San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Meeting Summary - October 27, 2026

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission held its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, with President Leverone, Vice President Stacy, and Commissioners Arce, Jamdar, and Thurlow present. The Commission approved the prior meeting's minutes, received financing and workforce/economic development updates, unanimously approved a Tuolumne River habitat agreement amendment, and held a closed session as part of the General Manager selection process.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of October 13, 2026 unanimously with no corrections.
• Approved the Consent Calendar unanimously without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

General public comment

• Francisco da Costa described alleged employee abuse and dangerous, untrained confined-space work, saying OSHA identified problems and the civil rights department granted three people permission to sue the SFPUC; he demanded accountability.
• Ty Sills Jackson, a Bayview/Hunters Point resident and granddaughter of the late Dr. Espinola Jackson, described decades of environmental harm from the sewage treatment plant, former PG&E plant, and shipyard; she cited high rates of cancer, respiratory and pulmonary disease, birth defects, and stillbirths, and said 80 percent of wastewater from Silicon Valley to the East Bay is treated in her neighborhood. She asked where promised District 10 Southeast Corridor mitigation resources and training programs are.
• Cesar Medina, a Glen Park resident, raised concerns about new streetlights causing glare and light trespass into properties up to 50 yards away, questioned why a citizen must pay $6,350 for a case review, and asked what the SFPUC's complaint procedure is.
• Greg Graswell, a former Department of Public Works sewer engineering employee for almost 24 years, described a sewage discharge on Marina Green five years ago and cited a history of flood-management decisions, including a $400 million, 20-year program to reduce sewage flooding into homes that he said had been eliminated.

Item 5B workforce/economic update

• A public speaker said he had monitored career jobs for 50 years, cited Kevin Williams's documentation claiming that fewer than 5 percent of District 10 workers have been served and 95 percent of youth are watching others work, and criticized the SFPUC's spending growth from $6 billion to $15 billion and heading toward $25 billion.
• A second speaker seconded those comments and asked where training opportunities and community benefits funds are for District 10 residents connected to the three major Bayview projects: 1550 Evans, Headworks, and Biosolids. The speaker said this community benefits program was championed by Dr. Espinola Jackson and asked for transparency on total contributions and allocations.

Item 7 General Manager selection

• One commenter urged the Commission to choose a forward-looking engineer, saying the SFPUC needs leadership that understands emerging technology and infrastructure challenges such as reservoir cleaning and water system stewardship.

Item 8 Tuolumne River agreement

• A public speaker urged the SFPUC to invite the Paiute, Pomo, and Miwok tribes to participate in salmon management decisions, saying the Tuolumne River is abused, the water is too warm for salmon to spawn, and this year's count was less than 40 compared with millions historically.
• Peter Trekmeyer, policy director for Yosemite Rivers Alliance, said 1,635 fall-run chinook were counted entering the Stanislaus River on the prior Sunday versus 188 on the Tuolumne, and that the Tuolumne receives only 21 percent of unimpaired flow while the Stanislaus receives 40 percent. He argued that the limiting factors are water temperature, floodplain rearing habitat, and outmigration flows, and he encouraged a study session and a future General Manager who embraces science.

Discussion Items

Item 5A Capital financing results

• Capital finance staff reported that all summer financings closed successfully in August. Three bond series priced during one week in early August at interest rates below the 6 percent planning rate, including taxable Series A and tax-exempt Series B bonds. The SFPUC mitigated Build America Bond risk on the 2010 B wastewater bonds, bringing two-thirds of that exposure to zero.
• The Mayor signed the Board of Supervisors referral authorizing prepayment of certificates of participation for 525 Golden Gate; the authorization will become effective after 31 days, around the end of November, and staff will decide whether to execute based on market conditions.
• The water enterprise completed a nearly $400 million direct-purchase financing with Wells Fargo at 3.62 percent, allowing planned bond issuance to move to fiscal year 2028 without impacting the current budget. A separate refinancing achieved a 3.23 percent rate and produced savings.
• S&P Global Ratings affirmed the SFPUC's ratings and revised its outlook from negative to stable; Fitch affirmed Power Enterprise ratings. All current ratings are stable and affirmed. Upcoming financings include replacement credit facilities in December, wastewater and water bonds, and a CleanPowerSF facility renewal in early 2027.
• In response to a Commissioner's question, staff explained that the water enterprise currently benefits from retail rating criteria; wholesale criteria could be less favorable and were a major factor in another agency's downgrade in Southern California.

