OUR MISSION: To provide our customers with high-quality, efficient and reliable water, power and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.
525 Golden Gate Avenue, 13th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
T 415.554.3155
F 415.554.3161
TTY 415.554.3488
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Correspondence Log
March 23, 2023 through March 29, 2023
Date Received From Subject
March 23, 2023 Dave Warner Thank You for Your Excellent Operations
March 27, 2023 Eric Veium Request to Agendize Workforce & Environmental Justice Standards
March 28, 2023 George Martland Drought Surcharge
George Martland Drought Surcharge More
Information
Judith Del Bianco Changes are Proposed for Your
Water/Sewer Rates
March 29,2023 Pat Brooks Please Invest in Solutions to Prevent Harmful Algae Blooms & Fish Kills
March 23, 2023
Re: Thank You for Your Excellent Operations
Dear Commissioners, General Manager Herrera and Assistant General Manager Ritchie, Seeing the article in today’s New York Times titled, “A Water System So Broken That One Pipe Leaks 5 Million Gallons a Day,” I’d like to take a moment to express appreciation for SFPUC’s operations and that we’re not facing such issues. As you know I raise concerns in the areas of environmental stewardship, transparency and bias, but my views are thankfully on a foundation of excellent, professional operations which we don’t appreciate enough.
Thank you for providing 2.7 million constituents such a well-run, professional organization.
Best regards,
Dave Warner
March 24, 2023
The Honorable Newsha Ajami
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
525 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Re: Request to Agendize Workforce and Environmental Justice Policy for Energy Procurement Proposed Resolution for Action
Honorable President Newsha Ajami,
The CCA Workforce & EJ Standards Alliance is a group of more than 35 allied labor, climate, and environmental justice organizations advocating for California’s Community Choice Agencies, including California Community Power (CC Power), to adopt and implement best practice workforce and environmental justice standards for CCA-developed clean energy projects.
In December our alliance wrote the attached letter and our members appeared before you, urging the Public Utilities Commission to support its Citizens Advisory Commission's July recommendation to agendize the attached updated CCA Workforce and Environmental Justice Policy for Clean Energy Procurement proposed policy resolution for discussion and adoption.
We were heartened by the support you and other Commission members expressed for the spirit of that resolution and we now urge you to move the item forward. SFPUC and CleanPowerSF , as trail blazers, has the opportunity to lead CCAs to advance policies that establish industry standard environmental justice and labor standards beyond existing policies to correct long-standing
inequities, create high road green jobs in disadvantaged communities, support economic mobility, and protect Californians’ health and environment. A copy of our correspondence and the CAC resolution is attached.
We respectfully ask that you agendize the attached policy resolution for discussion at the next Commission meeting. Further, we request an opportunity to meet with you to discuss the importance of this resolution and why we believe the SFPUC must be a leader in advancing Workforce and Environmental Justice Standards for Clean Energy Projects. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Alphabetical endorsement list of signatory organizations follows:
Susan Penner, Co-Chair, Legislative Working Group, 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations Alan Weiner, Coordinator, 350 Conejo / San Fernando Valley Al Weinrub, Coordinator, California Alliance for Community Energy Ana Rosa Rizo-Centino, Network Manager, Central Coast Climate Justice Network Lynda Marin, Chapter Lead, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Santa Cruz Chapter Michael Chiacos, Policy Director, Community Environmental Council Ratha Lai, CEO, Critical Impact Consulting
Rita Casaverde, Executive Director, Diversity Coalition, San Luis Obispo County John Foran, Founding Editor, Eco-Vista
Leah Redwood, Action Coordinator, Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay Area Tim Frank, Representative, Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda Bart Pantoja, Building and Construction Trades Council of San Mateo County Paul Guiterrez, Business Manager, IBEW Local 234
Chuck Huddleston, Business Manager, IBEW Local 413
Greg Bonato, Business Manager, IBEW Local 595
John Doherty, Business Manager, IBEW Local 6
Mark Simonin, Business Manager, IBEW Local 639
Scott Wein, Business Manager, IBEW Local 617
Hector Huezo, California Director, Jobs to Move America Veronica Wilson, CA Organizer, Labor Network for Sustainability Benjamin Eichert, Director, Let’s Green CA!
