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Council preliminarily approves renewal and expansion of Downtown PBID, sets ballot hearing for Jan. 27
Summary
Council preliminarily approved the Downtown Property & Business Improvement District renewal and expansion for a new 10-year term beginning July 1, 2025, authorized mailing ballots and set a public hearing for Jan. 27, 2025. Staff said the petition met the required >50% weighted support (about 50.53%).
The San Diego City Council preliminarily approved steps to renew and modestly expand the Downtown Property & Business Improvement District (PBID) and authorized mailing ballots ahead of a public hearing scheduled for Jan. 27, 2025.
Michelle Munoz of the Economic Development Department and Justin Apgar of the Downtown San Diego Partnership presented the renewal petition and district management plan, saying the proposed renewal would cover roughly 14,100 parcels and add approximately 14 parcels to the district. Munoz said petition verification using the County’s 2024 secured roll confirmed the weighted petition threshold required by state PBID law.
Betsy Brennan, president and CEO of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, described the PBID’s "clean and safe" services — ambassadors, litter and graffiti removal, and outreach to unhoused people — and noted multi-year accomplishments. Justin Apgar outlined outreach and performance data, saying the partnership had met with more than 54% of parcels and reported property-owner survey results showing strong support for enhanced services.
Public comment included supporters highlighting economic and visitor benefits and critics raising concerns about contracting, transparency, and downtown priorities. Phil Rath, board chair of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, told the council the organization fills service gaps that the city cannot always deliver and emphasized the operational scale of a roughly $14 million annual program.
Councilmembers asked technical questions about assessment calculations and updated owner rolls. Bennett Engineering explained they used the most recent county data and updated the engineers report and assessment calculations (appendix 9) to reflect changes in ownership and assessment amounts prior to mailing ballots.
Councilmember Woodburn moved to approve the staff recommendation; the motion was seconded and passed. The clerk recorded that the petition met about 50.53% weighted support for renewal, and the council voted to proceed with preliminary approval and to mail ballots to assessment payers; a subsequent council meeting will consider approval of an operating agreement if balloting returns >50% positive support.
