HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-02-03 Utilities Advisory Commission Summary MinutesUtilities Advisory Commission Minutes Approved on: March 03, 2021 Page 1 of 8
UTILITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING
MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 3, 2021 REGULAR MEETING
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Forssell called the meeting of the Utilities Advisory Commission (UAC) to order at 4:00 p.m.
Present: Chair Forssell, Vice Chair Segal, Commissioners Danaher, Jackson, Johnston, Scharff and
Smith
Absent:
AGENDA REVIEW AND REVISIONS
None.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
None.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Commissioner Danaher moved to approve the minutes of the January 6, 2021 meeting with the revisions of
the date. Commissioner Johnston seconded the motion. The motion carried 7-0 with Chair Forssell, Vice Chair
Segal, and Commissioners Danaher, Jackson, Johnston, Scharff, and Smith voting yes.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None.
UTILITIES DIRECTOR REPORT
Dean Batchelor, Utilities Director, delivered the Director's Report.
Utilities Sales and Delinquencies
Water and electric utility sales continue to be at or above forecasts for FY 2021. Electricity consumption
continues to be 5% to 10% below previous years, as forecasted, while water use continues to be at or above
previous years, which is higher than forecasted. Gas consumption was low in summer and fall, below
forecasts, but as winter started gas consumption rose significantly and consumption is now roughly the same
as in previous winters. Bill delinquencies continue to rise. As of the end of December, delinquencies for all
utilities totaled roughly $1.2 million. While delinquencies continue to rise gradually, they are still well within
the amounts estimated in our financial forecasts. And many customers with delinquent accounts will
eventually pay their delinquent balances off, based on prior experience.
Status Update on the Water Year To-Date
While it is still early in the water year, precipitation is currently at only about 40% of normal for the year in
the Northern Sierras, the primary watershed for the hydroelectric generation we receive from the Central
Valley Project, and 30% of normal in the Central Sierras, where the Calaveras hydroelectric project is located
as well as the water sources for the SFPUC. A bad water year can result in as much as $8 million to $10 million
Utilities Advisory Commission Minutes Approved on: March 03, 2021 Page 2 of 8
in additional costs for the electric utility. The electric utility has hydro stabilization reserves of $11.7 million
currently, which is lower than the target level of $17 million, but well above the $3 million minimum. This is
an issue we will be tracking through the spring and we may need to come back to the UAC and Council to
discuss options for the electric utility if the water year does not improve. The City’s water supply, on the
other hand, is in a better position. The SFPUC may consider voluntary restrictions on water use if the water
year does not improve, but is not signaling a need for mandatory restrictions at this item.
Clean Fuel Rewards Program: Under the statewide program all Palo Alto residents purchasing new electric
vehicles are eligible for a Clean Fuel Rewards point-of-sale $1,500 rebate at participating dealerships. Since
its launch in November 2020, the program has received ~15,000 rebate applications and roughly 5,000
rebates have been paid as of Dec 31, 2020. The number of applicants from Palo Alto is not known at this time.
The total new EV sales in California is projected to be 250,000 in CY 2021, with Palo Alto anticipating about
1,500 additional EV registrations.
CALeVIP: The California Energy Commission’s California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP)
launched in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties on Dec 16, 2020. This project provides rebates for Level 2
and Level 3 EV charger installation. CPAU has committed $1 million of Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) funds
to receive $1 million in matching grant funding. In addition to rebate applications from the community the
City’s public works department for five DC fast charger rebates for installation in public garages and has been
provisionally approved for $350,000 in rebates.
Home Efficiency Genie Virtual Audit: The Home Efficiency Genie is now offering virtual home energy and
water efficiency assessments using a smart phone-based interactive platform for $49. This adapted version
of the advisor visit allows the Genie technician to engage with residents in a live review of their home. After
the assessment, the technician sends a report outlining the findings, discussion points and possible next
steps. Residents are offered a safe delivery of energy and water saving devices like a smart power strip, LED
light bulbs, high efficiency shower heads and faucet aerators. Since the launch of the virtual program in
November, seven virtual assessments have been performed with positive feedback.