Jessica T ovar, Steering Committee Member, Local Clean Energy Alliance Gopal Shanker, President, Récolte Energy
Nancy Faulstich, Executive Director, Regeneración Pajaro Valley Sara Nelson, Executive Director, Romero Institute
Alex Lansberg, Director, Research & Advocacy, San Francisco Electrical Contractors Association Jill ZamEk, Board Member, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace Joni Eisen, Representative, San Francisco Climate Emergency Coalition Ken Hough, Executive Director, Santa Barbara County Action Network Pauline Seales, Educator Organizer, Santa Cruz Climate Action Network Eric Veium, Chair, SLO Climate Coalition
Melissa Yu, Senior Energy Campaigns Representative, Sierra Club Timothy Duda, Directory, T erra Advocati
Kristin Kusanovich, Founder, tUrn Climate Crisis Awareness & Action Bijan Ashtiani-Eisemann, Organizer, UC Green New Deal Coalition Attached:
Dec. 9, 2022 Letter to SF Public Utilities Commission
Proposed Workforce & Environmental Justice Resolution for Energy Procurement December 9, 2022
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
525 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Re: Adoption of Updated Workforce and Environmental Justice Policy for Energy Procurement Proposed Resolution
Honorable President Ajami and San Francisco Public Utilities Commissioners, As an alliance of 27 climate action, environmental justice, and labor groups, we’re calling on CleanPowerSF to follow the SFPUC’s Citizens Advisory Commission's July recommendation by agendizing for adoption the attached updated Workforce and Environmental Justice Policy for Energy Procurement proposed policy resolution. In doing so, CleanPowerSF would become the first California Community Power (CCP) member to commit to a policy of good jobs and environmental justice for the workers and communities who will build California’s clean energy future.
San Francisco and CleanPowerSF are already leading the state on equitable energy procurement. The adoption of the aforementioned policy resolution would allow CleanPowerSF to assert their leadership, while making good on the principles enshrined in the SFPUC’s resolution (21-0023) approving the CCP Joint Powers Agreement (JPA). In February 2021, this agency committed itself to working with fellow CCP members to “[rely] on a combination of local labor, union labor and apprenticeship programs and [follow] fair compensation practices” and promote “fair worker treatment, multi-trade collaboration, and support of the existing and prevailing wage base in local communities where CC Power-contracted projects will be located.”
This policy resolution provides the opportunity to reaffirm that commitment, establish an industry standard and best practice, and shape the future of CCP and CCAs across the state . The principles of the proposed policy resolution are outlined below.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY
As you know, renewable energy procurement projects are not all equal: some projects create benefits beyond energy generation. Others cause active harm to communities. While we have a strong preference for local energy generation, many of the projects that provide Bay Area and CCP service area communities with clean energy are in other people’s communities. Public agencies have an obligation to ensure that those projects create benefits for the communities which host them, particularly those that have been harmed by poverty, fossil fuel pollution, and other historic injustices. Our proposed policy resolution seeks to:
● Benefit communities in the vicinity of energy projects: environmentally and economically; ● Engage disadvantaged communities in the planning and development process; ● And contribute career opportunities that provide local and targeted hire, prevailing wages, benefits, and training and apprenticeship programs.
WORKFORCE STANDARDS
It is the policy of the State of California to support the “High Road” development of a skilled and trained workforce to grow a thriving middle-class and enable California to contribute as a national and world leader in the fight to avoid climate disaster. Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030 is California’s definitive plan to support workers and accelerate California’s climate leadership. Among a number of demand-side strategies that encourage high road careers are Project Labor Agreements (PLAs).
The Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) have an impeccable track record when it comes to supporting and protecting workers with near universal coverage by project-labor agreements for utility-owned or contracted clean energy projects. Community choice programs have an obligation to meet and exceed this standard.
We encourage your commission to consider the outlined Benefits of Project Labor Agreements, which are significant for communities, workers, developers, and community choice aggregations.
