Minutes, closed session — La Mesa City Council, May 27, 2025

City Council - May 27, 2025

1. CALL TO ORDER
Public Comments:

The City Council minutes are prepared and ordered to correspond to the City Council Agenda. Agenda Items can be taken out of order during the meeting.

The Agenda Items were considered in the order presented.

Mayor Arapostathis called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

1.1 INVOCATION - MAYOR ARAPOSTATHIS
Public Comments:

1.2 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Public Comments:

2. REPORT FROM CLOSED SESSION
Public Comments:

City Attorney Sabine announced there were no reportable actions.

3. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS
Public Comments:

There were no comments.

4. COMMUNITY BULLETIN REPORTS
Public Comments:

The Mayor, Council and staff made announcements and reported on various events taking place in the City. No action was taken.

5. ADDITIONS AND/OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
Public Comments:

There were no additions or deletions to the agenda.

6. PRESENTATIONS
Public Comments:

6.1 PRESENTATION OF THE SCHOOL SAFETY PATROL AWARDS - MAYOR ARAPOSTATHIS Public Comments:

Mayor Arapostathis, Chief Sweeney, Lieutenant Higgins and Master Officer Wilson presented the Safety Patrol Awards to:

Jordan Garcia, Rolando Elementary School
Bella Wedge, Lemon Avenue Elementary School
Sterling Santoyo, Northmont Elementary School

6.2 PROCLAIMING JUNE 2025 AS LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH
Public Comments:

Councilmember Cazares read a proclamation declaring June 2025 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month and invited everyone to attend the 5th Annual Pride Flag Raising at City Hall on June 3, 2025, at 8:30 a.m.

6.3 PROCLAIMING MAY 27, 2025, AS THE LA MESA WOMAN'S CLUB DAY Public Comments:

Vice Mayor Dillard read and presented the proclamation declaring May 27, 2025, as La Mesa Woman's Club Day to La Mesa Woman's Club Co-Presidents Marsha McDonald and Sandi Phoenix.

La Mesa Woman's Club Co-Presidents Marsha McDonald and Sandi Phoenix shared an overview of the Club’s ongoing service to the community and expressed their appreciation to the City Council for recognizing and honoring the Club with the proclamation.

7. PUBLIC COMMENTS – (TOTAL TIME – 15 MINUTES)
Public Comments:

Richard Hart thanked the Council for its efforts in addressing fire hazards and homeless encampments in Tungsten Canyon through planned modifications, and gave special recognition to Code Compliance Officer Ellis for their outstanding work.

Tom Villarreal raised concerns about safety and traffic issues throughout the City.

Brenda Hammond encouraged everyone to keep smiling, expressed her gratitude to the Police Department, and shared her excitement for the upcoming Sundays at Six Concerts series.

8. CONFLICT DISCLOSURES
Public Comments:

Councilmember Cazares stated that, while she does not have a conflict of interest under Government Code Section 87100, she previously lobbied on Senate Bill 569 and, as a result, would not participate in the discussion or vote on Item 11.1.

9. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON CONSENT CALENDAR
Public Comments:

MaryAnn spoke on Item 10.4.

Cindy Maina spoke on Item 10.4.

10. CONSENT CALENDAR
Public Comments:
(Items 10.1 through 10.7)
*If a public hearing item is part of the Consent Calendar, the public hearing shall be deemed held if the item is not removed from the Consent Calendar for discussion and possible action (Item 10.4).

Item 10.4 was considered separately upon the City Attorney's recommendation.

Councilmember Lothian asked Director of Community Development Santos about the differences in the number of permits issued across the various quarters as reported in Item 10.5. Director of Community Development Santos responded to her questions.

Moved By
Mayor Arapostathis
Seconded By
Councilmember Cazares
Approve Consent Calendar Items 10.1 through 10.7, except for Item 10.4.

For (5)
Mayor Arapostathis, Vice Mayor Dillard, Councilmember Lothian, Councilmember Cazares, and Councilmember Suzuki Approved (5 to 0)

10.1 APPROVAL OF MOTION TO WAIVE THE READING OF THE TEXT OF ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS AT THIS MEETING Public Comments:

Approve.

