Turns out, it’s hard to get all nine councilmembers to a City Council meeting.
Even if it concerns the city’s gaping $118 million budget deficit.
Every year, the city of San Diego begins its budget review process for the upcoming fiscal cycle in the spring. City Council President Joe LaCava told Voice of San Diego it has been tough to get colleagues to meetings.
“That’s just not a good look for the Council,” LaCava said. A few weeks ago, he had to end a meeting early because they didn’t have a quorum. “I find it a little embarrassing.”
The City Council has nine councilmembers. Five members must be present to have a quorum so they can hold a meeting and conduct official city business. If the Council has less than five members, they must end a meeting.
LaCava said they have run into scenarios where they are at risk of losing quorum or end up losing quorum. This can delay meetings, policy discussions and votes.
In an email shared with Voice, LaCava expressed his frustration to colleagues after they lost quorum at an April 7 meeting. They did not reach the non-agenda public comment portion of the meeting.
“This is not the first time and, sadly, unlikely to be the last,” he said in the email. “I get it. You make plans. You have busy calendars. To be blunt, that is no excuse for not letting Luz, Heidi, or my team know if you have hard stops. You know this. With no advance warning, it eliminates options to save the meeting.”
District 2 Councilmember Jennifer Campbell has been absent from all the budget review committee meetings.
Margaret Doyle, communications director for Campbell’s office, said the Councilmember has been “dealing with some minor health issues” and monitors the budget meetings at home.
In response to LaCava’s email, Doyle said their office will notify as far in advance about her absences as possible. “Although it is of course difficult to predict how she’ll be feeling more than a few days in advance,” she said.
District 4 Councilmember Marni von Wilpert and District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo have also been absent for some meetings.
“Like many elected officials, she navigates occasional scheduling conflicts,” said Joshua Stewart, communications director for von Wilpert in an email statement. “But she and her office remain fully involved in budget deliberations, giving voice to District 5 residents and protecting the services working families and neighbors rely on.”
Von Wilpert is also running for the 48th Congressional district seat.
A communications representative from Councilmember Campillo’s office said he was absent from the latest public hearing on the budget because it was rescheduled. The meeting was originally slated for Monday, May 18, but then cancelled due to the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
The representative said he had a prior out-of-town commitment, and the meeting was rescheduled during legislative recess.
Still, Council President LaCava told us that budget review committee meetings are booked on the yearly legislative calendar. The meetings dates were shared in a city report in October of last year.
District 8 Councilmember Henry Foster, who is chair of the budget committee, underlined the importance of the meetings.
“Council and committee meetings are where the public’s business gets done, and I believe we all have a responsibility to communicate, coordinate, and keep that work moving,” said Foster. “I take that responsibility seriously. My focus is on showing up for District 4, doing the work, and making sure our communities have a voice in the decisions before us.”
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