From: Chelsea Fickling
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment Submission
Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 6:50:21 PM
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Good Evening,
I missed the registration deadline, but I would like to submit my public comment via email.
I have disabilities, so it’s easier for me to write a comment, but I intend to show up in person if this measure is added back onto the agenda. I am representing myself as a South Bay resident (Egger Highlands/Nestor), but I am also writing in support of ACCE and the proposed measure to tax big businesses such as target and Walmart more heavily. I am also very familiar with National City and its surrounding areas. I have lived in San Diego (Lincoln Park, Egger Highlands), as well as Chula Vista, Spring Valley, and Jamul. I was also stationed at 32nd street in Barrio Logan, where I worked on a ship back in 2010. Currently, I have lived in the South Bay for 6 years. Prior to that I lived in working class areas of Chicago and Tennessee. One thing I have always noticed amongst myself and my neighbors is the vast amount of inequality that persist, no matter how hard we work to break even. This can range anywhere from lack of job opportunities, including low salaries, the grueling nature of the occupations you are offered, lack of reliable and safe transportation, endless fees and bureaucracy that make a bigger impact when you are living paycheck to paycheck, even to the environment we live in, the quality of air we breathe, and the water we drink. We live in buildings that are falling apart and make payments on cars that are held together with duct tape and a prayer, or we rely on public transportation and arrive late often times. The economy gets worse year after year, and so does the wealth gap, while wealthy people hoard money and resources at the top. This is not a plea for a “hand out”, this is one veteran/concerned citizen's request to appropriately tax the corporations that can easily afford to skim some money off the top of their bottom line. Even middle class people and small business owners, as well as people who own ocean front property in La Jolla would benefit from this decision. This is the wealthiest state and the wealthiest country, but yet we have the highest poverty rate of any developed nation and this state specifically has the highest poverty rate within the country. This is a beautiful state, and I believe the diversity and contributions of the working class make the state so much better. People are being driven out because of the insane cost of living.
This can be said for many amazing cities across the country, but especially here. Without us, this will be a boring resort town that will eventually die out. Please be a progressive and egalitarian example in this country and bring this measure back to the meeting agenda in the future, so that we can vote on common sense tax policies in regards to these mega corporations.
Respectfully,
Chelsea Fickling
(District 8 resident/Navy veteran)
From: Philip Teyssier
To: Ron Morrison; Luz Molina; Marcus Bush; Jose Rodriguez; Councilmember Ditas Yamane Cc: Kelsey Genesi; Clerk; "[email protected]"; Greg Etter; "[email protected]" Subject: Opposition to proposed business tax
Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 2:47:12 PM
Attachments: opposition to tax increase 6-16-2026.pdf
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Please open the attachment registering our opposition to the proposed business tax.
PHIL
Philip Teyssier
President
Acropolis Space Center
Atomic Investments, Inc.
3200 Highland Avenue, B4-2
National City, CA 91950
T 619-234-7966 F 619-263-2995
[email protected]
3200 B4-4 HIGHLAND AVE. • NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA 91950 • PHONE (619) 474-8391 June 15, 2026
Via Email/Delivery to City Council Offices
City Council
City of National City
1243 National City Blvd
National City, CA 91950
Distribution:
The Honorable Ron Morrison, Mayor
The Honorable Luz Molina, Vice Mayor, Councilmember, District 1 The Honorable Jose Rodriguez, Councilmember, District 2 The Honorable Ditas Yamane, Councilmember, District 3
The Honorable Marcus Bush, Councilmember, District 4
with Copy to City Clerk, Shelley Capel, [email protected] - for entry into the public record.
RE: Meeting Agenda Item 11.1 - Presentation of Business License Tax Reform Opposition to Proposed Increase to Business License Fees - Gross Receipts Tax Dear Mayor Morrison, Vice Mayor Molina, and Members of the City Council:
As long-time business operators and supporters of the National City community, we are deeply concerned by the Council's consideration of yet another tax increase and strongly oppose any increase to business license fees through a gross receipts tax, or otherwise.
Equally troubling is the apparent lack of communication and transparency regarding this proposal. Many members of the business community only became aware of this potential increase within the past few days. For a proposal that could significantly impact local businesses, the limited outreach and disclosure are both disappointing and concerning.
Several years ago, the City successfully advocated for an increase in the local sales tax. As a result, consumers making purchases in National City now pay the highest sales tax rate in San Diego County. That increase was promoted as a means of addressing the City's budget shortfalls, yet those financial challenges appear to remain unresolved.
