Good afternoon, welcome to the February 19, 2026 meeting of the Secretary of Flood Control Agency Board of Directors.

Would the clerk please call the roll?

Thank you.

Director Desmond.

Chairman Kennedy.

Here.

Director Rodriguez.

Here.

Director Munoz here.

Director Jennings.

Director Kaplan.

Director Plucky Baum.

Vice Chairman Holloway.

Yes.

Director John.

Sure.

Director Abdis.

Yep.

Director Hill and Director Stevens.

We do have a 10 member quorum.

Thank you.

Will you join me in the Pledge of Allegiance?

I Pledge of the Bye.

One is all the good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

This meeting of Safca is being broadcast live on Metro14 Live.gov and will be recorded and re-aired on Metro Cable Channel 14 on Saturday, February 21st at 4 p.m.

Members of the audience who would like to address the board should fill out a speaker form located here on the lectern and bring it to me when addressing the board.

Please identify yourself for the record and limit your comments to three minutes.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Brings us to public comment.

Is there anybody member member of the public that would like to address the board at this time on an item that is not on the agenda?

Hearing and seeing none, we will recess into closed session.

Yeah, uh Chair by the meeting of the Secretary of Flood Control Agency Board of Directors.

Would the clerk please call the roll?

Thank you.

Director Desmond.

Here.

Director Rodriguez.

Here.

Director Munoz.

Here.

Director Jennings?

Here.

Director Kaplan.

Director Pluckybaum.

Here.

Vice Chair.

Oh, you snuck in there.

Vice Chairman Holloway.

Here.

Director Johns?

Director Avdes.

Here.

Director Baines.

And Director Stevens.

Here.

We do have an 11 member quorum.

Thank you.

Council, is there anything to report out of closed session?

Uh nothing reported this time.

All right.

Next item, please, Madam Clerk.

Our next item are consent matters and items two through 13 are in order.

Are there any members of the board that would like to comment on something or have an item they would like pulled the director Avdis?

Yeah, I would like to speak on item 11.

Can you just we can leave it on consent if you if you want?

Yeah, I just want to read it into the record, and I don't wanted to read the whole description.

So this is uh item 11, which is resolution regarding the Valley Rail Sacramento Extension Project.

All right, so thank you, Chair.

Um, it's not without you know mixed emotions that I read that staff report.

Um that that property that we're selling a portion of used to be my family's ranch, um, and was uh obviously condemned by this organization 30 years ago.

And I just wanted to highlight this fact because you know there's been um collectively a lot of uh a lot of collective memories from that experience, and I just want to acknowledge my dad who's uh 97 years old, and we still speak often about the time that that property was taken uh when we showed up one day and there was a lock on a gate, uh my folks came here um yeah in the in the early 70s, uh didn't speak a lika English and uh herded sheep on a ranch outside of Real Linda, and that ranch was taken from them.

Uh we didn't think we were uh justly compensated with um certainly with uh hindsight and my perspective that I have now certainly I acknowledge the need, but it reminds me of the fact that you know all these real property actions uh have a human component, and um I I just think that's an important thing to recognize, and I just wanted to say that and I'll move consent with that.

A second, thank you, thank you, Director Avdis.

Uh that is important to keep in mind whenever we do all of these that can look like words on a page and numbers on a spreadsheet.

Remember that.

Yeah, and I will say too, uh the uh thank you for that in my in my thinking through this.

Uh you know, the other part of it is the fact that it's called Wolf Ranch, also is another uh issue that's been uh for us a thorn for us in our collective memory.

I mean, the other part of it, the human aspect is that we were remembered, right?

And so, you know, certainly um there is that component as well.

And again, I appreciate the the board's indulgence with that again.

That's kind of an emotional thing for me, and I appreciate your your time.

Thank you.

We have a motion and a second.

All those in favor, aye.

Opposed, abstain.

Next item, please.

Item is the executive director's three point.

Chair Kennedy and Jason Campbell, executive director.

So, as we all know, there's a number of things still going on in DC.

Fortunately, again, we have uh the approved budget for the Corps of Engineers through the bills that were signed in January.

The Corps of Engineers is proceeding with uh their their regular program with our our projects up at Folsom and the Thomas, as well as on Common Features 2016.

Um the issues that we may have going forward is getting funding for the Notomas project.

So we're continuing to work through those plans.

Uh those plans also include potential funding through a work plan.

That work plan from the budget is due on March 24th from the federal government.

Uh we don't have high expectations for there to be any funding for Notomas for that project.

