OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Meeting - March 8, 2022

Public Utilities Commission — Tuesday, March 8, 2022
BodySan Francisco, California
SessionPublic Utilities Commission
DateTuesday, March 8, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Good afternoon.

0:04

I would like to call the March 8th meeting of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to order.

0:10

Madam Secretary, would you call the role?

0:15

President Moran.

0:16

Here.

0:16

Vice President Ajami.

0:18

Commissioner Maxwell?

0:20

Commissioner Paulson.

0:22

Here.

0:23

This meeting is being held in person at San Francisco City Hall, Room 400, as authorized by the California Government Code Section 54953E.

0:32

And Mayor Breed's 515, I'm sorry, 45th supplement to her February 25th, 2020 emergency proclamation.

0:40

I would like to remind all individuals present and attending the meeting in person today that all health and safety protocols and building rules must be adhered to at all times.

0:48

This includes wearing a mask that covers your nose and mouth at all times and no eating or drinking in the hearing room.

0:54

Failure to adhere to these rules and requirements may result in your removal from the room.

0:58

We appreciate your cooperation with these important rules and requirements in the interest of everyone's health and safety.

1:04

Please note that hand sanitizer stations are available throughout the building and in each elevator and masks are available upon request at City Hall entrance.

1:13

We welcome the public's participation during public comment periods.

1:17

For each item, the Commission will take two minutes of public comment, first from people attending the meeting in person and then from people attending the meeting remotely.

1:25

Members of the public may provide remote public comment by dialing one, 415-655-0001.

1:32

Meeting ID 2499 088 5679 Pound Pound and pressing 3 to raise your hand to speak.

1:39

You will hear a chime at a 30 second 30 second warning and another chime when your two minutes has expired.

1:46

Please note that you must limit your comment to the topic of the agenda item being discussed, unless you are speaking under general public comment.

1:53

And to remind you, if you do not stay on the topic, the chair can interrupt and ask that you limit your comment to the agenda item.

1:59

We ask that public comment be made in a civil and respectful manner and that you address your remarks to the commission as a whole, not to individual commissioners or staff.

2:07

On behalf of the commission, I would like to extend our thanks to SFGTV staff and SFPUCIT staff for their assistance during the meeting and appreciate your patience as we try to uh work uh with our first uh hybrid meeting.

2:21

And also like to ask the speakers in the commission to please speak into the mic and speak loudly so everybody can hear.

2:28

Mr.

2:28

President.

2:29

Thank you, Donna.

2:31

Uh before calling the first item, I would like to announce that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission acknowledges that it owns and are stewards of the unceded lands located within the ethnohistoric territory of the Mawekma Lonee tribe and other familial descendants of the historic federally recognized Mission San Jose Verona Band of Alameda County.

2:53

The SFPUC also recognized that every citizen residing within the Greater Bay Area has and continues to benefit from the use and occupation of the Mowekma Alone tribes of Aboriginal lands since before and after the San Francisco Public Utility Commission's founding in 1932.

3:12

It is vitally important that we not only recognize the history of the tribal lands on which we reside, but also we acknowledge and honor the fact that the Moekma Loney people have established a working partnership with the SFPUC and a productive and flourishing members within the many greater San Francisco Bay Area communities today.

3:34

And before we get going, I uh want to just exercise the privilege of the chair for a couple of comments.

3:39

One is that it is awfully good to be back in person.

3:44

Some of us have never met others of us.

3:49

And it's uh kind of nice to be able to do that and actually get to see people eye to eye, at least, if not face to face.

3:59

So that's a powerfully good start, I think.

4:03

Um I would appreciate as we go through this meeting is that uh please do speak up and speak into the microphone.

4:12

Some of us don't hear all that well, and frankly, reading lips helps.

4:17

Uh so I can't do that either.

4:20

Uh so uh please do speak up so that I can have the benefit of whatever it is you have to say.

4:26

Uh Donna mentioned the uh two-minute time limit.

4:30

We have had the luxury, as we have been on uh Zoom, to let our meetings uh take as long as they needed to take.

4:39

Uh and I uh one thing I would appreciate is if, especially as we get started in this new format, if we can be as concise as possible.

4:50

We do have a time limit uh today of about 530.

4:55

Uh there will be times in the future when we have other people using the room, and we have to get used to staying within that time constraint.

5:03

Uh and one last item, uh this is a public safety announcement.

5:08

Uh earlier today, I had uh CO2 alarm go off in my home.

5:14

And it turns out in the fire department came out and found that I had a faulty heater, and it was uh generating CO2 in the House.

5:23

And uh that alarm may well have saved my life.

5:27

So the public safety announcement is if you don't have one, get one.

5:31

If you have one, make sure you have installed it and know how to use it.

5:34

And if it goes off, open the doors and windows and go outside and call 911.

5:40

So with that, uh let's get back to the regular order of business.