Recent Offset Purchases: Following Council’s approval of the updated Carbon Neutral Gas Plan in December
2020, staff solicited proposals for carbon offsets from five brokers with whom the City has agreements in
place. Staff received three proposals, and on January 7th, the City purchased 120,000 metric tons (MT) of
carbon offsets from four projects at an average price of $5.81/MT CO2, well below the Council-approved
maximum price of $19/MT. The offsets purchased and retired were from 53% coal mine methane capture,
43% forestry, and 4% livestock project types and adhered to all criteria outlined in the Carbon Neutral Gas
Plan. These offset purchases make the city’s gas sales carbon neutral through December 2020.
Rosamond Solar virtual ribbon cutting: Please join us at a virtual ribbon cutting ceremony for the Rosamond
Central Solar Project on February 3 at 10 am. The Rosamond project will provide CPAU with 26 MW of solar
electricity beginning in 2023. Rosamond is the sixth large-scale solar project to come online to supply Palo
Alto with renewable energy. Solar energy will now supply 44-45%, close to half, of Palo Alto’s total electric
needs each year. We will share the link to the ribbon cutting event with the UAC via email.
Commissioner Danaher reported that he had no objections to postponing the discussion regarding home
electrification permits.
In reply to Commissioner Jackson’s inquires of if the 2nd transmission line will be above or below the ground
and sea level rise impacts, Director Bachelor explained that the existing line is on towers and the new line
will also be on towers. The towers are roughly 70 to 80 feet in the air which mitigates any sea level rise
impacts.
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NEW BUSINESS
ITEM 1: ACTION: Staff Recommendation That the Utilities Advisory Commission Recommend the City Council
Adopt a Resolution Approving the FY 2022 Wastewater Collection Utility Financial Plan Including Transfers to
and From Wastewater Collection Utility Reserve Accounts and an Amendment to the Wastewater Collection
Utility Reserves Management Practices; and Adopt a Resolution Adjusting Wastewater Rates by Amending
Rate Schedules S-1 (Residential Wastewater Collection and Disposal), S-2 (Commercial Wastewater Collection
and Disposal), S-6 (Restaurant Wastewater Collection and Disposal) and S-7 (Commercial Wastewater
Collection and Disposal – Industrial Discharger).
Dean Bachelor, Utilities Director, introduced Lisa Bilir who presented the item to the UAC.
Lisa Bilir, Resource Planner, confirmed that the discussion is focused on the Wastewater Collection Utility
Financial Plan. In 2020 City Council did not increase the wastewater rates and the current rates had been in
place since July 1, 2019. Staff recommended a 3 percent overall revenue increase, an additional 3 percent
increase in FY 2023, and a 5 percent increase annually starting in FY 2024 through FY 2026. Staff provided an
alternate proposal of a zero percent increase but if adopted, the Wastewater Utility Fund would need to
reduce spending or differ capital spending on the Collection System of approximately $200,000 per year
during the 5 years. The key drivers for a 3 percent increase were due to a series of large increases in the
treatment costs during the 5-year planning period as well as addressing the on-going needs of the Capital
Improvement Projects (CIP) in the Collection System. To keep the increased percentage to 3 percent, staff
had reduced the size and cost of each sewer replacement in the Collection System as well as differed two
sewer replacements by one year. A Cost of Service Analysis was completed and the results of the study were
incorporated into the rate proposals. Staff also proposed changes to the CIP Reserve to reflect the CIP
spending on the Collection System as well as the revenue that is used in the CIP Reserve. With a zero percent
increase and no further cost cuts, the Wastewater Operations Reserve yearend balance would drop close to
the reserve minimum in the projected 10-year forecast. With a 3 percent increase, residential customers
would see their bill increased by $1.95 per month, commercial customers would see an increase of $.12 per
Centum Cubic-feet (CCF), and restaurant customers would see a reduced of $.26 per CCF. One highlighted of
the Cost of Service Analysis was the importance of flow volume and flow volume is the volume of wastewater
discharge from each customer class as well as from the City as a whole. Over the last 10 to 12-years,
wastewater flows have declined across all customer classes, but the non-residential flow volumes have
decreased more than residential flow volumes. That change reflected why there is a larger increase for
residential customers than commercial customers. The City continued to have lower residential rates than
surrounding Cities by 29 percent and the City will maintain that status through the projected 5-years.
Commercial continued to be higher than surrounding Cities by 10 percent and restaurant bills were lower
than surrounding Cities by 6 percent. Staff requested support from the UAC for the annual $4.35 million of
funding to the CIP Reserve, a transfer of $2.2 million from the Operations Reserve to the CIP Reserve in FY
2022, and the associated changes to the reserve guidelines.
