BOMA San Diego Legislative Update - October
San Diego County REMAINS in Tier 2 of the State’s Reopening Matrix
The State of CA announced earlier this week that with the adjusted positive rate numbers falling under the key threshold, San Diego County would again stay in Tier 2, or “red” category. This decision followed two successive weeks of concern that the County might slip back into the “purple” category and force a revisitation of COVID restrictions. The latest assessment, as adjusted by the state Department of Public Health, has the County at 6.5 new cases per 100,000 population, just under the threshold of 7.0. The state’s assessment of counties occurs every Tuesday. According to County officials, the reason the numbers have been adjusted downward, despite an increase in positive COVID tests, is the abundance of testing. The region is conducting approximately 8,400 tests a day, which is well above the state median of 7,290 tests a day. The County noted that they intend to expand testing even further. For more information, please click HERE.
New “health equity” metric to be included for consideration of reopening
Under new rules issued by the State of California, Counties must prioritize “health equity” in order to reduce restrictions under the state’s health rules. In early October, the State issued new a requirement for Counties to follow in order to move to a lower tier and fewer restrictions. Not meeting the new metric will NOT move the county to a more restrictive tier, it just means you can’t move forward. The new metric is intended to help those from disadvantaged communities who are twice as likely to be impacted by COVID-19. The metric is a composite score of over two dozen factors including the number of residents living in poverty, educational attainment, employment, homeownership, household overcrowding, air quality and access to goods and services like grocery stores. Presently, the County of San Diego’s health equity score is 6.2. In order to qualify to go to the next lower tier and fewer restrictions on businesses, it must get this score below 5.2%. For more information on the state’s health equity program, please click HERE.
PROP 15 UPDATE – the SPLIT ROLL Initiative has been placed on the State of CA Fall 2020 Ballot
As you know, Proposition 15 (this is the SPLIT ROLL measure sponsored by the CA Teachers Association, SEIU and the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative has been placed on the November 2020 ballot. The measure would split the property tax rolls between residential and commercial properties, reassess eligible commercial properties to current market value and, then, reassess those properties every three years. It is estimated that this would be a nearly $12 BILLION tax increase that will impact small businesses and tenants. For more information on the opposition campaign to protect Prop 13 and commercial properties, as well as ways you can help, including FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS, please go to the Stop Higher Property Taxes committee webpage HERE. Remember, you can make a difference by communicating with your co-workers, colleagues, friends and family members. It is expected to be a close election, so every vote counts. If you’d like a one-pager or to order a yard sign, please click HERE.
Governor Signs Executive Order Granting Authority for Extension of Commercial Eviction Moratorium
Governor Newsom signed an executive order late last month that extends the authorization for local governments to adopt commercial eviction moratoriums. The previous executive order granting this authorization was set to expire at the end of the month. The Executive Order extends the authority to March 31, 2020. For more information, please click HERE. BOMA San Diego will continue to monitor cities in the County and engage those that docket extensions of their eviction moratoriums.
City of San Diego has BEGUN FULL PARKING ENFORCEMENT
The City of San Diego has begun full enforcement of parking regulations on October 1, 2020. Full enforcement was suspended March 16th and was expected to begin in July. Since then, it has been delayed several times. Limited enforcement of painted red, white and blue curb regulations has been in effect since March 16th. There will be a TWO-WEEK grace period where people may receive warnings instead of tickets. The full resumption of CITATIONS will begin on October 15th.
City of San Diego Development Services Informational Bulletins available to BOMA members
The City of San Diego’s Development Services Department has been enhancing efforts to communicate service changes and improvements as a part of its program to better inform its customers. You can find previous informational notices issued since last spring HERE. The bulletins cover issues ranging from hours of operation, service area changes, permit requirements, submittal changes, etc. In order to sign up to receive these notices directly, please go to this LINK and enter your contact information.
City of San Diego Development Services Express Service Request
The City of San Diego Development Services Department has announced that Express Services for plan review can now be requested when submitting an online permit application. To access, check the box for “Express Services” at the bottom of the online permit application form. Note that Express Services are not available for all project types and are based upon staff availability. If your project qualifies for express processing, additional fees will be charged. See Information Bulletin 501 (HERE) and Information Bulletin 502 (HERE) for additional information and fees for Express Services.
