2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 MINUTES
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
6:00 P.M.
1800 Oakdale Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94124
I. Call to Order
Commission Vice President Bobbrie Brown called the Wednesday, March 26, 2003 meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the Alex L. Pitcher Community Room at 1800 Oakdale Avenue.
II. Announcement
Commissioner Brown read the Sunshine Ordinance aloud and welcomed everyone to the meeting.
III. Roll Call
Present: Commissioner Millard Larkin, Commissioner Bobbrie Brown,
Commissioner Louise Jones, Commissioner Willie Kennedy,
Commissioner Kim Nguyen, Commissioner Ronald Person
Not Present: Commissioner Enola Maxwell (Excused)
Staff Present: Robert Bryan, Deputy City Attorney; Toye Moses, Exec. Dir. SECFC;
Annette Price, SECF Commission Secretary.
Commissioner Brown welcomed Commissioners Willie Kennedy and Ronald Person, who
were recently appointed to the SECFC. We all look forward to working with you.
IV. Approval of Minutes
Commissioner Jones moved and Commissioner Nguyen seconded to accept the minutes of Thursday, March 13, 2003. Motion passed to accept minutes as presented.
V. Public Comment
Paulina Araica, DPW, Bureau of Architecture announced on Wednesday, April 9th, 2003, from 6:00 to 8:00 at the Joseph Lee Recreation Center located at 1395 Mendell Ave, there will be a community meeting to discuss the management and renovation of the Joseph Lee Recreation Center. This meeting will discuss all options for renovating the facility.
After congratulating the new commissioners to the SECFC, Ms. Espanola Jackson stated a moratorium should be declared with regard to any type of new construction being built in the BVHP community. A decision by the City is needed to redirect all raw sewage coming from surrounding cities of San Francisco or remove the sewage treatment plant all together.
Commissioner Brown moved Item IX Presentations next in order to accommodate Mr. Smeloff's schedule.
IX. Presentations
Mr. Ed Smeloff, Assistant General Manage of Power Policy, thanked the Commission for the opportunity to be here tonight to introduce the San Francisco Electricity Reliability Project, unanimously adopted by the Board of Supervisors in Dec of 2000. Mr. Smeloff assured the Commission/Community that this is only one of several parts of an outreach/education program that the PUC wants to have with the community regarding this project.
The electricity reliability project came about as part of a comprehensive electricity resource plan of how San Francisco will meet its electricity needs over the next decade. Mr. Smeloff stated their role is to have the Hunters Point Power Plant shut down before the summer of 2005, but the transformers and switches will remain in order to transmit the power to the community. The City will develop this project through a 10-year contract. The contract will allow for the complete recovery at the cost of building the power plants over the next 10 years. Because construction cost recovery is guaranteed, the City will be able to finance the project at no risk. A site will be selected which will not be in BVHP but rather North of Islais Creek. "We are also looking at several other sites, possibly the SF International Airport, downtown San Francisco at 5th and Jesse, or Mission Bay. We will need a 5- to 6-acre parcel of property."
Mr. Smeloff stated the importance of this reliability project would achieve several long-standing goals:
1. Eventual closure of the Hunters Point Power Plant
2. Fewer hours of operation for the Potrero Power Plant
3. Advanced pollution control technologies
4. Creating a foundation for future technologies such as solar, wind, and fuel cells
5. Reduction in air pollution and other environmental impacts from electricity products
6. Efficient/inexpensive generation of electricity
7. Correction of environmental injustices
8. More local control over electricity resources
_ There will be significant jobs for a period of time as part of the decommissioning of the power plant. Modeling studies will be conducted to determine whether residual emissions remain in the power plant so as to minimize impact to public health.
_ This reliability project will identify several vulnerabilities that San Francisco faces in electric supply disruptions. Approximately 2/3 of electricity imported to San Francisco comes thru San Mateo County. The remaining electricity needed has to be produced within the city itself. Vulnerability also exists due to the aging systems that are now in place. They are less efficient than the new plants, more expensive to run, and do not have good emission control technologies.
_ The benefits of this project, if done by 2005, will reduce the emissions of pollution in San Francisco by 72%, reduce emissions of soot from exhaust pipes by 54%, and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which cause local climate change by 39%. Mr. Smeloff stated a site is needed where the cost of connecting the reliability project to the electric high voltage system and gas pipelines is reasonable.
Commissioner Brown thanked Mr. Smeloff for the very interesting presentation, noting that it
is a lot of information to absorb.
Commissioner Brown noted President Larkin's arrival and opened the floor to the Commission for questions.
Discussion ensued with the Commission and Mr.
Smeloff on the following: Expense of the system; state subsidies; chemical effects
to public health; other possible locations for these new power plants; and siting
of solar power at the sewage treatment plant.
Exe. Dir. Toye Moses asked since we now have an unemployment rate of 17% in BVHP, what are your plans in terms of ensuring that BVHP residents benefit from this project? Will there be an agreement between BVHP and the PUC for employment opportunities?
