City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Welcome to the City Council meeting for September 8th. Madam Clerk, will you please call roll?

Council Member Cazares? Here. Council Member Dillard? Here. Council Member Lothian?

Here.

Vice Mayor Suzuki?

Here.

Mayor Apostathis?

Here. We begin every meeting with an invocation flag salute, and the invocation flag salute will be offered by Vice Mayor Suzuki.

Thank you, Mayor. As most of us know, all our students are all in school now. And so we are all in the new school year. And that means that we're going to and from school, worrying about homework. But I just want our students and our parents to remember that, as Nelson Mandela said, education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. And I think that it is important that our students remember that they have voices. and that they can change the world with just theirs. So if you could please stand. Ready, begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. You may have noticed or not, we have the annual rotation of the vice mayor, and so I'd like to welcome council member and now vice mayor Suzuki. Congratulations.

Thank you.

All right. We'll tell you what the former vice mayor will tell you what the handshake is and all the do's. So there you go.

City manager comments.

I have none. Thank you. Community Bulletin reports the City's annual slurry seal project has begun with contractors starting preparation work on several streets. Some of the work includes pavement patching, crack sealing, removing existing striping, advance of all the slurry seal application. Temporary 72-hour no parking signs will be posted ahead of the slurry seal work. Residents are encouraged to check the posted signs accordingly. Join us at La Mesa's Safety Fair this Saturday, the 12th, right outside the police department. The event is free, including safety demonstrations, community resource, kids' activities, and a chance to meet first responders. I think the weather will be agreeable, too. It's supposed to be about 15 degrees cooler. Also happening at La Mesa's Safety Fair, a chance to sharpen your bike skills. All ages and all experiences are welcome. Please visit sdbikecoalition.org. The deadline is approaching for youth ages 13 to 20 who live or attend school in the city of La Mesa to apply for the Youth Advisory Commission. Please check the website. The application deadline is the 15th of September. And starting next Monday, September 14th, on my birthday, The Spring Street Trolley Station will be closed for approximately two years for construction of the new transit-oriented development. Please use the Massachusetts Grossmont, Massachusetts Avenue, or 70th Street stations to park and ride. For more information, you can check sdmts.com and finally join us for free showing of how to train your dragon at macarthur park friday september 18th festivities start at 5 pm the movie begins 15 minutes after sunset bring your blankets or low back chairs and your favorite snacks i will be there vice mayor suzuki

Thank you. For those of us who don't have AC, I mean, I have AC, but there are people who don't have AC, and if you're a senior, check out our Adult Enrichment Center. It's one of the places that you can go to cool off. It's very dangerous right now, so make sure that you're hydrating and make sure that you take advantage of our resources. Also, on October 17th, La Mesa will be hosting its inaugural Mini Mesa. So if you have any 6th to 8th graders at home or you're a teacher and you teach sixth to eighth grade, please consider having your student apply. It's gonna be a really cool experience. It'll be a mix between, I call it, it's a mix between Model UN meets BizTown, and it's gonna teach our kids all about how to be engaged, involved with our city, and how to use your voice, and also how the city runs. So please consider that if you want to RSVP. It is online, but we're looking for our kids to submit their applications at the very latest by the end of September. So let me know if you have any questions. You can contact me or you can contact any of our staff. Thank you.

Thank you. Council Member Lothian.

Okay, my suggestion for cooling off is more fun than the vice mayor's. I saw children running through the sprinklers at Highwood, and I emailed city staff going, please tell me that's potable drinking water, and it is. So if you happen to be in a park and the sprinklers are going off, go ahead and run through it. Let the kids enjoy. Drink it, splash in it, take the hose. So anyway, so that's another way to get out of the heat. Also on a more serious note, this Friday, of course, is the 25th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. And I don't know about you, but my feeds have been just full of stories. It's reminding me of that day. I remember my kids were like seven, nine, and 11. And we were making breakfast to go to school and the phone rings and it's their aunt going, turn on the television. And we just Spent the morning stocked and it was very very upsetting And I've been reading a lot of stories about heroes too, especially from flight 93 Which was the only jet that had advanced notice of what was going on. So anyway, we were very unified back then America loved each other and loved the country more than they loved our differences And the only thing I miss from that time because it was a horrible period was the camaraderie this country had.

Thank you Thank You councilmember Dillard

Yes, thank you. I just have an unusual announcement, and it's more personal. I'm so excited today that I'm happy to share. I've, for the last three years almost, it'll be next month, three years, I have always said that I had three children and three grandchildren, but I just found out today that my oldest daughter is pregnant again with her second child, and it's a girl, so I'm excited, so just thought I'd share.

Very good. Thank you. Council Member Casares?

Thank you. I just want to remind everyone that the election is in less than 60 days, and you should check your voter registration now. Even if you've moved within the city of La Mesa, please update your voter registration. And thank you and congratulations, including to my two colleagues who are running the cycle. Thank you for stepping up and being willing to serve our community.

Thank you. COMMUNITY BULL WITHIN ADDITIONS AND OR DELETIONS BY STAFF OR COUNCIL?

NONE FROM STAFF. WE HAVE A PROCLAMATION THAT I'M GOING TO READ.

WHEREAS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERY RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF LA MESA TO PREPARE THEIR HOMES, BUSINESSES, COMMUNITIES FOR ANY TYPE OF EMERGENCY, CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS DISASTERS INCLUDING SEVERE WINTER STORMS, EARTHQUAKES, DEVASTATING wildland fires resulting in loss of life, damaging, costing millions of dollars. The aftermath of the 2003-2007 firestorm in San Diego County and more recent wildfires across the state demonstrated the necessity for careful and thorough emergency preparedness. The unprecedented winter storms of 2024 brought the awareness of the danger which heavy wind, rain, and flooding can cause across the region and predicted El Nino for potentially bringing the same storm conditions. is something that we're trying to prepare for. The loss of life and damage of property can be reduced if appropriate emergency preparedness measures are taken before, during, and after a major emergency event. The National Preparedness Month is observed in September and all citizens of the City of La Mesa are encouraged to participate in citizen preparedness activities and asked to review the Ready Campaign's website at ready.gov or heartlandfire.gov to become more prepared. Now, therefore, I, Mark Rapistaff, as the 23rd Mayor of the City of La Mesa and the entire City Council, do hereby proclaim the month of September 2026 as National Preparedness Month and encourage all people in the City of La Mesa and across the county to make sure they have a plan. Thank you. Next, we have public comments. I'm going to first open it for anybody's hand that's up remotely.

Mayor, we have one hand raised for remote public comment.

Okay, thank you. Now remote public comment is closed.

Remote public comment with last four digits 3731. You are now able to unmute yourself. You have three minutes.

Hey there, it is Truce Tonics.

For those of you know me, probably plenty that don't by this point. It's been a while. How are you guys been? I have seen some of you, actually. I do want to say, for the record, you could have read the last two digits of my phone number rather than doxing the full last four digits, because that is what the city of Imperial Beach does. They only read the last two digits. Or better yet, you could have the city have a sign-up system just like Chula Vista and El Cajon have, and then you don't have any doxing happen. You just have the speaker in your queue ready to pick them, and you can call them by the name that they registered with. Because, you know, what you identify as is really important, right? Only when it's convenient for you. And for the record, you guys all have weird updates every single meeting, starting with the random invocations. I mean, you did one to schooling today. Hmm. Interesting. But, you know, knowledge is power. I guess so. I don't want to weaponize knowledge, though, either. Let's do talking random, though. That's what you guys like. Gateway sign. I saw it. I think it looks pretty good. It has a lot of rainbows on it, though. That was my first perspective on it. I said, wow, a lot of people drew rainbows. That was interesting. But as far as, like, the top design, I really do like it. Kind of reminds me of the one in Old Town, San Diego. But also uniquely La Mesa. I'm glad you didn't leave the pillars blank. You know, you did something with them. Let's see. I recently enjoyed a meal at Casa Gabriela with my Lemon Grove friends. I didn't weed in Lemon Grove. I don't know. I don't know. But you know what? The food was really, really good. I had a great time. I won't say what I was celebrating, but it was a celebration. Now let's talk about more negative stuff. I'm actually very concerned about future traffic and crime from the future Spring Street Station stacking pack development that is going to benefit the union within San Diego County and beyond, really, because It comes all the way down from the AFL-CIO, right? Some of you on this council, you've taken a lot of money from these unions, so you know exactly what I'm talking about. But, you know, if you support public transit as a council member, why would you take away parking for people to use so they can take the trolley? Because you're taking away what encourages them and what enables them to put their car away, right, and then use the transit. You're going to take it away from them. It makes zero sense. You know, if somebody who actually does support transit but also wants to see it highly reformed for safety and paying it to the system, I think that's ridiculous to support that. I'm also in the same vein worried about the city's finances and the budget. Because I've been seeing over the last couple years, paying attention now and again, that you spend a lot of money on things I don't think you need to. And I think some of those things are going to be discussed today. And I'm warning now, if you keep on that same track, everything will make sense. Thank you for your comments.