We believe the benefits to people should always be balanced with technical and financial considerations. Further, we’re confident that the use of project labor agreements will encourage a highly-trained, sustainable, and local workforce for communities within the CCP service area.
Linked below are several great examples of other leading community choice programs and public utilities that support project labor agreements and value them in their project evaluation and selection process:
Clean Power Alliance of Southern California includes workforce, environmental justice, environment, and location criteria and ranking (see pg. 30) in their evaluation of projects.
Peninsula Clean Energy provides a great example of an inclusive and sustainable workforce policy that fosters a work environment of “sustainable business practices and cultivates a culture of innovation, diversity, transparency, integrity, and commitment to the organization's mission and the communities it serves.”
The City of Los Angeles recently moved their city’s 100% clean energy goal up from 2045 to 2035. The city’s use of PLA agreements provided the skilled and highly-trained workforce needed to ensure that transition. [Council motion]
PROJECT EVALUATION AND SELECTION
As discussed, clean energy procurement projects are not equal in the benefits they provide communities. A white paper developed by Salesforce, titled More than a Megawatt: Embedding Social and Environmental Impact in the Renewable Energy Procurement Process provides a straightforward and accessible framework and expert third-party guidance on how to maximize the positive impacts of renewable energy purchases and minimize the negative impacts. The associated procurement matrix spreadsheet provides a practical example of how to operationalize our proposed resolution’s principles to maximize social and environmental benefits. Also, we encourage referring to the Clean Power Alliance’s project portfolio evaluation report (see pp. 10-24) for another model of practical project evaluation and selection best practices.
CONCLUSION
By agendizing the attached policy resolution for adoption, SFPUC and CleanPowerSF can lead CCP in the work to correct long-standing inequities, create high road green jobs in disadvantaged communities, support economic mobility, and protect Californians’ health and environment by transitioning to clean, renewable energy. We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Alphabetical endorsement list of unions and organizations follows:
Susan Penner, Co-Chair, Legislative Working Group, 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations Alan Weiner, Coordinator, 350 Conejo / San Fernando Valley Al Weinrub, Coordinator, California Alliance for Community Energy Lynda Marin, Chapter Lead, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Santa Cruz Chapter Michael Chiacos, Policy Director, Community Environmental Council Ratha Lai, CEO, Critical Impact Consulting
John Foran, Founding Editor, Eco-Vista
Leah Redwood, Action Coordinator, Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay Area Tim Frank, Representative, Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda Paul Guiterrez, Business Manager, IBEW Local 234
Chuck Huddleston, Business Manager, IBEW Local 413
Greg Bonato, Business Manager, IBEW Local 595
John Doherty, Business Manager, IBEW Local 6
Scott Wein, Business Manager, IBEW Local 617
Hector Huezo, California Director, Jobs to Move America Benjamin Eichert, Director, Let’s Green CA!
Jessica T ovar, Steering Committee Member, Local Clean Energy Alliance Gopal Shanker, President, Récolte Energy
Nancy Faulstich, Executive Director, Regeneración Pajaro Valley Sara Nelson, Executive Director, Romero Institute
Alex Lansberg, Director, Research & Advocacy, San Francisco Electrical Contractors Association Jill ZamEk, Board Member, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace Pauline Seales, Educator Organizer, Santa Cruz Climate Action Network Eric Veium, Chair, SLO Climate Coalition
Melissa Yu, Senior Energy Campaigns Representative, Sierra Club Timothy Duda, Directory, T erra Advocati
Kristin Kusanovich, Founder, tUrn Climate Crisis Awareness & Action Bijan Ashtiani-Eisemann, Organizer, UC Green New Deal Coalition Attached: Proposed Workforce & Environmental Justice Resolution for Energy Procurement
NOTES + OUTTAKES
The SFPUC has the opportunity to shape our workforce, our communities and our energy future for the better. By adopting strong workforce and environmental justice standards, SFPUC can further solidify its leadership position among California CCEs and establish a career pipeline for a highly-trained energy workforce, ensure diverse and meaningful community engagement during the procurement process, and accelerate California climate leadership.
