San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Meeting - October 24, 2023
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Meeting - October 24, 2023
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) met on October 24, 2023, at 9:30 AM. The meeting included approval of minutes, general public comment, a report on the passing of two former staff members, an update from the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) on the Water System Improvement Program (WISIP), a revised water supply assessment for the Stonestown project, and a discussion on changes to remote public comment procedures. The commission also held a closed session on labor negotiations, with no action taken.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes of October 10, 2023: The minutes were approved unanimously (5-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- General Public Comment: Two callers spoke. Mary Butterwick urged the commission to revisit the 8.5-year design drought used for Tuolumne River flow releases, calling it "extremely conservative" with a return period of 1 in 25,000 years. She requested analysis of flows using a 7.5-year design drought and reasonable demand projections, and urged the commission to drop its lawsuit against the State Water Board Bay Delta plan. Peter Dreckmeyer, Policy Director for the Tuolumne River Trust, noted that reservoir storage is at 93.4% and Don Pedro is nearly full, yet fall attraction flows were low. He requested an update on the river environment and salmon, and referenced the Multi-Enterprise Climate Program update, questioning whether staff had looked at drought occurrence intervals.
- Item 5A (General Manager Report): No public comment.
- Item 6 (BAWSCA Update): No public comment.
- Item 7 (Stonestown Water Supply Assessment): No public comment.
- Item 9 (Commissioner Initiated Items): Peter Dreckmeyer commented that the proposed change to remote public comment is "a huge disappointment and another blow to the public."
- Item 10 (Closed Session Public Comment): No public comment.
Discussion Items
- General Manager Report (Item 5A): General Manager Dennis reported on the passing of two notable former SFPUC staff: Don Furman, a longtime deputy city attorney and water law expert, and Tony Irons, former city architect and deputy general manager. Commissioners honored their contributions.
- BAWSCA Update (Item 6): Nicole Stanko, BAWSCA CEO, presented findings from the commission's review of the WISIP annual report. She noted that the $4.8 billion program is 99% complete, but two projects—Alameda Creek Recapture and Regional Groundwater Storage and Recovery—have experienced delays and budget concerns. BAWSCA recommended the commission: 1) direct staff to plan a Notice of Change for the WISIP completion schedule; 2) provide updated budgets for the two projects and secure funding; and 3) assess the impact of project changes on water supply reliability goals. The commission took no immediate action.
- Revised Water Supply Assessment for Stonestown (Item 7): Steve Ritchie, Assistant General Manager, presented a revised water supply assessment for the 27-acre Stonestown project at 3251 20th Avenue. The revision was needed due to a change in project variant and updates to retail water demand based on the city's 2022 Housing Element (adding ~100,000 units over 20 years). Staff concluded there is sufficient water supply for the project. The commission approved the assessment (5-0).
- Commissioner Initiated Items (Item 9): President Paulson introduced a discussion on limiting remote public comment, following a Board of Supervisors decision and a mayoral directive. Commissioner Maxwell and Stacy raised concerns about the process for disabled individuals and the honor system for verifying disabilities. The city attorney clarified that requests would be made through the commission secretary on an honor basis with advance notice. Commissioner Jamy expressed concern about the speed of the change and its potential to discourage engagement. The commission directed the secretary to incorporate the new remote participation instructions into future meeting notices.
- Closed Session (Items 10-14): The commission voted unanimously (5-0) to assert attorney-client privilege and entered closed session for a conference with the labor negotiator (unrepresented employee). After returning, the commission announced no action was taken and voted unanimously (5-0) not to disclose the discussions.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the minutes of October 10, 2023 (5-0).
- Approved the revised water supply assessment for the Stonestown project (Item 7) (5-0).
- Directed the secretary to update public participation instructions to limit remote public comment, with accommodations for individuals with disabilities, effective at the next meeting.
- No action was taken on the BAWSCA recommendations or on the closed session matter.
- Commissioner Jamy requested a future presentation on the Multi-Enterprise Climate Program update, specifically on capital-aligned climate planning and the Clean Climate Bond Initiative.
Meeting Transcript
And um, can we have a roll call, please? President Paulson. Here. Vice President Rivera? Here. Commissioner Jamy. Here. Commissioner Maxwell? Commissioner Stacy? Here. We have five eyes. Or we have quorum. Members of the public may make up to two minutes of remote public comment on an item by dialing one four one five six five five zero zero zero one. Meeting ID 2593 047 7380 pound, followed by pound again. To raise your hand to speak, press star three and please silence any devices or televisions or computers around you. Speakers will hear a chime when there are 30 seconds remaining to speak and another time when two minutes have 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 remind you if you do not stay on the topic. We ask that public comment be made in a civil and respectful manner, and please address your remarks to the commission as a whole, not to individual individual commissioners or staff. Behalf of the commission, I would like to extend our thanks to SFGTV staff and SFPUC IT staff for their assistance during this meeting. For those present, if you've not already done so, please silence your electronic devices. So before calling the first item. The SFPUC also recognizes that every citizen residing within the Greater Bay Area has and continues to benefit from the use and occupation of the Moequa Ohlone tribe's aboriginal lands since before and after the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's founding in 1932. It is vitally important that we do not only recognize the history of the tribal lands on which we reside, but also we acknowledge and honor the fact that the Moweka Ohlone people have established a working partnership with the SFPUC and are productive and flourishing members within the many greater San Francisco Bay Area communities today. So can we call the first item? Item number three, approval of the minutes of October 10, 2023. Are there any corrections to the minutes or notes? Okay. So public comment. Members of the public who wish to make two minutes of remote public comment on item number three, approval of the minutes, please press star three to raise your hand to speak and silence any televisions or computers around you. Do we need members of the public present to provide comment on item three? See none. Do we have any callers with their hands raised? Madam Secretary, if there are no calls, I wish to be recognized. Thank you. Public comment and item three is closed. Okay, so is there a motion to approve the minutes? I'll move. Second. There's a motion and a second. Can we have the roll call, please? President Paulson? Aye. Vice President Rivera? Aye. Commissioner Maxwell. Commissioner Jamy. Aye. Commissioner Stacy. Aye. You have five eyes.
openpublica.com