|
Date: |
November 17, 2026 |
03 |
Title
General Services - Approve License Amendment for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Regional Communications System and CEQA Finding of Exemption (District: 4)
End
Overview
The San Diego-Imperial County Regional Communications System (RCS), is managed and
operated by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office (Sheriff) Wireless Services Division. It provides numerous public safety agencies with day-to-day public safety and emergency responder communication support.
The University of California San Diego (UCSD) RCS site is licensed by UCSD and has been operated by the Sheriff since 1981. The license is a reciprocal agreement that grants space for Sheriff RCS equipment on a UCSD building in exchange for access to various RCS sites to support USCD’s High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN). UCSD has requested an amendment to the license to allow for their access to the Sheriff’s Black Mountain RCS site for the installation of HPWREN equipment. Staff from the Department of General Services (DGS) have negotiated a license amendment that will allow UCSD access to the Black Mountain RCS site. Today’s request is for Board of Supervisors’ approval of the license amendment.
Body
Recommendation by Chief Administrative Officer:
1) Find the proposed license amendment for the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Regional Communications System (RCS) site is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15301.
2) Approve and authorize the Director, Department of General Services, to execute the proposed license amendment with the Regents of the University of California San Diego (UCSD) for the UCSD Regional Communications Site located in San Diego, California.
End
Equity Impact Statement
The Wireless Services Division operates and maintains all public safety wireless communications systems used by the County of San Diego, including mobile and portable radios. The division also manages the San Diego County-Imperial County Regional Communications System (RCS) radio network that serves most law enforcement, fire, and public service in this region. It is anticipated that the proposed amendment for the RCS site will have a positive impact on the community by ensuring continuation of community access to public safety services.
Sustainability Impact Statement
Implementing effective sustainability objectives is crucial to ensuring safe and healthy communities and contributing to the overall success of the region. The approval of this license amendment supports the County’s Strategic Initiative of Sustainability to ensure the capability to respond to the immediate needs of individuals, families, and the region by supporting essential infrastructure.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associated with these recommendations. There are no costs involved with amending the terms and conditions of the license agreement with the University of California San Diego for the Regional Communications System site. There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
Business Impact Statement
N/A
Advisory Board Statement
N/A
Background
The San Diego-Imperial County Regional Communications System (RCS), managed and
operated by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office (Sheriff) Wireless Services Division, provides public safety voice and data communications to over 116 local, state, and federal agencies in San Diego and Imperial counties. A high degree of coverage throughout both counties is provided through the RCS network of communications sites. University of California San Diego (UCSD) is one such site that requires a license amendment to clarify terms and conditions.
The Sheriff’s Office has operated the UCSD RCS site since 1981. On January 7, 2004, the current license was approved administratively by the Director, Department of General Services (DGS), and the term has been extended through a series of license amendments. On May 21, 2024 (13), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved an amendment to further extend the term and allow UCSD access to several additional RCS sites.
The license with UCSD is a reciprocal agreement that grants space for Sheriff RCS equipment on one of their buildings in exchange for access to various RCS sites for USCD’s High-Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN) sites for public safety and educational purposes. UCSD has requested an amendment to the license to allow access to the Sheriff’s Black Mountain RCS site for the installation of HPWREN equipment. Staff from DGS negotiated a license amendment that will allow HPWREN access to the Black Mountain RCS site for the installation of HPWREN equipment.
Environmental Statement
The proposed action is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301, Existing Facilities, as it entails the licensing and minor alteration of an existing communications facility and building, with no expansion of the existing use of the facility or building. Further, no exceptions listed in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply to the project. The Notice of Exemption can be found in Attachment A.
Linkage to the County of San Diego Strategic Plan
Today’s proposed action supports the Sustainability, Empower, and Community Strategic Initiatives of the County of San Diego's 2026-2031 Strategic Plan by providing the residents of San Diego County with superior County services in terms of quality, timeliness, and value to improve the region’s quality of life; investing in the expansion of essential infrastructure to improve staff and public safety; and ensuring the capability to respond to the immediate needs of individuals, families, and the region.
Respectfully submitted,
Ebony N. Shelton
Chief Administrative Officer
Attachment(s)
Attachment A - University of California San Diego RCS Amendment Notice of Exemption