Transcripts For SFGTV Public 20240703 : vimarsana.com

Only recognize the history of the tribal lands on which we reside and acknowledge and honor the fact the oholone people established a working partnership with the sfpu c and are productive and flourishing members with the greater bay area communities today. Madam secretary, can you call the first item, please . Item number 3, approval of the minutes of march 12, 2024. Commissioners, are there corrections or additions to the minutes of march 12 . Seeing none, donna, can we open this item to Public Comment . We have remote callers who want to speak to item 3, please raise your hand if you wish to speak . Do we have members of the public present to provide comment on item number 3 . Seeing none, do we have callers with hands raised . Madam secretary, there are mow callers in the queue. Thank you. Public comment is closed. Thank you, Public Comment is closed on item 1. Can i have a motion to approve the minutes of march 12 . Motion to approve. There is a motion and second. Roll call, please. [roll call] five ayes. F thank you. Item 4 is general Public Comment. Members of the public may address the commission within the jurisdiction and not on the agenda. Remote callers raise your hand if you wish to provide Public Comment . Do we have members present to provide general Public Comment . Commissioners, ypt i want to bring to your attention that community in the bayview Hunters Point needs a lot of help. We are getting some feedback about the community benefits, but really, the community hasnt benefited and thats putting it lightly. We would like a small group of us to use the contracting center, which is underutilized to serve the community. We have professional community can help them giving them jobs, do other things every tuesday. I attended 25 meetings on a tuesday to help those people so they streamline what they discuss, but these are older people. What we call the ol gs who are contractor and we bring them in so their wisdom can help us. Im asking the commission to read chapter 54, which pertains to what the commission does. The commission that is at 1550 and to see what is stated in this administrative code, whether it is implemented. I think if you find that non of it is implemented, then something really needs to be done. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next speaker. Hi, commissioners. I just like to touch on fron francisco decosta was saying. That Contract Center over 3 plus years have really been unutilized. There is nothing going on there. We believe that center can be utilized for many different things, not only to help the contractors in the local area, but to be able to train members of the community on just getting general employment, careers. Not just jobs. I believe by guiding them and maybe getting them jobs at the sfpuc brings more money into the neighborhood, more taxes, on and on. I think it is justit will be a circle to help them replenish everything in the area. Thank you. Thank you. Please come to the microphone for Public Comment. Seeing no more in line, donna. Do we have any callers with hands raised for general Public Comment . Madam secretary, there are four callers who wish to be recognized. Thank you. Caller, your line is unmuted. You have two minutes. My name is [indiscernible] i am part of the San Francisco Public Utilities advisory committee, and we sent a letter to the president dated march 14 just to inform you that we passed resolution asking for a emergency authorization to be declared for Treasure Island, because of the older 487 Power Outages as of february 2024 over the last 25 years. San francisco is the second poorest community in all San Francisco. It is called out by gavin newsom during covid times, and thats [indiscernible] does have the Authority Like they did on july 25 of 2017 under file 170649. The San Francisco board of supervisors passed resolution and that is r030717 approving a emergency replacement of generators. I think more needs to be done under the administrative codes that allow that the puc and board of supervisors and are tida to put a end to over 25 years of outages. We already had 7 Power Outages this year. We had 19 the year before and we had 26. If we can raise 11 million to keep the bridge lights on, i think we can raise the money publicly or privately to keep the lights on so Treasure Island community. Thank you caller. Thank you. Next. Calleryou have 2 minutes. Thank you. Peter dreckmyer, Tuolumne River trust. Thank you for the opportunity to comment remotely, it makes a big difference for us that dont live in San Francisco. On march 15, the judge ruled against the sfpuc and many others. The lawsuit over phase one of the Water Quality control plan. San francisco had joined the san joaquin Tributary Authority in the lawsuit and the decision to join did not come through this commission, which is very problematic. Im guessing it was a collaborative effort of staff and the Attorneys Office lead by Dennis Herrera at the time, and im hoping you will not appeal the decision. If is considered, it should come before this commission. The community to weigh in. Im curious how much money San Francisco spent on these lawsuits and sure i will be told it is client turn privilege but it is rate payers who pay for those lawsuits, including me. Over the year s i think [indiscernible] sfpuc has plenty water to meet Environmental Needs without risking running out. At current