Thank you. Thank you. First speaker in person, Mary Ann, followed by Cindy Mynia. Welcome.

Construction project on Jericho Road. I sent the council five emails today containing selected time-stamped videos, plus a sixth email with still photographs of the trucks entering and exiting that job site. The videos document trucks obstructing the roadway over extended periods of time. Three incidents were reported to the La Mesa Police. On August 10th, when work started at 5.30 in the morning... On August 18th, when a semi arrived at 10.30 at night and then parked overnight on Jericho Road. And again on August 24th, when a truck arrived at 5.30 in the morning to begin staging outside the job site, which is right outside my bedroom window. That is not a momentary inconvenience. That is repeated use of a residential street as a staging area. La Mesa Municipal Code 12.52.041 prohibits large commercial vehicles from parking on residential streets except for pickups and deliveries. This was neither. What is happening on Jericho Road goes far beyond a normal pickup or delivery. We have complained, we've called the police, we've documented it, and it continues. That means no overnight commercial truck parking, no staging in residential streets, no blocking the roadway, and no construction outside of permitted working hours. At this point, it's not a matter of whether the city is aware of the problem. The city has been told, Meritage has been told, the police have been called at least three times. The issue is, what is the city going to do about it? We've documented, we've reported, and now the city needs to enforce it. If violation continues, citations and findings need to follow.

Thank you. Cindy Mina, followed by Tony Lopez.

Welcome.

Hello, my name is Cindy Maina, and my property is adjacent to the Jericho Road property. I wish to speak on the Fugitive Dust Law, which regulates fugitive dust emissions from construction sites and restricts the level of emissions allowed to cross onto adjacent properties. I believe it is the San Diego Air Pollution Control District, a county agency, that has the power to enforce this law. Demo and grading resumed on May 20th. On May 21, I emailed Ephraim Jolson, vice president of forward planning, that I had noticed airborne dust from my property. His response was, hi, Cindy, thank you for letting me know. I will report back to my field team, and yes, we can water more to alleviate dust. My property is 26 feet above the Jericho Road property, so I have a good vantage point. Since then, I keep my windows closed, refrain from going into my backyard during their work hours. I regularly check my sliding glass door screens and two-bedroom screens, which face the property. I dust the screens to check for excessive dust, and until September 1st, I had no real concerns. However, on September 1st, the crew was working right outside My property, adjacent to my property. This is what I got from one day. My sliding glass door and two bedroom windows. Oh. Okay, so I've been monitoring it. On September 4th, last Friday, they were not working anywhere near my property and this is what happened when I dusted my screens after they left. And then Sunday and Monday, there was not a work day. So as you can see, there's very little, it was almost negligible on my screens that face the property. Okay, so, let's see. Dust has been minimal because since then they've been working on other parts of the property. My neighbors who live at or below Jericho Road property elevation have not been as fortunate as I've been. Their yards, cars, patios are covered with dirt. Back in July, I visited the work site and spoke to Mike Harbauer, the crew supervisor. I wanted to discuss the work that was being performed on our shared slope. Mike answered all my questions and took my concerns seriously. He seems like a decent guy. He then brought up the challenges of working in what he described as a fishbowl.

30 seconds.

As they're surrounded by residences. He said that many of their projects occur in undeveloped or underdeveloped areas. He specifically referenced dust emissions, saying they would water down the soil and the wind would shift. And I'm really concerned about the Santa Ana's that were probably really going to see a lot of dust. So Meritage has undertaken a project of magnitude and complexity. It was short-sighted to believe that there would not be an environmental impact on the community. We would like to see mitigation efforts.

Thank you for your comment. Your time has ended.

Thank you.

Tony Lopez, followed by Ian Allen.

Good evening. I've only come over here a couple of times, and I've lived in that big complex at the corner of Dayton Orange. So today, I have a concern about the speeding that happens in that S street. Because of the backup on La Mesa Boulevard, because of the trolley going by, sometimes going north, going south, and then stopping traffic, and it backs up all the way down La Mesa Boulevard, we've got people that come along date, and circle around and go down orange, and then circle around and go out at speeds that are pretty bad. We had an accident there about three weeks ago, four weeks ago. I could not find that traffic report, but I have witnesses from our complex that saw it happen. Why it was written up, I don't know. Maybe they had money. I don't know. But I'm wondering if the city would consider putting in some speed bumps. to slow down that traffic. And I know that there's concern about speed bumps and where you can put them and where you can't. But we have an elderly community of, there's 95 units in there. And it takes a while to cross the street. When you go to Washington DC or New York, you get 20, 30 seconds to cross the street. That's a lot of time, but for an elderly person, it's not. And yet they come reaming around the corners through our street to get to La Mesa Boulevard. So I'm just asking the city council and the manager to see if they can look into this to try to figure out if there's any way. Because you can't put a patrolman there. I understand that. A patrolman can't track these kids down that are driving 25 miles an hour on their little motorbikes. I almost got hit by one the other day. So I'm just concerned about the safety issue, and it's been brought to me to come and bring it to the city council. That's one. The other issue is the charging stations across the street. More and more people are getting EVs, and you have to look for these charging stations around the city. The sign on that parking lot says, I didn't bring my phone up here, but it says staff with EVs. Does that mean that only staff members from La Mesa get to use that? I'm not sure. So if I could get clarification about that, that would be awesome. 30 seconds. Because, I mean, there are more and more people wanting to use charging stations, and they're not easily found. You have to look for them. Tesla will tell you where they are, the superchargers, but you don't always get a supercharger. So I would really like some feedback on this, if it would be possible. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Ian Allen, followed by Abigail Scott.

Welcome. Hey, thank you. I'm not prepared for this, so I'm just going to wing it. But I live on Maya and Jericho with some of my neighbors over there. And the community was built in the 60s. And so a lot of the community has a lot of original owners and then some of the younger families that are coming up. So you get this mix of the young family and original owners. Believe me when I say that a lot of the community by this project is being impacted a lot more than we're letting on. A lot of the folks either can't make it down here or don't feel like they really have a voice that's being listened to. The rezoning was a hard pill to swallow for a lot of us. We don't really feel like our voices were heard. And now they're not being very good neighbors. The construction crews are not been in construction my whole life. And so I know when a process isn't being followed. I know when corners are being cut. And I know when the bottom line is finance isn't You know, screw the community. I want to get this job done as quickly as possible and as profitable as possible. And so a lot of the safety, they haven't been followed. And so I've been trying to do it on my own, going through my own channels, emailing Ephraim from Meritage. That's a nothing burger. In fact, it's worse than that. It was a dangled carrot. Yeah, we'll clean your property. Sign this release that indemnifies us for anything and everything from here and forever. Obviously, I'm not going to sign that. I just want you to clean the dust that you did on the property. So I don't know what my options are. I feel sort of like the community, where we feel at loss. We don't feel like we've been hurt up to this point, and now we're in a position where we're getting dumped on, literally. I know that what I've been told is the city is going up to the project and they're monitoring. I don't know how often they're monitoring, but they weren't monitoring initially. And that's where a lot of the overrun that we've got came from. And it's still there today. And I'm still waiting for Meritage to live up to their promise of cleaning it. And it's going on 12 weeks now. So they haven't been good neighbors. This whole experience has been a drag. And we just feel hopeless when we're looking for some support. Thank you.