Item 5B Human Resources and Workforce/Economic Program Services updates

• Wendy Macy, Chief People Officer, said the SFPUC career fair at the Southeast Community Center attracted more than 200 participants, the talent community pipeline increased about 50 percent year over year, and a same-day hiring pilot was used for student design trainees. Vacancy rates are trending down even though permanent positions increased by 147. High-vacancy classifications include associate engineer, stationary engineer sewer plant, and utility specialist.
• Ben Poole, Director of Workforce and Economic Program Services, reported that from the start of the sewer system improvement program through September 2026, more than one-third of construction hours were worked by San Francisco residents, exceeding contractual requirements that grew from 20 to 30 percent. Total hours were about 5.5 million, including about 1.8 million hours by San Francisco residents who earned $160 million in wages and benefits; apprentices worked 56 percent of their hours by San Francisco residents.
• Poole also reported that 334 different local business enterprises received more than 1,100 contracts totaling about $1 billion, reaching more than a third of the roughly 900 LBEs in the database. Across five major projects, $580 million went to LBEs and about 1.2 million hours were worked by San Francisco residents. The team is launching what staff called industry days to support collaborative delivery models; the first is scheduled for the day after the meeting.
• Commissioner Jamdar asked about LBE and hyperlocal contractor programming for CleanPowerSF and CCA-related power work; Poole said no data exists yet, the project labor agreement is being applied where possible, and a scope was included in the recent power program management contract. Commissioner Arce praised the program's local hiring success, District 10 outcomes, and CityBuild partnership, and suggested a full look-back at the Southeast/SISIP work as it winds down.

Item 7 General Manager selection process update

• Commissioner Arce said the selection process continues. Commissioner Stacy said the Commission is reviewing candidates, she summarized feedback from the Citizens Advisory Council and BOSCA, and Commissioner Jamdar gathered comments from environmental groups. No open-session vote was taken.

Item 8 First Amendment to the 2021 Memorandum of Agreement with Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts

• Ellen Levin, Deputy General Manager of the Water Enterprise, presented the amendment. The original 2021 agreement authorized up to $9 million over nine years for Tuolumne River fish matters until FERC issues a new license. The completed Old La Grange Bridge project added over 10 acres of salmon and steelhead spawning habitat.
• The First Amendment would add $500,000 for a total not-to-exceed obligation of $9.5 million, authorize SFPUC funding of one-third of the construction costs for the Powerhouse Riffles Project, restore about 4.78 acres of spawning habitat affected by high-flow events in 1997, 2011, and 2017, expand eligible habitat projects, streamline consent for future projects, and improve budgeting and invoicing flexibility. The term remains unchanged and expires June 29, 2030.
• Commissioner Thurlow asked about maintenance; Levin said monitoring is part of the project and maintenance is treated as an ongoing operating expense. Commissioner Stacy asked how projects are chosen; Levin said experts from all three agencies work together, with River Partners developing a long-term restoration plan tied to about $80 million in habitat restoration funding needed for the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes program and the FERC license application. President Leverone asked about El Niño timing; Levin clarified the Powerhouse Riffles Project has already been completed and the SFPUC would reimburse the districts.

Closed Session

• No public comment was offered on closed-session matters. The Commission voted to convene in closed session and later voted not to disclose any closed-session discussions.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimously approved the October 13, 2026 minutes and the Consent Calendar.
• Received the General Manager's report on financing and workforce/economic programs.
• Unanimously authorized the General Manager to execute the First Amendment to the 2021 Tuolumne River Memorandum of Agreement with Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts, with a not-to-exceed obligation of $9.5 million.
• Continued the General Manager selection process, including closed-session review, and voted not to disclose those discussions.
• No communications or commissioner-initiated items were raised, and the meeting adjourned following the closed session.