During the Feb. 4 council meeting, the city’s investment portfolio was reviewed. According to Chandler Asset Management, the city has had a fantastic year. The presentation started with a market recap. Interest rates have gone down by a 1/4 point three times in 2025, and for the city, that means when interest rates go down, the value of bonds goes up and gains in value.

A new Fed chair was selected and was well received by the market, and the longest government shutdown and a partial shutdown recently were resolved quickly. The U.S. economy been growing, and the labor market has had a slowdown. Unemployment rate is stable 4.4.% with retirements, and not a lot of people are looking for jobs. Job openings are at 7.1 million. The Consumer Price Index was at 2.7% in December, with high inflation at grocery stores, although the impact of tariffs has peaked. Inflation has been over the target at 2.8%, but consumer spending has been good.

When investing the city’s portfolio, Chandler is focusing on safety, liquidity, and yield. The benchmark is Bank of America, using a 1- to 3-year U.S. Treasury index. The city’s portfolio was in compliance as of the end of December, and on Dec. 31, 2025, the value was at $25,270,839. The average purchase yields are at 4.34%. On Sept. 30, 2025, the value was at $24,998,770 with very high-quality and diversified investments. Currently, 63% is invested in U.S. treasury and agencies, 24% in high-quality corporates, and almost 9% in AAA securities.

The portfolio is structured for seasonal liquidity if needed. Investment performance is higher than the benchmark, and there has been an impressive return over the past 3 years, with 1.9% yield year over year. Mayor Pro Tem Jack Fisher asked about the investment policy and investing in fossil fuels. “Would changes in our policy have a positive impact?” he asked. Mayor Mitch McKay asked about investing in AI companies that have high credit ratings. The Chandler representative said she will take that into consideration, but the company is required to look at safety first.

Overall, Chandler Asset Management, which has been providing investment management since 2013, has given the city strong returns, has remained in compliance with regulations, and helped with best industry practices.

Circulate San Diego held a presentation on the California Office of Traffic Safety grant programming for 2026. Circulate San Diego, which partnered with the Office of Traffic Safety, has allowed the city to receive a series of grants that were applied for last year for pedestrian and bicycle safety. A grant was received, which allowed the city to provide a year’s worth of programming.

Octavio Garcia, senior planner of Circulate San Diego, gave the presentation. Circulate San Diego is a local non-profit that helps with vibrant mobility choices and healthy communities. Circulate San Diego will apply for this year’s grant together with the city of Imperial Beach. Garcia showed a map of the city, which pointed out locations of crashes. The city had 61 pedestrian and bicycle crashes between 2020 and 2024, with two fatalities in 2024, and 19 crashes in 2024 alone. Circulate San Diego is at the beginning of the second year of the grant cycle, and the goal is to apply for one to alleviate crashes.

Circulate San Diego held three walk audits within the city with the IB Walking Group in May 2025. One walk was along Imperial Beach Boulevard, a second one by Flamingo Trail and Rainbow Road, and the last at Bayshore Bikeway and Palm Avenue. Based on those walks, the organization compiled a report with recommendations. This year, Circulate San Diego will also hold three walks, one with an elementary school, another with MVHS, and yet another with the IB Walking group. During Bike Anywhere Day hosted by SANDAG on the 3rd Thursday of May, the city has had two pit stops — one at the Fire Station and the other at Red Bikes. Circulate San Diego is thinking of adding a 3rd pit stop and partnering with the lifeguards to give out helmets, safety materials, bike guides, and more.

Circulate San Diego had a Safe Bike Infrastructure Video screening in Aug. 2025, highlighting the great infrastructure in the city. The organization’s goal is to make another video highlighting the upgrades at 9th and 13th streets. Another component of the grant was a quick-build daylighting installation done in the summer of 2025, which consisted of a bike parking structure placed at intersections where it is now illegal to park a car within 20 feet. The city of Encinitas has installed bike parking to make use of that space.

A citywide messaging campaign was done through the installation of 16 circular decals on the bike path and pedestrian walkways. Messages included encouraging riders to wear helmets and keep pets on a leash. The second component of the messaging was to create six-wayfinding signs that pointed to places like the pier, food, and shops. “The goal for this year is to have a messaging campaign aiming to do more wayfinding signs,” said Garcia.

Councilmember Carol Seabury said she loved the presentations and liked the fact that last year, Circulate San Diego gave out bells for bikes and education for a lot of people, especially for e-bikes. Councilmember Mariko Nakawatase said she would like to know when Circulate San Diego plans to walk with MVHS because she would like to get the Key Club involved. She also talked about awareness and education. Councilmember Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez said he likes having bike lanes, especially on 13th Street. He has seen an influx of people riding bikes, and the new wayfinding signs are important for people from out of town. McKay said he would like to see data differentiated between e-bike and regular bike crashes, as well as a trend chart.

In other business:

A Proclamation declared February 2026 as Black History Month in the city.

The consent calendar was approved unanimously.

For a future agenda, Fisher requested that staff review the city’s policy with Chandler Asset Management to look at options for the future.

The next city council meeting will be held on Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 825 Imperial Beach Boulevard. For more information, log on to www.imperialbeachca.gov.

VOL. 42, NO. 7 – Feb. 12, 2026