Mr. Smeloff responded there will be jobs associated both with licensing and design, with the largest number coming from the construction of power plants. PUC is working through the Human Rights Commission and although there will be specific goals for women-owned/minority-owned contractors, more aggressive outreach is needed to determine who the qualified contractors/consultants are in this general area.
Comm. Kennedy noted there are many training programs going on in the BVHP community preparing young people for these jobs and it is her hope that they be given the opportunity to participate in this project. In the past, many were trained in the removal of toxins, etc., and were passed over.
There was a general consensus among the Commissioners that they would not be in favor of supporting anything that did not ensure some type of economic benefit to the community, i.e., employment opportunities and opportunities for contractors/consultants. Also, that they would like to work with PUC in an effort to setup workshops to prepare contractors when applying for these economic opportunities. Mr. Smeloff made a commitment to the Commission that he will work in conjunction with the Commission and with PUC's outreach officer to ensure that workshops are conducted in advance so that the community is aware that these contracts are coming down the pike.
Prior to opening the floor to the community, Comm. Brown turned the Chair over to President Larkin.
Commissioner Larkin stated as you can see, there is a thirst of acknowledge about not only what's going on now but also what's going to happen in the future and what part the community would play in that future. I hope you have some good things to take back with you and we look forward to having you return in the future.
Commissioner Larkin opened the floor to the community.
Mr. Francisco De Costa posed the question how much power is produced by Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (HHW&P) and of that power how much is consumed by San Franciscans. He also requested further explanation regarding the transmission lines. Mr. Smeloff responded 1.7 billion kilowatt hours annually are produced. Of that, 4.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity are consumed by San Franciscans. The remaining power is sold to Turlock and Modesto in a long-term contract which was agreed to in the Raker Act. With regard to transmission lines, PG&E is legally obligated to hook up all qualified generators to the transmission system in a nondiscriminatory manner. Therefore, an interconnection with PG&E would need to be filed to determine the effect of the system when putting on new power generators.
Mr. Charles asked at what point can PUC no longer afford to shut down these power plants if power consumption increases? Mr. Smeloff responded this plan calls for not just assuming growth will occur, but also to intervene and help customers grow in their use of electric service by using more efficient technology.
VI. Communications
Commissioner Larkin summarized the following correspondence sent out and received:
· Letter of Invitation to Mayor Willie Brown (in progress)
· Letter of Invitation to Jim Jefferson
· Letter of Commendation for Excellent Work from Pat Martel, PUC GM to Toye Moses,
Exe. Dir., SECFC.
· Draft Letter of Support to Rev. Townsend from SECFC
· SECF Priorities for calendar 2003 (revised)
VII. New Business
a) Commission Nguyen gave a brief overview of her project to implement children ages 9 thru 14 into Dean Hunnicutt's biotech program at CCSF Southeast Campus. The goal is basically to improve math/science skills to better prepare students for college entrance exams, enable them to compete at some of the top universities, and/or prepare them for a career in biotechnology. Comm. Nguyen stated she has been in contact with several individuals regarding this project and will be able to update the Commission one month from now with more details of the program.
b) It was unanimously voted by a show of hands that a dinner welcoming our new commissioners and saying farewell to our retired commissioners will take place on April 10, 2003, at 7:30 at the Old Clam House on Bayshore Boulevard in San Francisco.
VIII. OLD & ONGOING BUSINESS
Comm. Larkin stated as Chair, he would hold over Rev. Townsend's support letter until such time as the information that was requested by the Commission is provided so that an informed decision may be made.
X. Directors Report
a) The Exe. Dir. Moses reported: As mentioned at the last commission meeting, we have had to reduce our budget by 10%. Renovations in the community room kitchen are underway. Our 1424 Clerk Typist permanent position has been filled and new staff should be starting within the next 3 weeks. Also, Mr. Jim Jefferson has agreed to present before the Commission on May 28, 2003.
b) EP Mills is doing well.
c) SECF has received approval from the SFPD for the entertainment permit with certain conditions. The SFPD requires that a "One Night Dance Permit" be applied for for all social events with a fee of $40.00 payable to SFPD.
Commission Kennedy moved and Commissioner Brown seconded to accept the Director's report. Motion passed unanimously to accept report as presented.
XI. Introduction of New Business
Comm. Jones requested that a Letter of Invitation be sent to Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, SFUSD regarding School Budget Cuts.
Comm. Kennedy requested that a Letter of Invitation be sent to Don Capobres, SFRA Senior Project Manager regarding an Update on New Developments at Hunters Point Shipyard.
XII. Announcement
Atty Robert Bryan announced that annual workshops for Commissioners on the public meeting laws will be coming up shortly. The Commission will be made aware of this once determined.
XIII. Adjournment
Commissioner Brown moved and Commissioner Nguyen seconded to adjourn the SECF Commission Meeting. Meeting adjourned at 8:24 p.m.