Thank you. Abigail Scott, followed by Andrew Austin. Welcome.

Hi. Thank you. My name is Abigail Scott, and this is my proposal to turn an abandoned lot in my neighborhood into a community farm. Nice to meet you all. My name is Abby. I'm a culinary and permaculture student, which means I spend my free time gardening and cooking. And it also means that I care about what we eat and how we care for our planet. I've lived here in La Mesa 10 years now. Is this the clicker? Can you change the slide for me? Uh-huh. Anyways, I've lived here in La Mesa about 10 years now. And in that time, I've walked to school past a huge plot of seemingly abandoned land across from Elmac. More than half an acre of perfectly good soil has been left to go to weeds and dry up in the sun. and become a littered, fenced-in fire hazard. And as I learned more about food sovereignty, soil health, especially climate change, empty plots like this in suburban areas dominated by grocery stores started making less and less sense to me. As climate change tips the scales on us and food insecurity inches closer to home, it is time to accept the reality that We live in a food desert, a city where food production is inconvenient or unprofitable, resulting in people buying all of their food from the few big box grocery stores or restaurants in town, which makes people like me who live in apartments with no backyard kind of sitting ducks in an emergency situation. So anyways, I started researching who owns the plot, the details on its size and potential crop yield, what I could plant, who I could feed, And I learned that our mayor, Dr. A, originally tried to buy the lot. But it was bought up by an LLC in LA, which just sat on it for 10 years. Completely dried up, rusted fence, barbed wire. It's just kind of upsetting. It has the potential to produce thousands of pounds of produce per year for our community, especially those who are going through a hard time financially. If we could reach out as a city to convince the owners of this abandoned plot to let the city of La Mesa use it as a community garden or urban farm in a year, we could be practicing and teaching regenerative and climate-friendly techniques, especially to the schools in the area, that enrich the soil, engage local pollinators, and sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. I've been petitioning for two weeks and received overwhelming positive feedback from my neighbors, even including people wanting to volunteer at the garden. So the only problem is ownership, I guess. Yeah, we just need all the help we can get. So to show your support for the idea, please email me or sign your petition. Thank you.

Thank you. Andrew Lawson. Welcome. Thank you.

Good evening, city council manager, deputy city clerk, everyone else here. My name's Andrew Lawson. I'm running for the 79th Assembly District. We're smack dab right in the middle of this district. And I'm going to tell you right now, I'm not running against my opponent. I am running for California. And I'm more or less running for the middle class. I am middle class. And I think in Sacramento, They've lost their way considering they introduce something like 6,000 bills a year, and they do absolutely nothing except change a single word inside of a bill sometimes. Anyways, like I said, I'm running for the middle class to represent the middle class in Sacramento because we're all struggling down here while politicians just live high on the hog. Yeah, thank you very much. You guys have a great day. All right, thank you.

um conflict disclosures by anybody on council item nine is a hearing interview for applicants for interim city treasurer consideration of possible appointment we also have one speaker um do you want to do the speaker first or why don't we do that first andy estevez do we want to see if we have any online i'm sorry i forgot about that are there any hands raised

Mayor, we do not have any hands raised.

Thank you. Welcome.

Hi, thank you.

My name is Andy Aceves, and I've been a longtime resident of La Mesa well over 40 years. I don't know exactly. And I love this city, I really do, and believe it deserves the absolute best of governance. I view the applications for the city treasurer position, and it was obvious to me who was best qualified. I appreciate Mr. Stewart's ambitious and his pursuit of a BS degree at UCLA, and I wish him only the best. I remember I went through the UC system too, and it's a tough system. But he hasn't even graduated. He's not an expert, nor is he qualified for such an important position. Bill Exeter is. His history of expertise in finance is well documented, and his reputation as a businessman of integrity make him the only candidate qualified to serve as La Mesa City Treasurer. I hope this council bases their decision on qualifications, expertise, and experience. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll hand this over to the city clerk.

Honorable Mayor and Council, the City Treasurer position became vacant on August 12th of this year following the resignation of the City Treasurer, Matthew Strabone. At its July 28th meeting, the City Council directed staff to move forward with the appointment process to fill the vacancy rather than call a special election. Two applicants successfully submitted complete applications and the required nomination petitions, William Exeter and Emmett Stewart. Tonight, the council will conduct the required public hearing and interview of the applicants. I will call upon each applicant individually to provide a three-minute presentation in support of their candidacy. And following the presentations, the council may ask questions of the applicants if they wish. And at the conclusion of the public hearing, the council may either make an appointment tonight or defer the appointment to the September 22nd council meeting. I will now call up William Exeter to begin his presentation.

Welcome.

Thank you. Good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Bill Exeter. I'm running for treasurer. I guess La Mesa needs a treasurer that has already proven himself. So I guess that's my opening statement. And then I think the considerations boil down to one word, and that is experience. So just to quickly summarize my experience, I've been in the fiduciary business, the trust services business, the financial services business now for over 41 years. That includes positions as controller of a commercial bank, controller of a savings and loan, CFO and COO of a trust company, and currently CEO of a trust company as well. My background extends 41 years, all in the financial services, fiduciary services experience. So it's really four decades of safeguarding and protecting client funds. And I think that's what sets myself apart from our competition, which is the experience that directly applies to the position of treasurer. All of these positions have been highly regulated positions. We've navigated these companies through all sorts of recessions and economic downturns, and 2008 recession, whatever you want to call that, a debacle, as well as COVID-19. We've successfully navigated all of those. So I think that shows my credentials in terms of navigating as a treasurer. So that's just my short spiel, which is all about experience. I think that summarizes it, and I'd be happy to take any questions that you might have. Any questions? Yes.

Hi, thank you.

Sorry, I didn't see your hand up.

Oh, sorry. Thank you very much for coming and putting yourself out there. I'm going to ask the same question to both candidates. Given that the city treasurer position is pretty limited in scope as what can actually be done, what inspired you to go after this position? And what do you think you can bring specifically to this role?

This is really a financial oversight position. So one, I'm doing it to give back to the community. I'm not doing it for a political career or anything like that. And my background is perfectly suited for that position.

I have a question. For the last few years, for the last four years, we've been given quarterly treasury reports from our current treasurer, or our just-quit treasurer. And every single time, his two messages were, this is how I safeguarded your money, and this is how I invested your money. And he broke a lot of records. It was like, we made more money this quarter, we made more money this quarter. I feel like this position is very important. I understand that we have an accounting financial problem, department but there's a reason there's a treasurer and I believe that someone with your experience would be able to advise like if we you saw the city going in a direction that was not you know fiscally responsible or risky that you would have the know-how and the experience to sit there and go this is not a good idea and there'd be an open communication you're not making all the decisions they're not but there's a partnership of oversight so in your experience I'm sure that you have safeguarded people from losing a fortune and you have made money on investments, correct? Absolutely. Okay, so again, that's the one-two punch. I see it every time we had a quarterly report, how they safeguarded it and how they invested it. And it seems like we had a really good one for the last four years.

And I think it's all about transparency being completely open. Thank you. Thank you.

Our next applicant is Emmett Stewart.

