WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:20.719 Unknown: pacific 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:32.000 Unknown: Thank you. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.000 Unknown: Thank you. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.000 Unknown: Thank you. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.000 Unknown: Thank you. 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:32.000 Unknown: Good evening. 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:40.000 Unknown: I'll call to order the SMUD Board of Directors meeting of September 17, 2026. 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.000 SPEAKER_03: Please join me in the pledge of the flag. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:51.000 Unknown: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for 00:05:51.000 --> 00:06:03.000 SPEAKER_16: which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:05.000 Unknown: Thank you. 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:10.000 Unknown: This meeting of the SMUD Board of Directors is recorded with closed captioning. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:16.000 SPEAKER_03: The recording will be cable cast on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel. 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:26.000 SPEAKER_03: On the Comcast and DirecTV U-verse cable systems, the recording will also be video streamed at Metro14live.saccounty.gov. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:37.000 Unknown: Today's meeting replays Sunday, September 20th at 2 p.m. and on Monday, September 21st at 9 a.m. on Metro Cable Channel 14. 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:46.000 Unknown: Once posted, the recording of this meeting can be viewed on demand at youtube.com slash Metro Cable 14. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:57.000 SPEAKER_03: For members of the public attending in person who wish to speak at this meeting, please fill out a speaker's request form located on the table outside this room and hand it to SMUD security. 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:14.000 SPEAKER_03: Members of the public attending this meeting virtually who wish to provide verbal comments during the board meeting may do so by using the raise hand feature in Zoom or pressing star 9 while dialed into the telephone toll free number at the time public comment is called. 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:21.000 SPEAKER_03: Technical support staff will enable the audio for you when your name is announced during the public comment period. 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:39.000 SPEAKER_03: You may also submit written comments by emailing them to public comment at smud.org. Written comments will not be read into the record, but will be provided to the board electronically and placed into the record of the meeting if received within two hours after the meeting ends. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:56.000 SPEAKER_03: Members may speak to items on the agenda on which the board will take action and may also address the board on other agenda items and items not on the agenda, but within our jurisdiction during the general comment period. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:14.000 Unknown: Our safety message is this auditorium is equipped with a safety alarm. If the alarm sounds, please leave in an orderly manner via the exits to the lobby or behind the dais. Assemble in front of the building and wait to hear the all clear announcement from security before reentering. 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:18.000 SPEAKER_03: Would the chief legal officer please conduct the roll call? 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:20.000 Unknown: Director Rose? I'm here. 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:22.000 SPEAKER_03: Director Bowie-Thompson? 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:25.000 Unknown: Director Fishman? Here. 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:27.000 Unknown: Director Herber? Here. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:29.000 SPEAKER_09: Vice President Kurz? 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:32.000 Unknown: Director Sanborn? Here. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:34.000 SPEAKER_08: President Tamayo? Here. 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:36.000 SPEAKER_08: You have a quorum. Thank you. 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:41.000 Unknown: And our 2030 Climate Action Tip will be provided by Director Herber. 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:43.000 SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Mr. President. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:50.000 SPEAKER_09: There are simple ways to keep clean energy top of the mind in your daily life. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:52.000 SPEAKER_09: Here's a tip. 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:56.000 Unknown: Switch out your incandescent bulbs for LEDs. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:02.000 SPEAKER_09: They use 80% less electricity and last longer. 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:09.000 SPEAKER_09: LEDs are available in a range of color tones and brightness levels to match your style. 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:16.000 SPEAKER_09: You can even find them at the smudenergystore.com. 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:18.000 Unknown: Thank you. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:24.000 SPEAKER_03: Now, if there are no corrections, changes or additions, I'll entertain a motion to approve the agenda. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:26.000 Unknown: So moved. Second. 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:31.000 Unknown: All right. Moved by Director Fishman, seconded by Director Herber. 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.000 SPEAKER_03: Directors, please vote. 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:44.000 Unknown: The agenda is approved with Directors Bowie-Thompson and Kurz absent. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:46.000 Unknown: Thank you. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:49.000 SPEAKER_03: And now we'll move on to our committee chair reports. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:53.000 SPEAKER_03: Director Sanborn, chair of the Strategic Development Committee, 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:58.000 SPEAKER_03: will give the report of the September 8, 2026 meeting. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:01.000 Unknown: Thank you, President Tamayo. 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:04.000 SPEAKER_13: The Strategic Development Committee met on Tuesday, September 8, 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:07.000 SPEAKER_13: and there was one informational item and one discussion item. 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:15.000 SPEAKER_13: The informational item was an external presentation by the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District on local air quality 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:23.000 SPEAKER_13: and an update from the California Energy Commission on their study of achieving the state's decarbonization goals under SB 100. 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:29.000 Unknown: The discussion item was about authorizing submission of a SMUD round six grant application. 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:34.000 Unknown: For the California Strategic Growth Council's Transformative Climate Communities Program 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:42.000 SPEAKER_13: and authorizing the CEO and general manager to negotiate and sign all necessary grant-related documents with the state of California. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:50.000 SPEAKER_13: This is item number six on tonight's consent calendar. That concludes my report. 