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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - Legislative & Public Outreach Committee - 08/13/2020LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC OUTREACH COMMITTEE August 13, 2020 - 2:00 PM 31111 Greenspot Road, Highland, CA 92346 CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE PUBLIC COMMENTS In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and in accordance with Governor Newsom's Executive Order N-25-20 and N-29-20, this meeting is being conducted via teleconference. There will be no public location for attending this meeting in person. Members of the public may listen and provide public comment telephonically. Anyone wishing to join the meeting may do so using the following information: DIAL: 1-209-425-5876 and enter CONFERENCE ID: 999 686 964# You may also join by clicking HERE to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams. AGENDA CONSENT CALENDAR 1.Approve the May 22, 2020 Committee meeting minutes 2.Approve the June 11, 2020 Commission meeting minutes PLEASE NOTE: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2(a), any request for a disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, that is sought in order to participate in the above- agendized public meeting should be directed to the District Clerk at (909) 885-4900 at least 72 hours prior to said meeting. NEW BUSINESS 3. Sterling Natural Resource Center Update 4. Emergency Response Update 5. Legislative Update 6. Outreach Update 7. Director's Comments 8. Staff's Comments 05-22-2020 cmc Subject to approval EAST VALLEY WATER DISTRICT May 22, 2020 LEGISLATIVE & PUBLIC OUTREACH COMMITTEE MINUTES Kelly Malloy, Director of Strategic Services, called the meeting to order at 2:01 pm. Director Goodrich led the flag salute. PRESENT: Directors: Goodrich, Smith ABSENT: None STAFF: Kelly Malloy, Director of Strategic Services; Cecilia Contreras, Senior Administrative Assistant GUEST(s): None PUBLIC COMMENTS The Senior Administrative Assistant declared the public participation section of the meeting open at 2:03 pm. There being no written or verbal comments, the public participation section was closed. APPROVAL OF THE SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES M/S/C (Smith-Goodrich) that the September 6, 2019 committee meeting minutes be approved as submitted. APPROVAL OF THE NOVEMBER 1, 2019 COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES M/S/C (Smith-Goodrich) that the November 1, 2019 committee meeting minutes be approved as submitted. EMERGENCY RESPONSE UPDATE The Director of Strategic Services stated that the District is moving forward with the request for reimbursement as a small project which will be up to $130,000; that the District continues to work with the consultant to prepare the emergency activation documents for the Incident Action Plan and the After Action Review, and the reimbursement documents and procedures; that the staff continues to monitor the County, State and CDC guidelines pertaining to the COVID-19. Information only. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE The Director of Strategic Services stated that legislation has been heavily impacted by the emergency; that there have been amendments in the Brown Act for meetings to allow for teleconference; that the Governor’s executive order doesn’t allow the District 05-22-2020 cmc to disconnect services for nonpayment; and that the District continues to monitor Edison’s planned power shut-off events. She stated that staff continues to monitor the impacts of SB 998 with the delinquency payments and how much of that is related to COVID-19. Information only. OUTREACH UPDATE The Director of Strategic Services provided an update on the outreach that the District is continues to send including bill inserts, newspaper ads, social media, direct mailers about topics relating to COVID-19, conservation, water quality, projects, and the Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC). She stated that during this time, District staff is usually very busy with community events, career days, and tours but with the changes due to the current pandemic, staff is looking for different paths to continue the engagement with the community; that these have included Spanish informational handouts at a local grocery store and the possibility of hosting a virtual meeting for informational