Study or Action in San Diego Maintenance

Tom Hamm

Alright folks, here we go. This week, the San Diego Union-Tribune dropped a story that I think is gonna sound pretty familiar to anyone who's been in facility management a while—San Diego's putting $5 million towards another massive study, this time to analyze repairs and renovations on, get this, over 1,600 city-owned buildings.

Chris Mangerich

Right, and it’s part of the city’s effort to supposedly flip the script—shift from spending nearly everything on emergency fixes to more of a preventive approach. But right now, they’re stuck at about 87% of their maintenance budget just going to corrective, emergency work. Only 13% lands in preventive.

Unknown Speaker

You know what gets me, Chris? They did their last asset assessment back in, what, 2014-ish? So, almost a decade. Imagine trying to manage your house with numbers that old. I mean, no wonder the city’s got a billion-dollar maintenance backlog on the books now. That’s just what they know about!

Tom Hamm

Yeah, and if you look at what city officials like Councilman Kent Lee or Deputy Director Hal Leggate are saying, there’s agreement that these audits give them a much-needed roadmap. But there’s also real frustration—public included—with dumping more money into a binder that gets dustier every year.

Chris Mangerich

Exactly. And it’s not just that the city’s libraries or other services are feeling budget crunches. Councilmember Moreno backed the need for the analysis, but questioned whether that $5 million couldn’t be working a little harder, especially with library closures happening at the same time. Gotta ask, what’s the immediate return for residents when it’s just another report?

Unknown Speaker

You know, this cycle of auditing, then not really acting on it—reminds me of street maintenance. Every other year they repave a road, then a new crew comes along, carves it up for something else, and it’s back to square one. The intentions are good but, man, you can’t improve what you don’t actively manage on an ongoing basis.

Chris Mangerich

And that’s where I think the frustration is. Repeating studies might offer clarity for a minute, but you lose momentum. The buildings don’t get magically younger while you wait. Stuff’s breaking or getting patched, year after year.

Tom Hamm

So, let’s talk alternatives. Honestly, if we had the chance to direct this $5 million ourselves, I’d say don’t just study it—put it to work. We’d implement a Computerized Maintenance Management System, or CMMS. That platform actually lets you collect, update, and act on building data as you go. Real-time stuff, not once-a-decade snapshots.

Unknown Speaker

Absolutely. With something like Four Winds CMMS, you’d see every building’s maintenance needs, automate preventive work schedules, track costs, and even monitor compliance with regulations—from day one. You’re not waiting years, and every bit of info you gather instantly shapes what comes next.

Chris Mangerich

And it’s on your phone, right? Crews in the field—maybe bouncing between libraries or rec centers—they’re logging issues and updating tasks wherever they are. You don’t need to chase paperwork back at city hall, and you build up a living maintenance history as you go. For taxpayers or city staff, that kind of transparency, you just can’t get that from a static report. It’s night and day.

Tom Hamm

Let’s not forget—while the analysis is happening, you’d actually already be doing the work. Say you enter the first building into CMMS, you can schedule bids for preventive work, start organizing budgets, monitor corrective repairs as they happen. It’s a rolling process, not a hurry-up-and-wait.

Unknown Speaker

And going back to my earlier point—this stops the endless rework, like we see with the roads. When you have a central system logging everything, the left hand actually knows what the right one’s doing. No more scheduling a new roof only to find out two weeks later the IT folks are cutting a hole in it for wiring. You get ahead of issues, not just react. And that’s what keeps things from getting, you know, permanently bumpy.

Chris Mangerich

The other piece we haven’t said—every month, every quarter, you get fresh data. You see if you’re moving from 87% reactive toward that 70% preventive target. Taxpayers get regular progress updates. City leaders make decisions from facts, not faded guesses.

Tom Hamm

This isn’t just theory. Cities across the country are trying to bridge the gap between old infrastructure and tight budgets, and the ones making headway are all leaning on real-time, tech-enabled systems. It changes the mentality from “How bad is it this year?” to “What are we fixing and preventing today?”

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, and over the long haul, it’s way cheaper. Fast, regular reporting means you’re not forking over millions to outside consultants for each new audit. You see your wins and losses in real time, not after another five-year wait. And, you free up dollars for operations, not just paperwork.

Chris Mangerich

So let’s imagine San Diego just… did it. Started inputting each building into a CMMS today. You’d get smart prioritization—like, track which roofs actually need bids this year, what HVAC systems really need an upgrade, and then spread the work as budget allows. Even understaffed teams could keep moving instead of stalling out, because the system delivers reminders, helps reschedule, and keeps everyone accountable.

Tom Hamm

And the impact goes way beyond just one city. You build momentum. Other municipalities see stable buildings, fewer emergency closures, real budget savings—and maybe, just maybe, fewer complaints from the community. After forty years in the field, I still say: it’s powerful to watch a city move from patching holes to building confidence.

Chris Mangerich

Got that right! So hey, if you’re listening and you’re part of a city team, or even just a curious taxpayer—give us a shout. This is what we do. Check out fourwindscmms.com or reach out for a chat anytime.

Chris Mangerich

Yeah, we’d love to talk about what a real, preventive-first rollout would look like wherever you are. We’ll wrap up for today, but I’m looking forward to more of these conversations. Tom, Jon—thanks as always, and thanks everyone for tuning in to the CMMS Edge.

Tom Hamm

Thanks, Chris. Jon—great as always. We’ll see you next time and keep the conversation going. Take care ya’ll!

Tom Hamm

Always a pleasure. Bye guys—till next time!