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:58.000 SPEAKER_03: Herber, chair of the policy committee, will give the report of the September 9, 2026 meeting. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:04.000 Unknown: The policy committee met on Tuesday, September 9, 2026. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:09.000 SPEAKER_09: There were four discussion items and one informational item. 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:18.000 SPEAKER_09: The first discussion item was to discuss the monitoring report for Strategic Direction Number 7, 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:29.000 SPEAKER_09: which deals with environmental leadership, as well as proposed revisions to the Strategic Direction SD7. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:41.000 SPEAKER_09: The report demonstrated that SMUD has been conducting business and operations in a sustainable manner by continuously improving pollution, 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:51.000 SPEAKER_09: minimizing environmental impacts, including tribal and other cultural impacts, conserving resources, 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:59.000 SPEAKER_09: enhancing regional biodiversity, and promoting equity within SMUD's diverse communities. 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:03.000 SPEAKER_09: This is item number seven on the consent calendar. 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:17.000 SPEAKER_09: The proposed revisions to Strategic Direction SD7, environmental leadership, incorporate the principles for renewable energy procurement and development. 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:30.000 SPEAKER_09: They also require board and public transparency on how the projects meet the principles before any contract execution. 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:34.000 SPEAKER_09: This is item number eight on the consent calendar. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:47.000 Unknown: The second discussion item was to discuss the monitoring report for Strategic Direction Number 9, which deals with resource planning. 00:12:47.000 --> 00:13:00.000 Unknown: The report shows that in 2025, renewable energy additions included 151 megawatts of new solar and wind generation. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:15.000 SPEAKER_09: Between 2026 and 2030, 992 megawatts of renewable energy sources and storage are scheduled to come online, 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:25.000 SPEAKER_09: and an additional 2,000 megawatts of projects currently under evaluation will be decided on later. 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:35.000 Unknown: We've seen a 12% growth in clean distributed generation, meaning more clean energy is being produced locally, 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:43.000 SPEAKER_09: plus a 23% rise in electric vehicles and electrified homes. 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:47.000 SPEAKER_09: This is item number nine on the consent calendar. 00:13:47.000 --> 00:14:02.000 SPEAKER_09: The third discussion item was to discuss and authorize the CEO and general manager to negotiate and award contracts to Sierra National Construction, 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:14.000 SPEAKER_09: Inc. and Doug Verkamp, General Engineering, for civil annual construction services for a three-year period, 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:22.000 SPEAKER_09: not to exceed the amount of $150 million across all the contracts. 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:34.000 SPEAKER_09: To further discuss this item, the item was moved to the Finance and Audit Committee meeting on September 15th. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:40.000 Unknown: This is item number 12 on tonight's discussion calendar. 00:14:40.000 --> 00:15:01.000 SPEAKER_09: The fourth discussion item was a review of board staff linkage policies for the delegation to the CEO with respect to transactions involving transmission and wholesale energy, fuel, and environmental attributes, 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:20.000 SPEAKER_09: along with board linkage number 13, delegation to the CEO with respect to grants, and board linkage 14, which is delegation to the CEO with respect to products, services, and programs. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:32.000 SPEAKER_09: The informational item was a review of the board's work plan, which was postponed to the Finance and Audit Committee on September 15th. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.000 Unknown: This concludes my report. 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:38.000 Unknown: Is that it? You're sure? 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:44.000 SPEAKER_09: Yeah, it was a long meeting. That's why we had to move some stuff to the Finance Committee. 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:46.000 Unknown: Thank you very much, Director Herber. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:55.000 SPEAKER_03: And now, Director Rose, Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, will give the report of the September 15, 2026 meeting. 00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:56.000 Unknown: All right. Thank you, President Tamayo. 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:59.000 SPEAKER_14: Yes, the Finance and Audit Committee met on September 15th. 00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:03.000 SPEAKER_14: There were three discussion items and three informational items. 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:13.000 SPEAKER_14: The first discussion item was to discuss a contract change with Kaiser Permanente to approve the 2027 medical insurance premium rates for an estimated total cost of $43 million. 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:17.000 SPEAKER_14: This is the 11.2 percent renewal increase from 2026. 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:20.000 SPEAKER_14: This is item number 10 on the consent calendar. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:31.000 SPEAKER_14: The second discussion item was to discuss contract changing with United Healthcare Insurance Company to approve the 2027 medical insurance rates for an estimated cost of $48 million. 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:35.000 SPEAKER_14: This is a 16.6 percent renewal increase from 2026. 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:39.000 SPEAKER_14: And that is item number 11 on the consent calendar. 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:49.000 SPEAKER_14: And then the third discussion item was to discuss the contract award for the Civil Annual Construction Services, which is item number 12 on the discussion calendar. 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:52.000 SPEAKER_14: We'll hear from Joe in a minute. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:57.000 SPEAKER_14: The first informational item was a quarterly procurement report for the second quarter. 00:16:57.000 --> 00:17:02.000 SPEAKER_14: Year to date, there has been $468 million in total contract awards. 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:09.000 SPEAKER_14: Second quarter seed participation was 24.8 percent, which exceeds our 20 percent goal. 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:19.000 Unknown: The second informational item was a review of SMUD's financial results from the seven-month period ending July 31st and a summary of SMUD's current power supply costs. 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:21.000 SPEAKER_14: We are right on target with the budget. 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:27.000 SPEAKER_14: And then the third informational item was an internal audit services report on the Green Energy Partner Plus Annual Verification. 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.000 SPEAKER_14: And this concludes the report. 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:30.000 SPEAKER_14: Thank you. 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:32.000 SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much. 