The State of CA announced earlier this week that with the adjusted positive rate numbers falling under the key threshold, San Diego County would again stay in Tier 2, or “red” category. This decision followed two successive weeks of concern that the County might slip back into the “purple” category and force a revisitation of COVID restrictions. The latest assessment, as adjusted by the state Department of Public Health, has the County at 6.5 new cases per 100,000 population, just under the threshold of 7.0. The state’s assessment of counties occurs every Tuesday. According to County officials, the reason the numbers have been adjusted downward, despite an increase in positive COVID tests, is the abundance of testing. The region is conducting approximately 8,400 tests a day, which is well above the state median of 7,290 tests a day. The County noted that they intend to expand testing even further. For more information, please click HERE.
New “health equity” metric to be included for consideration of reopening
Under new rules issued by the State of California, Counties must prioritize “health equity” in order to reduce restrictions under the state’s health rules. In early October, the State issued new a requirement for Counties to follow in order to move to a lower tier and fewer restrictions. Not meeting the new metric will NOT move the county to a more restrictive tier, it just means you can’t move forward. The new metric is intended to help those from disadvantaged communities who are twice as likely to be impacted by COVID-19. The metric is a composite score of over two dozen factors including the number of residents living in poverty, educational attainment, employment, homeownership, household overcrowding, air quality and access to goods and services like grocery stores. Presently, the County of San Diego’s health equity score is 6.2. In order to qualify to go to the next lower tier and fewer restrictions on businesses, it must get this score below 5.2%. For more information on the state’s health equity program, please click HERE.
PROP 15 UPDATE – the SPLIT ROLL Initiative has been placed on the State of CA Fall 2020 Ballot
As you know, Proposition 15 (this is the SPLIT ROLL measure sponsored by the CA Teachers Association, SEIU and the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative has been placed on the November 2020 ballot. The measure would split the property tax rolls between residential and commercial properties, reassess eligible commercial properties to current market value and, then, reassess those properties every three years. It is estimated that this would be a nearly $12 BILLION tax increase that will impact small businesses and tenants. For more information on the opposition campaign to protect Prop 13 and commercial properties, as well as ways you can help, including FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS, please go to the Stop Higher Property Taxes committee webpage HERE. Remember, you can make a difference by communicating with your co-workers, colleagues, friends and family members. It is expected to be a close election, so every vote counts. If you’d like a one-pager or to order a yard sign, please click HERE.
Governor Signs Executive Order Granting Authority for Extension of Commercial Eviction Moratorium
Governor Newsom signed an executive order late last month that extends the authorization for local governments to adopt commercial eviction moratoriums. The previous executive order granting this authorization was set to expire at the end of the month. The Executive Order extends the authority to March 31, 2020. For more information, please click HERE. BOMA San Diego will continue to monitor cities in the County and engage those that docket extensions of their eviction moratoriums.
City of San Diego has BEGUN FULL PARKING ENFORCEMENT
The City of San Diego has begun full enforcement of parking regulations on October 1, 2020. Full enforcement was suspended March 16th and was expected to begin in July. Since then, it has been delayed several times. Limited enforcement of painted red, white and blue curb regulations has been in effect since March 16th. There will be a TWO-WEEK grace period where people may receive warnings instead of tickets. The full resumption of CITATIONS will begin on October 15th.
City of San Diego Development Services Informational Bulletins available to BOMA members
The City of San Diego’s Development Services Department has been enhancing efforts to communicate service changes and improvements as a part of its program to better inform its customers. You can find previous informational notices issued since last spring HERE. The bulletins cover issues ranging from hours of operation, service area changes, permit requirements, submittal changes, etc. In order to sign up to receive these notices directly, please go to this LINK and enter your contact information.
City of San Diego Development Services Express Service Request
The City of San Diego Development Services Department has announced that Express Services for plan review can now be requested when submitting an online permit application. To access, check the box for “Express Services” at the bottom of the online permit application form. Note that Express Services are not available for all project types and are based upon staff availability. If your project qualifies for express processing, additional fees will be charged. See Information Bulletin 501 (HERE) and Information Bulletin 502 (HERE) for additional information and fees for Express Services.