Board of Supervisors Meeting Information

MEETING DATES AND LOCATION
The Board of Supervisors meetings are held at the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 310, San Diego, CA 92101. A regular meeting of the Board is held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and 9 a.m. on Wednesday of each week. The Wednesday meeting deals with Planning and Land Use matters. View the Board meeting calendar for scheduled meetings. ANY EXCEPTIONS to the location or start time of the meeting will be shown on the Board of Supervisors' Agenda.

ASSISTANCE FOR THE DISABLED:
Agendas and records are available in alternative formats upon request. Contact the Clerk’s office at (619) 531-5434 (voice) or (619) 531-4803 (TTY). Assistive Listening Devices (ALD’s) are available from the Clerk of the Board in Room 402 prior to the meeting and are to be returned at the end of the meeting. Individuals requiring sign language interpreters should contact the American with Disabilities Coordinator at (858) 505-6521, in advance of the meeting so that arrangements may be made. An area in the front of the chamber is designated for individuals requiring the use of wheelchair or other accessible devices.

SPECIAL NEEDS/GROUPS:
Whenever possible, audience members accompanied by young children will be offered seats in the observation balcony or one of the other rooms to view the proceeding and to avoid distractions during the meeting. Individual and organizations planning for groups to attend Board meetings, or having special needs such as utilizing an interpreter to translate the proceedings, are requested to call the Clerk of the Board office at (619) 531-5434 in advance of the meeting to arrange for balcony seating or additional rooms.

COURTESY/SAFETY ITEMS:
Out of respect for the proceedings and in consideration of others, all cell phones, tablets, or other noise-emitting devices should be turned off or silenced prior to entering the Chamber. Aisles and doorways must remain clear and room capacity limits will be enforced to ensure compliance with fire code and safety regulations. Placards, banners, signs, flags, or other large objects are not permitted in the Chamber.

PHONE-IN LINES:
To access the Board meeting while in session, dial (619) 531-4716 to listen to the live meeting while business is being conducted.

CABLE TV/LIVE STREAMING:
The meetings of the Board of Supervisors are televised live, starting at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday and 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday. They are also replayed on cable television at 9:00 p.m. the evening of the meeting and on Saturday (Tuesday meetings replay 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday meetings replay at 9:00 p.m.). Please tune into the following channels: Cox Ch. 24 (South) or Ch. 19 (North); Spectrum Ch. 24 or Ch. 85. Currently, the County News Center is not available on AT&T U-Verse Ch. 99. Live streaming of the proceedings is available online.

24-HOUR TELEPHONE HOTLINE:
The Clerk of the Board has established a 24-hour hotline to provide an updated list of items added or changes made to the Board Agenda after publication of the Regular Agenda. Call (619) 531-6172 from Friday afternoon through the meeting date for a listing. The updated agenda can be viewed on the Clerk of the Board’s website starting Friday afternoon through the meeting date.

CONSENT CALENDAR HOTLINE:
A listing of the agenda items pulled for discussion as well as the agenda items that are approved during the Consent Calendar portion of the meeting will be available by dialing (619) 685-2666. This is a 24-hour phone recording that will be made available by 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday meeting days.

ACCESS TO COUNTY RECORDS:
Many County records can be accessed online. The Clerk of the Board provides legislative documents online, including Board Agendas, Minutes, County Charter, Code of Regulatory Ordinances, Administrative Code, and Board Policies. Also available online is information on Boards/Commissions/Committees, Board meeting videos and audio recordings, a history of the County Administration Center, and information on volunteer opportunities. Please visit the Clerk of the Board's Record Information page for more information.

ADDRESSING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

REQUEST TO SPEAK, ITEMS ON THE AGENDA:
Members of the public wishing to address the Board on any agenda item should submit a “Request to Speak” form to the Clerk of the Board at least five (5) minutes prior to the scheduled commencement of the meeting in order to pull the item for discussion, or in the case of a time certain item, at least five (5) minutes prior to the set time; or in the case of a matter pulled for discussion, prior to that item being called by the Clerk. Please note that “Request to Speak” forms will not be accepted once the item is called. Speakers should determine if they are in favor of or in opposition to the Chief Administrative Officer’s recommendation, or in the absence of the Chief Administrative Officer’s recommendation, the Planning Commission, or Planning and Environmental Review Board recommendation. Separate slips are available for support or opposition to the stated recommendation. Speakers may not yield their time to another person. Time allotted to each speaker is determined by the Chair, and in general is limited to three (3) minutes.

PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, NON-AGENDA ITEMS:
This is an opportunity for members of the public to address the Board on any subject matter within the Board’s jurisdiction, but not an item on the day’s Agenda. Ten (10) minutes is allocated at the beginning of the meeting, with each speaker limited to two (2) minutes. Each speaker shall complete and submit a “Public Communications Request to Speak” form to the Clerk of the Board prior to the commencement of the meeting. All matters spoken to, and written materials presented, will be automatically referred to the Chief Administrative Officer. In the event that more than five (5) individuals request to address the Board, the first five (5) will be heard at the beginning of the meeting. The remaining speakers will be heard at the conclusion of the meeting and granted two (2) minutes each.

PRESENTATION OF DOCUMENTS/EXHIBITS:
Materials submitted during public hearing become part of the Board's official record. It is requested that a sufficient number (10 copies) be submitted, and that the presenter's name and the agenda number be clearly marked on all materials.

AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT:
Individuals requiring assistance with audiovisual equipment in making a presentation to the Board should contact the County Communications Office at (619) 595-4633 prior to the meeting. 

MEETING TERMS

SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS: Non-debatable items such as proclamations or adjournments in memory.

CONSENT ITEMS: The Consent Calendar is comprised of those matters which are routine or non-controversial, are not designated as Policy/Discussion on the Agenda, and which neither the Board nor members of the public have asked to be pulled for discussion. These items are approved on one vote at the beginning of the meeting.

DISCUSSION ITEMS: These are matters which are designated as Policy/Discussion items, or have been pulled (requested to be discussed) by the Board members or the public.

ORDINANCE: Ordinances are laws adopted by the Board, and usually amend, repeal, or supplement the County Code, Administrative Code, Compensation Ordinance, or Zoning Ordinance; provide zoning specifications; or appropriate money for specific purposes. Most ordinances require two hearings: an introduction, followed at the next regular meeting by the adoption. Ordinances generally become effective 30 days after adoption, unless they are of an urgency nature.

RESOLUTION: Formal expressions of opinion or intention of the Board of Supervisors.

OFF-DOCKET ITEM: An item of emergency or time-sensitive nature that arose after posting of the agenda. The Board may take actions only after a majority vote confirming that an emergency exists, or in the case of a non-emergency matter, a two-thirds vote that the need to act arose after posting of the agenda.