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:43.000 SPEAKER_03: Director Fishman, Vice Chair of the Energy Resources and Customer Services Committee, will give the report of the September 16, 2026 meeting. 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:44.000 Unknown: Thank you. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:51.000 SPEAKER_02: We did meet the Energy Resources and Customer Services Committee last night, Wednesday, September 16th, with one informational item. 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:58.000 SPEAKER_02: The informational item was an update and status report on the customer programs under our zero carbon plan. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:04.000 SPEAKER_02: It's important to note that it was just looking at the customer programs that we offer to help us get to that zero carbon goal. 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:19.000 SPEAKER_02: This included updates on 2025 accomplishments, year to date and forecasted key milestones, accomplishments, metrics for 2026, and upcoming planning or implementation considerations in each of several portfolio areas. 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:27.000 SPEAKER_02: Several major milestones included we've installed more than 30,000 heat pumps in residential homes through advanced home solutions. 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:36.000 SPEAKER_02: We've increased EV ride and drive events that familiarize our customers with the different EV models out there in under-resourced communities. 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:42.000 SPEAKER_02: And we've delivered more than 19 megawatts of capacity through our My Energy Optimizer program. 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:47.000 SPEAKER_02: We've also increased residential and commercial incentives to support building electrification. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:54.000 SPEAKER_02: While the loss of some external funding, policy changes, and uncertain economic conditions remain headwinds for these programs, 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:59.000 SPEAKER_02: we will continue to focus on affordability, customer engagement, and decarbonization. 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:02.000 SPEAKER_02: And that concludes my report. 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:05.000 Unknown: Thank you, Director Fishman. 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:12.000 SPEAKER_03: Our next item is public comments on items on the consent calendar. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:15.000 SPEAKER_03: And I do have two cards. 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:19.000 SPEAKER_03: I'm going to let – it's for Sean Wirth and David Wright. 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:23.000 SPEAKER_03: And if you have a preferred order, let me know. 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:28.000 Unknown: Looks like Sean wins the wrestling match, so go ahead. 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:29.000 SPEAKER_03: And you know the drill. 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:30.000 SPEAKER_03: Good evening. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:31.000 SPEAKER_11: My name is Sean Wirth. 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:37.000 SPEAKER_11: I'm the Conservation Chair for the Muddletoe Chapter of the Sierra Club, 24 Northern California counties. 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:52.000 SPEAKER_11: I also worked with your staff on the consent item number eight to improve the policies and the principles and the screening for PPA's going forward after our debacle with Coyote Creek. 00:19:53.000 --> 00:20:01.000 SPEAKER_11: I wanted to thank the leadership of Directors Tamayo, Herber, and Sanborn for the ad hoc committee in this process. 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:07.000 SPEAKER_11: I want to thank your staff for working so diligently, and I want to encourage you to vote to approve that. 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:12.000 SPEAKER_11: I think it goes a long way to avoiding the mistakes that were made on a recent project. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:20.000 Unknown: It goes a long way to attempting to identify red flags early on to save money and to save time. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:23.000 SPEAKER_11: And we look at it as an iterative process. 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.000 SPEAKER_11: It's not something that's just one and done. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:28.000 SPEAKER_11: It needs to be refined over time. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:36.000 SPEAKER_11: I appreciated Director Tamayo's comment at the policy hearing the other day that the 30-day review period makes a lot of sense. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:38.000 SPEAKER_11: I mean, if you're going to review it, we should be able to review it, too. 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:47.000 Unknown: And then the other one that would be good to consider is if you've got third-party developers doing public outreach, just verify that they're actually getting it done. 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:53.000 Unknown: It doesn't mean do it yourself, but just make sure that it's being done appropriately and that the input that you're getting is accurate. 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:55.000 Unknown: Thank you, and please approve that agenda item. 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:57.000 SPEAKER_11: Thank you. 00:20:57.000 --> 00:20:58.000 Unknown: Thank you, Mr. Wirth. 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:00.000 SPEAKER_12: Mr. Wright, come on up. 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:04.000 SPEAKER_12: Good evening, David Wright, 350 Sacramento. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:14.000 SPEAKER_12: I want to echo Sean's comments thanking President Tamayo and Directors Herber and Sanborn for working on the ad hoc committee, 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:20.000 SPEAKER_12: and the staff also who participated in that. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:28.000 Unknown: I do have a small difference of opinion about that particular action item, number eight. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:36.000 SPEAKER_12: I am recommending that you withdraw it and send it back to staff to add the 30-day review period that we have asked for. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:48.000 SPEAKER_12: Director Tamayo was quite clear at the ad hoc committee meeting that a 30-day period was warranted and appropriate and that we want it. 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:51.000 SPEAKER_12: So let's do it now. 00:21:51.000 --> 00:22:01.000 Unknown: Just relying on the sort of aspirational wording about community engagement, that is not going to cut it. 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:04.000 SPEAKER_12: Something in black and white is desirable. 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:05.000 SPEAKER_12: Thank you. 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:08.000 Unknown: Thank you very much. 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:12.000 Unknown: Do we have any other requests to speak on this item? 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:20.000 SPEAKER_03: We do have another request from John. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:21.000 Unknown: Hello, this is John Weber. 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:24.000 SPEAKER_10: Can you hear me? 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:27.000 Unknown: Yes. 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:33.000 Unknown: Yes, good evening, Board Chairman and Board of Directors. 