The proposed policy is entirely in line with CleanPowerSF’s demonstrated values, including “Dedicated to equitable business practices,” culture of diversity and inclusion, “SFPUC is committed to providing fair compensation and sustainable workforce opportunities for our diverse communities,”
“SFPUC supports fair compensation in hiring and in the development and procurement of renewable energy sources”
“SFPUC supports sustained job opportunities and job creation and recognizes and supports quality State of California approved apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training programs within SFPUC’s service territory to foster long-term, fairly compensated employment opportunities and believes that apprenticeship and pre apprenticeship programs are an efficient vehicle for delivering quality training in construction industry craft occupations As you know, community choice energy agencies like Cleanprocure most of California’s clean energy. Agencies like yours are actively building our clean energy future. – resolution shapes CA Community power – this is an appropriate leadership position – state leading WEJ standards, this is an opportunity to shape CCP and to be the first in making a commitment to these standards as industry standard. Guiding action at CCP . A reaffirmation of their commitment.] And as a leading, mission-driven public agency, we believe SFPUC has an obligation to support and protect the workers and communities that host its energy projects. The policy described below not only represents an obligation to the public and our collective energy future, but a Workforce and Environmental Justice Policy for Energy Procurement UPDATE: Dec. 7, 2022
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Governing Board to adopt a resolution that directs staff to develop and implement a Workforce and Environmental Justice Policy for CCA Energy Procurement which includes the following:
1. Competitive, clean and renewable power supply
CCA shall supply clean and renewable power and services1 (new local, distributed, and Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) qualifying resources) to customers at competitive rates.
CCA shall include criteria in the bid evaluation process to prioritize projects that advance local resilience.
CCA shall prioritize Category 1 bundled RECs for all projects to meet its renewable energy goals. CCA shall avoid projects involving Category 2 and 3 RECs. If a CCA plans to use Category 2 or 3 RECs, the CCA shall produce a report on why alternatives were not feasible.
2. Workforce
Whether or not a construction project is a public work as defined by the California Labor Code, contracting partners shall comply with California prevailing wage provisions applicable to public works projects, including but not limited to the Labor Code sections pertaining to employment of apprentices on public works projects.
All construction work that falls within an apprenticeable occupation in the building and construction trades shall be performed by a skilled and trained workforce in accordance with Chapter 2.9 (commencing with Section 2600) of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code.
1 Clean and renewable means new local, distributed, and RPS qualifying resources only. Biomass technologies that incinerate municipal solid waste or combust woody or agricultural biomass in urban areas are excluded.
1 A preference for a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) will be incorporated into the bidder evaluation ranking process:
i. Work done under a PLA shall be deemed to meet the requirements of payment of prevailing wage and and use of apprentices, and shall supersede the skilled and trained workforce requirement ii. For projects that do not implement a PLA, an audit will be required to ensure compliance with payment of prevailing wages, compliance with skilled and trained workforce requirements and to demonstrate any employment of apprentices
CCA shall state a preference in the request for proposals for the use of local labor with a deliberate emphasis on targeted hiring of women, minorities, gender non-conforming, residents of low income communities, the formerly incarcerated, and veterans.
CCA shall first give a preference to projects that are located in a county or city that receives electric service from CCA , then to projects that are located within California, and then to projects whose first point of connection is within California.
CCA-owned projects shall be constructed through a multi-trade project labor agreement or through multiple such agreements, consistent with the Public Contract Code provisions authorizing such agreements by public agencies.
3. Environmental
All projects must meet the permitting requirements of the appropriate governing authority/authorities
CCA shall state a preference in the request for proposals for projects that avoid sensitive habitat areas and that comply with conservation plans such as the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan.
CCA shall require in the request for proposals that developers of construction projects address how the project will avoid or mitigate, to the extent feasible, potential environmental and environmental justice impacts of the project.
The request for proposal shall request Global Electronics Council’s Electronic Product Environmental Assessment T ool (EPEAT) ecolabel registration status and level for 2 inverters, modules, and other applicable equipment2.
