City of San Diego Retired Employees Association
January Meeting Minutes by Treasurer Brad Jacobsen
President Mike Bresnahan informed attendees that they should pay attention to the Zoo’s new parking regulations – not the City’s – because we are using the Zoo’s parking lot to attend meetings at the War Memorial Building. He reported that the Board is monitoring developments around paid parking in Balboa Park, and that we will continue to meet there for the near future.
Natasha Collura of SDCERS reported that the Supplemental checks are on their way. She also strongly recommended that members sign on to the SDCERS portal for access to information of interest.
Program
The program, as always in January, was Scott Lewis of Voice of San Diego. His main theme was what he called a “trust crisis” in the City (and region). His thesis is that voters approve tax increases – or the City Council imposes new fees – but then residents see no physical improvements. He pointed out that the new parking fees in Balboa Park won’t result in improvements that residents expect to see, but will fill a budget gap to maintain current service levels.
As a corollary to that, he predicted that a repeal of the trash collection fee would blow a massive hole in the City’s budget. On the other hand, he said that proposed taxes on vacation rental homes and second homes owned by non-residents might not only generate income, but could also free up more existing housing for residents.