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:41.000 SPEAKER_10: Regarding item number six, I think it is good that staff brought this grant to the Board for a vote. 00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:53.000 SPEAKER_10: I find it interesting that staff hasn't brought up the $122 million grant that staff already submitted to the DOE for a new large load customer. 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:58.000 SPEAKER_10: I think the Board should have voted on this grant before it was submitted. 00:22:58.000 --> 00:22:59.000 SPEAKER_10: Thank you. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:06.000 SPEAKER_03: Anything else? 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:08.000 Unknown: I see any more hands now. 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:09.000 Unknown: Okay. 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:16.000 Unknown: So since we've gotten our comments, all right. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:20.000 SPEAKER_03: I will read the items on the consent calendar. 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:34.000 SPEAKER_03: Item number three is to approve Board Member Compensation for Service Rendered at the request of the Board for the period of August 16, 2026 through September 15, 2026. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:42.000 SPEAKER_03: Item number four is the approval of the minutes of the special meeting of August 18, 2026. 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:51.000 SPEAKER_03: Item number five is the approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of August 2026. 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:59.000 SPEAKER_03: Item number six was reviewed at the Strategic Development Committee of September 8, 2026. 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:09.000 SPEAKER_03: Item number seven and through number nine were reviewed at the Policy Committee of September 9, 2026. 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:19.000 SPEAKER_03: Item number 10 and number 11 were reviewed at the Finance and Audit Committee of September 15, 2026. 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:25.000 SPEAKER_03: If there are no corrections, changes, or additions, I will entertain a motion to approve the consent calendar. 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:28.000 Unknown: Moved. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:29.000 Unknown: Second. 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:30.000 Unknown: Okay. 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.000 SPEAKER_03: That is moved by Director Fishman and seconded by Director Rose. 00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:36.000 SPEAKER_03: Directors, please vote. 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.000 Unknown: The consent calendar is approved with Directors Bowie-Thompson and Kurthapsent. 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:46.000 Unknown: Thank you. 00:24:47.000 --> 00:25:13.000 SPEAKER_03: Our next item, number 12, is to discuss with possible action authorizing the CEO to negotiate and execute contracts with proposals identified on the Notice of Intent to Award for Request for Proposals, number 15735.KM, for Civil Annual Construction Services and the esteemed Joe Schofield, 00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:18.000 SPEAKER_03: our Deputy General Counsel, will do the presentation. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:19.000 SPEAKER_03: Thank you, President DeBio. 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:28.000 Unknown: At the risk of – this is the fifth presentation of this topic, so to avoid board fatigue and PTSD, I'll make this relatively brief. 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:33.000 SPEAKER_04: As you can see in front of you are all the proposers on this particular contract. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:42.000 SPEAKER_04: The top two bring us an extraordinary level of price and terms, which staff are very proud to urge the board to award to. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:43.000 SPEAKER_04: Next slide, please. 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:53.000 Unknown: This is just a brief overview of the things we considered from safety to commercial terms, environmental sustainability, and seed requirements. 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:54.000 SPEAKER_04: And next slide. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:26:03.000 Unknown: We talked a little bit about whether to award to two or five, and this is just a reminder that there are some very solid reasons to award to the top two. 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:08.000 SPEAKER_04: As we discussed at the last meeting, I would gladly take any questions. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:12.000 SPEAKER_04: In the meantime, I recommend to the board that they adopt the top two award. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.000 Unknown: Thank you very much. 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:21.000 SPEAKER_03: Any comments, discussion from the board? 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:23.000 SPEAKER_03: Director Sanborn. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:25.000 Unknown: Thank you, President DeBio. 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:31.000 SPEAKER_13: I just, again, reiterate, I think this is what's going to be fair, save us money. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:45.000 SPEAKER_13: And I like where we're going with our other discussions on contracts and deeper dives into making sure that we don't end up in a roadblock every time we bring it forward, a big contract. 00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:46.000 SPEAKER_13: That's not good for anybody. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:50.000 SPEAKER_13: So I look forward to moving it and getting this adopted. 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:53.000 Unknown: And I move it. 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:55.000 Unknown: All right. Director Fishman. 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:57.000 SPEAKER_03: No, it's okay. You can move it. 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:10.000 SPEAKER_02: Just reiterate what I've said in the several discussions we've had on this item in various committee meetings over the last couple of months that we have competing priorities. 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:20.000 SPEAKER_02: We want to recognize and value our partners in organized labor and understand that they play a key role in much of what we do here at SMUD and in the community. 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:33.000 SPEAKER_02: We also want to make sure that we're maximizing value for our customers and incentivizing our seed program and small and emerging local businesses that are applying for our contracts. 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:36.000 SPEAKER_02: And so we've struck a little bit of a balance here. 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:37.000 SPEAKER_02: It's not perfect. 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:44.000 SPEAKER_02: But we've also committed to revisiting our community workforce agreement strategy, how and when and where we apply that. 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:53.000 SPEAKER_02: I look forward to seeing that come back sometime early next year within the next several months to address some of these, again, competing priorities and how we balance them. 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:56.000 SPEAKER_02: I'm happy to support this contract. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:58.000 SPEAKER_02: Do we have a second? 00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:00.000 Unknown: I'll be happy to second. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:02.000 SPEAKER_03: Oh, okay. I didn't hear that. 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:05.000 Unknown: Yeah, go ahead. 00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:06.000 SPEAKER_03: Go ahead. 