In response to Commissioner Johnston’s questions regarding decreasing the size of several of the sewer
projects and postponement of projects, Silvia Santos, WGW Engineering Manager, answered that it meant
that the amount of sewer footage that is being replaced has been reduced. Bilir confirmed that several
projects were postponed to a subsequent year. In reply to Commissioner Johnston’s inquiries regarding if
residential meant single-family only and if it mattered if a multi-family building had a common water line,
Bilir noted that single-family and multi-family are on the residential rate schedule. Jonathan Abendschein,
Assistant Director of Utilities Resource Management, explained that multi-family buildings that contain
central water using facilities may be charged a commercial rate for water but individual residents receive
individual flat rate charges for their wastewater. In answer to Commissioner Johnston’s ask of how many
years the new Cost of Service Study applies to, Bilir disclosed that there is not a set amount of time and staff
will reevaluate the rate burden balance between the three classes if there are changes in the data.
Commissioner Johnston announced that he is concerned that residential customers have a higher burden in
terms of rate increases for wastewater. He supported the contribution of a leveled amount to the CIP Reserve
on an annual basis.
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In answer to Vice Chair Segal’s inquiry of if the Cost of Service Study was drafted traditionally in terms of
evaluating flow versus strength versus customer service costs, Bilir confirmed that the new study was drafted
in a way that is similar to the existing study. She agreed that as flow decreases, concentration increases and
the assumption in the study is that the strength difference across the customer classes remained the same
as in the previous study. Abendschein added that there is both capacity and strength related costs in
transporting and treating wastewater. James Allen, Manager Water Quality Control Plant, clarified that 34
percent of the cost if for the flow and 66 percent is for strength. If the wastewater is more concentrated then
there is a cost reduction and all partners see that reduction. In response to Vice Chair Segal’s query on why
residential customers are carrying a bigger portion of the overall cost if the strength of the wastewater
coming from restaurants is increasing because the flow is decreasing, Bilir noted that on the Collection
System cost side, more of the cost went to flow. Also, residential customers make up 94 percent of the
number of customers and because restaurants are a small customer class, very small changes in the flow
make a big difference in the proposed rate. Vice Chair Segal disclosed that the changes in the reserves made
sense, is in alignment with the other utilities, and she supported it. In reply to her question of if the budget
included sea level rise impacts to treatment plant facilities, Allen disclosed that there is a $12 million project
that once completed will carry more water from the plant and that will address sea level rise up to 3-feet.
Also, as facilities are constructed, the elevation of those facilities is being raised to accommodate for sea-
level rise. Karin North, Assistant Director of Public Works, specified that in parallel to the work being done at
the plant, a Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment is underway and staff is working with the Army Core of
Engineers on levy improvement projects.
Commissioner Scharff stated that the City of Menlo Park, Redwood City, and the City of Hayward skewed the
comparison of monthly residential bills and gave a false impression for Palo Alto’s bill. He encouraged staff
to revisit the residential monthly bill comparison. He did not support the notion of having residential
customers paying more for the wastewater than commercial customers. In answer to his queries of what the
driving costs are for wastewater and why flow is what determines the Cost of Service Study, Bilir mentioned
that the Cities used in the comparison are the Cities that are used in all of the utility comparisons. In terms
of cost, 50 percent of costs go-to the treatment of wastewater, 34 percent goes to flow and on the Collection
side, 97 percent of costs go to flow. In response to Commissioner Scharff’s query about why is the Cost of
Service Study using flow if it is a fixed cost, Santos explained that the issue is the conditions of the pipes and
the cost reflects the replacement of pipes. Abendschein added that in the short term, costs do not change
based on flow, but the fixed costs are based around the peak amount of flow that is associated with the
system. Costs for the system are allocated based on how much each of the different customer classes use
the capacity and does not reflect short term fluctuation. The goal of the Cost of Service Study is to make sure
that the only allocations that take place are ones that as necessary based on data. In answer to Commissioner
Scharff’s question of how does staff determine how much pipe is needed to be replaced, Santos noted that
a condition assessment is conducted on the pipelines to prioritize replacements. The City has been replacing
the pipeline on average 1 mile to 2 miles every other year. Batchelor added that the 3 percent increase helps
pay for past replacement projects and treatment plant projects. Staff predicted that treatment costs will
continue to rise.