Hi, good evening, everyone. Good evening, mayor, members of the city council, and the citizens of La Mesa here tonight. My name is Emmett Stewart, and I stand before you as a candidate of the La Mesa treasurer. Born and raised in La Mesa, my love for our jewel of the hills runs deep. La Mesa truly did raise me. Growing up here, I had the privilege of giving back early by mentoring students with disabilities through Helix High School's Super Scotties program and directing youth theater at Peter Pan Junior Theater. My motivation for seeking the office of city treasurer is rooted strictly in public service, not political ambition. I run simply because I care about this community and want to serve the town that shaped who I am. To serve effectively as treasurer, a deep love for our city must be paired with technical financial discipline and absolute accuracy. Right now, I am completing my degree at UCLA in mathematics and economics, as previously stated, where my daily focus is on quantitative research, statistics, and mathematical methods. I have used these tools through my various work experiences over the past few years as a financial analyst for Grades of Green. I engineered expansion models using quantitative research. As a financial advisor for Cafe Dematos, I analyzed historical data to forecast cash flows and optimize store performance. And at Expeditors, I engineered and coded Excel macros to support and improve the financial workloads of the office, as a lot of my financial work is based on more recent computer and research processes. I also recognize that I bring a fresh set of young eyes and ears to our local government. Bringing youthful perspective to the treasurer's office is about adapting modern financial tools, energy, and an eagerness to listen. As La Mesa continues to grow, having young representation and city leadership ensures our long-term financial planning reflects everyone in our community, including young families in the next generation trying to build a life here. I offer a strong background in financial analysis, mathematical methods, and an unwavering commitment to our community's well-being. As treasurer, my focus will be straightforward to ensure La Mesa remains a thriving, financially sound city. Thank you for your time, your service to our city, and for allowing me to speak to you tonight. I would be honored to earn your vote. Thank you.

Hi, Emmett. Thank you again for coming tonight as well. Same question that I asked Mr. Exeter. Given the limited scope of the role of treasurer, what specifically would you hope to bring to the role that would benefit the city?

Yes, thank you. Same as my competitor, Mr. Exeter. I am also doing it not for political ambition, but for community representation and supporting La Mesa. And I feel like with this only going, obviously, until November because of the election, Throughout those three months, I do want to try and represent La Mesa as much as I can using the financial works I do have. And obviously, I do not have the same experience. But with my youth and my fresh set of eyes that I am currently studying at school, a lot of things have shifted that I've been researching and studying throughout my entirety of school. And just being able to improve that and use that within the role. And also just to make it for, I'm also running in November and If those three months I do have this position, then it would help Carrie and for me to really understand the position, to have a great four-year tenure. I'm at the position. Or if not, just to help make a safe transition into the next candidate.

Yes. OK, thank you for your presentation. Do you have any real-world investment experience? Like you've invested your own money or other clients' money?

Yes, my own money. Yes, I have my own accounts that I run every single day.

And the success of it, can you give just percentages

percentages, I could say that in the past year, I have overturned 150% on my investment accounts. Okay.

And just for you personally, not for any clients?

Just for me personally, no.

Okay. Do you know the amount of money that you would be overseeing?

A lot of money.

How much?

I do not know the direct number.

$130 million. So it's a lot of money. Yes, correct. Yeah. Okay. All right. That's it. Thank you. Thank you.

When do you expect to get your degree from UCLA? I should be graduating in the next year. In the next year of spring or fall? In the following spring of, yes, this year. Congratulations. Thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you very much. Thank you for your time.

And that concludes the interviews.

All right.

One more part of the discussion.

If that's OK, I'll start the discussion. So thank you again, both of you, for coming and being here tonight and for your interest, again, in serving the city of La Mesa. It's really important work that all of us get to do. Clearly, there are differences between the two individuals that are going for this seat. And it's brought up some things for me. Back from when I was running for the city council in 2024 and was told many times that I was either unqualified or underqualified. I was asked repetitively about my degree that I that I had earned and my expertise. And I think I'm hearing that a lot tonight as well. And I think sitting in a room where there are a lot more young people in the audience than usual is really inspiring. And I think really important to point out that we all learn on the job regardless of how much experience we have or what type of experience that we have um before we go on to the city council um for example um i'm the only person that has experience in government before being up here despite uh running in my 20s and so um i i just think that both of you bring really important ideas and would likely serve quite similarly because of the limited scope. There's certainly a lot more experience, but I'm feeling like pretty, disappointed that the discussion has kind of, I know we're just starting the discussion, but I can kind of get the sense of the room. And so I think that this is a less than 90 day post. I think that it's really important that young people are represented because we're talking about the future of the city that we're going to be in for a very, very long time. And so My ask, this is not me saying exactly necessarily where my vote is going to go. I want to hear what my colleagues think. But my ask is that while we talk about experience, we also ensure that we understand that all voices are valuable and that we all learned on the job as council members overseeing this budget. And our most recent city treasurer you know, wrote an article or spoke to reporters about his thoughts on, like, the limited scope of city treasurer that I found, you know, I didn't agree with all of it, but I did find compelling. And I think because it's limited scope opportunity and it's two people who both have lived in La Mesa for a long time and care about it, I really want to make sure that the direction of our discussion is focused on that and not focused on... any age of them because that is something that I experienced a lot while I was running and I think it would be inappropriate.

Thank you. I think it is clear too. Understand the scope of city treasurer in La Mesa. I appreciate what our former city treasurer did however that was in Conjunction with the city manager and the director of finance who does control the finance They're the two people that have the final say so a city treasurer in La Mesa I don't know how other cities do it cannot unilaterally invest our money without the approval It's an advisory position they bring opportunities to La Mesa. Obviously, there's a limited scope due to the law in the city of California and the national law. You can't just invest in anything. You can't start investing in Bitcoin or things like that. And so it is limited. But I think the criteria for us should be, do they want to serve? Are they over 18? And then we look at if they're going to have to be willing to listen. And that's a big criteria, too. So I'm glad that you brought up the scope. I'm not going to say limited, but I'm going to say what the scope is. Because when you hear city treasurer, I'm sure when it was first installed and that was an elected position in 1912, the city treasurer was that position. But now that we have a director of finance and a city manager, I think that the city treasurer advises what we do. They don't control the funds. They just want to be clear about that. Council Member Dillard?

Thank you, Mayor. I'm going to be a little bit brief. I do appreciate council members bringing up about ageism. And I definitely do not want to see that. And I don't want that be disparaged either way. So I do agree with that. I think that I'm, well, I have three kids, and they're all very successful kids, and they're young. And my husband and I are older. And I think that it's all about who would be best for this short appointment at this time. And I think that I was excited to hear about Mr. Stewart's experience and his different direction, his different take. And I'm kind of excited about that because I would like to see how that might help and work in the limited scope. So I'm in encouraged to choose Emmett Stewart.

Thank you for that. Council Member Lothian?

Okay, so this to me is not a conversation about ageism because we have a young person and an older person. It is about experience. I am a real estate agent. I have been for 24 years. There are things that in my first few months of being real estate, I could have really botched things up. And as you get more and more experience, you get better and better. There's no way somebody with an asset like a home is going to say, you know, I'm going to give this young person a try and give them my greatest asset because there's too much chance and risk of things falling apart. I appreciate the fact that there's a young man that wants to serve and obviously very, very bright. He might be a future Elon Musk or Einstein. But again, we are talking treasurer. The fact that he did not know the number. Like when I prepare for an interview to sell a home, I know everything about that house. I know everything about that neighborhood. I know everything about the market. So here's this young man who's applying and interviewing to be the city treasurer And he didn't know our budget. He didn't know it was $133, $134 million. That is 101. So that scares me that that lack of preparation for something as important as being the treasurer. And then everyone keeps talking that, oh, it's 90 days interim. It's not just that. When you run in November, you get to run as an incumbent. People don't pay that close of attention. They see incumbent, and that carries a lot of weight. So this is important for either candidate to be incumbent.

I just have a question for our city clerk. It's too late for them to change, for either of them, to change their ballot, a statement, or their title or anything like that, correct? Correct. Well, I know, but I'm just saying, technically, I don't think that there are very many people who are going to go online and see who the current city treasurer is and vote for them because it's not going to say La Mesa city treasurer. So I did think that was an important caveat. Yeah.