updates about the SNRC. Ms. Malloy stated that staff continues to work on the redesign of the utility bill but information regarding budget based rates and their calculations have been added to the website to assist customers with additional information. Information only. COMMUNITY GROUP APPOINTMENT PROCESS The Director of Strategic Services stated that the Community Advisory Commission currently has two vacancies; that she will be taking the policy to the Board of Directors for approval to incorporate the following changes: reorganization of the functions to clarify the advisory capacity and the appeals process, the expansion of the commission up to seven members, and the incorporation of term limits; that once the Board approves the changes, the application period will be open for a month. Information only. SET THE DAY AND TIME FOR HOLDING RECURRING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Committee discussed and established that they will meet the second Thursday at 2 pm of every other month, beginning June 11, 2020. Information only. DIRECTOR’S COMMENTS There were no comments at this time. STAFF’S COMMENTS There were no comments at this time. 05-22-2020 cmc ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 3:04 pm. ______________________________ ______________________________ David E. Smith Phillip R. Goodrich Director Director 06-11-2020 cmc Subject to approval EAST VALLEY WATER DISTRICT June 11, 2020 LEGISLATIVE & PUBLIC OUTREACH COMMITTEE MINUTES Kelly Malloy, Director of Strategic Services, called the meeting to order at 2:06 pm. Director Goodrich led the flag salute. PRESENT: Directors: Goodrich, Smith ABSENT: None STAFF: Kelly Malloy, Director of Strategic Services; Cecilia Contreras, Senior Administrative Assistant GUEST(s): None PUBLIC COMMENTS The Senior Administrative Assistant declared the public participation section of the meeting open at 2:06 pm. There being no written or verbal comments, the public participation section was closed. APPROVAL OF THE MAY 14, 2020 COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES M/S/C (Smith-Goodrich) that the May 14, 2020 committee meeting minutes be approved as amended. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE The Director of Strategic Services stated staff along with the efforts from the District’s legislative lobbyist continues to monitor multiple bills including but not limited to AB 2560, AB 3266, SB 1099, SB 1386, and the FY 2020-21 state budget; and reminded that due to the COVID-19 emergency, the District is not allowed to disconnect services for nonpayment and that staff continues to monitor the delinquencies and the impact that this will have along with the legislation that will be coming from this. Information only. OUTREACH UPDATE The Director of Strategic Services presented an update of the current outreach that has been created for the community including but not limited to website enhancements with additional information on budget based rates, SNRC, and COVID-19, social media posts at least three times a week, monthly bill inserts, print advertisements, video to encourage enrollment for students in the Water Resource Management Pathway class, and a community focused SNRC newsletter for the surrounding area of the project. 06-11-2020 cmc Information only. DIRECTOR’S COMMENTS Chairman Smith thanked staff for the updates provided. Vice Chairman Goodrich stated that he enjoyed the information provided in the staff reports. STAFF’S COMMENTS Ms. Malloy thanked the Directors for attending the committee meeting at the new day and time scheduled. ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 3:20 pm. ______________________________ ______________________________ David E. Smith Phillip R. Goodrich Director Director S TAF F R E P ORT Agenda Item #4. Meeting Date: Augus t 13, 2020 To: LEG I S LAT I VE AND P UB LI C O UT R E AC H C O MMI T T E E From: Direc tor o f S trategic S ervices S ubject: S terling Natural R es o urc e C enter Up d ate R E COMME N D AT IO N: T his item is for info rmatio n o nly, no ac tion is rec o mmend ed at this time. B AC KG R O UN D / AN ALYS IS : T he S terling Natural R esourc e C enter has c ro s sed over the halfway mark fo r c o nstructio n, with ac tivity throughout the p ro ject s ite and regulatory permits . C ons truc tion ac tivity includ es s ignific ant rebar and c o ncrete work, p ip