Commissioner Smith mentioned that the City of Los Altos was not a good City to compare to for both
residential and commercial bills. In answer to his question regarding if the City of Los Altos’s wastewater
infrastructure is newer, Bilir confirmed that staff will investigate further why the City of Los Altos has a lower
bill than Palo Alto. Abendschein clarified that staff does not know what other City’s infrastructure
maintenance plans are and maintenance plays a large role in rate increases and decreases. In response to
Commissioner Smith’s queries regarding the CIP Reserve and if a study had been conducted to see if the City
could transfer only $2.2 million annually instead of the proposed $4.35 million, Bilir clarified that the $4.35
million is the average for the entire Collection System CIP Budget. The $2.2 million is a catch-up transfer from
the Operations Reserve to the CIP Reserve to be able to fund the upcoming sewer replacement project.
Abendschein added that to maintain the 5 percent increase in the outer years while absorbing the increased
treatment costs, the utility is drawing on the CIP Reserve slightly. The intention is not to fund the CIP less,
Utilities Advisory Commission Minutes Approved on: March 03, 2021 Page 5 of 8
the transfer is a management strategy of dealing with higher treatment costs in later years. Allen noted that
in terms of treatment cost drivers, Palo Alto’s share of the fixed asset is 38.16 percent and that is the total
project cost.
In reply to Councilmember Filseth’s prediction that 100 percent of the costs are fixed and any variable costs
were associated with flow and strength, Abendschein agreed that broadly the cost of running the collection
system is entirely fixed. Allen shared that electricity costs were associated with strength as well as flow. In
answer to Councilmember Filseth’s summary that the practice is to allocate the fixed cost to who uses how
much flow, Allen shared that there is a breakdown of strength and flow costs between the different pieces
of equipment. Councilmember Filseth commented that the issues raised are common among utilities
regarding large fixed costs and unfairly distributed rate percentage allocations. In answer to Councilmember
Filseth’s ask of why the City of Menlo Park and Redwood City have higher bills than Palo Alto, Bilir shared that
they have newer treatment plant facilities than Palo Alto. Allen confirmed that Palo Alto is more efficient
with its CIP projects than other peninsula Cities.
Commissioner Scharff emphasized that the City of Santa Clara is an extremely well-run utility for wastewater
and Palo Alto should be proud that its utility is better than Santa Clara’s. He requested that staff breakdown
the reasons why surrounding City’s have the average bill cost that they have.
In reply to Chair Forssell’s query about how much has the wastewater flow decreased and why water usage
is down, Bilir disclosed that wastewater flow decreased by 11 percent overall since the last Cost of Service
Study was drafted 10-years ago. The assumption from the prior Cost of Service Study was compared to the
new data and that comparison showed a decrease in water usage. Another change that the new Cost of
Service Study reflected is that all industrial customers are now listed under commercial customers. In answer
to Chair Forssell’s question of why did the strength assumptions almost double between the two studies, Bilir
predicted that it was because there was a slight increase in the amount of infiltration assumption, but staff
will investigate it further. In answer to Chair Forssell’s inquire of why there is a recommendation to eliminate
the fixed monthly charge for commercial and restaurant customers, Abendschein clarified that the
recommendation is to eliminate a minimum charge, not a fixed charge. It was not normal to have a fixed
monthly charge in a Wastewater Utility, but staff will return with a follow-up answer.
ACTION: Commissioner Danaher moved that the Utilities Advisory Commission (UAC) recommend the
Council:
1. Adopt a resolution approving:
a. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Wastewater Collection Financial Plan; and
b. Up to a $4.35 million transfer from the Operations Reserve to the Capital Improvement Projects
Reserve in FY 2022; and
c. Up to a $2.2 million transfer from the Operations Reserve to the Capital Improvements Projects
Reserve in FY 2021; and
d. Amendments to the Wastewater Collection Utility Reserves Management Practices in Appendix C
to the FY 2022 Wastewater Collection Financial Plan and separately in Attachment D.
Commissioner Scharff seconded the motion. The motion carried 7-0 with Chair Forssell, Vice Chair Segal, and
Commissioners Danaher, Jackson, Johnston, Scharff, and Smith voting yes.