And people spend thousands of dollars marketing their campaigns. And they would be able to say, incumbent. And so just that word. People watch politics. They look at a headline and move on. So the power of incumbency, even if it's not on the ballot statement, is important.

Any other comments?

All right. Go ahead. I just wanted to thank both candidates for coming out because just taking on $130 million for our city is huge. But I also think it's important that we all keep in mind not only the limited scope, but what Mayor had said is that they don't control it. Yeah, it's the director of finance. It's an advisory position. And I'm not young anymore. I guess I'm young, but I'm not considered a young, young, young person. I'm a member of ARP. And I joined as soon as I could. But I will say that when I was young and I was a journalist, I still remember people telling me that I needed to cut my teeth on... on certain experiences before I could go forward. And I tell you what, I still to this day remember that. And I remember that because I think that all too often we short our young people. Because if you look at our founding fathers, many of them were so much younger than me now. So I do not believe that it should be something we consider. What I am impressed with is, besides Mr. Exeter's experience, I am impressed with Mr. Stewart. Half of the stuff Mr. Stewart said, he's studying. I can spell it and that's pretty much it. So I'm impressed with his knowledge. I am excited for a young person to come in on it. I do believe that La Mesa is becoming a young city again. just looking at our demographics, they're skewing younger. So I'm interested. And I think 90 days, you know, it's still, it's only 90 days. And most people, I wish that this were a different story, but most people are going to get up to that ballot and not have heard of either of you. And so they will look at it and they will not see incumbent because it's not there. So I think we need to remember that. And I think that we go forward in good faith because both of you, again, I think it, thank you for stepping up.

I'll open it up for anybody that wants to make a.

We need to close the hearing first. Oh, I'm sorry.

I'll make a motion to close the hearing. Second. Thanks. Correct. Council Member Dillard. Oh, sorry. I'll let you.

Motion carries with all council members.

Council member Dillard, you made a statement before. Was that a motion that you were making? I'm sorry.

I'd like to make a motion that we vote on our choice.

Second. Who is your choice?

Well, I thought we would have to fill out this paper. Copy that.

That was an option if we wanted to do it that way. We can do it as a motion.

OK. Then I would like to make a motion to choose Emmett Stewart to fill this position.

Motion carries with 4-1 with Council Member Cazares, Council Member Dillard, Vice Mayor Suzuki, and Mayor Epstath is voting yes, and Council Member Lothian voting no.

Thank you. Item 10, Board and Commission Appointments. We need to move forward on a few people that were missed the last time. So... I can find my...

My paper, nope.

Oh, here we go. All right, we have one position at large for the Mobility Commission. I'm putting forward Diana Justice, the incumbent. We need to ratify the Parks and Rec position. Can we do this all in one vote, or do they need to be separate votes?

It's all in one resolution, so it can be in one vote.

Copy that. Eric Nunez. And then for the Arts and Culture Commission, Rodney Elliott, and then The Environmental Sustainability Commission, Emily Fisher, there was one person. And on the Parks and Rec, the reason we need to do that is that person, Eric Nunez, needs to serve because we have to have a representative from the La Mesa Spring Valley School District. So we actually have to appoint that person. So those are my names that I need to put forward. I just need a second.

I will second. I will say it was flagged for me that Eric Nunez, his name did not go in front of the La Mesa Spring Valley School District. I know it's not necessary, but there was concerns that were raised about that. And so I just wanted to share, since that's who we were presented with, I think that's appropriate. But in the future, I do think it's important that the La Mesa Spring Valley School District Board of Trustees considers.

Okay. That was the only name I have.

Oh, I know. And that's why I seconded it, but I just wanted to name that. Oh. It was flagged for me.

All right. I understand. Thank you.

Motion carries with all council members voting yes.

Thank you. Public comments on consent calendar. As a reminder, public comment will begin with remote speakers first. Are there any hands raised?

Mayor, we have one hand raised for remote public comment.

Okay. We'll take that person, and now remote public comment is closed.

Speaker, with last four digits, 3731, you should now be able to unmute yourself. When you begin, please state the item number you wish to speak on. You have three minutes to provide your public comment.

Thank you. It is truth again, recovering after ridiculousness from this council. So I want to, again, it's all relative. Here is a prime example of unnecessary spending that the city of La Mesa has been engaging in. And I'm not talking about the last time. I'm talking about right now. $75,000. And this is item 12.12. Sorry, let me be specific.

$75,000 for two so-called fellows

to do something for the climate action plan. Is that like unqualified interns getting a job at rock bottom wages? What happened to supporting the union prevailing wage? Oh, the values only come into play when it benefits the union puppets on the council, right? What's the age of the fellows? I guess that's relevant, too. What are their ages? What about their experience level? That part doesn't matter, right? Oh, wow. I did not see this coming. The hypocrisy that is. Let's talk about Public Health Institute specifically. They are located in extremist Oakland. Some of you probably came from there. They have on their website, they talk about thought leadership with articles that say a whole lot on nothing to be phrased. You're basically contributing. The $75,000 basically contributes to the PHI team of 20 so-called experts to make six-figure salaries. I think we call that grist in the business. That's enough money that they're making to engage in fiscal sponsorship and tax exempt status. So if they got that much money, they can give out sponsorships maybe to interns. Then why can't they just offer these people up for free? You know, that's interesting. You know, they can't even keep their focus. They have 10 different categories of things they allegedly address, including global health, not local health, So how does global health help La Mesa specifically? Because if you don't have a unique plan, you don't really have a plan at all. But it sounds like that's what you guys like. KHI already fell hard on their COVID response, promoting the clot shot that killed millions, guess what, globally, probably locally, but maybe a couple people here and there. I'm sure at least, I mean, everybody knows somebody who died from the shot, but Have they apologized for that? No. But they're going to make a killing now off the city of Lomason. Who knows how many other cities they have under their belt? I would like to know that answer. How many cities have a contract with Public Health Institute? And how many of them have a contract for their climate action plan specifically? And was this a local contract? Was there nobody else that you could pick that could do the same work? Could city staff not do this work? Is it too complex for city staff? I don't believe that. I think nobody knows the city better than city staff who's been here doing the job. But I guess you like people that are unqualified. That's who you pick. Thank you.

Thank you. No public comment in person. Does anyone want to pull an item?

OK. 12.6 for an update. Not a separate vote. And I don't know if I'm asking Lynette or Amanda. Amanda? OK.

I thought so.

OK, Ms. Amanda. So this is 12.6 for the public to know. It's a permit and development quarterly update. So this is about permits. And so I would like to ask the status on these following companies that are going to be opening their doors soon in La Mesa. So everybody's excited about Pop Pie Company, Stella Jean Ice Cream, Handel's Homemade Ice Cream, the expansion of Gino and Gianni's Pizzeria, In-N-Out Burger and Bass Pro Shop. So if you could just kind of give us a very broad, generalized where they're at.

Absolutely. So Stella Jeans and Popeye, their building permits have been approved. And just right now, we're waiting for HAZMAT standard paperwork. Once we receive that, the building permits will be issued. Handles is in the building permit and it's recently resubmitted for corrections. Those corrections are under review and comments are due back to the applicant on September 22nd, but there's been no significant changes or issues identified. So that's running smoothly. Gino and Gianni's project is anticipated to go to the Design Review Board this month and Planning Commission for Outdoor Dining Special Permit next month. And In-N-Out, that one is on a pause while they finalize out-of-state construction, they're expanding, and their stores, so basically they still plan to site in La Mesa, but right now that one's on pause and that's In-N-Out that's paused it. And Bass Pro Shop, they're currently, they've submitted for their design. And I know that you asked when we'll hit ground and start. We don't have an estimated time at that point. It's still going through design.

Any others? Yes.