4. Environmental Justice
CCA shall identify disadvantaged community stakeholders (DAC) from the vicinity of projects using a variety of tools such as CalEnviroScreen and the State Department of Housing and Community Development’s opportunity maps. CCA shall make information easily accessible to disadvantaged stakeholders using various outreach methods including workshops, virtual webinars, and presentations at existing community meetings or events.
CCA shall meaningfully engage3 with “disadvantaged community” stakeholders residing within the CCA service area or proposed project area and incorporate input in the decision-making process
CCA shall state a preference in the request for proposals that developers of construction projects identify, in collaboration with community stakeholders, project benefits and negative effects to communities in the project vicinity, with an emphasis on evaluating disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities.
CCA shall require in the request for proposals that project developers include details of policies, programs, and practices supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in their workforce recruitment and retention. Developer performance shall be included in bidder evaluation criteria.
Developers of construction projects shall state opposition to using forced labor in the supply chain.
5. Project evaluation and selection
CCA shall evaluate and select energy projects with a structured, multi-criteria evaluation process which utilizes the policy principles discussed herein. This evaluation process should holistically consider workforce, environmental justice, and community benefits balanced with technical and financial considerations.
3 Meaningful engagement means implementing five recommendations for best practices from Building a Just Energy Future - A framework for community choice aggregators to power equity and democracy in California, 2020 report by the California Environmental Justice Alliance 2 https://globalelectronicscouncil.org/
3 CCA shall publicly publish detailed project evaluation and selection documentation during project approval.
6. CA Community Power (CC Power)
CCA’s representative to the CA Community Power Board shall advocate for adoption of a CA Community Power Workforce and Environmental Justice Policy for Energy Procurement consistent with the terms of this resolution.
CCA’s representatives to the CA Community Power Board shall advocate to form a public advisory committee, including labor, environmental and equity representatives, to ensure transparency and public engagement in CA Community Power's operations and procurement practices.
4 From: george.martland
To: Commission
Subject: Droight surcharge
Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 10:32:45 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
This surcharge should be removed immediately. In fact it should never have been in place at all. However, we are awash in water, the resourvoirs are spilling the groundwater is soaked.
Please stop this punitive fee ASAP.
Best regards,
George Martland
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
From: george.martland
To: Commission
Subject: FW: Droight surcharge more information
Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 11:59:36 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
More on this Hetch Hetchy is 100% of normal. The snow-pack is at record levels.
My understanding is that the commission met in early March knowing the drought was over.
However, despite this the commission continued to penalize the S.F water customers.
I am requesting that when this surcharge is removed it will be made retroactive to March 1 2023. How does one obtain an accounting of how the surcharge was used? Best regards,
George Martland
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
-------- Original message --------
From: "george.martland"
Date: 3/28/23 10:32 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: [email protected]
Subject: Droight surcharge
This surcharge
should be removed immediately. In fact it should never have been in place at all. However, we are awash in water, the resourvoirs are spilling the groundwater is soaked.
Please stop this punitive fee ASAP.
Best regards,
George Martland
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
From: Judith Del Bianco
To: Commission
Subject: RChanges are Proposed for Your Water/Sewer Rates Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 4:13:37 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Members of the Commission,
Hello. I am very upset re the rate increases you are proposing over the next THREE YEARS.
With inflation at sky high
rates and purchasing power quite diminished, who can afford these rate increases- certainly not me, a retired, 76yr old home owner for 50 yrs in the Parkside. I’m on a fixed income and already stretched.
Additionally, there are renters and condo dwellers who are not incentivized monetarily to conserve water.
Here are my proposals:
1. Float a municipal bond due to the scale of your needs. SF voters will approve if this is a long term necessity.
2. Stop going for your Wish List and don’t hit us with a huge increase. A modest monthly increase for one year is much more palatable.
3. At least exempt home owning seniors over 65, or give them a lower overall rate.
This is my first government letter of protest, but I am very disturbed and angry about how the City is becoming more and more unlivable.