ACTION: Commissioner Danaher moved that the Utilities Advisory Commission (UAC) recommend the
Council:
2. Adopt a resolution approving:
a. Adjustments to Wastewater Collection Utility Rates Via the Amendment of Rate Schedules S-1
(Residential Wastewater Collection and Disposal), S-2 (Commercial Wastewater Collection and
Disposal), S-6 (Restaurant Wastewater Collection and Disposal) and S-7 (Commercial Wastewater
Utilities Advisory Commission Minutes Approved on: March 03, 2021 Page 6 of 8
Collection and Disposal – Industrial Discharger).
Commissioner Johnston seconded the motion. The motion carried 7-0 with Chair Forssell, Vice Chair Segal,
and Commissioners Danaher, Jackson, Johnston, Scharff, and Smith voting yes.
The UAC recessed at 5:47 p.m. and returned at 5:55 p.m.
ITEM 2: DISCUSSION: Discussion and Status Update on the 2020 Sustainability and Climate Action Plan.
Bret Andersen appreciated that the plan focused on the shift from gas to electric. The report indicated that
the commercial sector does have the potential to reach the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80 percent
by the year 2023 (80 by ‘30). The report also indicated that the neighborhood level electrification pattern has
many challenges and seemed like long-term planning instead of short-term planning. He wanted to see a
focus on a short-term plan. He concluded that if the Utilities Department can remove any barriers and
implement easy to adopt programs, there will be little to no resistance from the community to move to all-
electric.
Jonathan Abendschein, Assistant Director of Utilities Resource Management, disclosed that the goal of the
presentation is to give a brief update on the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP). Several City
departments have worked on the plan. Modeling has been moved to in-house and staff predicted that those
and the analysis will be completed in the coming weeks. As the analysis comes to a close, key points have
been raised which included that there are costs to taking no action on climate change, costs and logistics of
taking action are significant, and while the costs appear to be large, they are manageable. No plan is complete
without a way to protect low-income residents, small businesses, and all the other lower financial sectors.
The analysis has indicated that the whole community has to commit to all technically feasible avenues to
achieve the 80 by ’30 goal. That meant greatly reducing vehicle miles traveled for employees and residents
within the City. Businesses and multi-family non-residential facilities must commit to as much electrification
as possible, but staff recognized that it will be challenging. For that reason, residents will be incentivized to
electrify their homes even more and staff recognized that residents will need financial support, programs to
make the conversion as easy as possible, and possible side benefits if the they electrify. The philosophy that
staff used to design the S/CAP goals and key actions included, but were not limited to, educating and raising
awareness, activation of early adopters and ensuring positive experiences, and rewarding neighborhood-
level action. If the community is not ready for mandated pricing within the next 2 to 4-years, staff predicted
it will be hard to achieve the 80 by ’30 goal. Several foundational implementation activities were identified
to move electrification forward. Those included launching high participation voluntary programs, having an
extensive awareness campaign, having customer-friendly permitting, preserving and enhancing electric
reliability and resiliency, and developing a plan for scaling up programs to achieve emission reduction goals.
In reply to Commissioner Jackson’s request of what ‘cost in line with the annual energy cost’ meant,
Abendschein confirmed that the short-term impact may be doubled energy costs. Commissioner Jackson
shared that residents who are retired may be part of the vulnerable groups who need more assistance when
electrifying their homes. He found the report very exciting and agreed that finding ways to help early
adoption is a key point.
Commissioner Danaher indicated that it is important to continue monitoring what is happening at the state
level and in neighboring communities. He requested there be quarterly updates on how the City is coming
along with the installation of charging networks within the City.
Commissioner Johnston found the presentation very exciting and encouraging. He appreciated that staff is
exploring financial incentives and making the transition customer friendly. He agreed that there needs to be
reliability within the electric utility to create trust with electric customers.
Vice Chair Segal agreed with the comments regarding working with the state and neighboring Cities and
resiliency in the Electric Utility. She wanted to see more efforts to reach citizens be made by testing different
Utilities Advisory Commission Minutes Approved on: March 03, 2021 Page 7 of 8
communication channels. She agreed that more extreme weather patterns are on the horizon and ensuring
that the power will stay on is key to building trust for electrification in the community. She concluded that
she is concerned about relying on contractors to do foundational services for customers. Abendschein agreed
that many customers are not being reached and that there is a staffing issue. Dean Batchelor, Utilities
Director, confirmed that staff is working with the state on making changes to the apprenticeship program
and making the ratio one linemen per one apprentice linemen instead of three to one.
