING IN JUST OUR SMALL 40 SQUARE MILE CITY TRYING TO COMBAT.

YEAH. THANK YOU. TRYING TO COMBAT THE HOMELESSNESS.

AND I WANT TO TELL YOU A QUICK, COUPLE OF QUICK STORIES ABOUT HOW THEY'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS IT.

THEY DON'T CALL HOMELESS PEOPLE.

ALL THE SAME, THEY ADDRESS EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON'S HOMELESS ISSUES WITH WHAT DO THEY NEED? BECAUSE EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT NEED.

AND I WANT TO SHARE A COUPLE QUICK STORIES OF SOME OF THE THINGS THEY DO TO TRY TO HELP THE HOMELESS FOLKS.

WE HAD A WOMAN WHO HAD A LARGE BIRD AND SHE NEEDED HOUSING, BUT NOBODY WOULD HOUSE HER BECAUSE SHE HAD THIS LOUD BIG BIRD AND SHE USED THE BIRD TO MAKE MONEY BY HAVING TOURISTS TAKE PICTURES WITH THE BIRD AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

OUR POLICE OFFICERS WERE SO CREATIVE THEY WERE ABLE TO DEEM THAT BIRD A SERVICE ANIMAL, THE ONLY BIRD SERVICE ANIMAL IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

JUST SO THEN. THEN SHE CANNOT BE TURNED DOWN FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING.

AND NOW SHE'S HOUSED.

A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE CAN'T COLLECT THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY OR THEIR DISABILITY BECAUSE HOMELESS PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THEIR DRIVER'S LICENSE.

THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR BIRTH CERTIFICATE.

SO HOW DO YOU CASH YOUR CHECK? YOU CAN'T. SO I'VE WATCHED OUR POLICE OFFICERS LOAD UP A HOMELESS PERSON, TAKE THEM TO DMV, AND SPEND AN ENTIRE DAY THERE TRYING TO PROVE THEIR IDENTITY, TO GET THEM AN ID CARD SO THEY CAN CASH THEIR CHECKS AND FIND HOUSING.

SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT'S NOT JUST ALL STATISTICS AND NUMBERS, THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE ON THE STREETS WORKING REALLY HARD TO TRY TO HELP EACH INDIVIDUAL HOMELESS PERSON BASED ON WHATEVER THEIR NEEDS ARE THAT CREATED THEIR HOMELESSNESS.

AND I JUST I SAW YOU GUYS HAZING OVER WITH THE STATS, SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING IT ALL BACK TO TO AN EVERYDAY LEVEL.

SO WITH THAT, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS ON THIS TOPIC? WE HAVE ONE REBECCA NUSSBAUM.

[01:25:10]

MY NAME IS REBECCA NUSSBAUM, AND I SERVE AS THE CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER AT COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO CREATING PATHS TO HEALTHY FOOD, STABLE HOMES, AND SAFE RELATIONSHIPS FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE ONGOING EFFORTS TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN CARLSBAD, AND SINCE ITS FOUNDING, CRC HAS BEEN A STEADFAST ADVOCATE FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND FACING FOOD INSECURITY IN COASTAL NORTH COUNTY, SAN DIEGO.

AND TONIGHT, I STAND BEFORE YOU IN STRONG SUPPORT OF THE CARLSBAD CITY COUNCIL PROPOSED HOMELESS ACTION PLAN FUNDING PLAN.

AS OUTLINED IN THE REPORT, THE CITY PARTNERS WITH CRC TO OPERATE ITS RAPID REHOUSING, EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS SPECIALIST AND HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION CONTRACTS.

AND TONIGHT, I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THE REMARKABLE SUCCESS OF THE CRC EMPLOYMENT BENEFIT PROGRAM, A VITAL COMPONENT OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE CONTINUUM OF SAFETY NET SERVICES. THIS PROGRAM HAS PROVEN TO BE INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OBTAIN INCOME NECESSARY TO SECURE AND MAINTAIN LONG TERM HOUSING.

THE EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS SPECIALIST PROGRAM, INITIATED IN OCTOBER 2022, HAS SERVED 36 INDIVIDUALS IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS, RESULTING IN 15 EMPLOYMENT PLACEMENT PLACEMENTS AND 16 INDIVIDUALS WITH BENEFITS ENROLLMENT.

AND I WANT TO FURTHER INTRODUCE YOU TO BETH, THE STORY THAT CHRIS HAD MENTIONED EARLIER.

OUR 43 YEAR OLD CARLSBAD WOMAN WHO FOUND HERSELF IN A CHALLENGING SITUATION SEEKING EMPLOYMENT AND STABLE HOUSING.

SHE WAS SLEEPING OUTSIDE AND WORKING PART TIME AT A LOCAL FAST FOOD RESTAURANT, AND THOUGH SHE WAS EMPLOYED.

BETH WAS STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET.

FORTUNATELY, SHE WAS REFERRED TO CRC AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS SPECIALIST, BETH EMBARKED ON A JOURNEY TO SEEK TO SECURE A BETTER JOB WITH MORE HOURS AND HIGHER PAY.

THE PROGRAM PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN PREPARING HER FOR A FULL TIME POSITION INTERVIEW, AND AFTER SUCCESSFULLY SECURING THAT POSITION, BETH WAS PROVIDED WITH A MOTEL VOUCHER, OFFERING HER A SAFE PLACE TO STAY AS SHE TRANSITIONED INTO HER NEW ROLE.

AND WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, WITH BEST DETERMINATION AND THE SUPPORT THAT SHE RECEIVED FROM CRC, SHE ALLOWED HER TO SAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO MOVE INTO THAT ROOM FOR RENT.

SINCE THEN, BETH'S LIFE HAS TAKEN ANOTHER POSITIVE TURN AS SHE HAS BEEN PROMOTED AND NOW HOLDS A LEADERSHIP POSITION.

BETH SUCCESS STORY UNDERSCORES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER AND OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS.

WE ARE. WE COMMEND THE CITY COUNCIL'S COMMITMENT TO PRIORITIZING HOMELESSNESS AS A TOP PRIORITY.

AND IN CONCLUSION, CRC URGES THE CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS AND FUNDING PLAN OUTLINED IN THE REPORT, AND BY DOING SO, WE CONTINUE TO BUILD A STRONGER AND MORE COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY, WORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND SUPPORT TO OUR NEIGHBORS YOUR TIME IS EXPIRED.

THANK YOU. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? NO, WE DO NOT.

QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL, MISS LUNA? SO WE JUST AN ITEM BEFORE ASKED THE CITY MANAGER TO COME BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT PROGRAMS AND THEN LOOKING IN THE UPCOMING BUDGET.

SO YOU'RE GETTING A JUMP ON THAT UPCOMING BUDGET.

AND I'M ASSUMING IT'S BECAUSE OF CERTAIN STATE, FEDERAL AND OTHER GRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU.

IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS BECAUSE OF A LOT OF THE GRANTS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SECURE.

AND IN DOING THAT, WE ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN GROWING OUR SERVICES AND ABLE TO DECREASE THE GENERAL FUND.

SO WE HAVE MORE SERVICES AVAILABLE TO DO THAT WRAPAROUND TYPE SERVICE.

AS THE STORY THAT THE SPEAKER FROM CRC WAS JUST MENTIONING, IT WASN'T JUST ONE PARTICULAR THING THAT HELPED THAT PERSON.

SO IT WAS A VARIETY OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, SHE HAD A THE HOMELESS OUTREACH WORKER ASSISTED HER.

SHE HAD THE EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS SPECIALIST.

SHE GOT A MOTEL VOUCHER.

SO REALLY IT TOOK MORE THAN ONE SERVICE.

SO WE ARE ANYTIME WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE GRANT APPLICATIONS WE JUMP ON THEM.

AND THEN THEY USE THE DISPERSAL OF OUR OPIOID FUNDS.

I'M ASSUMING IT HAS 23-24 OR 24-25.

SO WHEN WOULD THE DISPERSAL START BEGINNING? SO WE WOULD STILL NEED TO ISSUE AN RFP TO IDENTIFY A PROVIDER.