eline ins tallatio n, and b uilding as s embly. S ince the project is using the pro gres s ive design-b uild mod el, c o ns tructio n c ontinues while d es ign efforts are underway in a c o llaborative team environment with the projec t p artners . T he design team is working to incorporate the bio-energy enhancement into the various elements of the treatment process, complete the landscaping design, and site security elements. Efforts c o ntinue to work through the vario us regulato ry approvals nec es s ary fo r the p rojec t. T his is an on-go ing p roc es s in tandem with the c o ns truction effort. C urrent regulato ry agenc ies involved in the S NR C inc lude the S tate Water R esourc es C ontrol Board Divis io n of Drinking Water, R egio nal Water Q uality C o ntrol Board, S outh C o as t Air Q uality Management Dis trict, S an Bernard ino International Airpo rt Authority, S an Bernardino C ounty F lo o d C ontrol, C ity o f Highland , and C ity o f S an Bernardino . Additionally, work c ontinues with S outhern C alifornia Edis o n fo r the infrastruc ture to ensure power c an b e delivered to the s ite and that they are able to rec eive the energy generated at the S NR C . T he Dis trict has inc reas ed o utreac h with c o mmunity members living in the vic inity o f the s ite, partic ularly within ¼ mile. G iven the increas ed c o ns truction ac tivity will c o ntinue fo r the remainder of 2020, the Dis tric t is taking s tep s to p ro vid e helpful information. S taff is als o wo rking to p rep are a public notice that is required fo r air q uality permitting. Distric twid e c us tomers also have projects up d ates provided thro ugh web s ite c o ntent, soc ial media p osts and b ill inserts . AGE N C Y GOALS AN D OB J E C T IVE S: G o al and O bjectives I - Implement Effective S olutio ns T hrough Visionary Lead ers hip a) Id entify O p portunities to O ptimize Natural R es ources R espec tfully s ubmitted : Kelly Malloy Direc tor of S trategic S ervices F IS CAL IMPAC T T here is no fis cal imp ac t as s oc iated with this agend a item. S TAF F R E P ORT Agenda Item #5. Meeting Date: Augus t 13, 2020 To: LEG I S LAT I VE AND P UB LI C O UT R E AC H C O MMI T T E E From: G eneral Manager/C E O S ubject: Emergenc y R es po nse Update R E COMME N D AT IO N: T his item is for info rmatio n o nly, no ac tion is requested at this time. B AC KG R O UN D / AN ALYS IS : East Valley Water Dis tric t is committed to provid ing wo rld class pub lic servic e, this inc lud es going to great lengths to meet the needs o f the c o mmunity during b o th normal and emergency s ituations. O ver the las t year, a team o f s taff members have been working to up date the Dis tric t's emergency prep arednes s d oc uments . T his inc lud es an evaluatio n of the hazard s that could oc cur within the s ervice area, development o f p lanned res p o ns es to emergencies , and id entific ation of projec ts that c o uld mitigate the imp ac t o f future emergencies. At this p o int in time the Emergenc y R es p o ns e P lan, R is k and R es iliency P lan, and the T hreat and Hazard Identificatio n and R is k As s essment are c omp lete. T he Hazard Mitigatio n P lan has b een ap p roved by the C alifornia O ffice of Emergency S ervices, and is c urrently under review by the F ed eral Emergency Management Agenc y (F EMA). T he Dis trict is currently developing a Bus ines s C ontinuity P lan, whic h will fo c us s p ecifically o n resuming and maintaining operatio ns during and after an emergenc y. W hile this pro ces s has been underway, the C O VI D-19 pandemic b egan impacting p eo p le ac ro s s the wo rld resulting in the need for o peratio nal adjus tments at the Dis tric t level to c o mply with regulato ry guidelines while maintaining servic e level for the community. T his includ ed the Distric t proc laiming a loc al s tate of emergency, whic h allows for the modific atio n o f d aily o peratio ns to meet the needs of the organizatio nal vis io n. T his emergenc y has been an opportunity for s taff to us e the pro ces s es and p ro cedures that have been put in p lac e b as ed on fed eral s tandards , with the ab ility to make adjustments to enhanc e effic iencies for the Dis tric t. G iven the c o s t o f res p o nding to this emergency the Distric t is preparing to s ubmit a “S mall P roject” to recover approximately $130,000 in C O VI D-19 