Commissioner Scharff found the electric vehicle (EV) information encouraging and felt that the state will help
facilitate the change from gas-powered vehicles to EVs. He was concerned about the push of 100 percent
electrification of single-family homes. He wanted to see more discussion and data around vulnerable
populations and how the community will be impacted by supporting them. He expressed that the goal of Palo
Alto doing all this is to show that a model can be implemented to help reduce emissions, but he wanted
Council and staff to think about how much this program will cost the City and if the tradeoffs are worth it. He
concluded he is concerned that the City is not being straightforward and transparent about discontinuing the
Gas Utility. Abendschein agreed, but he explained that releasing costs has to be done sensitively and research
must be included to ensure a positive outlook towards electrification. He emphasized that there are easy
steps that can be taken in order to not sticker shock the community. In terms of financing for electrifying
buildings, staff is exploring ways to tie the costs to the building and not to individual owners. Staff continued
to explore a financial mechanism that does not affect housing values, does not affect credit scores, and does
not factor in an owner’s financial position.
Commissioner Smith appreciated the efforts staff is putting towards educating the public and the
neighborhood-level action plan. He suggested that staff think about the Cubberley community engagement
model and how that can be applied to outreach for electrification. He wanted to see the community
engagement process started now. In answer to his question regarding the UAC study session that is proposed
for May of 2021, Christine Luong, Sustainability Manager, reported that staff will be bringing forward the
findings of the Impact Analysis.
Chair Forssell appreciated the report, the discussion, and the approach that staff is taking. She agreed that
Palo Alto is small and reducing its emissions is small, but she felt that the City can be an example of what a
community can do. She also agreed that state mandates will be the driving force behind folks converting their
vehicles to EVs, but she added that the City can help with that effort by removing barriers for EV users. She
appreciated that the report disclosed co-benefits of EVs. In response to her question of is there qualified
talent to fill the staffing positions that are needed to implement the plan, Abendschein predicted that filling
the linemen and engineering position will be challenging. Batchelor disclosed that most likely the City will
have to hire a contracting firm to analyze the existing system as well as rebuild the system along with City
crews. Abendschein added that internal discussions will take place regarding staffing for voluntary programs.
Chair Forssell suggested that staff explore having an all-electric model home and have it open to the public.
Abendschein concurred and added that regional collaboration could make that happen.
In answer to Commissioner Scharff’s query regarding why the S/CAP goals still supported vehicle hybrids,
Abendschein noted that some folks have strong vehicle preferences and the S/CAP reflects that sensitivity.
Luong added that plug-in hybrids are also a bridging strategy for renters. In reply to Commissioner Scharff’s
inquiry of if reducing traffic is different than reducing emissions, Abendschein clarified that reducing traffic
is a cheaper way to reduce emissions than electrifying vehicles. Commissioner Scharff noted that for a long
time the City has pushed to reduce vehicles on roadways and yet traffic continued to stay steady or even
increased. He did not believe that large numbers of folks will change their driving habits. Abendschein agreed
that the City needed to be realistic about how much can be achieved.
Councilmember Filseth shared that the report was exactly what Council has asked for. He confirmed that
there were still several areas that needed further work such as informing folks that they need to reduce their
vehicle trips.
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ACTION: None
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS and REPORTS from MEETINGS/EVENTS
Commissioner Johnston thanked the staff for the report regarding the 2nd transmission line and he looked
forward to hearing more about it in the future.
Commissioner Jackson reported that he had attended the conference Northern California Power Agency
(NCPA) had put on.
Vice Chair Segal confirmed she had also attended the NCPA conference.
Chair Forssell concurred she also attended the virtual conference as well as the virtual ribbon cutting
ceremony for Rosamond Solar.
Commissioner Scharff disclosed that he will continue to inform the UAC on events that NCPA puts on.
Dean Batchelor, Utilities Director, shared that it is important that the NCPA see the UAC Commissioners
attending their events.
FUTURE TOPICS FOR UPCOMING MEETINGS: March 03, 2021
Vice Chair Segal wanted to see an update on sea level rise planning.
Chair Forssell appreciated the quarterly report that was included in the Packet.
NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING: March 03, 2021
Commissioner Danaher moved to adjourn. Commissioner Jackson seconded the motion. The motion carried
7-0 with Chair Forssell, Vice Chair Segal, and Commissioners Danaher, Jackson, Johnston, Scharff, and Smith
voting yes. Meeting adjourned at 7:19 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
Tabatha Boatwright
City of Palo Alto Utilities