There is no assurance that this newly proposed tax will solve the City's budget issues either.
In fact, if approved, it may simply set the stage for future requests for additional tax increases, further burdening both businesses and residents.
Rather than increasing taxes and making it more expensive to operate a business in National City, the Council should first allow the City's new City Manager, Douglas Schaulz, the opportunity to evaluate the City's finances and identify alternative solutions. Advancing a tax measure before Mr. Schaulz has even begun his tenure is unfair to him, to the residents of National City, and to the businesses that have invested in this community for decades.
Businesses create jobs, provide services, and contribute substantially to the City's economic vitality. Increasing business taxes raises operating costs, which are often passed on to consumers through higher prices. Ultimately, this proposal risks harming both the business community and the residents it serves.
We respectfully urge the City Council to work with the new City Manager to develop a thoughtful, sustainable plan to address the City's financial challenges before asking businesses and taxpayers to shoulder additional burdens.
Thank you for considering our comments.
Sincerely,
Acropolis Space Center
Philip Teyssier
President Chief Financial Officer
cc: Douglas Schaulz, City Manager
From: Cynthia Fuller Quinonez
To: Ron Morrison; Marcus Bush; Councilmember Ditas Yamane; Jose Rodriguez; Luz Molina Cc: Public Comment
Subject: Fwd: City Council Agenda for 6/16/2026, Appointment of City Manager Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 3:27:32 PM
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In support of a public comment just emailed, in opposition to tonight's proposed appointment of Doug Shulze for City Manager, I wanted to share more information that may be helpful in understanding my proposed alternative: at this moment, extending the appointment of interim City Manager, Steve Manganiello, for the duration of time needed to identify additional resources that can be provided, to best enable his long term success in the City Manager role, anticipating the following action thereafter:
Internal promotion (interim to go-forward City Manager), combined with Targeted investments in resources (e.g., organizational capacity and governance alignment)
This approach is known to be widely used across California cities and may offer a more effective path to stability given National City’s current conditions.
Context
The City is currently experiencing a convergence of challenges typical of many California municipalities:
Leadership turnover and organizational instability
Structural budget pressures
Ongoing regulatory and legal complexities
Council–staff alignment and public trust concerns
These are not solely “personnel” issues. They are institutional and governance challenges that affect any incoming City Manager, regardless of where they are recruited from.
Core Observation
Across California, internal promotion is common:
Nearly half of city managers come from assistant/deputy roles, and A majority of those are promoted within the same organization However, outcomes vary depending on whether cities invest in institutional reinforcement alongside the promotion.
Policy Option
Current Approach: External Recruitment
Recruit a City Manager through a nationwide search without additional structural investment.
Advantages:
Broader candidate pool
Potential for outside perspective
Risks in Current Context:
Does not address underlying organizational issues
High likelihood of misalignment or early turnover
Longer ramp-up due to limited institutional knowledge
Alternative: Internal Promotion + Institutional Reinforcement Appoint the current Acting City Manager (or another qualified internal candidate) while making targeted investments in the organization’s capacity.
Advantages:
Immediate continuity and institutional knowledge
Established relationships with staff and regional partners Faster stabilization of operations
Key Requirement: This approach is effective only when paired with deliberate investments, outlined below.
Recommended Investment Areas
1. Executive Capacity
Strengthen or formalize a City Manager support role (e.g., deputy or assistant to the City Manager), one that adds extra leadership in finance, HR and policy coordination Rationale: Modern city management can benefit greatly from a team-based executive structure, not requiring one individual to expertly cover all domains alone.
2. Financial Strategy and Budget Discipline
Enhance long-term financial planning and forecasting capacity Implement data-driven budgeting and performance tracking Rationale: Current fiscal challenges are structural and require strategic, not solely operational, responses.
3. Governance Alignment
Conduct facilitated Council–Staff alignment sessions
Clarify roles, expectations, and communication protocols Rationale: Research indicates that most city manager failures are due to relationship and governance issues, not technical limitations.
4. Operational Systems and Process Improvement
Standardize high-risk processes (e.g., permitting, regulatory programs) Strengthen coordination between departments and legal counsel Rationale: Recent challenges suggest the need for clearer, more consistent operational systems.
5. Communications and Transparency
Invest in public communication capacity and processes
Improve clarity and timeliness of information sharing
Rationale: Restoring public trust and internal clarity is essential to long-term effectiveness.