demand, the sfpuc can manage a 7 year drought longer then any before with modest rationing. [indiscernible] with rationing and alternative Water Supplies. So, lets get beyond this log jam. The lawsuit [indiscernible] toxic algee blooms. [indiscernible] i hope the sfpuc wont appeal the ruling. Thank you. Thank you caller. Caller, your line is unmuted. You have two minutes. My name is jennifer. A marina resident sknl before the commission multiple times to discuss light and safety issues closing the clear street [indiscernible] caused my family and the community. I wanted to thank commissioner ajami and maxwell for support in the budget meeting. We were asking for more information about the [indiscernible] i too have been asking for that data. The license engineer for the city of San Francisco Steven Robinson stated, closing the pier street outfall did not cause the sewer backup. Im suggesting to the commission that we give mr. Robinson a chance to correct his statement. I have never received this data. I asked on multiple occasions and the city keeps coming back saying, delay, delay. I know personally closing the outfall caused a life and safety problem. I have shared with you the devastation of my father on the floor, my young daughter who has been displaced from the community and her school. My family has personally experienced financial losses because of this and we cannot live in our home. Im asking the commission to please fix the pier street outfall to prevent another catastrophic event. Thank you. Thank you caller. Madam secretary, there are no more callers in the queue. Now closed. Im sorry . Did you have more hands raised . She said no more callers in the queue, thank you. Public comment is now closed. Lets call the next item, please. Next item is 5, report of the general manager. Thank you madam secretary. Commissioners, 5a is something actually fairly positive. I like to start the meeting on a celebratory note to recognize the Incredible Service and dedication of our recent retirees with over 25 years of services to the San Francisco Public Utility Commission. Today we congratulate 9 individuals who demonstrated the highest form of commitment and pride in Public Service and i like to recognize those individuals. From wastewater enterprise, ella, 26 years. Morese, 26 years. From water enterprise, paul, 31 years. John, 34 years. Sanford lee, 33 years. Julie mcdonald, 25 years. Thomas murray, 38 years. Coridon norton, 31 years and richard sherman, 25 years. P please join me congratulating our retirees for their Incredible Service [applause] this is always something i know the commission is always very keen to recognize is our longterm employees that do such a great job on behalf of City Residents and rate payers. I like to invite angela chung to introduce paul. Thank you dennis. Good afternoon commissioners. It is my honor to introduce paul. Paul is somebody we in water and treatment owe debt of gratitude to. A lot of us say we have staff that go above and beyond and for us in water supply and treatment that person was paul. Paul was easily juggling a couple dozen jobs any given time and he never quit until every job was done. He was so dedicated to his trade. One of his Close Friends and colleagues said this about him, he lived and with breathed plumbing and i believe it, because paul was happiest when he Found Solutions to difficult problems. His customers at the facilities had nothing but good things to say about him. I heard so many compliments about paul before i met him in person. I was looking forward to meet him when i finally got to meet him. I want to thank paul for dedicated service to water supply and treatment, setting a Gold Standard for plumbing that still lives on with us today through your staff, for leading us your handy work that is still everywhere visible in the Regional Water system that will serve us many years to come and i wish you a wonderful and well deserved retirement. [applause] i just like to say thank you for giving the opportunity to work for this organization, and i really appreciate all the talented and devoted people that i worked with over the years. Thank you all. Thank you. [applause] second, i like to invite Sergio Ramirez to speak for stanford lee. Thank you dennis. Hello commissioners. So, i have the pleasure of being sanford lee supervisors for the last 6 years of his career, and so this is definitely a honor for me to be able to speak on sanfords behalf. He wasnt able to be here, but i will say i learned a lot from sanford, i think sanford over the past 6 years that i have been able to work with him definitely showed the spirit of a San Francisco employee and member of the community and definitely looking after our ratepayers and the community of San Francisco making sure that we are provide all the services and benefits for every person in the community, and yeah, so i just want to thank sanford for his service and thank you for the opportunity. [applause] any commissioners want to say a few words and then ill invite paul up for a photo. I always say, we are so just so proud of the work and workers that are so much integral to our commission and retirement is always something we look forward to at some time or another and work hard because we have retirements and pensions in order to make sure we are rewarded for the hard work we do when we are actually out there busting our butts, so thank you so much for your service and enjoy your retirement. Commissioners. I