So, also the funding for the dam raise and American River Common Features 2016, as I said, and have said a couple of times now.

The appropriations from the bipartisan budget act are fully funding those projects.

There are some discussions that are taking place and regarding the release of those funds as they progress down to the district for use of the projects, but we need to keep a little bit of a pulse on this and see how things are going.

The Folsom dam rays may actually need additional funding in the near future.

So the discussions regarding those bipartisan budget act dollars is gonna be a little bit more uh intense, I think, over the next couple years.

So again, we are continuing to move forward with the federal 2027 budget preparations uh and requests for those preparations.

Uh we've met once with uh the ASA and headquarters and of the Corps of Engineers uh back in December.

We'll continue to follow that up, hopefully with D DC advocacy at the end of March.

And if that doesn't work out, if uh we don't have meetings that we can get uh in the administration or on the Hill, we will definitely try to continue that during the cap-to-cap week, which is also the same week as the National Waterways Conference legislative uh meeting.

So we'll be doing a little bit of double duty on that uh that week, but uh ultimately we will try to make sure that we get those advocacy components built in for our work.

So as we talk about funding and we continue to look at our five-year plan for cash as well as just the uh current environment regarding state funding, federal funding, and our local funding.

We're looking at a number of things that we may need to adjust um going forward, understanding that uh we have some opportunities to create some bond funding, uh refunding.

Uh those those refundings could either provide uh additional savings in our debt service or provide additional money to go towards projects if needed.

I think that latter the latter of those two is probably more likely.

So uh you just approved the consent calendar and the uh work will continue now to go forward and evaluate what we want to do with those bonds.

Um the Thomas Basin uh uh series 2014 and the CCAD to consolidate capital assessment district number two series 2016 A bonds are what we're looking at currently.

Uh we're also in the throes of putting together R27 budget recommendations.

So staff is evaluating this and included in that is some strategic reductions based on what we're seeing with the progress on the uh projects along with the uh anticipation that there may be shorter funding coming from the state as well as whether or not the uh core is going to continue to continue at the same pace that they've been working.

So we would like to make sure that we don't lose track of the uh adequate progress findings and whatnot, even though we have the new SB 639 extended it to 2030.

When we talk about our uh work with your your entities as well as the city and counties, uh we want to make sure that we're keeping uh a pulse on what's going on with these certifications.

And again, we continue to work through uh the different efforts to get the levy certified.

Uh the certification packages are being prepared as they're uh as soon as they're ready.

We have four systems certified.

We've talked about that in the past, and we have one-time certifications uh that are being really managed by our staff and our consultants, and the intent is uh once again to work with the city and the and the counties to make sure that those certifications in the future when it's time to recertify after this first pass that uh we have all the tools and ready to be able to pass those off to those land use entities.

So, again, six active projects, and overall we are working on every single one of these.

Uh, some of those are a little bit more mature than others, but again, we are trying to make sure that we continue this major program to protect the community, of course.

And then the levy certifications, those specifics on the on the ones that are uh already certified.

You can see the four green check boxes on the left side adjacent to the numbers and the levy system that they represent.

So those four first four are squared away.

We've got a few more efforts going forward.

Uh obviously Natomas is a big one.

Uh that work continues, of course, uh, but on Magpie Creek and Beach Lake, we still got work that we're doing.

And speaking of Beach Lake, we get into the pump station, my favorite uh part of this presentation every week or every month.

Uh, we kind of show a little bit of an advancement from where we started.

Uh, again, the uh work is progressing, weather is obviously impacting some of that, but uh things are moving along pretty well.

My my friend over here, Gary Bardini, our deputy executive director, prepared a uh uh slide deck for the water forum and had some conversations.

I'm sorry, RWA, Regional Water Authority, uh has had some conversations and was started the dialogue that we want to have in regards to the emergency coordination that really is something that is key to once these projects are done.

Uh the performance doesn't just stop with the the dirt and the structures, it also rolls into these those emergency operations and those operations from Folsom are a big part of that.

So we want to continue to raise awareness and continue to make sure that we're prepping for potentially a huge event in the future.

Uh what we don't want to do is be surprised that we want to make sure that we can get people out.

So, you know, Gary had a number of slides like this one here.

What could go wrong?

Well, pretty much everything, but of course, we want to make sure we educate folks and we are prepared for those uh issues that might pop up.

But we also want to talk about those operations and those planning efforts to make sure that everybody has a line a really good chance uh to be able to uh know what to do when the time comes that they need to seek out those evacuation routes or just understand what's going on with the flood flood control process.