5:44

Uh Madam Secretary, if you would call the first item.

5:48

The first item is item three, adopt renewed findings under state urgency legislation to allow hybrid in-person meetings during the COVID 19 emergency and direct the Commission Secretary to agendize a similar resolution at a commission meeting within the next 30 days.

6:03

Okay, thank you.

6:03

Commissioners, any discussion?

6:07

Uh seeing them, uh open it for public comment, please.

6:10

Oh, I'm sorry, first public comment.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water Resource Management██████████████████████████████30%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Public Comment███████████████████19%
Budget and Finance██████6%
Audit And Compliance█████5%
Public Engagement█████5%
Grants Management████4%
Historic Preservation███3%
Technology And Infrastructure███3%
Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Meeting - March 8, 2022

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission held its hybrid in-person meeting on March 8, 2022, at City Hall Room 400. The meeting began at approximately 9:45 AM and included adoption of renewed COVID-19 emergency findings, approval of minutes, public comments, communications reports, annual audited financial statements, a general manager's report covering alternative water supply, drought conditions, budget status, and capital improvement programs, consent calendar approvals, and regular calendar items. Commissioners also held a closed session.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved items 10a through 10e unanimously (4-0). Items included contracts for San Joaquin Pipeline Valve and Safe Entry Improvements, selection of Brown and Caldwell/SRT Consultants, acceptance of work by Minerva Construction and Cal State Constructors, and a contract duration extension for Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • David Pilpel (multiple calls): Supported hybrid meetings, requested late handouts be posted online, noted typo in minutes, supported consent calendar maps, suggested drought emergency reassessment, and asked about program guideline notice requirements.
  • Leva Dupree: Supported hybrid approach, stressed accessibility and mask availability.
  • Peter Dreckmeyer (Tuolumne River Trust): Urged commission to revisit design drought and respond to NGO letters from January and February; criticized lack of movement after workshops.
  • Irvine (Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods): Questioned redundancy for Harry Tracy and Mountain Tunnel; opposed making San Jose and Santa Clara permanent customers.
  • Doug Block (Teamsters Joint Council 7): Urged cancellation of lease with Tower Parking/Amazon at 2000 Marin, citing non-union practices.
  • Speaker on community benefits: Requested action on community benefits from Bayview and ethics commission.
  • Tom Francis (BAWSCA): Praised alternative water supply program and quarterly reports.
  • Dave Warner (Palo Alto): Discussed cost implications of design drought and alternative supply planning; urged revisiting design drought duration.
  • Caller on water leaching: Stated concern about millions of gallons of drinking water used for flushing and leaching.
  • Caller on Emerson DCS: Raised concerns about Emerson's past contract and questioned Amazon involvement on Treasure Island.

