San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Meeting - November 12, 2024
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San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Meeting - November 12, 2024
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) held its regular meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 9:45 AM. The meeting included a consent calendar, reports, public hearings, and votes on contracts, policy amendments, and the sunset of COVID-era collection procedures. All votes were unanimous (4-0) among President Kate Stacy, Vice President Arce, Commissioner Jamdar, and Commissioner Lavaroni.
Consent Calendar
- Item 7a: Award of Contract No. WW-729 for various sewer replacement to J. Flores Construction Company, Inc. (lowest responsive bidder).
- Item 7b: Award of Contract No. WW-740 for large diameter sewer inspection to Pipe & Plant Solutions, Inc.
- Item 7c: Award of Contract No. WD-2876 for water main replacement and installation on San Bruno Ave. and Blanken Ave.
- Item 7d: Award of Contract No. WD-2910 for procurement and installation of medium and large diameter valves for regional pipelines.
- All consent items were approved without separate discussion, following a question from Commissioner Lavaroni about compensable delay provisions.
Public Comments & Testimony
- General Public Comment: Barbara Folger, a 55-year resident, stated she uses only 60 gallons of water per day (33% less than the 90-gallon projection on her bill) and criticized SFPUC’s planned investments that could triple her bill by 2045. Costa expressed frustration with the commission, alleging unfulfilled promises and lack of accountability. Scott Wells (Sierra Club Bay Chapter) urged settlement of the SF vs. EPA lawsuit, warning that the Supreme Court could weaken the Clean Water Act. Peter Drekmeier (Tuolumne River Trust) argued the SFPUC’s “design drought” is overly conservative, citing that actual demand is far below projections. Mary Butterwick called for reducing the design drought by one year to protect salmon. Additional callers addressed water supply planning and the need for transparency.
- Item 6 – BAWSCA Report: Public commenters thanked outgoing CEO Nicole Sandkulla for her service but reiterated concerns about demand projections and the design drought. Peter Drekmeier noted that system delivery in FY2023-24 was 184 MGD, well below the 265 MGD obligation, and called for a workshop to address the balancing act between reliability and cost.
- Item 12 – SIP Program: Community representatives (Risa Schwartz from Children’s Book Project, Kathy Bradley from Emerson, and callers from Stantec and IntoAction) praised the Social Impact Partnership Program (SIP) for funding local nonprofits and schools, with one speaker noting over $2.5 million in community benefits from Stantec and partners.
- Item 13 – Sunset COVID Procedures: No public comment was offered on this item.
- Item 16 – Closed Session: Peter Drekmeier urged the commission to investigate its role in the SF vs. EPA lawsuit, warning of reputational harm.
BAWSCA Report (Item 6)
Nicole Sandkulla, retiring CEO of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA), delivered farewell remarks. She highlighted the success of the $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) and urged a holistic, scenario-based approach to future challenges (climate change, growth, regulation). She emphasized building trust with water users through transparency. Commissioners thanked her for her decades of collaboration.
Discussion Items
- Item 8: Appointed President Kate Stacy to serve on the San Joaquin Tributaries Authority Commission. Approved unanimously.
- Item 9: Staff requested approval to increase the cost contingency by $1,578,919 and duration by 542 days for Contract No. WD-2868R (as-needed paving for water main repairs). The original contract (May 2021, $13.9M) has been modified multiple times due to major breaks (e.g., $1.8M in restoration at Green and Fillmore). A new contract is expected by March 2025. Commissioner Arce questioned cost escalation adjustments for contractors. Approved unanimously.
- Item 10: Approved Modification No. 1 to Job Order Contract No. JOC-98 (electrical construction) with U.S. Electric Technologies Inc., extending duration to 5 years and increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $2.5 million (to $7.5 million). Approved unanimously.
- Item 11: Approved Amendment No. 1 to Professional Services Contract No. PRO.0183 (Residential Green Infrastructure Grant Program with Greenprint Partners), increasing funding by $500,000 (to $600,000 per year) and extending through 2028. The pilot has completed two projects; over 300 residents expressed interest. Commissioners discussed stormwater capture metrics and program administration. Approved unanimously.
- Item 12: Public hearing to adopt amendments to the SFPUC’s Social Impact Partnership Program (SIP) Rules and Regulations. The amendments align with a recently passed ordinance (effective Nov. 18, 2024) that requires proportional increases in SIP commitments whenever contracts are amended. Staff presented updates on transparency (public dashboard, registry, 6,700 CAP customers) and accountability. Commissioners praised the program. Approved unanimously.
- Item 13: Sunset COVID-19 pandemic procedures for water and sewer bill collection, resuming normal shutoffs and liens effective after the meeting. The SFPUC has over 14,000 accounts in arrears (up from 2,700 pre-pandemic). Customers enrolled in the Customer Assistance Program (CAP) or with extenuating circumstances will be exempt. A new dedicated CAP staff position (3-year pilot) was approved. Director Andris noted that state arrears relief did not correct payment behavior. Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous approvals on all action items (items 7a-d, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 22).
- The commission voted to assert attorney-client privilege for closed session matters (Item 17) and later voted not to disclose the closed session discussion (Item 22).
- A settlement was recommended for an unlitigated claim (Item 18) during closed session; no details were disclosed.
- The meeting adjourned after closed session, with no additional business.
Closed Session
Items 17-20 were discussed in closed session regarding anticipated and existing litigation, including the SF vs. EPA case. The commission voted to assert privilege and later not to disclose the discussions.
Meeting Transcript
Here. Vice President Arce? Here. Commissioner Jamdar. Here. Commissioner Lavaroni. You have a quorum. Thank you. Before calling the first item, I'd 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 Alone tribe and other familial descendants of the Fed Historic federally recognized Mission San Jose Verona Band of Alameda County. 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 Mawekma Alone tribe's aboriginal lands since before and after the San Francisco Public Utility Utilities 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 that we acknowledge and honor the fact that the Mawekma Alone people have established a working partnership with the SFPUC and our productive and flourishing members within the many greater San Francisco Bay Area communities today. Please call the first item. Approval of the minutes of October 22nd, 2024. And the approval of the minutes of October 22nd will be continued to the next meeting. Do we need a motion for that? Yes. Could I have a motion and a second? So moved. Second. Thank you. President Stacy? Aye. Vice President Arce? Aye. Commissioner Jamdar. Aye. Commissioner Leveroni. Aye. The item passes. Thank you. Next item. General public comment. Members of the public may address the Commission on Matters that are within the Commission's jurisdiction and are not on today's agenda. I'd like to add that the Commission values civic engagement and encourages respectful communication at the public meeting. We ask that all public comment be made in a civil and courteous manner, and that you refrain from the use of profanity. Thank you. Remote callers. Please raise your hand if you wish to provide general public comment. Do we have any members of the public present who wish to provide general public comment? The first card I have is for Ms. Barbara Folger. I'm a 55 year resident of San Francisco. And I averaged only 60 gallons of water so far every day this year. That's 30 gallons less than the requested, and actually hopeful, uh 90 gallons per day that is on my SFPUC bill. I use 33 percent less water than that what the city thinks I'm going to use. Like my water use, the SFPUC's water usage was lower than projected. In the 1923-24 year, the actual water use was 184 million gallons a day. It was actually 25 less than the projected use of 216 billion gallons a day for 2025. Yet for the 2045 projections, water usage is expected to go up to 270 million gallons a day or 244 million gallons a day, depending on which numbers are used. Even though your own finance bureau projects water sales to be flat.
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