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:16.000 SPEAKER_03: Okay. Well, you know, I did want to say, Joe, you have made this presentation five different times. 00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:22.000 SPEAKER_09: And as we know, in marketing, it takes seven times before anything sticks. 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:25.000 SPEAKER_09: So I'm just giving you a hard time. 00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:29.000 SPEAKER_09: I struggled with this. 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:31.000 SPEAKER_09: I flipped around back and forth. 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:57.000 SPEAKER_09: I do feel that the fact that we reduced it from 250 to 150 and that we're also getting really good bargain with these two folks, that they have given us the best cost proposals, that makes me feel more comfortable. 00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:09.000 SPEAKER_09: And I, too, think it's important that we have community workforce agreements and we're going to be addressing that, you know, later in the year or next year. 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:12.000 SPEAKER_09: So I feel comfortable with this proposal. 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:26.000 Unknown: I won't add anything. We spoke about this at length the other night, but I do want to thank the staff and the contractors and the time and effort and coming to the multiple meetings. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:27.000 SPEAKER_14: Thank you. 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:35.000 Unknown: And I'll just conclude my thanking staff and the contractors who, you know, spent some time here. 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:37.000 SPEAKER_03: I agree with the other comments that were made. 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:51.000 SPEAKER_03: And I just want to point out to the public, even though this is a $150 million contract that's on our discussion calendar, we're not discussing it at length because we've already done that in, what, three different committee meetings. 00:29:51.000 --> 00:30:00.000 SPEAKER_03: So anyway, I just didn't want people to think that we, by practice, we just don't even think about a $150 million contract. 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.000 SPEAKER_03: So anyway, put a lot of thought into it. 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:09.000 SPEAKER_03: And I think now we're ready to vote on this. 00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:11.000 SPEAKER_03: So we have a motion and a second. 00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:16.000 SPEAKER_03: It was moved by Director Sanborn and seconded by Director Fishman. 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:19.000 SPEAKER_03: Oh, did we? 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:23.000 SPEAKER_03: We do not have any public comment on this item and we received no cards. 00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:25.000 SPEAKER_08: Okay. So no public comments. 00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:27.000 SPEAKER_03: So now we're ready to vote. 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:32.000 SPEAKER_03: So already mentioned who moved it and seconded it. 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:34.000 SPEAKER_03: So directors, please vote. 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:42.000 Unknown: Item 12 is approved with Directors Billy Thompson and Kurz absent. 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:45.000 Unknown: All right. 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:46.000 SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much. 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:47.000 SPEAKER_03: All right. 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:55.000 SPEAKER_03: So now we move on to an opportunity for the public to comment on items not on the agenda but within our jurisdiction. 00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:00.000 SPEAKER_03: And we do have a request to speak from Safi. 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:02.000 SPEAKER_03: Safi here. 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:03.000 SPEAKER_03: Yeah. 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:05.000 SPEAKER_03: So come on up to the microphone. 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:07.000 SPEAKER_03: You don't need to mess with the microphone at all. 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:08.000 SPEAKER_03: Just talk. 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:12.000 SPEAKER_03: You've got three minutes and please address your comments to the board. 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:13.000 SPEAKER_03: So thanks for coming. 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:14.000 SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much. 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:15.000 SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:24.000 SPEAKER_01: I'm here to respectfully protest the partnership with Link Logistics and the combined effort to lobby and convince City Council to approve a 50-plus megawatt. 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:30.000 SPEAKER_01: Data centers are shown to reduce the quality of life for the community. 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:38.000 SPEAKER_01: We've seen this with low water pressure from the tap, contaminated drinking water, noise pollution, and increased utility bills. 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:53.000 SPEAKER_01: In one Chicago community, residents saw their electricity bill increase by 23 percent with the electric company saying cost may rise even more as a result of quote, increased electricity usage from data centers and AI, end quote. 00:31:54.000 --> 00:32:01.000 Unknown: Water bills will also increase astronomically as the demand for water will increase with each new data center. 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:13.000 SPEAKER_01: Peer reviews show on average that water is consumed to generate the electrical power used by data centers is ten times higher than the water that is consumed inside of data centers. 00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:16.000 SPEAKER_01: These data centers claim that they don't use much water. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:30.000 SPEAKER_01: However, in 2025, an indirect water use report for the Meta Data Center in El Paso, Texas showed their direct water usage was 3,123,000 gallons of water. 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:41.000 SPEAKER_01: Their indirect water usage, which is the water consumption that happens outside of the data center in the immediate vicinity, was 72,207 gallons of water. 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:43.000 SPEAKER_01: That is 24 times the amount. 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:53.000 SPEAKER_01: Water consumption isn't just about the needs for inside of the data center, but also the water consumption due to the electricity that is generated for the data center. 00:32:54.000 --> 00:33:00.000 SPEAKER_01: We've seen nationwide data centers refusing to comply and disclose their water usage numbers. 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:06.000 SPEAKER_01: In Oregon, Google reported their data centers water usage was quote, a trade secret, end quote. 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:09.000 SPEAKER_01: It took a legal battle to force Google to reveal their numbers. 00:33:09.000 --> 00:33:13.000 SPEAKER_01: They used 1.5 million gallons of water per day. 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:16.000 SPEAKER_01: That is up to 40 percent of the city's entire consumption. 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:24.000 SPEAKER_01: In Virginia, a public records request for the Amazon data center had redactions on what their water usage was. 