Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sidewalk Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts joint response to grand jury report on sidewalks; staff point to ramping, temporary repairs and outreach
Summary
The City Council adopted the IBA-recommended joint response to the county grand jury report on sidewalk maintenance, noting recent increases in ramping and slicing crews, a temporary permit fee holiday, and the Safe Sidewalks program’s notices of responsibility. Staff stated some recommendations are implemented while others are premature or not reasonable.
The City Council on Nov. 18 adopted a proposed joint response to the San Diego County grand jury report on sidewalk maintenance, after a presentation from the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst (IBA) outlining the city’s actions and plans.
Jordan Moore of the IBA walked the council through the grand jury’s seven findings and six recommendations and the city’s proposed responses. On funding and inventory concerns Moore’s presentation said the city has performed a large-scale sidewalk assessment (2014) and now relies on targeted “Get It Done” requests and neighborhood assessments to update condition information. On the funding shortfall, Moore noted that sidewalk needs are part of a larger $5 billion-plus infrastructure gap but said the city has increased temporary repair spending and staffing in recent years.
Moore’s presentation said the city ramping crews increased from two to six in FY2024, the slicing budget doubled in FY2023, and about $10 million has been added to the sidewalk CIP over the last three years. He reported “more sidewalk repairs done in 1 fiscal year than the city has ever done in the past” and said the Safe Sidewalks program has begun issuing Notices of Responsibility (NORS) to property owners.
Public commenters urged broader outreach to ensure equitable use of the Get It Done reporting system and highlighted disproportionate access issues for seniors and people without internet access. Laurie Saldana urged training and dedicated kiosks at senior centers and libraries so neighborhoods with less technology access are not left out of reporting.
Councilmember Whitburn moved to adopt the proposed response; the council voted unanimously in support with one member absent. The adopted action directs staff to submit the joint response to the presiding judge by the filing deadline and to continue monitoring program metrics and potential future phases of enforcement if voluntary compliance remains low.
The IBA noted several recommendations would not be implemented as written, either because they are infeasible (publishing every sidewalk defect on the GIS tool) or premature (adding enforcement phases while the Safe Sidewalks program is new). Staff said they will continue monitoring compliance and report outcomes in future annual updates.
