Public commenters urge restoration of 0.8-acre parcel as council convenes closed session on Public Records Act lawsuit

Several National City residents urged the City Council to restore a 0.8-acre parcel in the Sweetwater/Orange Street area to residential land use and criticized city leadership during public comment at a special meeting where the council recessed into closed session to discuss a Public Records Act lawsuit.

Speakers during the public-comment period repeatedly pressed the council to “restore the general plan to low medium density and the zoning to residential” for a 0.8-acre parcel that commenters described as historically residential. Mika Polanco said, “the plaintiff desires a judicial determination that the defendant's City of National City has a legal authority to restore the 0.8 acre.” Louisa McCarthy and others echoed that position and attributed the dispute to permitting and conditional use permit…