City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JUNE 9, 2026 FROM: PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: RIVERSIDE PUBLIC UTILITIES 2026 PHYSICAL SECURITY PLAN ISSUE:
Approve and adopt of the Riverside Public Utilities 2026 Physical Security Plan in accordance with California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Decision 19-01-018 (implementing Senate Bill 699) and authorize submittal of the required notice to the CPUC.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve and adopt of the Riverside Public Utilities 2026 Physical Security Plan in accordance with California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Decision 19-01-018 (implementing Senate Bill 699), and authorize submittal of the required notice to the CPUC; and Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to file with the California Public Utilities Commission a written Notice of Adoption of Final Security Plan.
BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
On May 11, 2026, the Board of Public Utilities unanimously recommended the approval and adoption of the Riverside Public Utilities 2026 Physical Security Plan in accordance with California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Decision 19-01-018 (implementing Senate Bill 699) and authorized submittal of the required notice to the CPUC.
BACKGROUND:
Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) is committed to protecting its distribution substations to help ensure safe and reliable electric service for its customers. In compliance with California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Decision 19-01-018, RPU prepared a Physical Security Plan (Plan) addressing potential physical threats to certain electric distribution assets. Decision 19-01-018 implements Senate Bill 699, which amended Public Utilities Code Section 364 to strengthen the security and resilience of qualifying electric distribution grid assets with regional significance. Because the Plan contains sensitive infrastructure information, the summary provided here is intentionally limited.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards, including CIP-014, establish physical security requirements for certain bulk electric system facilities. Those standards apply to transmission level assets and do not extend to distribution substations. Senate Bill 699 and CPUC Decision 19-01-018 address that gap by requiring physical security planning for qualifying electric distribution substations with regional implications.
RPU submitted its initial Physical Security Plan in 2021. On December 13, 2021, in closed session, the Board of Public Utilities recommended approval of the Plan, and on December 14, 2021, the City Council approved it. CPUC Decision 19-01-018 requires publicly owned utilities to review and update the Plan every five years. The attached 2026 Plan reflects RPU’s required five-year review and update.
DISCUSSION:
The Plan applies the CPUC’s seven screening factors to identify distribution substations with regional significance, including substations that serve critical regional facilities. Based on that review, four substations met the criteria and are addressed in the Plan.
The Plan identifies the substations subject to the CPUC requirements, evaluated physical security risks and vulnerabilities, and outlines measures to reduce those risks, strengthen site security, and improve overall resiliency. The Plan is intended to support the continued protection of critical electric distribution infrastructure while helping maintain reliable service to the community.
The Decision also requires an independent review by a qualified third party. RPU selected the Riverside Police Department (RPD) to conduct the review. RPD brings valuable local knowledge through its familiarity with the Riverside community, public safety operations, and the local threat environment. RPU also regularly coordinates with RPD on emergency preparedness and public safety matters, which makes the police department well positioned to evaluate the Plan and its approach to protecting critical infrastructure.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with approval of the Riverside Public Utilities Physical Security Plan.
Prepared by: David A. Garcia, Utilities General Manager Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Interim Finance Director Approved by: Gilbert Hernandez, Interim Assistant City Manager Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
Physical Security Plan
Presentation
Riverside Public Utilities 2026 Physical Security Plan – Page 2