Sincerely,
Judith DelBianco
From: [email protected] on behalf of Pat via San Francisco Baykeeper To: Commission
Subject: Please Invest in Solutions to Prevent Harmful Algae Blooms & Fish Kills Date: Friday, March 31, 2023 8:48:56 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
To: Mayor London Breed
CC: SFPUC General Manager Dennis Herrera, SFPUC Commission, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Dear Mayor Breed,
I urge you to direct San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to aggressively increase the city’s investment in water recycling today.
This summer, a large harmful algal bloom has spread across the Bay, leaving unimaginable numbers of dead fish in its wake. We’re still learning about this particular bloom, but what we do know is that San Francisco’s sewage effluent contributes to excessive levels of nutrients in San Francisco Bay that make the Bay fertile territory for the spread of harmful algae blooms.
Water recycling and other wastewater management technologies can help by reducing the volume of polluted discharges into the Bay. In addition, by producing potable supplies, water recycling will reduce San Francisco’s reliance on water diverted from the Tuolumne River, increasing the city’s resilience to climate change effects on water supply.
Other cities have learned the lessons of California’s unpredictable climate and are quickly adopting water recycling to reduce their burden on the ecosystem, while increasing the reliability of their supply. Orange County gets more than 75 percent of its water through its water reuse program. Las Vegas recycles nearly all of its water used indoors. And Los Angeles is on the path to reusing 100 percent of its wastewater by 2035.
But, as San Francisco’s draft Urban Water Management Plan recently revealed, the city
currently has no plans to make recycled water widely
available in the next 25 years. Instead, the city is pursuing multiple expensive and misguided lawsuits so that it can continue to rely, almost exclusively, on the Tuolumne River—one of the state’s most overtapped rivers—for the next several decades. San Francisco and large agribusiness water districts divert four out of every five gallons of water that flow in the Tuolumne River during a typical year.
This overuse has caused the river’s once mighty Chinook Salmon populations to crash. Meanwhile, low freshwater flows contribute to deteriorating water quality—including harmful algae blooms—in the Delta and San Francisco Bay.
I agree with Supervisor Aaron Peskin that “it is time for San Francisco and our sister cities in the nine Bay Area counties to start looking at what kinds of infrastructure investments will need to be made as this becomes, sadly, the new normal.” It’s unacceptable for the city with the nation’s greenest reputation to shirk its responsibilities to conserve California’s precious and unpredictable water supply.
I support increasing river flows to protect San Francisco Bay’s fisheries, water quality, and recreation. The city should do its part to protect the Bay and its rivers—water recycling is a common-sense way to limit the city’s water use, increase the reliability of its supply, and protect the Bay from harmful wastewater treatment plant effluent.
Thank you,
Pat Brooks
Berkeley, California
OUR MISSION: To provide our customers with high-quality, efficient and reliable water, power and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.
525 Golden Gate Avenue, 13th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
T 415.554.3155
F 415.554.3161
TTY 415.554.3488
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Correspondence Log
April 1, 2023 through April 3, 2023
Date Received From Subject
April 1, 2023 Max (Sunnydale
Resident)
Please restore the Basketball Court
in Orchard Gardens Park in
Sunnyvale on the John W. Christian
Greenbelt over the Hetch-Hetchy
waterline connection
April 3, 2023 Kimbra McCarthy Waiver of Mountain View’s Minimum Purchase Requirement FY
2023-24
From: Max
To: Customer Service; Sweiss, Joseph; Commission; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: IMPORTANT: Please restore the Basketball Court in Orchard Gardens Park in Sunnyvale on the John W. Christian Greenbelt over the Hetch-Hetchy waterline connection
Date: Saturday, April 1, 2023 10:22:50 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
THE TOPIC:
The basketball courts in a small local park in Sunnyvale have been closed, due to perceived concerns from SFPUC about "impeded access and possible damage to the Hetch-Hetchy waterlines below". The local community relies on these basketball courts to socialize, exercise, balance work and life, and to generally improve our lives. The closure of this park has several detrimental factors to the entire City of Sunnyvale.
Today, I was going to play basketball. I have a Mon-Fri job, like most of us, in fact I am lucky to only have a 5/7 day job. Many people work more hours and/or days. Being located North of the 101 and 237 freeway intersection makes our part of Sunnyvale even more isolated, and therefore desperate to find some freedom and peace. This park -- and the basketball courts -- were our only way to relax from our jobs, entertain our kids, and to exercise.