SO WE WOULD DRAFT THAT NOW, ISSUE IT EARLY NEXT YEAR AND GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS SO WE COULD START THE PROGRAM JULY 1ST, 2024.

[01:30:06]

CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU.

SO WE HAVE STARTED RECEIVING THOSE FUNDS.

SO IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE START THIS PROCESS NOW BECAUSE WE ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT ON THE EXPENDITURES.

MS. BURKHOLDER.

OKAY. JUST TO STAY ALONG THE LINES OF THE OPIOID THING IN THE RFP, WILL THERE BE LIKE NOTICEABLE TRACKABLE EVENTS TO SEE IF THIS IS BEING EFFECTIVE OR HOW'S THAT GOING TO LOOK? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO IN THE RFP, WE'VE IDENTIFIED ACTIVITIES THAT WE WANT THE PROVIDER TO ENGAGE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT. AND WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE PROPOSALS AND SEE WHAT THEY'VE IDENTIFIED AS KEY MILESTONES AND INDICATORS.

AND THEN WE CAN LOOK AT THOSE.

AND AS WE MAKE OUR SELECTIONS, WE CAN NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT THAT ENSURES THAT WE HAVE HIGH STANDARDS AND METRICS AND RENEWAL TERMS SO WE CAN ADJUST THOSE BASED ON WHAT WE'RE SEEING.

OKAY. I WROTE A COUPLE OF LITTLE NOTES.

IF YOU COULD BRING UP SLIDE EIGHT, PLEASE.

I THINK THAT'S THE ONE.

IT MIGHT BE THE NEXT ONE, BUT WHEN I SEE IT, I'LL KNOW.

I SEE THAT THERE'S 106 ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS ON HERE.

AND I HEARD SERGEANT SAY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DID 106 ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS.

BUT I THOUGHT THAT WE USED URBAN CORE FOR ENCAMPMENT.

SO I'M CONFUSED IF YOU COULD CLEAR THAT UP, PLEASE.

SO A LOT OF TIMES, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY'RE RESPONDING TO THOSE 8000 CALLS, ARE PROACTIVE.

THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE IDENTIFYING THAT THERE'S AN ENCAMPMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE CLEANED UP.

OR A LOT OF TIMES, INTERNAL CITY STAFF ARE CALLING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY NEED TO MAKE A DETERMINATION WHETHER IT'S THINGS WE NEED TO SAVE AND STORE OR THINGS THAT CAN BE THROWN AWAY.

SO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT A LOT OF TIMES IS THE INITIAL CONTACT FOR THE ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP IN COORDINATION WITH URBAN CORE.

GOT IT. THAT MAKES VERY CLEAR SENSE.

AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE, SLIDE NINE PLEASE.

IT WAS TOLD TO ME BY TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT ATTENDED AN EVENT LAST NIGHT THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A FOCUS.

AND I SEE THIS 73% OF VETERANS ENTERED TRANSITIONAL OR PERMANENT HOUSING, WHICH IS FANTASTIC, SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART FOR THEM.

BUT TWO PEOPLE TOLD ME THAT THE THERE IS GOING TO BE PRIORITIZATION OF CARLSBAD VETERANS FOR OUR WINDSOR POINT PROJECT, AND I WANTED TO SEE IF YOU COULD CONFIRM OR DENY.

IT'S NOT MY UNDERSTANDING.

I CAN'T CONFIRM OR DENY IT.

AT THIS TIME. WE HAVE HAD TO RESCHEDULE A MEETING WITH THE COUNTY AND AFFIRMED HOUSING I THINK THREE TIMES NOW.

SO, UM, CHIEF WILLIAMS MYSELF AFFIRMED THE PROPERTY MANAGER AND THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CONNECT FOR PROBABLY A MONTH NOW.

SO WE I THINK THAT'S SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK.

PERFECT. YEAH. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE CAN'T DISCRIMINATE IN THAT MANNER.

SO IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO ME.

SEE IF THAT'S THE NARRATIVE OUT THERE I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS.

I JUST WANTED ONE SMALL COMMENT AT THE END.

THANK YOU. MISS ACOSTA.

THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I DID HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

WE HAD GOTTEN SOME PUBLIC COMMENT OVER EMAIL ABOUT THE DATABASE THAT WE USE, AND THE FACT THAT WE'RE THE ONLY AGENCY THAT USES THE DATABASE IN SUCH A WAY. COULD YOU GO INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE AND TALK ABOUT THE ADVANTAGE THAT WE HAVE IN CARLSBAD FOR USING THE DATABASE THE WAY THAT WE DO? SURE. SO THE DATABASE HOLDS AND STORES ALL HOMELESSNESS RELATED INFORMATION SO PEOPLE ARE PUTTING THAT INFORMATION IN.

IT'S AN OPEN SYSTEM.

SO IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE'S NAME OR THE LAST FOUR OF THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, YOU CAN LOOK THEM UP INDIVIDUALLY.

BUT IF YOU HAVE A PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CITY OF CARLSBAD HAS A HOUSING NAVIGATOR PROGRAM.

WE CAN LOOK AT ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THAT PROGRAM, BUT NO ONE ELSE CAN LOOK UP THE CARLSBAD HOUSING NAVIGATION PROGRAM AND SEE ALL OF THE PEOPLE.

WHAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO, BECAUSE WE'VE WORKED WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND GOT THEM TO OPT IN, IS ALL OF THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE SERVING PEOPLE IN CARLSBAD HAVE AGREED TO SHARE THEIR INFORMATION WITH THE CITY OF CARLSBAD.

SO ONCE A MONTH, WE GET A LIST THAT HAS ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ENROLLED IN HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS IN THE CITY OF CARLSBAD.

WE CALL IT THE BY NAME LIST.

IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY HAVE ANY NAMES ON IT.

IT JUST HAS UNIQUE IDENTIFIERS WHERE WE COULD LOOK PEOPLE UP, BUT IT ALSO HAS OTHER COLUMNS OF NON IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE WAY WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY IN THE LAST MONTH WHAT THE AVERAGE INCOMES WERE IS BECAUSE THAT'S A DATA FIELD.

[01:35:03]

WE USE IT.

OBVIOUSLY FOR DATA BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT DATA SOURCE, BUT ALSO TO COORDINATE THE EFFORTS OF ALL OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS SO WE CAN IDENTIFY ONE OF THE FIELDS AS VETERANS SO WE CAN SEARCH IT FOR ALL OF THE VETERANS.

AND THEN WE CAN GO AND COORDINATE WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS ABOUT SPECIFIC VETERANS THAT ARE STAYING AT LA POSADA SHELTER OR STAYING OUTSIDE.

GREAT. THANK YOU. AND I BET THAT HELPS WITH GETTING SOME OF THE GRANTS SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE USING THE GRANTS FOR THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH THEY'RE INTENDED.

LIKE IN THE EXAMPLE OF THE VETERANS.

YES, SO FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION GRANT, WE HAD TO IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC LOCATION.

BUT WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE WILL MOVE THROUGHOUT CARLSBAD.

SO AS WE WERE PURSUING THE GRANT, WE WERE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT OUR BY NAME LIST AND HOW WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

AND SO THAT WAS ABLE TO SHOW THAT WE WOULD SERVE MORE PEOPLE, BECAUSE IF WE CONNECT WITH THEM IN THE SMALLER ENCAMPMENT AREA, WE CAN CONTINUE TO SERVE THEM OVER THE THREE YEARS IN A LARGER AREA.

THANK YOU.

I ALSO WANTED TO FOLLOW UP IN THE STAFF REPORT.

THERE WAS MENTION OF THE ONGOING WORK WITH LA POSADA, OUR ONE SHELTER FACILITY IN CARLSBAD, AND I WAS WONDERING IF WE COULD GET A MINI UPDATE ON WHAT'S GOING ON ABOUT THE EXPANSION THERE.

SURE, I'D BE HAPPY TO.

SO THE WE DID COMPLETE ALL THE WORK WITH THE PRE-DEVELOPMENT WORK WITH THE ARCHITECT AND THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR.

AND OF COURSE THE ESTIMATE, THE COST ESTIMATE CAME OUT TO BE LARGER THAN WE HAD ANTICIPATED.