6. Executive Coaching and Peer Support
Provide access to experienced advisors (e.g., Cal‑ICMA Senior Advisors) Support professional development in areas such as governance and leadership Rationale: This is a standard practice for first-time or transitioning city managers in California.
Comparative Insight from Other Cities
Cities relying solely on internal promotion without these investments have often experienced:
Continued turnover
Persistent organizational dysfunction
Declining morale and service delivery
By contrast, cities that combined internal promotion with governance alignment and organizational reinforcement have demonstrated:
Improved stability
Stronger operational performance
Greater continuity and staff engagement
Considerations Recap
The choice before the Council is not simply Internal vs. external candidate.Rather, it is whether to invest in strengthening the City’s leadership system and institutional capacity, regardless of who serves as City Manager.
Given the City’s current circumstances, an internal promotion—paired with targeted investments—offers a viable and potentially more effective alternative to external recruitment alone. This approach:
Prioritizes stability
Builds on existing institutional knowledge
Directly addresses underlying challenges that any City Manager would face Recommended Next Steps
Define a 6–18 month organizational reinforcement plan
Identify required budget and resource allocations
Establish performance goals and reporting structure for the City Manager Schedule initial Council–Staff alignment workshop
Leadership Alone Isn’t the Solution
There is also an important reality: Even the best City Manager cannot succeed without the right conditions.
Studies of city management in California show that:
Most challenges in city leadership are not technical—they are about relationships, alignment, and governance
Strong partnerships between City Council and staff are critical to success That means success depends not just on who leads, but on:
Clear priorities
Shared expectations
Organizational capacity
A Smarter Strategy: Promote + Strengthen
The most effective path forward is not just internal promotion—it’s internal promotion paired with investment in the organization itself. This includes:
Strengthening the executive leadership team
Aligning City Council and staff on priorities and roles Addressing staffing shortages and workforce stability
Developing a clear, long-term financial strategy
This approach helps with succession planning -- ensuring continuity, preserving knowledge, and maintaining service quality even during transitions.
What Residents Can Expect
By choosing this path, residents can expect:
Greater stability in City leadership
Continued progress on key priorities
Improved coordination across departments
Stronger accountability and communication
Most importantly: A City Hall that is focused on delivering results—not restarting every few years.
A Commitment to National City
This is about more than filling a position. It is about making a deliberate choice to:
Invest in our people
Strengthen our organization
Deliver consistent, reliable service to the community
National City doesn’t need disruption right now. It needs:
Stability
Continuity
Alignment
Focus
Promoting from within—paired with real organizational investment—is recommended as a practical, responsible, and community-centered way to move forward.
Supporting research:
California’s public sector staffing crisis - UC Berkeley Labor Center Hiring City Managers - Recruit or Promote? — Lodi 411
Reimagining Retention: Purpose, Positivity, and the Power to Stay | icma.org 5 Key Benefits of Promoting Leaders from Within Your Organization Succession Planning in Local Government: Building Resilience for the Future This recommendation is certainly also based on what I believe is widely shared high regard for the leadership and other qualifications clearly demonstrated by Steve Manganiello throughout his employment by the City of National City, especially in multiple stints as interim city manager. While it's possible he may not want the City Manager role on a go-forward basis, even for a year or other limited duration to be spent strengthening the city for whatever comes next, perhaps he can be convinced he truly is important - uniquely qualified to get us onto the right track. Cindy
Cynthia Fuller Quinonez
Concerned Resident
References:
California’s public sector staffing crisis - UC Berkeley Labor Center Hiring City Managers - Recruit or Promote? — Lodi 411
Reimagining Retention: Purpose, Positivity, and the Power to Stay | icma.org 5 Key Benefits of Promoting Leaders from Within Your Organization Succession Planning in Local Government: Building Resilience for the Future ---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Tonya Hussain <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Jun 16, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Subject: RE: City Council Agenda for 6/16/2026, Appointment of City Manager To: Cynthia Fuller Quinonez
Thank you, your comment has been received.
Tonya Hussain, CMC
Deputy City Clerk
Office of the City Clerk
City of National City
1243 National City Blvd., National City, CA 91950
T: 619.336.4415❘ [email protected]
Website ❘ Facebook ❘ Instagram ❘ Twitter ❘ LinkedIn
From: Cynthia Fuller Quinonez <
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 2:0
To: Public Comment <[email protected]>
Subject: City Council Agenda for 6/16/2026, Appointment of City Manager CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
DATE: June 16, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council Members, City of National City SUBJECT: Public Comment, Appointment of City Manager
This is a comment opposed to City Council approval of the proposed appointment of Doug Shulze as our new City Manager. Recommended instead: extending the appointment of interim City Manager, Steve Manganiello, for the duration of time needed to identify additional resources that would support his appointment to City Manager, as needed for his and the city's success long-term
National City is at a pivotal moment.