Discussion Items

  • Item 3 - Renewed Findings for Hybrid Meetings: Adopted 4-0.
  • Item 4 - Approval of Minutes of Feb 22, 2022: Approved 4-0.
  • Item 6 - Communications: Discussed Stern Grove Restoration cost increase from $4M due to additional scope (mold, slope stabilization, tennis court). Commissioner Jami asked about baseline conditions; staff explained restoration to original design.
  • Item 7 - Annual Audited Financial Statements: KPMG presented clean audit for FY2020-21 for Water, Wastewater, Hetch Hetchy, and CleanPowerSF. No control deficiencies or misstatements. Commission praised clean audit.
  • Item 8a - Alternative Water Supply Planning: Manisha Kothari presented roadmap and progress. Planning phase midpoint; alternative water supply plan due by July 1, 2023. Gap between supply and demand in 2045 is 84 MGD. Commissioner Jami requested better tracking of recycling and greywater to reduce demand. Commissioner Maxwell asked about stakeholder engagement.
  • Item 8b - Drought Conditions Update: Steve Ritchie reported reservoir storage at Hetch Hetchi ~300,000 AF (vs 180,000 last year), snowpack ~300,000 AF water equivalent. Demand dropped to 169 MGD after dry February. City reductions 14.5%; wholesale 5%; system-wide 8% from FY19-20 levels. Commissioner Maxwell asked about making room for runoff.
  • Item 8c - Quarterly Budget Status Report: Laura Bush presented Q2 FY21/22 results. Water and wastewater operating shortfalls due to drought conservation and slow COVID recovery; surcharge effective April 2022. Hetch Hetchy and CleanPowerSF positive. Commissioner Jami noted demand may not bounce back; suggested strategic rate setting and tracking decoupling bill.
  • Item 8d - Water Enterprise CIP Quarterly Report: Katie Miller reported 36 projects with $2.7B budget, 31% complete. Cost variances in planning phase; new categories for variance tracking being implemented. Commissioner Paulson asked about variance glossary.
  • Item 8e - Water System Improvement Program Quarterly Report: WSIP at 99% completion; Calaveras Dam moved to closeout. Schedule now forecast to complete Feb 2027 (45 months late) due to permit delays. Cost forecast remains $4.8B. Commissioner Maxwell congratulated Susan Howe for ASCE Opal Award.
  • Item 11 - Sole Source Designation for Emerson DCS: Approved 4-0 to authorize sole source for Treasure Island wastewater treatment plant DCS to ensure compatibility.
  • Item 12 - Green Infrastructure Grant Program Guidelines: Continued to next meeting after Commissioner Paulson requested retaining job training co-benefit language removed in proposed revisions. Commission directed staff to bring back revised guidelines.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: Renewed hybrid meeting findings (Item 3), minutes (Item 4), consent calendar (Item 10), Emerson sole source (Item 11). All 4-0.
  • Continued: Green Infrastructure Grant Program Guidelines (Item 12) to next meeting with job training co-benefit language reinstated.
  • Noted: President Moran will work on schedule for design drought discussion; staff to engage with environmental groups on alternative water supply; budget briefing on drought surcharge before implementation at next meeting.
  • Closed Session: Commission authorized settlement recommendation to Board of Supervisors; voted not to disclose discussions.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. I would like to call the March 8th meeting of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to order. Madam Secretary, would you call the role? President Moran. Here. Vice President Ajami. Commissioner Maxwell? Commissioner Paulson. Here. This meeting is being held in person at San Francisco City Hall, Room 400, as authorized by the California Government Code Section 54953E. And Mayor Breed's 515, I'm sorry, 45th supplement to her February 25th, 2020 emergency proclamation. I would like to remind all individuals present and attending the meeting in person today that all health and safety protocols and building rules must be adhered to at all times. This includes wearing a mask that covers your nose and mouth at all times and no eating or drinking in the hearing room. Failure to adhere to these rules and requirements may result in your removal from the room. We appreciate your cooperation with these important rules and requirements in the interest of everyone's health and safety. Please note that hand sanitizer stations are available throughout the building and in each elevator and masks are available upon request at City Hall entrance. We welcome the public's participation during public comment periods. For each item, the Commission will take two minutes of public comment, first from people attending the meeting in person and then from people attending the meeting remotely. Members of the public may provide remote public comment by dialing one, 415-655-0001. Meeting ID 2499 088 5679 Pound Pound and pressing 3 to raise your hand to speak. You will hear a chime at a 30 second 30 second warning and another chime when your two minutes has expired. Please note that you must limit your comment to the topic of the agenda item being discussed, unless you are speaking under general public comment. And to remind you, if you do not stay on the topic, the chair can interrupt and ask that you limit your comment to the agenda item. We ask that public comment be made in a civil and respectful manner and that you address your remarks to the commission as a whole, not to individual commissioners or staff. On behalf of the commission, I would like to extend our thanks to SFGTV staff and SFPUCIT staff for their assistance during the meeting and appreciate your patience as we try to uh work uh with our first uh hybrid meeting. And also like to ask the speakers in the commission to please speak into the mic and speak loudly so everybody can hear. Mr. President. Thank you, Donna. Uh before calling the first item, I would like to announce that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission acknowledges that it owns and are stewards of the unceded lands located within the ethnohistoric territory of the Mawekma Lonee tribe and other familial descendants of the historic federally recognized Mission San Jose Verona Band of Alameda County. The SFPUC also recognized that every citizen residing within the Greater Bay Area has and continues to benefit from the use and occupation of the Mowekma Alone tribes of Aboriginal lands since before and after the San Francisco Public Utility Commission's founding in 1932. It is vitally important that we not only recognize the history of the tribal lands on which we reside, but also we acknowledge and honor the fact that the Moekma Loney people have established a working partnership with the SFPUC and a productive and flourishing members within the many greater San Francisco Bay Area communities today. And before we get going, I uh want to just exercise the privilege of the chair for a couple of comments. One is that it is awfully good to be back in person. Some of us have never met others of us. And it's uh kind of nice to be able to do that and actually get to see people eye to eye, at least, if not face to face. So that's a powerfully good start, I think. Um I would appreciate as we go through this meeting is that uh please do speak up and speak into the microphone. Some of us don't hear all that well, and frankly, reading lips helps. Uh so I can't do that either. Uh so uh please do speak up so that I can have the benefit of whatever it is you have to say. Uh Donna mentioned the uh two-minute time limit. We have had the luxury, as we have been on uh Zoom, to let our meetings uh take as long as they needed to take. Uh and I uh one thing I would appreciate is if, especially as we get started in this new format, if we can be as concise as possible. We do have a time limit uh today of about 530. Uh there will be times in the future when we have other people using the room, and we have to get used to staying within that time constraint. Uh and one last item, uh this is a public safety announcement. Uh earlier today, I had uh CO2 alarm go off in my home. And it turns out in the fire department came out and found that I had a faulty heater, and it was uh generating CO2 in the House. And uh that alarm may well have saved my life.

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