THE PROBLEM:
Today I saw a father with a six to eight year old son, holding a ball in hand, walk up to the court and read the bad news.
They then proceeded to play basketball, together, for 30 minutes - on a court with no hoops.
Is this what the City of Sunnyvale means to the County of Santa Clara? I then saw two young kids (also, maybe 7-10?) walk up with a ball, noticing that there are no hoops, and leaving back home.
Is this what the City of Sunnyvale means to The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission? THE QUESTIONS:
1. I have lived here for over 7 years, and we have always had that basketball court. There have never been any "ACCESS ISSUES". How is a basketball court going to "impeded access and possible damage to the Hetch-Hetchy waterlines below"?
2. Do you think
John W. Christian, the man that designed this park would have approved of this?
INFO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Christian_Greenbelt
3. The Basketball court is always diggable if SFPUC needs to reach the waterlines. A basketball pole is a tiny thing. How could you not be able to maneuver around a pole? THE ANSWERS:
1. Please see the attachments below. They will paint a better picture.
2. Please immediately restore the Basketball Court.
EXHIBITS:
(EXHIBIT A.):
DESCRIPTION: The message that players, families, fathers, mothers, children, and everybody in between see:
(EXHIBIT B.):
DESCRIPTION: This used to be a nice park for kids to play. Now, what does it look like?
I hope that you understand that I believe this to be a careless oversight. Let's fix this up.
Please restore our freedom.
Sincerely,
A Sunnyvale Resident.
•
41W e i Tittib - City of
C lif Mountain View
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
500 Castro Street, P.O. Box 7540
Mountain View, CA 94039-7540
650-903-6301 I MountainView.gov
April 3, 2023
Steven R. Ritchie
Assistant General Manager for Water
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
525 Golden Gate Avenue, 13th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
Dear Mr. Ritchie:
I am writing to request a waiver of Mountain View's minimum purchase requirement for Fiscal Year 2023-24. Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-5-23 on March 24, 2023, proclaiming a continued State of Emergency throughout California and identifying the need for water conservation. The Governor's action impacts Mountain View's water supply use and deliveries from the Regional Water System, which we believe warrants continuation of the minimum purchase waiver.
Improved water use efficiency and development of recycled water are critical tools for responding to climate change, and Mountain View customers have risen to the challenge. Our residential per capita water use is among the lowest in California at 58 gallons per day. We are strong advocates for water reuse, investing heavily in recycled water and collaborating with others to advance Countywide purification and reuse projects. Reinstating the minimum purchase requirement would be in direct conflict with conservation and reuse efforts.
I would also like to highlight that during the past 15 years, California has experienced near- consecutive drought with little time for demands to rebound to "normal" levels before the occurrence of another dry period. During this period of prolonged drought, Mountain View used less than our minimum purchase volume during 12 years, leaving this water in the system for future years. Of the four agencies with minimum purchase requirements, Mountain View has the lowest percentage of alternative supplies and the highest ratio of minimum purchase requirement to supply guarantee. We source 90% of our drinking water from San Francisco, and we are required to purchase nearly 72% of our guaranteed supply. Based on past trends, we expect a maximum rebound of 5% next year, which is far less than the amount conserved by our customers over the past 15 years. It is impractical to expect agencies to recover from extended drought in a single year, particularly those with little ability to shift sources.
Steven R. Ritchie
April 3, 2023
We sincerely hope you will support Mountain View in our water conservation and reuse efforts by exercising your discretion to waive our minimum purchase requirement for Fiscal Year 2023-24.
Sincerely,
Kimbra McCarthy
City Manager
KM/EF/8/PSD
703-04-03-23L
cc: Newsha Ajami, President, SFPUC
Dennis Herrera, General Manager, SFPUC
Nicole Sandkulla, CEO, BAWSCA
Alison Hicks, Mayor, City of Mountain View
Lisa Matichak, Councilmember, City of Mountain View and BAWSCA Board Member PWD, APWD—Au, WRM, FASD, AFASD