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La Mesa council approves $70,000 for Civic Spark fellows to aid climate-action work; vote 4–1
Summary
The city approved a $70,000 agreement with the Public Health Institute to host Civic Spark fellows in 2025–26 to support climate-action plan implementation; staff said the sum covers two fellows and the motion passed 4–1 after resident questions about climate spending.
The La Mesa City Council voted 4–1 on Sept. 9 to authorize an agreement with the Public Health Institute for Civic Spark fellowship services to support the city’s climate-action plan, allocating $70,000 for the 2025–26 program year.
Hillary Ego, a representative for the Civic Spark program, told the council the fellowship places recent college graduates in local governments to work full time on climate-action projects, providing both hands-on experience for young professionals and additional capacity for cities. “This would be our fifth year participating…they work full-time working on climate-action plan projects and programs and have implemented wonderful programs that we have benefited from,” she said.
A resident raised objections during public comment, questioning whether the city has already spent large sums on climate planning and arguing the city should prioritize services such as public safety and street repairs. The resident cited several figures and framed the $70,000 as an additional expenditure; council staff clarified at the meeting that the $70,000 would cover two Civic Spark fellows under a contract model and that fellows are treated as contracted consultants rather than new full-time staff.
Council Member Lotheian voted no and repeatedly questioned the city’s climate spending priorities; Council Members Dillard and Suzuki, Vice Mayor Casaris and Mayor Mark Rapisthus voted to approve the agreement. The motion passed with four votes in favor and one opposed.
What this means: The Civic Spark fellows will work under the Civic Spark program contracted through the Public Health Institute to support implementation projects and community resilience work tied to La Mesa’s climate-action plan. The council did not specify detailed deliverables in the meeting beyond program description; staff and the program representative said fellows historically have supported local projects and sometimes go on to local government careers.