SO BASED ON THAT, WE ARE TRYING TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT POTENTIALLY GOING A DIFFERENT ROUTE.

WE HAVE TO TALK WITH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ABOUT POTENTIALLY THE FARMWORKER SITUATION THERE AND SEE IF THERE'S A WAY TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT FOR FARMWORKER.

MAYBE IT'S A PRIORITY AS OPPOSED TO A REQUIREMENT, BECAUSE A NUMBER OF THOSE BEDS GO UNUTILIZED.

AND IT IS A SHAME TO SEE EMPTY BEDS WHEN PEOPLE ARE ON THE STREET IN THEIR CAR WANTING SHELTER.

SO TO US, WE'RE TRYING TO SEE IF THAT'S A DIFFERENT ROUTE AND MAYBE WE CAN DO THIS A LESS EXPENSIVE WAY.

WE ARE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS THIS WEEK, SO WE'LL SEE WHAT THEY SAY.

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE ALSO CATHOLIC CHARITIES DID GET PROPOSALS FROM FUNDRAISING DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES TO HELP THEM COME UP WITH A, I GUESS, A FEASIBILITY OF THE ABILITY TO REALLY RAISE THAT MUCH CAPITAL BECAUSE IT IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT AND THERE'S A LOT OF COMPETITION OUT THERE FOR, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR TYPE OF DOLLARS. SO THEY HAVEN'T ENTERED A CONTRACT FOR THAT YET.

THEY HAVE THE COST ESTIMATE FOR WHAT THAT DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL WOULD LOOK LIKE.

GREAT. THANK YOU.

AND I UNDERSTAND 50% OF THE BEDS ARE SET ASIDE FOR MIGRANT FARM WORKERS, JUST FOR THE STUDENTS IN THE AUDIENCE WHO MAY NOT KNOW THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THE SHELTER WAS SET UP INITIALLY.

AND THEN 50% ARE FOR FOLKS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR CITY SO THAT THEY'RE AND THEY CANNOT GO INTO THE FARMWORKER SIDE OF THE SHELTER CURRENTLY.

BUT WE'RE WORKING ON FLEXIBILITY.

SO MY QUESTION REALLY WAS ABOUT THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN, BECAUSE THE IDEA WAS TO EXPAND THE FACILITY, CREATE A NEW WING SO THAT WE COULD ADD WOMEN AND CHILDREN, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S ONLY FOR MEN.

SO IS THAT STILL THE PLAN? YEAH, EXPANSION WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY TO INCLUDE WOMEN AND FAMILIES.

SO IF THE RIGHT NOW THERE ARE TWO SEPARATE BUILDINGS.

AND SO IF WE ARE ABLE TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT FOR FARMWORKER AND THEN WE COULD UTILIZE THE ONE BUILDING FOR SINGLE MEN ONLY, AND THEN THE ONE BUILDING COULD BE FOR WOMEN AND FAMILIES.

OBVIOUSLY IT TAKES SOME REHABILITATION AND RECONFIGURATION.

BUT WE DO HAVE FUNDING ALLOCATED ALREADY FOR THAT.

SO THAT'S A PLAN B IF THAT'S FEASIBLE.

WE'RE EXPLORING THAT.

THANK YOU. I HAD HEARD SOME RUMORS AND KIND OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION.

SO I WANTED TO ASK YOU DIRECTLY AND THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION.

ONE LAST QUESTION.

IT WAS ABOUT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNERSHIP THAT I READ ABOUT IN HERE, THAT CARLSBAD UNIFIED HAS BEEN WORKING WITH STAFF OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, AND I WAS WONDERING WHAT THE TIMELINE IS TO WORK WITH THE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS BECAUSE, AS YOU KNOW, I SAID ON THE CITY SCHOOLS COMMITTEE WITH COUNCILMEMBER BHAT-PATEL, AND WE ARE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT HOW THERE ARE FOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT OVERLAP WITH THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, NOT JUST CARLSBAD UNIFIED, AND WE HAVE OTHER STUDENTS.

SO I WAS WONDERING IF THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE GOING TO BE HAPPENING WITH THE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS SOON.

YES, SO IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, WITH THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR STARTING, WE STARTED WITH CARLSBAD UNIFIED AS THE LARGEST DISTRICT IN KNOWING THAT ALL OF THE SCHOOLS ARE HERE

[01:40:08]

AND THAT WENT REALLY WELL.

WE DID NOT INCLUDE WE INCLUDED THE DATA IN THE REPORT, BUT IT'S NOT IN THE DATA THAT WE PRESENT, BECAUSE THERE'S DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS OF HOMELESSNESS THAT ARE BEING USED FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES.

SO NOT EVERYONE THAT THEY REPORT TO US, WE WOULD CLASSIFY NECESSARILY AS BEING HOMELESS.

BUT WE'RE STARTING NOW, THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

I KNOW THERE WAS ONE LINE IN THE STAFF REPORT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT, BUT NOT A SPECIFIC TIMELINE.

BUT WE'RE STARTING TO REACH OUT AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS NOW.

THANK YOU. YOU'VE ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS.

GREAT. THANKS, MS. BHAT-PATEL. NO. NO QUESTIONS, JUST COMMENTS.

THANK YOU. COMMENTS, MS. LUNA? MS. BURKHOLDER? I APOLOGIZE.

I DO HAVE ONE MORE TINY LITTLE QUESTION THAT I JUST SKIPPED OVER WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CITY PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS.

I DON'T KNOW IF I RECALL A SLIDE ON THAT, BUT IN YOUR STAFF REPORT, IT GOES THROUGH THE COMMUNITY RESOURCES CENTER, INTERFAITH COMMUNITY SERVICES, AND ALL THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS.

IF IT'S POSSIBLE MOVING FORWARD, THAT I MIGHT ASK YOU TO PUT A LITTLE PRICE TAG ON THOSE THINGS, JUST SO I KNOW THEY'RE IN THE STAFF REPORT IN DIFFERENT PLACES, BUT I LIKE TO HAVE IT ALL SORT OF CONCISE, IF THAT'S POSSIBLE FOR YOU, AND NOT LIKE A YEAR TO DATE SPENT, JUST LIKE WHATEVER THE BUDGET LINE ITEM IS FOR THOSE THINGS, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. MY CLOSING COMMENTS ARE VERY SIMPLE.

I REMEMBER WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE 90 HOMELESS KIDS IN CARLSBAD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND HOW I ASK YOU TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, AND I SO APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE, WELL, WE HAVE STUDENTS IN THE AUDIENCE TONIGHT.

BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ADULTS BEING HOMELESS AND RISKING THEIR LIVES FOR WHATEVER REASON, THAT'S ONE THING.

BUT WHEN YOU'VE GOT CHILDREN THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THAT, IT JUST LIKE MAKES YOUR HEART BREAK EVEN WORSE.

RIGHT? SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

AND I HAPPEN TO KNOW THAT GETTING THE GRANT FUNDING THAT YOU GUYS ARE GETTING IS NOT AN EASY TASK.

SO BIG KUDOS FOR THAT.

ANYTHING THAT CAN REDUCE THE GENERAL FUND WHILE INCREASING SERVICES I THINK IS JUST FANTASTIC FOR THE CITY.

SO I REALLY WANTED TO JUST EXTRA THANK YOU FOR BOTH OF THOSE THINGS ON THIS REPORT TOO.

THANKS. MS. ACOSTA? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS REPORT.

WHEN I STARTED ON THE COUNCIL THREE YEARS AGO NOW, THIS WAS OUR TOP PRIORITY AS A COUNCIL AND WE JUST REALLY WANTED TO WORK ON THIS AND DO WHATEVER WE COULD TO BE FLEXIBLE, CHANGE OUR MODEL AND MAKE PROGRESS.

AND IT HAS BEEN WORKING.

SO I'M SO GRATEFUL.

AND IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU KNOW, NOT BECAUSE THE COUNCIL MADE THAT DECISION, BUT BECAUSE YOU'RE WORKING SO HARD AT IT EVERY DAY.

AND I WANTED TO POINT OUT JUST THE 60 ODD FOLKS THAT WERE TRANSITIONED TO PERMANENT HOUSING LAST YEAR, AND NOW IT'S 105.