I just have one comment. Every time that we get something from the design review board, we end up hearing about it online, typically after we make a decision. And so I just wanted to call out item 12-7, which is a ratification of a design review board for project 2026-0092, otherwise known as the Christian Science Reading Room. It looks beautiful. It's a facade improvement, and I just want to say, it looks truly beautiful, and I think that oftentimes we only hear about when people don't like the design or things like that. It's attached to our agenda. Please take a look. It's really going to help La Mesa Boulevard be beautified.

Okay, I'll make a motion to approve items 12... 1 to 12. Sorry. Turn the page. 13?

Second.

Motion carries with all council members voting yes.

Item 13-1 is ordinance first reading. Do we want the staff report first, or do we want to just read the ordinance? I can read it first. Okay, thank you. I'm going to take the staff report.

An ordinance of the City Council of the City of La Mesa delegating authority to the City of San Diego to enforce regulations for the discharge of industrial wastewater to sewerage facilities pretreatment and source control program.

Hi, Joe Kuhn, Environmental Manager, Public Works Engineering. This required update updates section 17.20, let me get my slide here, of the city's municipal code, the industrial wastewater section, previously updated in 1984. Updates to the municipal code align with Metro Sewer JPA item administrative agreement one passed by City of La Mesa Council November 10th, 2025, which is related to wastewater pretreatment. This is a permit and inspection program for businesses who discharge processed wastewater. So that's what this is about. Those businesses, for example, would be like car washes, bus and equipment yards, and plating shops, although the city doesn't have any more plating shops. The last one closed maybe 10 years ago. The reason for this update is because of potable reuse, which is under the San Diego Pure Water Program. This graphic shows pure water phase one. And as you can see here, the city of La Mesa is tributary to the marina pump station and pipelines. So the sewage from La Mesa is actually getting diverted towards pure water phase one. Pure water phase one facilities receive sewer flow from La Mesa and also other Metro JPA agencies. The whole system is operated by city of San Diego. And preventing contamination from industrial chemicals is critical to protect the pure water system. Things like heavy metals and also other chemicals can cause issues for a pure water program. The pure water program will begin to produce January 2027. So the facility is done and there's a significant ramp up for them to actually produce the pure water which is occurring right now. The consistency of the wastewater is required for pure water to operate properly. So they need a consistent wastewater stream. Having influx of chemicals and metals can interrupt the process. What this ordinance does is it eliminates outdated sewer pretreatment language. It transfers the primary enforcement authority to City of San Diego. And it also relieves the City of La Mesa from program cost recovery efforts. Also, all the other metro cities in this area are required to adopt similar ordinances as this. We're not the only person that's adopting this ordinance. For the permitted inspection program, City of San Diego has historically performed all the inspections and City of La Mesa paid and attempted cost recovery from the businesses. City of San Diego will now manage all of the building and cost recovery and enforcement. La Mesa City Municipal Code will reference San Diego's EPA approved local limits and standards. And if I'm sure that this is the interest of the council is how many businesses are currently inspected part of this program for the city of La Mesa? It's currently seven businesses, four car washes, two bus and equipment yards, one hospital. And each of those facilities is billed approximately $2,600 per year for permit and inspection. The city of San Diego can expand the inspection list or raise fees based on periodic cost of service study. With that, staff recommends approving the introduction and first reading of the ordinance. Does anybody have any questions?

Hi, I have a question. Thank you for the presentation. You said, I saw a screen image that said the changing of sewer pretreatment language. Okay, we're changing words. What words are we changing? Do you know?

Yeah, so the old ordinance was 1984, and it essentially wrote out everything the city of La Mesa would need to do to protect the wastewater system at Point Loma as an internal municipal code.

Oh, so it's not replacing, like it's not saying you can't say sewage anymore or something like that.

the new code will reference San Diego standards.

Okay, okay. Second question. You mentioned this pure water starts January 2027. I know that people don't like this term, but this is the toilet to tap, correct? I know, but that's okay. That's just what's slang out in the public. That's what's starting. So January of 2027, the Helix Water, La Mesa, the water coming through our faucets, our showers are going to be this pure water.

That's January 2027 is when they can start producing. The amount of time between that and you're actually gonna have pure water at your house, it's probably another nine months. Okay, thank you.

I know that term's out there. It's funny. When I taught second grade, all water is toilet tap. You're drinking water that was sweated out of a dinosaur because we have, not you, but I mean, but I know that's out there and it- No, but it throws people off. Because I've had people come at me, and I said, well, we only have a finite amount of water. We're not bringing it in from Jupiter or something. But I know that term's out there, because I've been hit with the exact same term. So I'm glad you brought that up, because that's what it is. So I appreciate that. I will make a motion to approve the first reading.

For the record, there is no hands raised at this time.

I apologize. Thank you for that.

I apologize, but who made the second?

I turned the button as well. There you go.

Motion carries with all council members voting yes.

Thank you. Item 14 is a second reading. I'll have the attorney read first, and then we'll do a staff report if necessary. I guess we've already read it once, so we don't need a staff report. Sorry. Go ahead.

An ordinance of the city council of the city of La Mesa amending the zoning map of Title 24 of the code to designate properties addressed as 4821, 4831, and 4841 La Perla Way. It's semi-rural estate slash scenic preservation overlay.

We did this already, so I'll make a motion to approve the second reading.

And there are no hands raised for this item either.

Sure you want this job?

Motion carries with all council members voting yes.

Okay, item 15 is council subcommittee reports. Consideration of resolution appointing the new city attorney and authorizing the mayor to execute the employment agreement with the city attorney, Tara Mazzante. Tara Mazzante, pardon me. I've been practicing to and I still would. I'm gonna do this after we do the approval. Okay. Zip in here. Got it. I'm going to do this first. This item appoints Hara Mazzante, a city attorney, authorizes execution of her employment agreement and updates the fiscal year 2027 compensation plan. Prior to approval, I'm required to read the key terms of her employment agreement as follows. The agreement is effective October 13th, 2026. The annual base salary is $292,000. The city attorney shall receive the benefits provided in the summary management group benefits except as herein provided the city attorney shall receive automobile allowance in the total of six thousand dollars annually the city shall pay the maximum annual allowed to the city's four five seven different compensation program on behalf of city attorney equal proportionate amounts each pay period the city attorney shall acute 180 hours of vacation each year and receive in advance of 80 hours of vacation available to her on the start of the date. And if the city terminates employment agreement early without cause, the agreement provides a severance pay equivalent to six months base salary. Sufficient funds are available in the fiscal year 2027 budget to support the appointment and compensation. The item also updates the fiscal year 2027 compensation plan to reflect city attorney's salary. So with that, I will make a motion to approve. Is that all right? Second. We'll do that first, and then I will welcome our new city attorney.

There are no public comments for this item.

That's three in a row. Right? Well, that's why there's a little pin right there.

Motion carries with all council members voting yes.

So I'd like to introduce our new city attorney. Tara Mazzante is... As many of you know, our city attorney, Glenn Sabin, is retiring September 12, 2026, after nearly 29 years of service. Councilmember Suzuki and I served on the subcommittee to recruitment and selection of our next city attorney. After a full competitive recruitment process in the interview panel, the entire city council, Tara Mazzante, was selected. Ms. Mazzanti brings more than 15 years of municipal law experience serving California cities. She most recently served as the senior assistant attorney for the city of Livermore, where she provided legal counsel with the city council, city manager, and various city departments. Throughout her career, she's provided legal counsel on the board range of legal, council on a board range of legal, operational, and policy matters to several California municipalities. Ms. Bisanti has built a reputation for her collaborative approach to strong leadership skills. And with that, I would ask her to come up. So I say very much welcome, and welcome to La Mesa. Just like to maybe give some background, anything you'd like to tell anyone about who you are.