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:32.000 SPEAKER_01: There was zero transparency in regards to the data center's water usage for how many gallons of water was used per day as well as per minute. 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:38.000 SPEAKER_01: Water is also being diverted from communities, especially farmers, in order to power these data centers. 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:42.000 SPEAKER_01: Residents will be forced to subsidize the cost of doing this business. 00:33:43.000 --> 00:33:47.000 SPEAKER_01: In El Paso, Texas, residents saw a 12.2 percent increase in their water bill. 00:33:47.000 --> 00:33:53.000 SPEAKER_01: And you all are on record for not disclosing how this data center will affect our energy rates, which is concerning. 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:55.000 SPEAKER_01: We do have a right to our water. 00:33:55.000 --> 00:34:03.000 SPEAKER_01: We know that this leaves a water footprint of 1.2 trillion gallons of water for 20 twive alone for all the data centers nationwide. 00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:08.000 SPEAKER_01: I know my time is ending, but please cease your lobbying of our city council members as well as our mayor. 00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:13.000 SPEAKER_01: Please cease your partnership, and please don't do this data center. 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:14.000 SPEAKER_01: Thank you. 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:17.000 SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much. 00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:26.000 SPEAKER_03: One is, so you're directly, and this is just one day, I'm not trying to argue with any of the points you're making, 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:34.000 SPEAKER_03: but I wanted to be clear that you're asserting that we as an organization are lobbying the city to approve this project. 00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:45.000 SPEAKER_01: As I understand it from the article that I have read, it sounds like the working with the link, the, where is it? 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:48.000 Unknown: Link logistics. 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:54.000 SPEAKER_01: It's one of those things where the article is claiming that they've been meeting with Councilmember Eric Guerra, 00:34:54.000 --> 00:35:01.000 SPEAKER_01: trying to discuss with him implementing this data center, and he's vehemently against it. 00:35:01.000 --> 00:35:08.000 SPEAKER_01: But according to the article, there was a recent meeting where it was reported that it was, I don't know the quote, 00:35:08.000 --> 00:35:12.000 SPEAKER_01: but I'm saying it was a very productive meeting according to the article. 00:35:12.000 --> 00:35:22.000 SPEAKER_01: So I have concerns, and according to the article, they were saying that there was no comment from the committee in regards to how this will affect our energy usage and our bills. 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:33.000 Unknown: So I'm just asking that you guys cease any involvement in creating new data centers, given that how negatively it will affect our energy bills. 00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:41.000 SPEAKER_03: Well, first, our board has made it very clear, and thank you very much for your comments. 00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:53.000 SPEAKER_03: And I wrote about this today on Facebook post, that one thing that we've directed staff that any data centers, they're going to pay their own way. 00:35:54.000 --> 00:36:03.000 SPEAKER_03: We're not going to accept that powering them up will increase rates or result in stranded assets that our ratepayers are stuck with. 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:21.000 SPEAKER_03: I do want to ask our CEO just to talk very briefly about what our role in this is and what the limitations of what we do, 00:36:21.000 --> 00:36:26.000 SPEAKER_03: because basically we don't have anything to do with their water use. 00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:31.000 SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Director Tamayo. So we have an obligation to serve. 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:38.000 SPEAKER_07: So what that means is that any business that gets approved by either the city or county for the land use, 00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:41.000 SPEAKER_07: we actually have an obligation to serve those customers. 00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:51.000 SPEAKER_07: What the board has directed the SMUD team to do is to make sure that all large load customers or all data centers pay for their energy usage 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:54.000 SPEAKER_07: and the infrastructure that's required to support them. 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:59.000 SPEAKER_07: And so those costs would not get passed on to our customers. Thank you. 00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:08.000 Unknown: All right. Well, thank you very much for your input. 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:27.000 Unknown: All right. At this point in the agenda, we provide the directors an opportunity to report on SMUD activity. 00:37:27.000 --> 00:37:36.000 SPEAKER_03: We will begin with a report from Director Rose in Ward 1 and continue in world order with the President's report as the final item. 00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:40.000 Unknown: Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. 00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:50.000 Unknown: All right. So, Eraman Bararona, please come up to the mic. 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:51.000 SPEAKER_03: Welcome. 00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:55.000 Unknown: Thank you. Good afternoon, members of the board. My name is Eraman Bararona. 00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:59.000 SPEAKER_00: I'm the executive director of the Sacramento Environmental Justice Coalition. 00:37:59.000 --> 00:38:04.000 SPEAKER_00: And I'm the executive board of the Sierra Club Motherlode chapter. 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.000 SPEAKER_00: We are deeply concerned about the building of all these data centers. 00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:14.000 SPEAKER_00: So far, we have close to 20 in the region. Some of them are telecom data centers. 00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:22.000 SPEAKER_00: Some of them are going to have the hyperscale level that we're very concerned about because of the lack of transparency, lack of public comment, 00:38:22.000 --> 00:38:27.000 SPEAKER_00: or any kind of input by our climate justice and environmental justice groups throughout the valley. 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:33.000 Unknown: I'm here to speak on behalf of all of our coalition partners that we're still doing homework on this. 00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:35.000 SPEAKER_00: We're trying to understand what's happening. 00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:42.000 SPEAKER_00: We met with the county of Sacramento, and we were very, very disappointed to hear that the McClellan Hyper Data Center was approved 00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:44.000 SPEAKER_00: without any real public comment. 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:52.000 SPEAKER_00: The county said, well, you know, we posted our public notice notifications if you know McClellan, nobody walks through there, so how would people know? 00:38:53.000 --> 00:39:00.000 Unknown: We are very concerned, of course, about the urban heat effect that all these data centers will have in the local communities, 00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:03.000 SPEAKER_00: communities that are already highly impacted by environmental issues. 00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:08.000 SPEAKER_00: There's a very big problem in Highlands, for example, South Sacramento. 