10.2 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING AND THE LA MESA PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY SPECIAL MEETING HELD TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2025 Attachments
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Public Comments

1. Post-Meeting Minutes - CC PFA_Apr22_2025.pdf
Approve.

10.3 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING HELD TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025 Attachments
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Public Comments

1. Post-Meeting Minutes - City Council Special Meeting (Closed Session)_May13_2025.pdf Approve.

10.5 PERMIT AND DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY REPORT
Attachments
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Public Comments

1. Memo_2025 First Quarter Permit and Development Update.pdf

2. Attachment A - Applications and Issued Permits By Permit Type.pdf Receive and file.

10.6 RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE LOW BIDDER FOR BID 25-16 AND AWARDING A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT FOR THE 2025 SLURRY PROJECT TO AMERICAN ASPHALT SOUTH, INC.

Attachments
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Public Comments

1. Staff Report_Award of Bid 25-16 Slurry Project.pdf

2. Attachment A - Resolution Bid 25-16 Award.pdf

3. Attachment B - Bid Tabulation.pdf

4. Attachment C - Bid 25-16 List of Streets.pdf

5. Attachment D - Maintenance Zone Map.pdf

6. Fiscal Certificate - 2025 Slurry Project Bid 25-16.pdf Resolution No. 2025-053
Adopt Resolution.

10.7 ACCEPTANCE OF THE CITY OF LA MESA HOUSING ASSET AUDITED FUND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND ADDENDUM TO THE ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT FOR JUNE 30, 2023 Attachments
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Public Comments

1. Memo_Housing Asset Audited Fund Financial Statements for June 30, 2023.pdf

2. Attachement A - 2023 Housing Asset Fund Final Report - Audited Financial Statements.pdf

3. Attachement B - 2023 Final SB 341 Addendum to the Final Progress Report.pdf Receive and file.

10.4 *ORDINANCE REZONING 9407 JERICHO ROAD
Attachments
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Public Comments

1. Memo_Second Reading of Ordinance Rezoning 9407 Jericho Road.pdf

2. Attachment A - Draft Ordinance Rezoning 9407 Jericho Road.pdf SECOND READING AND POSSIBLE ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA MESA AMENDING THE ZONING MAP OF TITLE 24 OF THE LA MESA MUNICIPAL CODE, REZONING 9407 JERICHO ROAD (APN 486-670-18-00) FROM ZONE R1 (URBAN RESIDENTIAL) TO ZONE R3 (MULTIPLE UNIT RESIDENTIAL) Moved By
Mayor Arapostathis
Seconded By
Councilmember Cazares
Close the hearing.

For (5)
Mayor Arapostathis, Vice Mayor Dillard, Councilmember Lothian, Councilmember Cazares, and Councilmember Suzuki Approved (5 to 0)
Ordinance No. 2025-2917
Moved By
Mayor Arapostathis
Seconded By
Vice Mayor Dillard
Approve the second reading and adoption of the Ordinance.

For (4)
Mayor Arapostathis, Vice Mayor Dillard, Councilmember Cazares, and Councilmember Suzuki Against (1)
Councilmember Lothian
Approved (4 to 1)

11. COUNCIL INITIATED
Public Comments:

11.1 CONSIDERATION OF SENDING A LETTER OF SUPPORT TO THE GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATIVE LEADERS FOR SENATE BILL 569 (BLAKESPEAR) - DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS - COUNCILMEMBER SUZUKI Attachments
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Public Comments

1. CI.Suzuki_SB 569 Letter of Support 2025-05-27.pdf
mairs ryan

11.1 May 26, 2025
Memorial Day on which we celebrate our Veterans
I am in opposition to Council member Suzuki’s request that La Mesa City Council back SB569 which would mandate the removal of all homeless encampments on any Department of Transportation property.

I urge you, Council member Suzuki, find the wisdom and vision to connect the dots between SB569 and the potential for increased homelessness in the tragic sector of San Diego’s homeless population–our Veterans. Withdraw your support of 11.1.

A dot to begin with is that today, 17% of the homeless in San Diego are our Veterans.1 Their unsheltered homes by the highways and byways need to be near services.

