Meeting Information
MINUTES
Special Meeting
Friday, February 22, 2002, 9:30 a.m.
City Hall, Board of Supervisors Chambers, Room 250
Chair: Commissioner Gonzalez
Vice-Chair: Commissioner McGoldrick
Members: Commissioners Ammiano, Hall, and Schmeltzer
Alternate: Commissioners Peskin and Fellman
Clerk: Monica Fish
SPECIAL AGENDA
(There will be public comment on each item)
1. Call to Order and Roll Call
The meeting was called to order by Chair Gonzalez at 9:30 a.m.
Members Present: Chair Gonzalez, Vice-Chair McGoldrick, Commissioners Ammiano (noted present at 11:54 a.m.), Schmeltzer, Fellman, and Hall (noted present at 1:15 p.m.)
Members Absent: None
2. San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission (SFLAFCo) Public Hearing on Public Power.
Chair Gonzalez stated that the San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission is sponsoring the first of several public information hearings that will investigate the options of providing electricity service to the City and County of San Francisco. The first information hearing will focus on several public power options, and that we look forward to hearing from a number of prominent public power managers in the morning session. There will also be an afternoon session beginning at 1:00 p.m. with additional speakers. In a few weeks, the San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission will sponsor another public information hearing which will focus on options of continuing to receive electric service from PG&E and we hope to have appropriate speakers from both Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the Public Utilities Commission to share with us information regarding this option. A date for that hearing will be scheduled in the near future, and there may be additional informational hearings as the need arises to gather more information on any particular subject.
The LAFCo was established in August of 2000 as a result of an initiative petition to create a Municipal Utility District or MUD for the City and County of San Francisco and the City of Brisbane. California law necessitated that the City and County of San Francisco form a LAFCo to review the proposed formation of a district. In addition, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act authorized the LAFCo to perform studies and to obtain and furnish information that would contribute to the logical and reasonable development of local agencies for specific purposes. Most of you are aware that there was a recent election in San Francisco for the creation of a MUD. The result of the election revealed that there is public support in San Francisco for the consideration of public power.
Following the November election, the San Francisco LAFCo discussed whether there was a continuing need for this LAFCo Commission. After some discussion, the Commission unanimously concluded that there was indeed a public need and strong public support for the thoughtful investigation of public power options for San Francisco. LAFCo therefore decided to continue its work. The Commission felt it was the best vehicle for embarking upon a deliberate and open process of gathering information. By LAFCo establishing a broad information base on this complicated subject, San Francisco would be in a position to make a knowledgeable decision on whether to pursue the matter of public power either as a Municipal Utility District, a Municipal Utility, or in some other form or hybrid. These public discussions may very well lead to another ballot proposition in the future. The purpose of these workshops is to provide an opportunity to gather as much information as is reasonably possible to assist the members of the public and the Commission in our future thinking about how we move forward. The City and County of San Francisco and LAFCo will hopefully be able to assess the information we receive, explore the various options we have, and hopefully make the best decision for San Francisco.
Gloria L. Young, Executive Officer introduced each of the panelists and Donald Maynor, SF LAFCo’s legal counsel who facilitated the session and has extensive experience in the area of municipal utilities.
Donald Maynor, Esquire presented an overview of the public power hearing and discussed informal rules for conducting the hearing. Members of the public with questions were invited to fill out a questionnaire form that would be presented to the panelists during public comment at the end of the afternoon session.
Morning Panel 9:30 - 12:00 p.m.
Laura Doll, Chief Executive Officer, State of California Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority discussed the purpose and functions of the State of California Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority. The "Clean Growth: Clean Energy for California’s Economic Future, Energy Resource Investment Plan" was distributed and is available at the Clerk of the Board’s Office and on their web site at capowerauthority.ca.gov. This plan helps establish what the role of the Power Authority might be and outlines a vision of a "clean energy future" for California.
Linda Davis, Sacramento Municipal Utility District Board of Directors discussed her background and commitment to public power. A discussion was held about positive aspects of a publicly-owned power system versus an investor-owned utility in Sacramento.
Tom Habashi, Director of the City of Roseville Electric introduced Roseville Electric who has been in the electric utility business since 1911 and discussed the differences between a publicly-owned and investor-owned utility, trends in and vision for California, reasons to municipalize, and what’s next for San Francisco. A PowerPoint presentation was made, a copy of which is available at the Clerk of the Board’s Office.
Mary Tucker, Supervising Environmental Services Specialist, City of San Jose is responsible for coordinating a large number of the energy activities in San Jose and described their role in energy-related activities. PG&E supplies the bulk of San Jose’s energy needs as they are not a Municipal Utility District. They have kept informed of the feasibility of establishing a Municipal Utility District or other entity, but at this time are not undertaking any formal feasibility studies or have direction to start in that path.
Chair Gonzalez, Vice-Chair McGoldrick, Commissioners Schmeltzer and Fellman engaged in a question and answer session with each of the panelists.
The Chair and Executive Officer thanked the speakers for participating.
The morning session adjourned at 12:05 p.m.
Afternoon Panel - 1:00 - 3:00 P.M.
The afternoon panel convened at 1:15 p.m.
Members Present: Chair Gonzalez; Vice-Chair McGoldrick (was noted present at 1:49 p.m.); Commissioners Ammiano, Hall, and Fellman
Member Absent: Commissioner Schmeltzer
Gloria L. Young, Executive Officer introduced the afternoon panel and described their background in energy-related issues.
Ed Smeloff, Assistant General Manager for Power Policy, Planning and Resource Development, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission discussed the advantages, future opportunities, and importance of increasing San Francisco’s local control of the electric system.
Don Dame, Assistant General Manager of Power Management for the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) discussed the formation and functions of the Northern California Power Agency headquartered in Roseville, CA. A PowerPoint presentation was made, a copy of which is available at the Clerk of the Board’s Office.
Ed Adjayan, former Public Utilities General Manager, City of Anaheim and currently a strategic consultant on energy issues to several governmental agencies and businesses discussed the issues surrounding public power and spoke of deregulation, different options, risks, problems, differences between investor-owned and municipal power systems, building and financing of power plants, and community involvement.
The Commissioners engaged in a question and answer session with each of the panelists.
3. Public Comment
The panelists answered questionnaires presented to them by public speakers and a public comment session was held.
4. Adjournment
Gloria L. Young, Executive Officer thanked the panelists for participating.
The meeting of the San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission adjourned at 3:31 p.m.
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