THAT'S AMAZING. THE BIG INCREASE IN HELPING VETERANS, THE FOCUS ON PREVENTION.

RIGHT. BECAUSE IF WE CAN HELP PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE JUST ABOUT TO NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD THEIR RENT AND GET EVICTED, AND WE GET THEM TO STAY IN THEIR HOUSING AND HELP CONNECT THEM TO A JOB THAT JUST IS LIKE AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.

I MAY HAVE GOTTEN THAT WRONG, BUT THERE'S A SAYING ABOUT THAT.

AND I APPRECIATE ALSO THE HOT TEAM RIDE ALONG THAT I WENT ON, I HAVE TO SAY, IT WAS INCREDIBLE TO SEE THE AMAZING WORK OF THE HOT TEAM UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL FOR A DAY.

AND SO AND LASTLY, THE REAL LIFE EXAMPLE.

SO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THOSE EXAMPLES AND TO OUR SPEAKER AS WELL.

SO WE APPRECIATE YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL THE PROGRESS.

MS. BHAT-PATEL. YES, THANK YOU AND THANKS FOR THE UPDATE AND THE PRESENTATION.

I KNOW YOU ALL ARE OUT THERE WORKING HARD ALL THE TIME, AND THE NUMBERS TELL US THAT STORY PRETTY CLEARLY.

YOU KNOW, AS A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSON, IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO SEE THAT WE HAVE 75 HOUSEHOLDS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS FOR THAT NUMBER GOING UP FOR THE HOUSEHOLDS TRANSITION TO PERMANENT HOUSING IS PHENOMENAL AS WELL.

AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, OF COURSE, KUDOS.

I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE BEEN TRYING TO AND YOU HAVE BEEN DELIVERING MULTIPLE TIMES ON MAKING SURE THAT WE GET FUNDING FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES, AND I'M REALLY THANKFUL FOR THAT BECAUSE THAT OBVIOUSLY HELPS US OUT AS AN OVERALL ORGANIZATION.

AND OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW THAT HOMELESSNESS AND ADDRESSING IT IS GOING TO TAKE A COLLABORATIVE AND HOLISTIC APPROACH.

AND I KNOW THAT OUR CITY DOES A REALLY GREAT JOB AT THAT.

BUT ALSO WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS AND AGENCIES TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES.

I THINK THE OTHER PIECE THAT I JUST WANTED TO CLOSE OUT WITH IS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT FLEX OPTION AT LA POSADA WITH REGARDS TO IF THAT ENDS UP MOVING FORWARD, BECAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I ACTUALLY HAD ASKED ABOUT TO THEM, NOT YOU ALL, BUT TO THEM LAST YEAR.

AND SO IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING THAT CONVERSATION.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK.

REALLY GLAD TO SEE THE PROGRESS AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONE.

[01:45:04]

THOSE FOLKS I WANT TO GIVE ALL THE HELP WE POSSIBLY CAN.

I WANT TO FIND THE FUNDING FOR THEM AND NONE OF THEM SHOULD BE HOMELESS.

ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE FOLKS WHO CHOOSE HOMELESSNESS OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE LITERALLY TOLD ME THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO GIVE UP THEIR METH ADDICTION FOR A HOME. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS ALWAYS A PRIORITY FOR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY PROTECT THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF NOT ONLY OUR RESIDENTS, BUT OUR VISITORS AND OUR GUESTS.

AND I WANT TO KEEP BEATING THAT DRUM, BECAUSE WE ARE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT ON HELPING PEOPLE.

I JUST DON'T WANT US TO LOSE TOUCH, THAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DISRUPTING ALL THE QUALITY OF LIFE, OF OUR VISITORS AND RESIDENTS, THAT'S ADDRESSED AGGRESSIVELY BY OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THAT'S MY ONLY COMMENT.

MOTION, PLEASE? YES. MOVE ADOPTION OF BOTH RESOLUTIONS AND AGENDA.

ITEM NUMBER 7.

SECOND. PLEASE VOTE.

PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A 12 MINUTE BREAK AND RECONVENE AT 7:00 SHARP.

IT'S 7:00. EVERYBODY'S BACK.

ITEM NUMBER EIGHT. CITY MANAGER, PLEASE.

GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ITEM NUMBER EIGHT IS CITY COUNCIL POLICY.

[8. CITY COUNCIL POLICY – CITY COUNCIL CONFERENCE, TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAVEL POLICY]

AND BEFORE I TURN THIS OVER TO SHEILA.

THIS ITEM WAS ADOPTED IN RESPONSE TO CITY COUNCIL'S DESIRE FOR A POLICY THAT ALLOWS FOR GREATER FLEXIBILITY WITH REGARD TO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS WORK RELATED TRAVEL. SO, BASED ON THIS DESIRE, STAFF HAVE DRAFTED A COUNCIL POLICY ATTEMPTING TO DO JUST THAT, AND OUR LEGISLATIVE OR LEGISLATIVE AND CONSTITUENT SERVICES DIRECTOR, SHEILA COBIAN, WILL GO OVER THE PROPOSAL IN GREATER DETAIL.

SHEILA. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.

THE ITEM BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING IS TO CONSIDER ADOPTING A RESOLUTION APPROVING A CITY COUNCIL POLICY REGARDING CITY COUNCIL CONFERENCE TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAVEL. BEFORE I GO INTO THE SPECIFICS OF THE PROPOSED POLICY, I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THIS POLICY WOULD BE A SUPPLEMENT TO CITY COUNCIL POLICY TWO, WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY ADOPTED IN 1971, ESTABLISHING A POLICY TO BE FOLLOWED BY ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS, COMMISSIONERS, AND EMPLOYEES WHEN TRAVELING ON CITY BUSINESS.

OVER THE YEARS, POLICY TWO HAS BEEN AMENDED SEVERAL TIMES, MOST RECENTLY IN FEBRUARY OF 2023.

ALTHOUGH POLICY TWO COVERS SUCH THINGS AS WHEN TRAVEL IS APPROPRIATE, PRE-APPROVAL OF REQUESTS, AND WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR PER DIEM, IT DOES NOT ADDRESS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EQUITABLE, SPECIFIC BUDGET FOR EACH CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR CONFERENCE TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

TRAVEL. STAFF IS RECOMMENDING ESTABLISHMENT OF A POLICY THAT WILL SUPPLEMENT POLICY 2.

DUE TO AN INCREASE IN TRAVEL REQUESTS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND IN AN EFFORT TO ALLOW ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN CONFERENCE TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TRAVEL STAFF HAS DRAFTED A POLICY THAT WOULD PROVIDE UP TO $10,000 FOR EACH COUNCILMEMBER'S USE EACH FISCAL YEAR.

ALL TRAVEL WOULD CONTINUE TO BE COORDINATED THROUGH THE COUNCIL'S EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, AND WOULD REQUIRE THAT EACH COUNCIL MEMBER ATTEST THE TRAVEL WAS FOR A LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT PURPOSE.

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT STAFF IS NOT RECOMMENDING RECOMMENDING ADDITIONAL BUDGET FROM THE GENERAL FUND TO FACILITATE THE SHIFT IN THE WAY COUNCIL TRAVEL EXPENSES ARE HANDLED. WE ARE ASKING THAT THE EXISTING BUDGET, ALONG WITH FUNDING FROM COUNCIL CONTINGENCY, BE DISTRIBUTED AMONG THE FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THEIR CONFERENCE, TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS.

SHOULD REQUESTS COME THROUGH IN EXCESS OF $10,000, OF THE $10,000 BUDGET? CITY COUNCIL ACTION WOULD BE REQUIRED TO AUTHORIZE ADDITIONAL FUNDS.

IN ADDITION, ANY REQUEST TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES WOULD REQUIRE CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL.

THE OPTIONS FOR CITY COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION ARE TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION, APPROVING THE POLICY, OR PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO STAFF TO RETURN WITH A REVISED POLICY REFLECTING COUNCIL DIRECTION, OR PROVIDE ANY OTHER DIRECTION AS DESIRED.