related exp ens es . T he Dis tric t has continued to provide s ervic e to the community, while maintaining a safe work environment. Unlike an earthquake o r wild fire the C O VID-19 emergency has not resulted in damage to infras truc ture, ho wever it has required ad ap tations to o p eratio ns includ ing: Dep lo yment of a hyb rid s taffing plan with a combinatio n o r b o th res tric ted on-s ite and remo te wo rk Implementation o f enhanc ed c leaning meas ures in Dis tric t fac ilities P ro curement and distribution o f pers o nal p rotective equip ment Enhanc ed communications thro ugh s oc ial med ia, b ill inserts, and the web site R espec tfully s ubmitted : Kelly Malloy Direc tor of S trategic S ervices T he Dis tric t will c o ntinue to res p o nd to the c urrent emergency and take s teps to b e prepared for o nes in the future. An effec tive emergency prepared nes s p rogram requires on-go ing attentio n and adjustments by staff throughout the o rganizatio n. AGE N C Y GOALS AN D OB J E C T IVE S: G oal and O b jec tives I I I - Deliver P ub lic S ervice with P urpose W hile Embrac ing C o ntinuous G rowth a) Advance Emergenc y P repared nes s Efforts d) Emb rac e an Enviro nment o f Active Learning and Kno wled ge S haring F IS CAL IMPAC T T here is no fis cal imp ac t as s oc iated with this item. S TAF F R E P ORT Agenda Item #6. Meeting Date: Augus t 13, 2020 To: LEG I S LAT I VE AND P UB LI C O UT R E AC H C O MMI T T E E From: Direc tor o f S trategic S ervices S ubject: Legis lative Up d ate R E COMME N D AT IO N: T his item is for info rmatio nal purp o s es o nly. B AC KG R O UN D / AN ALYS IS : Ac tive engagement in the legislative p ro c es s is imp erative to p ublic administratio n. T he d ecis io ns mad e by elec ted offic ials and s taff shap e the d ay-to-day ac tivities of the Dis tric t. T he Dis trict works clos ely with T he O nate G roup and R esolute who are b as ed in S ac ramento and have excellent wo rking relations hips with regulato ry agencies, elected officials , and ad minis tration s taff. Due to C O VID-19, the legislative session has b een s ignificantly d ifferent than a typic al year. T he legis lature s us p ended ses s io n twic e due to elected officials and their staff being c o nfirmed to have c ases o f C O VID-19. T his has significantly c ompres s ed time fo r req uired hearings lead ing up to an Augus t 30 cons titutional d ead line. Legis latio n the Dis tric t is mo nitoring includ es: S B 1099; Emergency backup generators: critic al facilities S B 1386; Loc al government: as s es s ments, fees , and c harges: water: hyd rants F Y 2020-21 S tate Bud get and sub s equent Trailer Bills T he above mentio ned legislation inc lud es consideration fo r planned p o wer s hut-off events which allow elec tric al c o mp anies to proac tively de-energize po wer lines in high fire d anger conditio ns . T he extent and propos als of this top ic are in d evelo p ment, but include consideration of minimum no tificatio n requirements , id entifying thes e events as emergencies thus applying exemptions from air q uality requirements fo r running generato rs, and p otential fund ing for alternative energy equipment. C urrently, the bill is not antic ip ated to c o mplete the req uired review p roc es s , due to the inability to reac h a res o lution with lo c al air q uality dis tric ts . T he Dis tric t is c urrently sup porting language un S B 1386 which would no t require fire departments to c harge a s eparate fee to b e p aid to water agencies for use of fire hydrants in fire sup p ression ac tivities . G iven the c ritic ality of fire hyd rants in water quality program and will b e s pecific ally identified as a water facility fo r p ropos ition 218 complianc e purpos es . T he Dis tric t c o ntinues to b e engaged in the evolving Executive O rd ers and p ermanent regulatio ns as a res ult o f C O VI D-19. T his inc lud es add res s ing the ability to d is connect utilities fo r d elinquency during and immediately following an C O VI D-19 emergency, and the imp ac ts that this has on both water agenc ies and property owners . R espec tfully s ubmitted : Kelly Malloy Direc tor of S trategic S ervices Additio nally, s taff is p articipating in an As s oc iation of C alifo rnia Water Agencies (AC WA) wo rking group to p rovid e input in the d evelo p ment o f a statewide affordable