00:39:09.000 --> 00:39:16.000 SPEAKER_00: We're even surprised to hear that there are data centers in Natomas where the city is saying that they don't allow them, but they are there in Natomas. 00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:17.000 SPEAKER_00: I don't know what that means. 00:39:17.000 --> 00:39:19.000 SPEAKER_00: We're still looking for clarification on that. 00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:22.000 SPEAKER_00: We're also very concerned about the water usage. 00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:34.000 Unknown: Even though some of them claim to have a closed system for cooling, the data centers, we know that there's some kind of flushing that happens at some point. 00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:38.000 SPEAKER_00: We want to know with all the chemicals that are put into the cooling system, where does it go? 00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:40.000 SPEAKER_00: Where does it get drained to? 00:39:41.000 --> 00:39:44.000 Unknown: And let's not even mention energy rates. 00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:47.000 SPEAKER_00: It's very obvious. 00:39:47.000 --> 00:39:49.000 SPEAKER_00: We've had congressional leaders across the country. 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:57.000 SPEAKER_00: We've had cities and counties across the country who are very concerned about the level of energy and the environmental impacts in these communities. 00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:05.000 SPEAKER_00: So we asked the board here on their behalf to say, please slow down a little bit. 00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:15.000 Unknown: We're not totally against this, but we definitely want to know what's going on because we need to know what we're left with if this bubble blows up and we're left with the mess. 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:16.000 SPEAKER_00: Thank you. 00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:21.000 Unknown: Thank you, Eraman. 00:40:23.000 --> 00:40:24.000 SPEAKER_03: Laura. 00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:29.000 Unknown: We have another comment from a virtual attendee, Aiyana Loonie. 00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:31.000 Unknown: Okay. 00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:33.000 Unknown: Thank you very much. 00:40:33.000 --> 00:40:34.000 SPEAKER_08: Hello. Can you hear me? 00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:36.000 Unknown: Yes. 00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:38.000 Unknown: Hi. I submitted an email. 00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:44.000 SPEAKER_06: So this is just kind of a follow-up to a public comment I already submitted on item 13. 00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:51.000 SPEAKER_06: One of the questions that I had is, what do you mean by they pay their own way? 00:40:52.000 --> 00:40:57.000 SPEAKER_06: If this link systems data center is going to pay their own way, what does that actually mean? 00:41:02.000 --> 00:41:03.000 SPEAKER_06: Is there a way to get an answer? 00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:05.000 SPEAKER_06: Can I take a stab at that? 00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:10.000 SPEAKER_08: Because this item is not on the agenda, we cannot have an active discussion on it. 00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:12.000 SPEAKER_08: Oh, okay. Okay. All right. That's fine. That's fine. 00:41:13.000 --> 00:41:30.000 SPEAKER_06: So my follow-up public comment is, I want to make sure that if a data center moves in, that they do provide their own solar panels or wind or hydroelectricity or whatever, preferably sustainable. 00:41:31.000 --> 00:41:47.000 SPEAKER_06: But my biggest concern is that this 50-megawatt facility is actually taking about enough energy that over 140,000 homes use during peak hours. 00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:55.000 SPEAKER_06: So if we're comparing what that 50-watt is, that's what we use during peak hours to cool our homes, especially in the summer. 00:41:56.000 --> 00:42:03.000 SPEAKER_06: I'm concerned about extreme heat and brownouts, and we all flex alert, right? 00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:11.000 SPEAKER_06: We all try to reduce our usage. We are also all trying to use our air conditioning so we don't die in this heat. 00:42:11.000 --> 00:42:20.000 SPEAKER_06: And if we've got this 50-watt plant as data center using our electricity, then we're going to see more people dying from extreme heat. 00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.000 SPEAKER_06: We're going to see people who can't run their air conditioner. 00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:34.000 SPEAKER_06: We also need to keep our food cold. So if we're doing a brownout, we're going to start having people going hungry because their spoon is expiring. 00:42:34.000 --> 00:42:44.000 SPEAKER_06: So our electricity runs our homes. It runs our business. It runs our schools. Peak hours, obviously, we're going to be having our air conditioners on. 00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:54.000 SPEAKER_06: We just need to make sure that we can clean our homes, that we can eat our food, and that we can cool our homes and our schools and our businesses. 00:42:54.000 --> 00:43:00.000 SPEAKER_06: I mean, right now, we're already having trouble. We already have flex alerts. 00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:10.000 SPEAKER_06: So we're just going to add one more thing to the grid that could be causing deaths and hunger. And that's it. 00:43:14.000 --> 00:43:17.000 SPEAKER_03: Do we have any other requests for comment? 00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:23.000 SPEAKER_08: We do not have any further public comment if I could provide one, a brief statement and response to some of the comments. 00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:24.000 SPEAKER_08: Yes, please. 00:43:24.000 --> 00:43:29.000 SPEAKER_08: As Laura mentioned, we do have an obligation to serve, and that includes billing facilities for new customers. 00:43:29.000 --> 00:43:41.000 SPEAKER_08: We also are not allowed under California law to disclose our customer's name, their address, or their usage data. 00:43:41.000 --> 00:43:50.000 SPEAKER_08: As the board may remember, we just had a lawsuit where we were found to have wrongfully provided usage data to law enforcement out there requests. 00:43:50.000 --> 00:44:03.000 SPEAKER_08: So it's something that California law is very strict on. So, of course, we want to be transparent with the community, but there are certain laws that we have to also abide by, or we just don't have a choice. 00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:08.000 SPEAKER_08: So I want to just make people aware of that. I don't think a lot of people understand that. 00:44:08.000 --> 00:44:34.000 SPEAKER_03: Laura, could you also comment? So it's my understanding also that if there's something like an agreement that's necessary to provide power or have any sort of special infrastructure, certain things are going to – that have a big impact on our infrastructure and actually cost, 00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:43.000 SPEAKER_03: and there may be some sort of agreement that would be subject to board approval, and then, of course, to public comment and all that, right? 00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:58.000 SPEAKER_03: So – and I think we sort of envision that some of these are such a big thing that there very well could be a need for special financing arrangements and things like that, 00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:12.000 SPEAKER_03: or even requirements imposed on those data centers to do extraordinary things that we won't serve them unless they do that. So is that the case? 00:45:12.000 --> 00:45:27.000 SPEAKER_03: Yes. That is correct. And as Laura mentioned, with these large, low customers, the board has been very clear in past meetings that the customers will be required to pay for any upgrades. 