SHOULD CITY COUNCIL CHOOSE TO APPROVE THE POLICY AS WRITTEN, THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR CONFERENCE AND TRAINING BUDGET OF $22,000, ALONG WITH $28,000 FROM THE CITY COUNCIL CONTINGENCY ACCOUNT, WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO CREATE THE $10,000 EXPENSE ACCOUNTS FOR EACH COUNCIL MEMBER.

IN CONCLUSION, STAFF IS RECOMMENDING THAT THE COUNCIL ADOPT THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE POLICY, WHICH WOULD ALLOCATE $10,000 ANNUALLY TO EACH CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR USE AT

[01:50:10]

THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

DO WE HAVE SPEAKERS? WE HAD ONE, BUT SHE LEFT THE BUILDING.

OKAY. QUESTIONS, MS. LUNA? I DON'T REALLY KNOW IF THIS WOULD FALL UNDER THE PURVIEW OF QUESTIONS, BUT I TOOK A LOOK AT THE POLICY.

AND ACTUALLY, I HAVE SOME PROPOSED REVISIONS AND AMENDMENTS BEING THE PROCESS PERSON THAT I AM.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THAT.

GO FOR IT.

OKAY. I PROVIDED MS. COBIAN WITH A COPY OF IT SO THAT MY COLLEAGUES COULD TAKE A LOOK AT IT.

PICTURES ARE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, AND SINCE I COULDN'T SPEAK TO THEM ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THE BROWN ACT.

SO BASED ON THE NUMBER OF EMAILS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED ON THIS ITEM, AND I THINK OUR DESIRE FOR MORE FISCAL ACUITY, I'D PROPOSE THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS TO THIS POLICY BASED ON MY FORMER EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCES, THE FOLLOWING LANGUAGE REVISIONS AND ADDITIONS, I THINK WOULD PROVIDE FOR A TRANSPARENT AND EFFECTIVE PROCESS.

FIRST IS I CAN SEE THE DELETION UNDER BACKGROUND.

IF WE COULD GO DOWN TO STATEMENT OF POLICY TO ALLOCATE UP TO $5,000, THIS IS ALL UP FOR DISCUSSION AND ELIMINATE THE WORD AT THEIR DISCRETION.

AS FAR AS PROCEDURE FUNDING IN AN AMOUNT UP TO $5,000.

GO AHEAD AND DELETE THE REST OF THE LANGUAGE.

THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A CHANGE.

TRAVEL MUST BE APPROVED IN ADVANCE BY THE MAYOR, AND THE CITY MANAGER'S PURVIEW SHALL BE CONFINED TO BUDGETARY MATTERS.

IT CAN ALSO BE THE MAYOR AND OR MAYOR PRO TEM.

MOST OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT I'VE WORKED WITH THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, ELECTED'S, AS WELL AS BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE APPOINTED, THE STAFF DOES NOT DICTATE TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHETHER THEY MEET REQUIREMENTS OR NOT.

THE REQUIREMENTS ARE SET OUT.

IT'S USUALLY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OR THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD WHO THESE REQUESTS ARE SUBMITTED, AND THEN THEY SAY, OKAY AND ALL THAT.

THE EXECUTIVE MANAGER OR CITY MANAGER'S PURVIEW IS LIMITED TO AS TO BUDGETARY MATTERS.

AND PRESENTLY, THE CITY MANAGER CAN TELL A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER YES OR NO, THEY DON'T QUALIFY.

THIS IS VERY ATYPICAL IN THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS I'VE WORKED WITH.

WE CAN DROP DOWN.

IT'S SELF-EXPLANATORY.

DELETING THAT, YOU NEED TO ATTEST THAT THE TRAVEL WAS FOR A LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT PURPOSE, AND THAT THE MAYOR WOULD NOT BE APPROVING IT, OR THE MAYOR PRO TEM UNLESS IT WAS, AND THEN TRAVEL MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA, WHICH WAS A POINT OF CONTENTION OR RAISED BY A NUMBER OF OUR COMMENTS THAT WE RECEIVED.

IF TRAVEL IS RELATED TO ANY ASSIGNMENT WITH ANOTHER AGENCY, THE CITY COUNCIL, COUNCILMEMBERS SHOULD FIRST SEEK FUNDING FROM THE OTHER AGENCY OR TRAVEL IS CONSISTENT WITH CURRENT ADOPTED BUDGET, AND OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES OR CLEAR MONETARY BENEFIT IS EVIDENT.

SO IF WE'RE SENDING SOMEONE SOMEWHERE THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO BRING BACK SOME MONEY.

ALSO, REVENUE ENHANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES CLEARLY ATTAINABLE.

AND THAT TRAVEL IS RELATED TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS ROLES OR DUTIES.

SO WE HAVE STANDING COMMITTEES, LIAISON ASSIGNMENT, TASK FORCE ASSIGNMENTS.

AND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER SHALL REPORT BACK TO THE REST OF THE CITY COUNCIL AFTER THE TRIP.

PERSONALLY, I DON'T HAVE AN OBJECTION TO $5,000 THRESHOLD FOR EACH COUNCIL MEMBER.

WE DO HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS ON HERE THAT SERVE ON OUR LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE.

THEY NEED TO CONDUCT WORK ON BEHALF OF OUR CITY.

WE DO NEED TO SEND COUNCIL MEMBERS TO A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TRAVEL TRIPS TO BRING BACK MONEY OR MONETARY BENEFIT, OR THAT IS RELATED TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS ROLES.

AND SO THIS IS SORT OF MORE TYPICAL OF WHAT OTHER JURISDICTIONS USE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

AND I DON'T KNOW, MS. COBIAN IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE.

SO I JUST THOUGHT WE COULD IF THIS IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE AN APPETITE FOR, AS FAR AS CLARIFICATION AND THEN MAYBE MAKING OTHER AMENDMENTS OR MAYBE NOT AT ALL.

MS. BURKHOLDER? I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING. THANK YOU.

MS. ACOSTA. UH.

THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO ASK ABOUT WHERE THE FUNDING WAS COMING FROM.

[01:55:01]

ACTUALLY. ALREADY HAVE $22,000.

THAT WAS PART OF LAST YEAR'S ADOPTED BUDGET FOR TRAINING, CONFERENCE AND TRAVEL FOR THE CITY COUNCIL.

AND THEN THE OTHER.

IF WE WERE TO ESTABLISH THE $10,000 PER COUNCIL MEMBER, WE WERE RECOMMENDING THAT THE FUNDING COME FROM THE COUNCIL CONTINGENCY ACCOUNT, SO IT WOULDN'T BE COMING DIRECTLY FROM THE GENERAL FUND, IT WOULD BE COMING FROM YOUR OWN COUNCIL CONTINGENCY.

OKAY. AND SO WHEN A COUNCIL PERSON TRAVELS, WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR PAYING FOR THE TRAVEL IS THERE LIKE A THEY SUBMIT RECEIPTS.

AND I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT TYPICALLY THE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT WILL DO MAKE THE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS, THE AIRFARE, THE HOTEL AND WOULD POSSIBLY USE HER CITY CREDIT CARD FOR THOSE EXPENSES.

BUT WHEN THE COUNCIL MEMBER COMES BACK FROM THE TRAVEL, YOU HAVE TO SUBMIT ALL YOUR RECEIPTS BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR PER DIEM.

SO YOU ONLY GET REIMBURSED FOR WHAT YOU ACTUALLY SPENT ON YOUR TRAVEL.

RIGHT? OKAY.

AND JUST I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS LIKE A NEW ADDITION AND A NEW KIND OF A BONUS, BUT IT ALREADY IS A PROCESS THAT WE'VE BEEN USING FOR A LONG TIME, FOR MANY YEARS, WHERE PEOPLE, WHEN THEY GO TO SACRAMENTO ON AN ADVOCACY TRIP, OR WASHINGTON DC FOR A CONFERENCE FOR CITY LEADERS THAT THEY SUBMIT THEIR REIMBURSEMENT REQUESTS WITH ALL THE RECEIPTS AND THEY JUST GET REIMBURSED FOR THEIR EXPENSES FOR TRAVEL.

THAT IS CORRECT, BUT NOT FOR OTHER THINGS.

CORRECT? YES.

OKAY. GREAT.