rate pro gram as d efined in AB 401 in 2015. S taff will c o ntinue to work c lo s ely with legis lative advoc ates in S ac ramento. T hrough the District’s member in AC WA and C alifornia Municipal Utilities As s o ciation (C MUA), staff is rec eiving b riefings , p artic ip ating in wo rking gro ups , and advo cating fo r regulatio ns and legis latio n that c o uld impac t our c ommunity. AGE N C Y GOALS AN D OB J E C T IVE S: G o al and O bjectives I - Implement Effective S olutio ns T hrough Visionary Lead ers hip c) S trengthen R egional, State and N ational P artnerships F IS CAL IMPAC T T here is no fis cal imp ac t as s oc iated with this agend a item. S TAF F R E P ORT Agenda Item #8. Meeting Date: Augus t 13, 2020 To: LEG I S LAT I VE AND P UB LI C O UT R E AC H C O MMI T T E E From: Direc tor o f S trategic S ervices S ubject: O utreach Up d ate R E COMME N D AT IO N: T his item is for info rmatio nal purp o s es o nly. B AC KG R O UN D / AN ALYS IS : T he Dis tric t continues to utilize various avenues o f c o mmunic atio n to engage with the c o mmunity. By d ivers ifying its c o mmunic atio n outlets, the Dis trict s eeks to exp and its reac h of c o mmunity memb ers that would o therwis e b e overlooked with a s ingular outlet. R ec ent pro jects have inc luded, b ut are no t limited to: C O VI D-19 O utreach C ap ital Imp ro vement P ro ject C o nstructio n C o nsumer C o nfid enc e R ep o rt F Y 2020-21 Budget P athway P ro gram (Indian S p rings High S chool) S NR C Up d ates C o nservatio n Metho d s o f c o mmunic atio n vary d ep end ing o n the p ro jec t, but may inc lude: S o cial Med ia Bill Ins erts Direct Mailers S ignage P rint Ad vertisements T he Distric t continues to ac tively utilize s o c ial med ia as p art of its o n-go ing outreac h effo rts . T hro ugh p o s ts on F ac eb o ok, Twitter, and Ins tagram, the District provides the public with S terling Natural R es o urce C enter pro ject b enefits and progress , news up dates , c ons ervation tips , rebate program info rmatio n, and s ervic es available to c usto mers. Bill inserts c o ntinue to be one of the mo s t effective o utreac h outlets. By inc luding informational materials in the water bill, the Dis trict ensures community members within the s ervic e area have information readily acc es s ib le and are enc ouraged to engage with the District as a res ult o f the ins ert. In cultivating effective outreach effo rts, the Dis tric t c o nsiders diversity within its servic e area and their d ifferentiating communication preferenc es , b ac kgro unds and p rimary language. As res ult, the Dis tric t now p rovid es its mo st c ritic al o utreac h materials in multiple languages . R es p ec tfully s ub mitted: Kelly Mallo y Directo r o f S trategic S ervic es p rovid es its mo st c ritic al o utreac h materials in multiple languages . S taff is lo o king at inc o rp o rating a third p arty c ompany to help gather d ate to assist with better unders tanding the c o nservatio n needs of o ur cus tomers , p reparing fo r req uired reports , and highlighting progress mad e in increas ing organizational effic ienc ies . T he C O VI D-19 pandemic has res ulted in an inc reas e in water cons ervation rebate partic ip ation, highlighting the inc reased interest of o ur community in red uc ing ineffic ient water us e to b enefit their mo nthly water b ill. Additio nally, the Dis tric t is invo lved in a numb er of c o ns tructio n p ro jec ts within the s ervice area. A focus ed effort is und ertaken o n eac h pro ject to info rm residents that c ould have their s ervic e d irec tly imp acted along with residents that could b e ind irec tly impac ted b y lane clos ures o r equip ment s taging. T his o utreac h has pro ven to b e an effec tive c ommunicatio n to o l that ens ures that residents are c o nfident in the quality and legitimac y o f work taking p lac e near their ho me o r plac e of bus ines s , while als o providing a direct c o ntac t numb er s hould they have q ues tions o r c o ncerns . AGE N C Y GOALS AN D OB J E C T IVE S: G oal and O b jec tives I I - Maintain a C o mmitment to S us tainab ility, Trans p arency, and Ac countability b) U tilize E ffective C ommunication M ethods d) P rovide Q uality I nformation to E ncourage C ommunity E ngagement F IS CAL IMPAC T T here is no fis cal imp ac t as s oc iated with this agend a item.