As part of that, uh we Gary and team have put together a few slides to kind of identify how we might transition some of the existing forums where we can uh have conversations about this.

This is one example of where we're talking about maybe changing making some adaptations to the Lower American River Task Force and adjusting some of the content that goes on in those forums.

As you can see, uh this starts to gear a little bit more towards the idea of uh educating the uh community as well as making sure that we have a regular touch on an annual basis right at the beginning of flood season to just kind of reiterate what those efforts might look like and uh hopefully uh make a big impact with the rest of the community.

And again, this here is just that last little step of who's doing what and why.

And again, the one in the middle there, you can see Safca as the convener.

We're talking about in that same venue, but having that conversation and the parties that might be included to help present and manage that process and bring it forward to get action hopefully in the future.

That is all I have for this one, and this is a wonderful picture of the Folsom Dam and the light between the gate and the roof.

There is what we're trying to close, and we need to get that done.

Any questions?

Thank you.

Any questions?

On the emergency planning and all that, you're at the early stages of dealing with like County OES and City OES and all of that.

Gary, Gary has met with a few folks, and we're working on with part of the certification of projects, we are putting together plans for each one of those projects that include that emergency operations plan in the event of a flood event.

So those pieces are gonna get rolled out.

We've had initial discussions, Gary.

I would, you know, maybe turn it over to you real quick.

Yeah, so uh we've started with some of the technical content uh from the flood side and then start some of the conversations now with both the county and city on it.

Uh we're also coordinating with the state operations center and the flood operations center too.

So we're just starting to um start socializing some of the things that we're doing on the project side and how that affects the planning and management for the emergency management.

I appreciate that.

I asked the question because you know, I've met with ROES, and they do, you know, great work, um phenomenal work, but I don't think it gets out to the public as much as it should.

I mean, I know that um, you know, should there be a catastrophic event in the pocket greenhaven, you might have Mr.

Jennings and I standing on the top of JFK High School, but other than that, we wouldn't know what to do, uh, with very few ingress and egress into a neighborhood of 40,000 people.

And so I I continue to be concerned, so I'm glad we're having these conversations.

So any other questions, comments.

All right, next item, please.

Next item is separate matters item 15, resolution of appreciation number 2026 022, recognizing John A.

Bassett for his contributions to the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency upon the occasion of his retirement.

Well, Chair Kennedy, again, Jason Campbell, executive director.

Uh I've been dreading this day for a bit.

Um John is uh obviously uh uh an individual that has been with SAFCA almost since the beginning.

He actually is the longest-standing tenured uh employee of Safca.

34 years, what was it?

33 years, uh four months and 24 days, I think it is.

He's gonna do the math and to correct me, I'm sure.

But ultimately, uh John John has been a stalwart.

I mean he he joined our our community here uh SAFCA in 1993.

I think it was October 4th of 1993.

And uh when John got here, he walked into a program where uh Safica was still finding its way, making you know some really good progress in areas up in the north area, Robla Cleek, uh Dry Creek, and the NEMDAC, uh the Thomas East Main Drainage Canal projects, I think were already started somewhat.

But there was a number of uh levy efforts that John came into.

And as the existing uh executive director indicated, he they were putting together a plan, a formulation of a plan.

They called it the backbone plan, and that backbone plan was a couple of different stages.

It was a matter of wanting to make sure that the mission of SafeCo was to achieve high level of flood protection.

The highest priority was public safety and protection of property from the Sacramento and American rivers, and then there were three stages of the level of what they're prioritizing.

So the first one was levy stability, interim protection, and of course, 200 year level of protection.

So that simple backblown program was I think something that John took to heart.

Uh I think you've been doing it ever since.

It's this, I think it's still the same scenario, and it's taken a lot of backbone to get through this process, hasn't it, John?

So I would say that uh, you know, John, I I was writing the resolution and I was trying to, you know, make get it just right.

Because yeah, this this is somebody that has dedicated his career to this community and this effort.

And ultimately it got to the point where I was like, okay, I think I got it.

And I passed it around to some others, and everybody said, um you didn't talk about his sense of humor.

And I said, he doesn't have one.

But that is not true.

John has a wonderful sense of humor.

He's a he's a he's a great individual.

I don't know what's going on though, but he says he doesn't like Snickers bars.

He like he prefers something without nuts, and we have this conversation constantly in the office.

And the staff uh I think everybody tends to flock to John because this is the guy that has been working on these projects forever.

Now he's also the guy that got rid of the cookie thing that we do every used to do every Christmas.

And it's because we didn't want to be doing resolutions of necessity and then going back and eating cookies because during those times for that holiday season, we had to produce the real estate for these projects.