just want to say i really appreciate your service to the city. You are beneficiary of many years of services and the system would not be what it is without you and i really do hope that you have trained the next generation to come after you and i hope the next generation is as devoted and as dedicated as you guys have been and im hoping the example is set for them, and im hoping that your hiring, even younger people who would go through the process, because it is obviously great to celebrate individuals retirement, but also you are thinking, are we hiring enough people to replace the people leaving us and the water sector is dealing with the sort of lot of retirement and the aging workforce, so im hoping that as you go out and retire you sing glory for everybody else and tell them how exciting it is to work for Water Utility when you go on vacation or walking the streets of San Francisco or visiting family, so recruit the next generation for us. Thank you. Commissioner stacy. Congratulations. Enjoy your retirement and thank you for your service. Really, all of the employees who are retiring that the general manager read has been here a long time, and i hope that you are leaving us with your wisdom and your experience and any recommendations you may have, but thank you for your service and enjoy the next phase. Yes, i just want to reiterate what the other commissioners have been saying. Thank you so much. You as employees you are part of our family and part of the life blood of the sfpuc that makes everything work. I think someone mentioned that mr. Book, you are a problem solver. The world needs more problem solvers and well miss you and hope we have members that could fill your rather large boots you left behind from all the comments i heard, but thank you so much. Totally appreciate every one of you and wish you the best in your retirement. This is the gray sunami they are talking about and it is hitting us. I was a electrician and worked with people like you who could do anything and you always had somebody to go to no matter what was going on. Did you talk to paul . And then paul comes on the scene and calms everybody down. Twl there probably will not be a lot of people to fill your shoes but i thank you for being here and thank your family and all the people that helped made you stay as long as you did and so, you are much appreciated and are you will dearly and surely be missed so thank you paul and enjoy your life and have a good time and have fun. [applause] is there anymore from item number 5 . You need Public Comment on 5a . Lets open up 5a, retirementlets open up this to Public Comment, please. Remote callers, raise your hand if you wish to comment on 5a. Do we have members of the public present to provide Public Comment on 5a . Seeing none, do we have callers with hands raised . There are no callers who wish to be recognized. Thank you. Public comment is closed. Thank you. Thank you madam secretary. Item 5b is hetch hetchy Capital Improvement Program Quarterly report. Katie miller will be presenting. Good afternoon president paulson and commissioners. Im katie miller, director of water Capital Programs. May i have the slides, please . Today i will share summary of the hetch hetchy Capital Improvement program for the Second Quarter of this fiscal year from september 1 to december 31, 2023 and i will also include construction updates from the successfully completed 108 day shutdown of the hetch hetchy system from december 5 to march 21 finished just 5 days ago. These pie charts show the Program Status with 10 projects in preconstruction and 7 in construction multiple phases including construction. 290 million spent of the 1 billion budget with 26 million spent during the Second Quarter. This winter represents the highest spending on the hetchy Capital Program to date. During the quarter 2 major contracts were advertised for construction bid. The san joaquin phase 2a and moccasin wasteWater Treatment plant. This table shows the summary of projects expenditures and cost forecast grouped by funding sources, water, power or joint water and power. Note the 5 column from the left, the current forecasted cost shows cost forecast of 1. 5 billion, which is a 500 million cost increase over the currently approved budget for this year. Also note most of these costs increases are new in this quarter. As the previous cost variance in the First Quarter was 49 million. The Quarterly Report and ill explain reasons for these cost variances. During the Second Quarter project managers worked with the project teams to update project scope, schedule and cost forecast in order to propose changes and request any additional funding needed as part of the 10 year cip Capital Budget request. The result of these Detailed Analysis is 14 out of 17 projects forecasted schedule changes with 11 schedule increases between 3 months to 7 years and 3 projects with scheduled decreases. Note that all the projects with schedule increases are in preconstruction phases. None of the Construction Contracts are forecasting schedule extensions. The projects with the greatest schedule variances are moccasin dam with 6 and a half year schedule increase to accommodate environmental approval as well as operational restraints. And the moccasin with 7 year schedule increase to allow full replacement of the pen stocks. All 17 projects forecasted a cost variance, 12 with Cost Increases and 5 with cost decreases. Moccasin pen st