Fwd: Report from Mayor Todd Gloria’s Office

[Manny Rodriguez]

Hi DCPC. View forwarded message for the Mayor's Office report. -Manny

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Reyes, Randy <Randy...@sandiego.gov>
Date: Wed, Feb 19, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Subject: Report from Mayor Todd Gloria’s Office
To: Manny Rodriguez <ch...@downtownplanningsd.org>
Cc: Thornton, Malik <Thor...@sandiego.gov>

Hi Manny,

Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance at today's Downtown Community Planning Committee meeting, as I will be at the North Clairemont Rec Group meeting today. I did, however, want to provide you with the following update:

Report from Mayor Todd Gloria's Office: 

Mayor Gloria Enacts Operational Efficiencies and Reductions to Save Taxpayer Dollars and Preserve City Services: 

• Mayor Todd Gloria announced a series of operational efficiencies, consolidations and spending reductions that will save millions in taxpayer dollars now and preserve services for residents.
• Mayor Gloria Assuming the Role and Responsibilities of City Manager, thus, eliminating the City's Chief Operating Officer position effective today. 
• The City’s Executive Team will now report directly to the Mayor.
• The Office of the Mayor and the Office of the Chief Operating Officer will merge and will include within it the Department of Government Affairs and the Office of Boards and Commissions.
• These actions result in the reduction of five unclassified positions and an annual savings of over $925,000.  
• The Sustainability and Mobility Department will transfer their work to the following departments: City Planning, Transportation, General Services, and Engineering and Capital Projects.
•  This action results in the reduction of seven vacant positions and an annual savings of over $914,000.
• The incredible work accomplished by the Department of Race and Equity has laid a strong foundation and engrained an equity lens into the City’s operations. This work will now be transferred to the Department of Human Resources, where the Department’s works and training will continue.
• This transfer of staff and reduction of two vacant positions will yield an annual savings of over $460,000.  
• The Office of Child and Youth Success will move to the Youth and Family Services Division in the Library Department.
• This action results in the reduction of one vacant unclassified Executive Director position and an annual savings of over $265,000.  
• The Department of Cultural Affairs will transfer into a division of the Economic Development Department, where the robust grant activity of Cultural Affairs will synergize with the work already being done in this regard by the Economic Development Department.  
• The Mayor is eliminating an additional 16 vacant unclassified management positions, which were located in various departments.
• This action will yield an annual savings of $2.8 million.
• In total, the operational efficiencies enacted today result in a reduction of 31 positions and will yield an annual savings of $5.3 million.  

New Shelter Opening with the San Diego Housing Commission and Catholic Charities in Downtown: 

• As part of its continued efforts to reduce homelessness, the City of San Diego is planning to fund operations at a new 210-bed facility in Downtown in partnership with Catholic Charities and the San Diego Housing Commission. 
• This shelter will serve women, families, and seniors. 
• The 210-bed facility would have a similar name, proposed as the Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children.
• Services for shelter residents will include meals, clothing, access to showers, laundry, housing-focused case management, care coordination, referrals and support for enrollment in healthcare resources, individual therapy, life skills classes and assistance applying for public benefits.
• Currently, the City funds approximately 1,630 traditional shelter beds across nearly two dozen programs, up to 770 tent spaces in the Safe Sleeping Program, and 210 spaces for vehicles in the Safe Parking Program with more than a dozen RV trailers specifically for family use.
• This spring, the City will nearly double capacity of the Safe Parking Program with an overnight-only facility expected to open off Harbor Drive near the San Diego Airport.

Mayor Gloria Issues Statement on City Council's Unanimous Vote to Advance New Shelter Options: 

• Mayor Gloria thanked the Council for their vote to move forward our critically important effort to expand shelter and help people come off the streets and get connected to assistance and housing. 
• The City Council's vote specifically directed City staff to further explore creating a long-term shelter at a private property on Second Ave, expand the number of beds at the Veterans Village site in the Midway area, and to take steps to initiate the redevelopment of the former Central Library on E Street in East Village. 
• As reminder that Mayor Gloria also announced that the City would no longer pursue the Hope @ Vine shelter campus, and hence presented the City Council with three alternative locations: the City's Operations Building, the Old Central Library, and the 2^nd Ave property. 

Best regards, 

Randy Reyes (he/him)

Community Representative & LGBTQ+ Liaison

Districts 2 & 3 

Office of Mayor Todd Gloria

City of San Diego

www.sandiego.gov/mayor

DISCLOSURE:

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*Please note, the use of Mayor Gloria’s name/image is not permitted on any promotional materials*