THANK YOU. ALL THE OTHER PROVISIONS OF COUNCIL POLICY TWO WOULD APPLY TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AS THEY DO NOW.

SO OKAY.

THANK YOU. AND THEN THE COST OF ATTENDING A CONFERENCE AS WELL BECAUSE THERE'S FEES.

IT'S NOT JUST THE AIRFARE AND THE UBERS AND THE HOTEL, BUT IT'S ALSO FEE TO ATTEND.

THERE'S OFTEN THERE'S A REGISTRATION FEE.

REGISTRATION FEE OKAY.

GREAT. THANK YOU, MS. BHAT-PATEL. YES.

THANK YOU. JUST ONE QUICK CLARIFYING QUESTION FOR COUNCIL MEMBER LUNA.

I KNOW YOU HAD MENTIONED IN YOUR COULD I SEE THAT DRAFT SLIDE AGAIN? THANKS, SHEILA OR MS. COBIAN. THANK YOU.

OKAY. SO FOR NUMBER THREE.

I GET WHAT YOU MEAN, BUT WHEN YOU FIRST READ IT OR HEAR IT, IT SOUNDS A LITTLE OFF IN TERMS OF WHAT IT MEANS.

AND SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF WE COULD.

AND I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO REWORD IT RIGHT HERE ON THE SPOT, BUT I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF THERE IS A WAY FOR US TO, YOU KNOW, GET THAT ACROSS IN A DIFFERENT WAY. FOR CLEAR MONETARY BENEFIT.

I WOULD DEFER TO COUNCIL MEMBER LUNA.

THAT WOULD BE, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE LET'S SAY YOU'RE WE'RE GETTING A HUGE GRANT OR WE'RE GETTING SOME MONEY, YOU KNOW, YES, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEND OUR COUNCIL MEMBER THERE TO GO PICK THAT UP.

NO, I KNOW, I UNDERSTAND, I THINK MAYBE I DON'T THIS IS SORT OF GENERAL LANGUAGE THAT I KNOW A LOT OF FOLKS USE, BUT IF YOU KNOW, YOU JUST WANT TO DELETE IT, THAT'S FINE.

I'M FINE WITH IT.

I JUST THOUGHT MAYBE TO MAKE IT MORE CLEAR, BUT OTHERWISE I JUST, I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, JUST COMMENTS.

THANKS. COULD I SAY IN RESPONSE TO THAT? BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS A VERY VALID POINT.

I THINK PERHAPS A CLEAR MONETARY BENEFIT FOR THE CITY IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO CONVEY, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD GO FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBER. YEAH.

SO PERHAPS MORE CLARIFYING LANGUAGE IS NECESSARY.

YEAH. THANK YOU. UH.

EXCUSE ME. WOULD SUBSTITUTING PUBLIC FOR MONETARY CAPTURE WHAT THE COUNCIL IS LOOKING FOR? FIRST. THANK YOU, MS. LUNA, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER LIKE THAT.

AND CLEARLY YOU PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO IT.

THANK YOU. I WANT TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND.

MR. ACOSTA WAS SAYING THAT THE MONEY COMES FROM COUNCIL CONTINGENCY, NOT FROM GENERAL FUND.

CORRECT ME.

ISN'T COUNCIL CONTINGENCY COME FROM GENERAL FUND? IT DOES, BUT PART OF THE GENERAL FUND.

[02:00:02]

AND SO OR AT LEAST THE FUNDING IN THE GENERAL FUND WE PUT INTO THOSE BUCKETS.

ONE OF THOSE BUCKETS IS CALLED THE COUNCIL CONTINGENCY FUND, WHICH HAS A I THINK IT'S A BALANCE OF WHAT, 500,000.

SO CURRENTLY COUNCIL CARRIES ABOUT A 500,000 COUNCIL CONTINGENCY BUDGET.

NOW TYPICALLY AT THE END OF THE YEAR THOSE FUNDS ARE UNSPENT.

AND THEN THOSE FUNDS BECOME SWEPT INTO BASICALLY THE CITY'S RESERVES.

I SEE. ONE OF MY CRITICISMS ON THIS IS WHERE IT SAYS IT HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE MAYOR, MAYOR PRO TEM OR CITY MANAGER? I DCON'T LIKE THAT.

I THINK THAT WE'RE ALL ADULTS.

WE ALL KNOW WHETHER IT'S WORK RELATED.

I THINK THAT IF IT FALLS WITHIN THAT FIRST $5,000, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE COUNCIL MEMBER HAS TO COME BACK AND REPORT WHAT THE BENEFITS OF THAT TRIP, I DON'T THINK THE APPROVAL PROCESS IS NECESSARY FOR THAT FIRST 5000.

NOW, WITH THAT SAID, WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE ON PRESIDENT OF REMIND ME THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES.

I'M SORRY.

AN INSTITUTE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES THAT MIGHT REQUIRE AN EXTRA TRIP OR TWO THAT ISN'T COVERED UNDER THE 5000.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO SAY ADDITIONAL TRIPS OR ADDITIONAL MONEY NEEDED FOR THIS CAN BE APPROVED WITH A SIMPLE THREE VOTE MAJORITY FROM THE CITY COUNCIL.

THEN THAT WE WERE NOT PREVENTING ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM POSSIBLY GOING TO SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT EXCEEDS THE $5,000.

THAT'S MY ONLY INPUT ON IT.

THERE MIGHT BE SOME LANGUAGE IN THERE THAT SAYS THAT THEY WILL BRING IT BACK TO THE COUNCIL FOR ANYTHING THAT OVER EXCEEDS THAT TRAVEL REQUEST, AND.

[INAUDIBLE] OH, OKAY.

SHE HAS IT HIGHLIGHTED UP THERE.

SO DID YOU WANT TO AMEND THAT? WELL, LET ME JUST READ IT. IT MIGHT BE FINE CITY COUNCIL.

TRAVEL REQUEST IN EXCESS OF THE ANNUAL 5000 THRESHOLD SHALL REQUIRE CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL.

YEAH. THAT'S FINE.

I'M OKAY WITH THAT WORDING.

IT MEETS THE NEED OF A COUNCIL MEMBER HAVING TO GO TO MORE OF THOSE.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OBJECTION TO A TAKEN OUT APPROVAL BY THE MAYOR OR MAYOR PRO TEM? WELL, IT'S JUST THIS SEEMS VERY AWKWARD THAT THE CITY MANAGER I KNOW IN THE PAST HAS TOLD COUNCIL MEMBERS, WELL, NO, YOU DON'T MEET THE CRITERIA.

YOU CAN'T GO.

AND I THINK THAT'S VERY AWKWARD FOR THE CITY MANAGER AS WELL AS FOR THE COUNCILMEMBER, THE COUNCIL, THE CITY MANAGER WORKS FOR THE COUNCIL AND HE'S BASICALLY TELLING HIS BOSSES, NO, YOU CANNOT GO.

AND MOST ORGANIZATIONS USUALLY HAVE THE MAYOR.

I MEAN, YOU COULD PUT BY THE MAYOR, SLASH MAYOR PRO TEM AND THEN ALL THE CITY MANAGER BASICALLY DOES IS, YOU KNOW, CHECK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE MONEY TO DO THAT.

AND IT JUST SEEMS VERY AWKWARD TO ME THAT THE CITY MANAGER WORKS FOR THE COUNCIL, BUT YET HE HAS THE OVERSIGHT TO DENY THINGS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL.

WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO THAT NOBODY HAS TO GO THROUGH ANY APPROVAL FROM THE MAYOR OR THE CITY MANAGER THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE HELD.

WE'RE ALL ADULTS, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE HELD TO THE STANDARD THAT THEY DO HAVE WHOEVER GOES HAS TO COME BACK AND REPORT OUT.

SO THAT'S THE CHECK AND BALANCE.

WHAT'S YOUR INPUT ON THAT? [INAUDIBLE] JUST A MOMENT.

MS. BURKHOLDER RAISED HER HAND FIRST.

SORRY. I'M TURNING IT OFF NOW.

YEAH. SO I'M JUST WONDERING ABOUT.

WOULD WE JUST TELL OUR SECRETARY, HEY, I'M GOING TO THIS CONFERENCE AND NOTICE, I DON'T KNOW THE CITY MANAGER.