And John has been a stalwart, he's been the individual that just keeps driving his work ethic isn't just incredible.

His diligence, intelligence, everything about his work day has purpose.

And he has been able to make sure that the Natomas community is gonna get the best project that they can to protect them from those flood waters coming from the Sacramento River, the American River, the east side of the Natomas Basin, as well as from up above on the Cross Canal, and making sure that that community is going to be protected and also protected from other influences that could potentially break that up and make it not nearly as good.

So I don't know how to simply say this, but John has been the individual, not only the longest individual at Safeco, but the individual that has provided that backbone for the agency.

As we see the departures, we see the faces change, we all seek out John to make sure that we're understanding where where did we get this?

How did this piece of land get acquired?

How did this piece of uh I don't know mitigation occur?

How did how did we get on to this next piece of the flood protection that is gonna uh influence some other stream?

I mean, it's constantly that we are seeking him out to get to the point where no, this is what happened.

And the problem we really have is that we talk about a piece of property, he says, Well, here's the APN number off the top of his head.

And it doesn't matter where you're at in the Thomas Basin.

He pretty much pulls that out.

But again, um John John Bassett has been spending his time making sure that the community is safe.

He has been spending his time making sure that our community in Safca is getting the right step forward.

He is making sure that we are all gonna be able to be successful going forward.

And I have to say, John, uh, over the past 10 years, I don't think that I would been able to figure out any of these things regarding the Thomas and the work that you've done or any of the other components uh that fit into the Thomas project, but also the other areas that you've worked.

We're gonna miss you.

And with that, I'm gonna turn it over.

Before I go to the board, I just want to say that it often falls upon the chair to uh say nice things when somebody leaves.

Um so I was prepared to do so.

Um but damn Jason.

So uh well said, and and and thank you, John.

Director Rodriguez.

John, I just want to um I always like to take the opportunity to thank individuals who retire who have spent a career serving the Sacramento County.

And so I just want to say thank you for um your work and what you've um done for this commute for these communities, and I wish you all the best in retirement, and have fun.

Vice Chair Holloway.

I just wanted to say, John, uh, thank you very much very much for your many, many years of very delicate work.

I think you were the first person at Safe Guy I ever met.

And uh was the person that uh I generally call when I look at uh a question, and you always pick up the phone, which is uh a lovely thing, and you always provide us with a very detailed and thorough explanation and always with a smile.

And uh we you are so appreciated by all of us.

I just want to say congratulations on your retirement, and I'm very pleased that you're gonna be staying with us a little longer.

And I'd be pleased to move them the uh item.

The chair will second.

We have a motion and a second.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed?

Abstained.

Thank you.

Next item, please.

Um, can we have John come up and maybe say a word and I can take a picture?

Well, he's gonna be gone for about 30 seconds here.

Should we do a photo with all of us?

After John speaks, why don't we get in the well and do a photo with everybody?

John, make your comments about half as long as your resolutions.

That's the fun part.

That explains everything why we're doing something.

I thank you.

Yes, it's been interesting uh starting going through all the problems and progress and projects that we have.

Hasn't just been the Thomas.

I've worked down in the pocket area, working along the American River just about anywhere up at Folsom also.

So I've covered just about all the different areas that Safca has done work in.

So it's been interesting and it's been fun and appreciate the board supporting all the things we do over the years and moving the projects forward also.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Let's go down and get a photo, everybody.

I don't know who who's taking your place on everything, but somebody has to pick up fixing everything in the office that breaks that I bring to you.

And just so you know, my wife over here in the yellow dress came to uh accompany me today.

We should have a picture of you guys too.

I think that'll be a few years.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Swinch.

Okay.

What's that?

But it's like a big over.

Yeah, totally.

Totally not.

Show the corsage.

Very good at my phone.

I'd check the photos if I were there.

Okay, next item, please, which should be very anticlimactic at this point.

Item 16, resolution number two zero two six zero two three findings in support of the exception to the 180-day wait period required pursuant to govern California government code sections seven five two two five six and two one two two four, and authorizing the execution of retired and new employment agreement with John Bassett.

Mr.

Chair.

Yes, sir.

Uh there was a woman in a yellow dress that said we should not waive this hundred and eighty days.

It should be enforced.

Is that right?

I would move the item.

Second.

All right.

We have a motion second.

Any other comments?

No public comment.

All those in favor?

Opposed?

Abstained?

Thank you very much.

Welcome back, John.

All right, our next meeting is on March 19th.

We're adjourned.