Our city is facing real pressures: fiscal constraints, staffing challenges, and rising expectations from residents. We are dealing with a nearly $13 million budget deficit within roughly an $89 million budget, which requires disciplined, thoughtful leadership.
At the same time, across California, local governments are experiencing staffing shortages as high as 30%, creating real impacts—delays in services, increased workloads, and strain on employees.
This is not business as usual.This is a moment where leadership decisions will shape not just operations—but the future direction of our city.
What We Need Right Now: Stability and Continuity
When leadership changes abruptly, cities pay a price.
Experienced practitioners note that leadership turnover leads to stalled projects, lost institutional knowledge, and declining staff morale.
These impacts ripple outward:
· Slower service delivery
· Delayed community improvements
· Reduced confidence from residents
That is why this moment calls for stability—not disruption.
Take A Proven Path: Promote From Within
Promoting from within is not just the safer choice—it is the smarter one, benefiting from an internal leader who:
· Understands the city’s systems and challenges immediately · Maintains continuity of operations
· Preserves institutional knowledge
· Builds trust across departments
Such action also strengthens the workforce itself.When employees see opportunity for advancement, morale improves, retention increases, and organizations remain more resilient in times of stress.
In a tight labor market, that matters.
A Personal Perspective
This idea of a proven path is not abstract.
From direct experience working on city issues—including in a Traffic Safety Commissioner role—I have seen the clear value in leadership that already understands the system, as clearly demonstrated by Mr. Manganiello He is a leader who:
· Knows the people
· Understands the dynamics
· And can move projects forward without a learning curve These important capabilities, already here, should be recognized.
The Opportunity in Front of Us: Smarter, More Efficient Government
But this moment is not only about stability. It is also about modernization.
Cities across the country are beginning to use artificial intelligence to:
· Speed up permitting by as much as 60–70%
· Automate routine administrative work
· Improve service response times
· Enable better, data-driven decision-making
These tools help cities do more with less—exactly the challenge National City faces today.
Importantly, AI is not about replacing people.
It is about freeing staff to focus on higher-value work that directly serves residents.
A Second Imperative: Environmental Justice Can’t Wait
But there is another reality we cannot ignore:Not all communities experience the city the same way.
Environmental justice exists because pollution, environmental hazards, and health risks are not distributed equally.Low-income communities and communities of color have historically carried a disproportionate burden.
That burden shows up as:
· Higher exposure to polluted air and water
· Greater vulnerability to climate impacts
· Higher rates of asthma, heart disease, and other health issues Environmental justice is about correcting that.It means:
· Ensuring no community bears a disproportionate share of environmental harm · Giving residents a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their neighborhoods · Ensuring equitable access to healthy, safe, and sustainable environments And in California, this is not optional.State law requires cities to integrate environmental justice into planning—to reduce pollution burdens, improve health outcomes, and expand access to community resources. 8
Why This Moment Matters
This is where all of these threads come together.National City has a chance to:
· Maintain stability through experienced internal leadership · Modernize operations through thoughtful use of AI
· Finally make meaningful progress on environmental justice Because environmental justice is not a side issue.It is central to:
· Public health
· Economic opportunity
· Quality of life
· And trust in government
And real progress requires:
· Leadership that understands local conditions
· Commitment to equity in decision-making
· And the ability to implement change effectively
A Smarter, More Just Path Forward
The right path forward is not choosing between priorities.It is aligning them.
Promote from within—and:
· Preserve continuity
· Strengthen the workforce
· Maintain momentum
While also:
· Investing in smarter, more efficient systems
· Leveraging AI to improve services
· Advancing environmental justice with urgency and intention What Residents Deserve
Residents of National City deserve:
· Reliable services
· Responsive government
· Fair and equitable treatment
· And a healthier environment
They deserve a city that:
· Works better
· Works smarter
· And works for everyone
The decision to be made tonight is about more than selecting a City Manager.It is about choosing the kind of city National City will be -- a city that:
· Values stability
· Embraces innovation
· And commits to justice
Not someday—but now.