LIKE THERE HAS TO BE SOME KIND OF PROCESS IN PLACE.

BUT I AGREE WITH YOU 100%.

WE'RE ADULTS. WE SHOULD KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING AND GO TRAVEL AND COME BACK AND REPORT OUT ON IT.

MY OTHER QUESTION ABOUT IS ABOUT REPORTING OUT SHOULD BE AT THE MOST IMMEDIATE COUNCIL MEETING SUBSEQUENT TO THE TRAVEL.

OR REASONABLY SHORTLY AFTER.

BUT IF IT MAKES THE COUNCIL MORE COMFORTABLE THAT MAYOR OR MAYOR PRO TEM APPROVE IT, THAT'S FINE BY ME.

I JUST DON'T WANT CITY MANAGER IN THE ROLE FOR THE SAME REASON THAT MS. LUNA TALKED ABOUT THAT, HE'S OUR EMPLOYEE, AND IT'S HARD FOR AN EMPLOYEE TO TELL THE BOSS.

YEAH, AND I THINK A PROOF PROBABLY ISN'T THE EXACT WORD WE'RE LOOKING FOR, I THINK.

[02:05:03]

IT'S IN OUR BUDGET. WE MEET THE GUIDELINES.

WE CAN DO IT. SO PERHAPS THAT WOULD BE MORE ACCURATE, ACCURATELY REFLECTED.

PERHAPS CINDY, MS. MCMAHON, DO YOU HAVE ANY INPUT RELATIVE TO THAT OR HOW ABOUT WHETHER IT'S APPROVED OR NOTICED? YEAH, EITHER ONE OF THOSE WOULD BE FINE.

IT'S COUNCIL'S PLEASURE IN ADVANCE TO THE MAYOR OR MAYOR PRO TEM.

I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR YOU, DO YOU WANT TO SAY TRAVEL MUST BE COMMUNICATED IN ADVANCE TO THE MAYOR OR MAYOR PRO TEM? I MEAN, THAT'S FINE WITH ME.

I'M JUST ONE PERSON UP HERE.

MS. BHAT-PATEL? SURE. THANK YOU.

I'M COMFORTABLE WITH THE CHANGES.

I THINK THE I MEAN, I'M ALSO COMFORTABLE KNOWING THAT I'M SURE THE FIVE OF US WILL ADHERE TO THIS.

I THINK THIS IS ALSO FOR FUTURE COUNCILS AND MAKING SURE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND THOSE THAT ARE UP HERE ARE GOING TO ABIDE BY THIS, I THINK HAVING SOME SORT.

I DO AGREE.

SURE. THE REPORT OUT IS A CHECK AND BALANCE, BUT YOU HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THAT REPORT OUT TO ACTUALLY KNOW WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS RELEVANT.

I THINK I MIGHT DIFFER FROM THE REST OF YOU ON FEELING THAT THERE MIGHT BE A NEED TO HAVE AT LEAST SOME LEVEL OF STAFF INVOLVEMENT IN IT, JUST BECAUSE, AGAIN, IT PROVIDES THAT CHECK AND BALANCE.

BUT THAT'S JUST MY I MEAN, IT'S BEEN WORKING FOR MANY YEARS GENERALLY.

YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S BEEN WORKING I DON'T KNOW THAT WAS JUST MY THOUGHT ON THAT SPECIFICALLY, BUT.

UM, OPEN, OBVIOUSLY OPEN TO WHATEVER WE ALL DECIDE TONIGHT.

MS. ACOSTA.

I'M JUST WONDERING IF WE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS IN THE PAST WITH NOT HAVING THIS CLEAR POLICY.

THIS CAME UP WITH ANOTHER POLICY THAT WE HAD RECENTLY, AND IT SEEMED LIKE I ENDED UP SAYING, IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

AND I THINK I DON'T KNOW IF THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS WITH NOT HAVING A POLICY AROUND THIS IN THE PAST.

THIS IS BEING BROUGHT FORWARD AT COUNCIL'S REQUEST.

COUNCIL. SO WE ARE RESPONDING TO COUNCIL'S REQUEST OR POLICY DIRECTION.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY ISSUES.

BECAUSE I KNOW FROM TALKING TO PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEMBER, THE PREVIOUS MAYOR, THAT ON THE LEGISLATIVE SUBCOMMITTEE THAT THERE HAD BEEN A LOT MORE TRIPS IN THE PAST AND NOW THERE'S A LOT FEWER.

AND I WAS JUST WONDERING IF IT HAD EVER BEEN ABUSED OR IF WE KNEW OF ANYTHING WHERE PEOPLE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TRAVEL, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT THERE HAVE BEEN I THINK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REALLY FAITHFUL AND GOOD IN REPRESENTING THE CITY IN THEIR TRAVEL.

SO I WAS JUST WONDERING.

THANKS. SOME OF THE REASONS I SUPPORT THIS IS, FIRST OF ALL, IT'S PUBLIC PERCEPTION.

AND THE OTHER IS I WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH TO TAKE THE CITY MANAGER OUT OF THE ROLE OF BEING THE DECISION MAKER.

I THINK AND THIS WAS I JUST PUT THIS THOUGHT TOGETHER EVER ONLY SINCE I'VE READ MS. LUNA'S PROPOSAL.

I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE REPORTING BACK, AND I THINK THAT'S SUFFICIENT FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO HOLD THEMSELVES ACCOUNTABLE, BECAUSE NOW THEY KNOW THAT IT HAS TO BE WORK RELATED ENOUGH THAT THE REPORTING BACK AND TELLING US WHAT WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED ON THIS PARTICULAR TRIP.

I ALSO LIKE THE IDEA THAT WE'RE GOING TO IF YOU'RE ON THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES, THAT WE TRY TO GET THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES TO PICK UP THEIR FAIR SHARE OF THAT TRIP AS WELL. SO.

DO YOU HAVE ANY CHANGES YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE? AND THEN I'LL LET YOU MAKE A MOTION.

MISS LUNA. UM, SHEILA, I THINK WHAT SHEILA HAS UP, SO I GUESS, COULD YOU HELP ME, CINDY? ON WHAT TYPE OF MOTION I WOULD MAKE.

I CAN HELP YOU WITH THE MOTION, BUT I DID WANT TO CLARIFY.

THE MONETARY WORD IS STILL UP THERE.

DID YOU WANT IT TO SAY MONETARY, OR DID YOU WANT IT TO SAY PUBLIC BENEFIT? I THINK PUBLIC BENEFIT.

OKAY. AND DID WE ACTUALLY NEED CITY IN THERE FOR THE CITY? DO WE NEED THAT IN THERE? I MEAN, PUBLIC BENEFIT IS EVIDENT.

OKAY. AND HOW ABOUT THE APPROVAL PROCESS? TRAVEL MUST BE COMMUNICATED IN ADVANCE TO THE MAYOR OR MAYOR PRO TEM, AND THE CITY MANAGER'S PURVIEW SHALL BE CONFINED TO BUDGETARY MATTERS.

I THINK THAT'S FINE.

UH, SO THE MOTION CAN BE FOR APPROVAL OF THE POLICY WITH THE AMENDMENTS PROPOSED BY COUNCILMEMBER LUNA.

[02:10:05]

WE NEED FOUR AFFIRMATIVE VOTES TO PASS THIS.

OKAY. I'M SORRY.

SAY THAT LAST STATEMENT AGAIN.

THIS IS A FOUR. WE NEED FOUR AFFIRMATIVE VOTES SINCE THIS IS A CITY COUNCIL POLICY TO PASS THIS.

OKAY, I'LL SECOND IT.

ANY COMMENTS ON THE MOTION? MS. BURKHOLDER? I THINK WHAT YOU, MS. LUNA, WHAT YOU'VE PUT TOGETHER IS VERY FAIR AND WOULD INCREASE TRANSPARENCY FOR SURE.

I HAVE A REAL HARD TIME APPROVING ANY TRAVEL RIGHT NOW WITH THE BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

SO FOR ME, WHILE THIS IS A PERFECTLY GREAT DOCUMENT, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, FISCALLY, I JUST CAN'T SUPPORT SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

SO THANK YOU. BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, I APPRECIATE THAT.