Thank you so much, Honorable Mayor, members of the City Council. I am honored to be appointed as City Attorney for the City of La Mesa. And I thank each of you for this opportunity, especially following the years of dedicated service of Glenn Sabin. And I look forward to partnering with the City Council, the City Manager, staff, as well as the community of La Mesa. And I would like to thank my family. I have my daughter, Claire, here tonight with her fiance, Tyler. And my son, Donovan, is watching from Northern California. And also just want to appreciate my mentors throughout my municipal career, prior city attorneys that I've worked for. They've helped me along on this journey. So with that, I'm ready to get to work. And thank you for this opportunity.

Does anyone? Well, first, could you say your first and last name so we pronounce it? Because my last name is and I know. I'm so, so sorry that if I mispronounce your last name.

No, you did great, Mayor. It's .

Oh, great, I feel better about it, okay. Does anyone have any, oh, Council Member Lothian.

Just one comment. We went through a really grueling interview process, the whole council, and you were definitely the most impressive, and I want the public to know that you really come in with some big city experience and land use experience, which we really need in this city. Thank you. Thank you.

Yes, Council Member Scrisaris.

I just want to say thank you for stepping up. We are so excited to welcome you here to the city of La Mesa. And I've interviewed a lot of people in a lot of different roles. And I have the utmost confidence in your ability to serve as our next city attorney. And I'm really excited about it. So thank you so much for stepping up and stepping in.

Thank you.

All right. Thank you so much for being here. Thank all of you for being here, too. All right. See you soon. The next is a consideration of agreement with Glen Sabin for an interim city attorney services adoption of the resolution approving an exception for 180 day waiting period to hire a CalPERS retired newent in accordance with government code section 7522.562122H and 212224. So it's, this is, oh, staff report. Thank you, sorry. It's fine. Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name's Gretchen Spaniel. I'm the Director of Human Resources. This item tonight approves an agreement allowing City Attorney Glenn Sabin, who retires on September 12, 2026, to return as a retired annuitant interim city attorney during the transition to the city's new city attorney. The new city attorney is expected to start October 13, 2026. This item proposes Mr. Sabin will serve as the interim role through October 12 and then continue providing transitional support no longer than October 31, 2026. As the mayor mentioned, the city is required to adopt a resolution waiving the 180-day waiting period required under CalPERS rules. Government Code Sections 7522.56, 21221H, and 21224 allow retired annuitants to be temporarily appointed when specialized skills are needed, but only if the council waives the waiting period in a public meeting. This interim appointment ensures continuity in legal services and supports a smooth handoff to the incoming city attorney. As required by law, Mr. Sabin's hourly rate will be aligned with the comparable base salary range for this position, and no other benefits or compensation will be received. Staff recommends approval of the resolution, waiving the waiting period, and authorizing Mr. Sabin's interim and transition services through October 31. And this concludes my presentation. I'm available for questions.

Council Member Lothian said, we have a lot of land use things going on. And so this is a stopgap measure. And we want to make sure that we get a smooth handoff. So that's what this is about. Any questions? Oh, yes, Council Member Lothian. Sorry.

I just want to say that my affection and admiration for you really runs deep. I'm really going to miss you. You're an amazing city attorney. And you've been a great friend to the council members.

Thank you. Now I get to assume the role of backup quarterback for a month.

We'll see him at the next meeting, too.

Mayor, we have one hand raised for public comment.

Yes, I was going to ask. I did have that one ready to go.

I beat you. Sorry about that.

No, no, thank you.

Truth, you should be able to unmute yourself now. You have three minutes for your comments.

Thank you very much. I really wanted to say, you know, three in a row and then you struck out and then I get the comment. I think that's how it works. And I'm pretty sure I remember telling Glenn he was not allowed to retire. He had to stay here forever. No, I didn't say that.

I should have said it.

I meant it. That's what I meant. I just didn't say it. Too busy worrying about getting tortillas that day. Oh, you had to be there. I want to say great job, staff, reading those code numbers. That was very difficult. And of course, Glenn, you've done a great job here because I definitely remember even if I can't remember your name sometimes. I definitely remember when you spoke up when it was really needed, that council needed to hear what you said about free speech. Because guess what? It applies even more today when you have remote comments that the council fears. And I know you fear it. That's why you want to forget it. Thank you. Hope to see you again one day.

Thank you.

Okay, I'll make a motion to, was this, sorry, make sure this wasn't a hearing, no. I'll make a motion to push staff recommendation.

I'll second, it's me.

Motion carries with all council members voting yes.

Item 16 is consideration of approval of Mesa Community Parking Commission recommendation. I think we have, yes, Mr. Dedman, thank you, welcome.

Good evening, Mayor, members of the council. In 2019, the city council approved the Village Enhancement Fund program. The purpose of the Village Enhancement Fund program is to encourage ongoing investment in the downtown village, attract customers to businesses, and to create entertainment opportunities for residents and families. Some key elements of the program are non-profit organizations and private businesses can apply for funding for new special events, promotions, programs, and advertising. The program area is the boundary of parking district one. Activities must demonstrate an area-wide benefit to businesses in Parking District 1. Activities are reimbursed for eligible expenses after the activity is completed up to the amount awarded. And the application timeline is July to September each year. A little bit more about the application timeline. July 1st through July 31st is the opening of the application period. In August, applications that meet program requirements go to Parking Commission. And in September, those recommendations from Parking Commission go to City Council. Prior to fiscal year 2026, the Village Enhancement Fund program was funded using 50% of annual net parking revenues from the prior fiscal year. In 2026, Council adopted Resolution 2025-126, setting an annual funding cap of $50,000 for the program. The City received six applications for funding during the application period. The applications went before the Parking Commission on August 19th. Two of the six applicants did not attend the meeting. Therefore, those applications were not considered. The remaining four applicants presented their activities and the Parking Commission made the following recommendation for funding. $20,000 for the Health and Wellness Fair. This is being proposed by the LMVA and Accru Health in the Village. This event would take place on Spring Street and Nebo West, I'm sorry, on La Mesa Boulevard and Nebo West of Spring Street. $15,000 for La Mesa Pride, being proposed by the Diversionary Theater. The applicant would like to start out small with this event by containing the event in the Allison Avenue parking lot. The commission did not recommend funding for the community drag story hour proposed by Meet Cute Bookshop. The commission felt like the activity was limited to being inside one business, therefore not meeting the threshold for an area-wide benefit to the parking district. The commission also did not recommend funding for Vista La Mesa California Marketing Initiative. The commission determined that the request would primarily support the services and operations of an existing for-profit business and social media platform that promotes businesses and activities citywide. Therefore, the proposal was not considered consistent with the geographic focus or intended purpose of the Village Enhancement Fund program. So with that, recommendation is to approve the La Mesa Community Parking Commission's recommendation for the Village Enhancement Fund program and adopt a resolution appropriating $35,000 from the Parking Fund to the FY27 Downtown Village Enhancement Fund budget. With that, that concludes staff's presentation. I believe some or all of the applicants are in the audience if you have questions for the applicants as well. Thank you.

Council Member Dillard, followed by Council Member Dillard first.

Thank you, Clint, for the presentation. I just had one question. What did we do last year? What was the amount that we spent?

Oof. 63,000. It was 12,600 and change for all applicants, if I remember correctly. It was divided evenly last year. And I think it was 63,000.

Yeah, I just couldn't remember. So thank you. You're welcome.

Anyone else? Council Member Cazares?

Is the La Mesa Pride applicant here? Could you come up here for a second? Sure thing.

I'm Troy Tinker. I'm married to Rodney Elliott. Fantastic. Who is actually working with Diversionary to present this Pride service here. I'm a little out of my element here. Most of you know me when I wear lederhosen and host the big music tent at October Fest. I was going to say, I recognize you.

Well, thank you so much. As the first and only member of the LGBTQ plus community on this council, I want to say thank you for applying. I have been asked over the years to get this going. And with this role and day job and things, I mean, it takes a village. So thank you for supporting your husband and Diversionary and supporting this event. I do have one question for you, though, beyond thanking you. So Meet Cute has done two community drag story hours that have gone very well. The last thing that I want is for it to look like we're, like, shooting down funding for an event like that. So will they be welcome to do a story hour at La Mesa Pride, if it makes sense?

