TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
Wendy Kaserman, City Manager
Shawn Hagerty, City Attorney
FROM: James Jeffries, City Clerk
DATE: March 25, 2026
SUBJ: Updated Meeting Materials – March 25, 2026, City Council Meeting The attached correspondence for the below-mentioned Items was received and is being provided for your consideration.
CONSENT CALENDAR:
(1) Approval of Reading by Title Only and Waiver of Reading in Full of Ordinances and Resolutions on the Agenda. (City Clerk – Jeffries) NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT:
NEW BUSINESS:
(9) SB 707 Implementation Update and Workshop. (City Clerk – Jeffries) From: SS DD
To: James Jeffries
Subject: Submitted Public Comment For 3/25/2026 Council Meeting Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 4:55:28 AM
Hey James! I've got a public comment delivery on Item 1, Non-Agenda, and Item 9 below for Council!~
Thanks so much and wishing you a short meeting,
-Truth
Item 1:
I don’t remember who’s now in charge of reading item titles or Ordinances because it’s changed a few times, but I want to request that Dustin pull this item so at least 1 entire Ordinance is read aloud by James.
I’d say John, but then you guys would be there all night. And probably end up in the City of San Diego.
Non-Agenda:
I recommend the City begins to implement a few changes to Agendas such as easy-to-find emails for Staff and Council displayed on the Council Meeting Agenda page.
I’d also like a separate HTML version of the Agendas provided. The way the Agendas are now – kind of a hybrid – is very acceptable, but HTML by itself is sometimes better for mobile viewing because it loads faster than an entire PDF file with HTML capabilities. Something to consider.
This fun story about Child E-Bike Gangs in Santee made FOX5 news:
(Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20cc85MlO1Y)
These little devils (or similar devils) have been terrorizing the area for quite a while, so please pass on this hint to the proper authorities: Check the nearby Town Center park areas at night, as it may be an entry/exit/gathering point.
E-Bikes need to be outlawed for those under 18.
And then the fire-prone E-Bikes need to be eliminated, as there was just another E-Bike fire last week, where several people lost their apartment units.
For one day fixing the horrible road on Carlton Oaks to Halberns – Dustin was on it with the SANDAG Grant idea.
They would definitely fund it for millions of dollars because they love dangerous bike lanes.
(For real, I don’t want to see bike lanes, the road just needs to be repaired).
Also: Have the sidewalks on streets near Santee Lakes, such as Lake Canyon Road, been paved yet? Residents should have safe access to the Lakes.
If not, is the City waiting for overpriced, ugly Stack-and-Packs to develop there and pay for it?
Residents are paying taxes for sidewalks now, not later.
For the record, the Consultants at True North didn't provide any answers surrounding Sales Taxes that weren't already publicly known. Money _ _spent.
On a new Sales Tax: Consider that at record rates, people are moving to where the cost of living is lower for a higher quality of life.
Consider alternatives to a Sales Tax because not doing so means the City of Santee will rely on rich Karens coming from the Bay Area, now installing themselves into Santee, to vote Yes because they are already used to higher Taxes.
Question is: Did they move in for change? Or for something similar to where they came from? Hard to tell. So when relying on an increasingly gentrified Santee, I’m not sure if the Sales Tax will pass this time. It might. Just my 1 cent on the matter.
Item 9:
The March 17th, 2026 iNewsource article entitled “How Accessible Is Local Government Across San Diego?” on judging various aspects of public access to different governments was not entirely accurate, but it was interesting and needed.
(Link to story here: https://inewsource.org/2026/03/17/san-diegogovernments-sunshine-week-accessibility/) Santee did not rank very highly, as expected from personal experience.
I remember once being frustrated that the City did not livestream on Youtube. I also remember finally seeing that change. I cherish that change because it increases access in multiple unseen ways.
While in Lemon Grove, I (and many others) fought for 3 years to simply have video of the meetings recorded. They planned for 2 TVs only months ago, yet there’s been no update since. They unfortunately lack Staff to make things happen.
Point is: Sometimes people need a wake-up call like SB707 to start expediting overdue changes.
It seems that the differences between a Telephonic system and a 2-way Audio-Visual system are: Money, Staff, Complexity, Control, and Access.
The City is already prepared for a Telephonic option without extra software or Staff – Great, just do it. Let people be judged by the content of their comments, not their physical appearance.
I think pursuing an Audio-Visual system will bite the City in the posterior.
A real life example: In the case of a FORCED video, I’ve decided I will NOT grace the City with my promo photo, but with a photo of 2 middle finger emojis instead.
That will be to prove a point. NO ONE IN GOVERNMENT – AKA PUBLIC SERVANTS – controls how anyone presents for a meeting, or should force anyone to try and cover up a background in a potentially private space.
There seem to be at least 2 people on the Council (Rob and John) that believe anyone who dares provide remote comments is deserving of punishment; that they are somehow less-than and should be regulated to the most difficult and insensitive method of civic engagement that Council can concoct to serve as a barrier to participation.
In 2024, the City of San Diego tried something similar and more sinister, using some paid shills to create an excuse to try and require people’s names and addresses in order to provide comment, and they FAILED miserably.
There is also the “tough guy” mentality that believes their imagined “opposition” in public comments should have to show themselves in order to say what they want. That is inaccurate, childish, wrong, and not the point of comments at meetings.
I’ve provided many an oppositional comment without ever providing my full name, address, age, occupation, political and religious affiliation, or even a face to the voice – So what? Who cares? You want to use Facial Recognition to find out where somebody lives so you can fight them when you disagree with them?
That’s how demanding video of somebody comes across.
How could you even distinguish between A.I. and reality these days? See, there is no disguising ill intent. It flies in the face of the point of SB707 – Increased Access.
Just as it’s expected that Governments broadcast their meetings in live time and in various ways, people expect easier, more efficient, and increased access.
It’s a positive, and it’s inevitable, even if you personally don’t like it.
I’ve already lived through the best parts and the worst aspects of remote comments – including having them directed towards me from far away – except I didn’t get paid to hear it. It is what it is, and it’s no different than some of my in-person experiences in Santee in 2023 – Except if I had participated remotely then, I could’ve avoided any potential risk of physical threat. I understand that’s something men don’t tend to consider – just like those who are able-bodied don’t tend to consider the physical challenges of navigating in-person or on-camera appearances.
I believe in Free Speech without unnecessary barriers like requiring AudioVisual in order to access public comment, and whoever doesn’t, should promptly leave Office so the rest of us can move on into the modern age with a more engaged populace.
The Telephonic option has been working just fine at the County, San Diego, MTS, SANDAG, Coronado, National City, etc for years – Santee will be fine, too.
-Truth,
the no-faced mystery email-er no one's ever seen in person at a Santee Council meeting...in 2026.
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