MS. ACOSTA.

YES. I ALSO WANT TO THANK COUNCILMEMBER LUNA FOR COMING UP WITH THIS ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE AND THE MODIFICATIONS TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING.

PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SPENDING.

I THINK THIS IS IN LINE WITH THE SPENDING THAT WE ALREADY.

THIS REALLY JUST CLARIFIES AND BRINGS TO LIGHT WHAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING.

SO I THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT THIS.

I DO THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP PROFESSIONALLY.

WE GET ELECTED FROM ALL DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, AND WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE TRAINING TO DO THIS JOB WITHOUT ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE AND COACHING.

AND WHEN WE GO TO CONFERENCES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, WE'RE ABLE TO LEARN MORE.

SO I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO USE THIS AND I WILL SUPPORT THIS.

THANKS. MS. BHAT-PATEL. YES.

THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU, MS. COBIAN FOR WORKING ON THIS.

AND OF COURSE, COUNCILMEMBER LUNA FOR THIS DRAFT VERSION HERE THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US.

I THINK I DEFINITELY HAD WENT BACK AND FORTH ON THIS SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE FROM A FISCAL STANDPOINT, I DON'T YOU KNOW, I FEEL THAT WE SHOULD HOLD OURSELVES TO A SIMILAR STANDARD AS WE ARE WITH THE REST OF THE ORGANIZATION.

I DO APPRECIATE THE DECREASE IN THE AMOUNT THAT YOU'VE PROPOSED HERE.

SO HALFING THAT AMOUNT FROM 10 TO 5000, I THINK IS IS GOOD.

I THINK IT IS WITHIN I THINK LOOKING BACK AT SOME OF THE NUMBERS, IT'S DEFINITELY HOPEFULLY WE'LL STAY AT WHERE WE'RE AT THIS YEAR AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE LEFTOVER FUNDS FROM THE 5000 PER COUNCILMEMBER THAT WILL THEN BE BROUGHT OVER TO THE NEXT YEAR FOR BUDGETING PURPOSES.

I THINK I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT.

I'D LOVE TO SEE HOW IT ENDS UP GOING THE NEXT YEAR, YOU KNOW, AS WE TRY THIS OUT AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME IF WE HAVE TO REASSESS.

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK.

I'M JUST GOING TO REPEAT. THANK YOU, MS. LUNA, FOR PUTTING ALL THE THOUGHT AND WORK INTO THIS.

YOU HAVE WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

PLEASE VOTE. PASSES 4 TO 1.

AND THAT BRINGS US TO THE CONCLUSION OF OUR COUNCIL MEETING.

[COUNCIL COMMENTARY AND REQUESTS FOR CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, MS. BURKHOLDER. YEAH HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

ALSO, WE HAVE A SPECIAL SANDAG BOARD MEETING ON FRIDAY RELATIVE TO THE HIRING OF THE NEW INTERIM CEO FOR SANDAG.

SO IF YOU'RE REALLY BORED, TUNE IN 9:00 FRIDAY MORNING AND WE'LL SEE WHERE WE GET.

THANKS, MS. ACOSTA. GREAT.

THANK YOU. AT THE CARLSBAD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WE HAVE A MONTHLY RISING STAR AWARDS BREAKFAST, WHERE WE HONOR STUDENTS FROM ALL OUR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE DOING AMAZING THINGS.

AND SO I ATTENDED THAT THIS MORNING BEFORE OUR LEGISLATIVE SUBCOMMITTEE, WHICH MET RIGHT HERE IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

SO I INVITE PEOPLE TO ATTEND THOSE MEETINGS IN PERSON HERE AT CITY HALL THERE ONCE A MONTH.

AND WE ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO STREAM ONLINE.

SO IF YOU CAN'T COME IN PERSON, YOU CAN EMAIL YOUR COMMENTS OR YOU CAN WATCH ONLINE AND SEND YOUR COMMENTS LATER.

I THINK THEY'RE STILL COMING UP WITH THE DATE FOR THE NEXT MEETING, BUT IT WILL BE IN DECEMBER AND WE WILL BE REVISING OUR LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM.

THAT IS WHAT WE BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE ADVOCATING FOR AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.

SO THAT WILL BE WHAT IS DISCUSSED AT THE NEXT MEETING, AND THEN WE WILL BRING THAT TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR APPROVAL.

SO IT'S A BIG MEETING AND VERY IMPORTANT.

AND THEN I AM ATTENDING THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES ANNUAL CONFERENCE.

THAT'S WHERE ALL THE CITIES FROM THE ENTIRE COUNTRY COME TOGETHER FOR WORKSHOPS AND SHARING OF BEST PRACTICES.

AND I WAS PROUD THAT THE CITY OF CARLSBAD IS WINNING AN AWARD FOR OUR WORK AS A DIGITAL CITY, AS A SMART CITY, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING THERE TO REPRESENT

[02:15:09]

THANK YOU. WE HAD A CLEAN ENERGY ALLIANCE MEETING LAST THURSDAY, AND WE DID UPDATE OUR THE START TIME FOR OUR NEW CEO TO FEBRUARY.

SO JUST A QUICK UPDATE ON THAT.

THAT WILL BE STARTING WITH OUR NEW CEO AT THAT POINT.

WITH REGARDS TO MORE OF OUR COMMITTEE UPDATES, WE HAD A VERY EXTENSIVE AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING LAST NIGHT AND THEN THIS MORNING, AND WE ARE HOPEFULLY NARROWING DOWN ON WHO WILL BE LEADING THE AGENCY AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

AND SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE SOMETHING TO REPORT BACK IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

AND COMING UP THIS WEEK, I DO HAVE ANOTHER NCTF BOARD MEETING ON THURSDAY, AND THEN A SANDAG TRANSPORTATION BOARD MEETING FRIDAY AND A [INAUDIBLE] BOARD MEETING. LOTS OF TRANSIT COMING UP ON MONDAY.

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT THANKSGIVING.

HOPEFULLY ALL THE VETERANS OUT THERE HAD A GREAT VETERANS DAY.

AND I KNOW WE THERE WERE MANY OF US THAT HAD A CHANCE TO GO TO THE ARMY NAVY ACADEMY, AND IT WAS A GREAT CELEBRATION FOR OUR VETERANS.

THANKS. AND FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS.

[ANNOUNCEMENTS]

AND 8 P.M..

HOLIDAY AT THE RANCHO TREE LIGHTING THAT'S AT THE LEO CARRILLO RANCH HISTORIC PARK, 6200 FLYING LEO CARRILLO LANE IN CARLSBAD.

ALSO LAST WEEK, WE HAD A FIRE NEAR CALAVERA HILLS RIGHT OFF COLLEGE AND 78.

BECAUSE OF THE GREAT EFFORTS AND COORDINATION BETWEEN SO MANY AGENCIES, THAT FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BEFORE IT BECAME A REAL PROBLEM, WHICH IT COULD HAVE EASILY BECOME. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS WHO HELPED EXTINGUISH THIS FIRE SO QUICKLY.

THAT'S OCEANSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FIRE DEPARTMENT, CAL FIRE, SAN MARCOS FIRE, VISTA FIRE, RANCHO SANTA FE, SAN MARCOS FIRE, CAMP PENDLETON POLICE AGENCIES FROM CARLSBAD AND OCEANSIDE.

BECAUSE THAT GROUP WORKED TOGETHER, THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED, PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED, AND IT HAD A POSITIVE OUTCOME OTHER THAN WHAT BURNED.

[CITY MANAGER COMMENTS]

NO, WE DID NOT HIRE TWO ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES.

I JUST WANT TO GET EVERYONE OFF THAT.

ZACH KIRSCH, OUR FINANCE DIRECTOR, HAD A BABY GIRL, OR AT LEAST HIS WIFE DID AUBREY AND THEN OUR CLERK SERVICES MANAGER, FABIO MEDINA, ENDED UP HAVING A BABY BOY NAMED CARLO.

SO CONGRATULATIONS.

CITY ATTORNEY. NOTHING.

THANK YOU. CITY CLERK.

NOTHING. WE'RE ADJOURNED.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.