I would have to ask Rodney, but I just about can guarantee it. I think that's great.

Thank you very much, and I look forward to working with you. I'm going to send you an email.

Great. Thank you. We really appreciate the $15,000. We really wanted $20,000, but that's okay. We have to pay a lot of people to do the setup. We're providing the stage. It'll be much more downsized than, of course, Oktoberfest, because this is our first year. But we do hope it will grow, and many of you may not know that this community has, other than... Hillcrest has the highest level of LGBTQ plus people living in it. And we own a home here and we love it. And we're glad that our community supports us.

Well, I'm going to say something I thought I would never say up here, but we call it Les Mesa or La Gaysa.

We're very happy to have you here. I never heard that, but I will use it. I'm stealing that. Thank you all.

I know you as the skipper, by the way. Okay. All right. Anyone make a motion?

Mayor, we have one hand raised for public comment.

That's right. I was going to go to that first. It's written down right here to talk, to let Truth speak. Go ahead.

Truth, you should now be able to unmute yourself. You have three minutes.

Hi there, Gay Mesa Council. I want to be the one... lone dissenting voice that you hear today even though i know my voice represents the majority of people but somebody's got to take the hit right and i could care less so fifteen thousand dollars to the diversionary theater for a pride event a non-local theater putting on a local pride event i'm just curious why doesn't this council support local why not is there nobody else that can do it because Diversionary supports Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate with an anti-racist action plan, you know, from a theater, because we really care what your plans are for ending racism or being against it, I guess, not really ending it, just being against it. Well, Black Lives Matter, we already found out through the years and really lived experience, and it's a terrorist group, so I don't think that has anything to do with opposing racism. Example, land acknowledgement without ever giving the land back makes you a hypocritical racist, in my opinion, as a They're American Indians. You have EDI and BIPOC training. I think EDI is just the DEI reversed, and that's actually illegal now. They talk about a safe space, but I bet not if someone disagrees politically, because I'm pretty sure just a little red hat would set those extremists off. If not, prove me wrong. Allow red hats into your pride event. Now, a pride event, seriously, can bring money to the city. But is it appropriate for all ages? because that is my legitimate concern, because I've seen San Diego Pride. It is not appropriate for all ages. I've seen what goes down there, let alone at nighttime. Haven't seen that. Don't want to see it. I definitely support equality on the whole. I have no issue with that. But I do take issue when you take public funds, and really it's a private organization that takes public funds and does what they want with it. It must meet some basic requirements. So, for example, you brought the proposed drag queen, not king, never drag king, story time specifically for, I'm assuming, children, right? It's always children, never seniors or veterans. I mean, cute. The issue was that it's restrictive if it's held inside. Well, I think, I guess Lauren had a great alternative there. You just have it outside at the pride. Basically, you're doing two birds with one stone, right? Why can't you just throw it all under pride, I guess? But same issue actually with health. Isn't that like a private business? It's just a lot of conflicts here. And really overall, I thought that all of these parking meter fees were supposed to go to actual improvements and actual maintenance. That's what I thought. People were paying the fees that you're going to clean the sidewalks, I don't know, upkeep the business storefronts, help them, give them a loan, whatever it is. That's not what's happening. I'm guessing that council's got too many rainbows in its eyes to consider something basic like that. And I say that as someone who just took photos of a real rainbow provided by nature and God. So have at me. Thank you.

All right. I'll open it up for any motion.

I'll make a motion to pass.

I'll second.

Motion carries with all council members voting yes.

Thank you. Thank you. Item 17 is a council initiated by Vice Mayor Casares, so I will let her take it over.

Thank you. I won't keep any of us here for too much longer. Whenever we receive outreach about requests for traffic reviews, I think that it's really important that we bring those forward. ultimately there are lots of things that we can do behind the scenes and unfortunately sometimes that is not not seen enough by the community what's actually happening in terms of our review of traffic and pedestrian safety and so this one was brought forward via email to us for the areas of lee avenue sunset street and maple avenue A lot of that is near on and off ramps to the freeway. I imagine there's lots of cut-throughs, which I know our mayor has worked very hard to try to get that taken care of, but it's very difficult to do so. But I think that it's really important that everyone who lives, works, drives, goes to school in La Mesa knows that we take pedestrian safety very seriously on our roads and while ultimately this item will not necessarily change what we're already doing, it acknowledges that it's necessary and that we will review for traffic safety just like we would have without bringing it forward. So I try not to bring things forward for show, but sometimes that's what's asked of us. And so we're gonna do this traffic review and I wanted to make sure that they know we're doing the traffic review.

Okay. Any other comments? Yes, Council Member Lothian.

How long does that traffic review take, Mr. Senior?

It depends on the backlog that the staff has. We'll put it in the queue, prioritization, probably three to six months.

Can we come up?

All right. In that case, I will make a motion to do a traffic and pedestrian safety review of the areas of Lee Avenue, Sunset Street, and Maple, I think it's Avenue.

Okay. Go ahead.

There are no hands raised for public comment.

Yes, hands raised.

There are no hands raised for public comment. Okay.

Motion carries with all council members voting yes.

Council committee reports. Council member, sorry, Cazares.

I'll be at Sandock on Friday, and Truth, I'll see you there.

Council member Dillard.

Yes, I have two announcements. One is on September the 25th, La Mesa Spring Street is going to be holding a groundbreaking event at 10 a.m. at the La Mesa Spring Street Trolley Station. So if you would like to attend, I will be speaking along with the chair for MTS and some others. We'd love to see you there. In addition to that, regarding MTS, I just want to say quickly that MTS and NCTD are launching a new reduced fare program called Pronto Low Income Fare Eligibility, or LIFE. This Friday, MTS transit leaders will provide details about the program, including eligibility requirements and how riders can apply. If you are enrolled in CalFresh, Medi-Cal or CalWORKs who are not already participating in another reduced fare transit program, you can also apply. And that begins on October the 1st. And the cost for riding right now is, sorry, it should say, yeah, it's October the 1st. The cost of riding and MTS and NCTD services will increase. If you haven't been told before, I think I have brought that up. Eligible riders enrolled in Pronto Life will receive a discount on eligible fares through their approved Pronto card or mobile app. Benefits include a $2.50 one-way fare and $6 fare cap and a $72 monthly fare cap or monthly pass on MTS buses and trolleys, as well as NCTD regional buses. So the discount is available for those who qualify to apply. And if you want to know more information about it, you can show up this Thursday on September the 10th. The program starts at 1030 at 12th and Imperial Transit Center. And you can hear all about it and ask questions. Thank you.

Council Member Lothian? No. Oh, sorry. Vice Mayor Suzuki? No. Our AB1234, I'll be attending the California League of Cities annual conference from, I'll be leaving the 22nd of September at 7 p.m. That's on a meeting date. Well, someone should be, because at 7 o'clock, I'm getting up and walking and driving to the site. So I hope that meeting is pithy.

Well, we can always hope. It's always good to have hope, right?

And are there any comments on AB 1234? Any hands raised on city attorney remarks?

No comments.

OK, city attorney remarks? Under adjournment tonight, I'm going to adjourn the meeting.

One second.

Under adjournment tonight, I'm going to adjourn the meeting in honor of Mr. Bob Kuhn, who passed away last week. He was a police officer. He was an FBI agent that was hired by J. Edgar Hoover. Mr. Kuhn taught in La Mesa Spring Valley School District, fifth grade for many years. He was actually my fifth grade teacher at Lemon Avenue. And then in 1987, when La Mesa Middle opened, he was the art teacher there. Until he retired, he was also the founder of Peter Pan Junior Theater and my mentor and friend. Sorry. Anyway, this is in honor of Mr. Kim, meeting adjourned.