Another dot to consider is that the layoffs at the Dept of Vet Affairs have gutted VA health care, destaffed the suicide hotline and handicapped health research. In addition, the reduction of staff has compromised housing support, caregiver services, and education opportunities for 2025.2 Still another dot to connect is that while you support plans to bulldoze their belongings–the Federal government plans to bulldoze 83,000 positions at the Dept of Vet Affairs in the coming year.3 Other dots: the proposed Reconciliation Bill as it stands will affect services such as food stamps and Medicaid. The health piece itself is a significant dot: “Not all Veterans have access to the VA healthcare services. According to the latest reports, about 10% of US Veterans regularly use Medicaid, the health insurance for the most vulnerable citizens. Nearly 40% of those Veterans rely on Medicaid entirely for all their healthcare needs.”4 Council member Suzuki, all these dots will inevitably lead to more unhoused Vets. Where do you propose they sleep? If you are going to promote destroying their sleeping spots, then as a civic servant you are obligated to deliver a wise and visionary solution for other places where they can rest their heads and have services nearby.

Your action on SB569 is connected with all these dots mentioned. There is no untangling one from the other.

Mairs Ryan
1https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/veteran-homelessness-on-the-rise/509-dc3009c9-61d0-4012-973a-44de75c9afbf 2Veteransclaimsunited.com
3Military.com.
4https://www.govexec.com
ts to keep the tent’s utilities running.
“Do we really need to do this?” Gloria said about the demolition at a press conference earlier this month. “I don’t believe that they do.” San Diego is in the process of opening new shelters for women, children and young adults, as well as a safe parking lot by the airport for people to sleep in their vehicles, and city officials have repeatedly pressed the county to fund more of their own projects.

The mayor added that if county leaders really want to keep Rosecrans open, they could foot the bill themselves. “A lot of the folks at that shelter have severe mental illness and addiction issues,” Gloria said. “That shelter operates as a behavioral health facility, and that is why the county should take on more of a responsibility for operating because that is their jurisdiction.” Many county officials bristle at that take.
“I think it’s very easy for the county to get out of its lane and start doing other people’s work,” Supervisor Joel Anderson said during a public hearing Tuesday. It wasn’t worth cutting other services, such as road repairs in unincorporated areas, to “backfill the city because they have not chosen to put their priorities in the right place.” The county, like the city, faces a deficit, and an effort to free up hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves is in limbo until at least later this year when South County residents elect a tie-breaking fifth superv Domenic Provence, President of La Mesa Firefighters Local 4759, spoke on behalf of the organization in support of the Council's endorsement of Senate Bill 569 and explained the reasons behind their support for the bill.

Councilmember Suzuki provided a brief explanation regarding her request for Council support of Senate Bill 569.

Council questions and comments ensued.

Mairs Ryan submitted a comment in opposition to Council support of Senate Bill 569, warning that it would worsen veteran homelessness by dismantling encampments without offering adequate alternatives or services.

Moved By
Councilmember Suzuki
Seconded By
Mayor Arapostathis
Direct staff to prepare a letter of support for Senate Bill 569 (Blakespear): Department of Transportation: homeless encampments, authorize the Mayor to sign the letter on behalf of the entire City Council, and direct staff to send the letter to the Governor, the City’s legislative representatives, and the bill’s authors.

For (4)
Mayor Arapostathis, Vice Mayor Dillard, Councilmember Lothian, and Councilmember Suzuki Abstain (1)
Councilmember Cazares
Approved (4 to 0)

11.2 CONSIDERATION OF DIRECTING STAFF TO AGENDIZE A QUARTERLY UPDATE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PROGRAM - COUNCILMEMBER LOTHIAN Attachments
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Public Comments

1. CI.Lothian_Quarterly Traffic Management Plan Update 2025-05-27 .pdf Councilmember Lothian recommended quarterly updates to the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program to enhance transparency, improve communication with residents, and ensure more timely inclusion of newly submitted petitions, along with a clearer listing of the specific traffic calming measures requested.

Moved By
Councilmember Lothian
Seconded By
Councilmember Cazares
Direct staff to update and present the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program ("NTMP") priority list to the City Council on a quarterly basis; add a new column identifying the specific traffic calming measures requested for each street; and include a legend explaining the three phases of the program.

For (5)
Mayor Arapostathis, Vice Mayor Dillard, Councilmember Lothian, Councilmember Cazares, and Councilmember Suzuki Approved (5 to 0)

12. COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS (3 MINUTE LIMIT)
Public Comments:

The Mayor and Council reported on various outside boards, commissions and committee meetings they attended. No action was taken.

La Mesa City CouncilMay 27, 2025

La Mesa City Council
May 27, 2025