00:45:27.000 --> 00:45:39.000 SPEAKER_08: And any other costs related to their service and those costs will not be spread to existing customers. Like, I can't get into detail anymore on that because it's not on the agenda, but just to clarify that as well, that's correct. 00:45:39.000 --> 00:45:45.000 SPEAKER_03: Right. And there was an assertion made that we were actually lobbying on behalf of a – 00:45:45.000 --> 00:45:59.000 Unknown: That is also not correct. We don't lobby with customers. We do have a relationship with the city and counties, and we coordinate with them, and we let them know what's going on in our service territory, but we don't – we are not lobbying for certain companies now. 00:45:59.000 --> 00:46:02.000 SPEAKER_08: Basically, just providing information about – 00:46:02.000 --> 00:46:03.000 SPEAKER_03: Correct. 00:46:03.000 --> 00:46:10.000 SPEAKER_03: Yeah. Thank you. All right. And no more comments coming in? 00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:12.000 SPEAKER_03: See any more hands now? 00:46:12.000 --> 00:46:34.000 SPEAKER_08: All right. Well, thank you very much. All right. So at this point in the agenda, we provide the directors an opportunity to report on SMUD activity. We will begin with a report from Director Rose in Ward 1 and continue in ward order with the President's report as the final item. 00:46:34.000 --> 00:46:55.000 Unknown: All right. Thank you. President Tamayo, I wanted to take a little bit different tack than the discussion we were just having. As everybody knows, last Friday was the 25th anniversary of September 11th. I've cried several times. It was very moving and a reminder of that tragic day. 00:46:55.000 --> 00:47:14.000 SPEAKER_14: But I want to take a moment to thank the SMUD employees. We have a number of veterans on staff, especially our military employees resource group, and I want to thank them for their service, and it's an honor to work with them on a day-to-day basis. So thank you very much. 00:47:14.000 --> 00:47:33.000 Unknown: With that, I'll just run through a couple of sort of the standard things we went to. We got out to Citrus Heights. We had the undergrounding of the final phase. Sorry. Auburn Boulevard is the final phase of undergrounding. I worked out along that street at Rush Park many years ago, and it's been amazing to watch the transformation. 00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:46.000 SPEAKER_14: It's a testament to our undergrounding policies and our system enhancement policies that the Board has, that we've been able to assist the city. Kudos to the city for that heavy lift over the course of the last 20, 25 years. 00:47:46.000 --> 00:48:01.000 SPEAKER_14: Had the opportunity to stop by the Boys and Girls Club to do a little ribbon cutting with some other board members, which is always a lot of fun. Got out to the Citrus Heights elected officials reception and did some SMUD representation. 00:48:02.000 --> 00:48:18.000 SPEAKER_14: Was also out at the Roseville Splash event, which is always a fun event, and had the opportunity to meet some of our contractors and have some good conversations with them, so it was a nice mix of fun and work. 00:48:19.000 --> 00:48:33.000 SPEAKER_14: And then the other thing I thought was worth mentioning on Maya's busy schedule was they had the 80th anniversary celebration of the Folsom Chamber of Commerce Choose Folsom, and it was over on the Rainbow Bridge, which was just a really beautiful backdrop. 00:48:34.000 --> 00:48:41.000 SPEAKER_14: It was a pleasure to get to be out there and help celebrate all the great work that the Folsom Chamber of Commerce and the City of Folsom does. 00:48:41.000 --> 00:48:55.000 SPEAKER_14: So those are everything I wanted to report on. I would just echo on the large load discussion. Just a reminder, we had a very thorough discussion at our June committee meeting about AI large loads, data centers. 00:48:56.000 --> 00:48:59.000 SPEAKER_14: We gave some specific direction to staff as has been discussed. 00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:10.000 SPEAKER_14: But I want to echo what I mentioned at our committee meeting last night. I definitely think we need to increase our public outreach. I thought the article and the abridge that I saw yesterday morning, 00:49:11.000 --> 00:49:24.000 SPEAKER_14: gave a very one-sided story for what I have heard as a board member, and what we've previously talked about. We've all expressed concerns about it at that committee meeting as a board consistently. 00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:40.000 SPEAKER_14: So hopefully we can try to get some good information out there so people have a clear understanding of how this is impacting us, since we are in a much different situation, being in Sacramento in California than, say, data centers that we read about in the national news around the country. 00:49:41.000 --> 00:49:47.000 SPEAKER_14: That are very concerning and massive too. So that's my report. Thank you. 00:49:49.000 --> 00:50:05.000 Unknown: Thank you, directors. I think I'm up. I'm going to echo a few of your comments. Under the auspices of August 18, I was able to speak to a group of local activists that called themselves the Bad Assery Group. 00:50:05.000 --> 00:50:19.000 SPEAKER_02: It's led by Tina Reynolds and Marina Texera. And they were very concerned about data centers and large loads. And what I told them was, what Director Rose just said, that the board has already given direction to staff to come back to us with a policy. 00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:26.000 SPEAKER_02: We expect that sometime in the next month or so. That basically holds harmless our existing customers when new load comes online. 00:50:27.000 --> 00:50:44.000 SPEAKER_02: And what essentially that means is finding a financial method that may be tailored specifically to a given customer, but that says they're going to either pay for whatever upgrades they may need to the grid up front, or they're going to pay for it over time through their rates. 00:50:45.000 --> 00:50:48.000 SPEAKER_02: We'll find some way to make sure that our current customers are not left holding that bag. 00:50:48.000 --> 00:51:04.000 SPEAKER_02: And so I was pleased to be able to deliver that message to the Bad Assery Group. And I think we're going to continue having to deliver that message. And I also echo Director Rose's comments that we probably need to increase our communication efforts about that issue. 00:51:05.000 --> 00:51:19.000 SPEAKER_02: On to happier times. On August 29, I got to say a few words at the opening of Empowerment Park and the ribbon cutting. This is a new park in my ward. It's on Bell Avenue near Greer Elementary School. 00:51:19.000 --> 00:51:30.000 SPEAKER_02: And it was about 10 years ago that a man named Mike Grace, who was then Director of the Fulton El Camino Park District, came to me and said, hey, I want to talk to you about this piece of land that SMUD owns. 00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:43.000 SPEAKER_02: And you're not doing anything with it. And I want it. And that led to us eventually selling that piece of land. It was originally set aside for a substation. We then decided we didn't actually need. It's right in a neighborhood. 00:51:44.000 --> 00:51:58.000 SPEAKER_02: We sold it to the Mission Oaks. Actually, I think we sold it to the Sacramento Parks Foundation for a dollar. They turned it over to the Mission Oaks Park and Recreation District, which built an all inclusive play park on that piece of land. 00:51:58.000 --> 00:52:14.000 SPEAKER_02: So it's designed for children with disabilities, but also for any kid who wants to go and play there. And it's gorgeous. It's absolutely beautiful. It's an incredible amenity for that neighborhood, which is sorely lacking in that kind of opportunity for kids. 00:52:14.000 --> 00:52:28.000 SPEAKER_02: But it's a huge, huge also opportunity for our entire region, especially for families with children that have those special needs and may have mobility issues or sensory issues. And this is a park that's designed for them. 00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:42.000 SPEAKER_02: It's got a lot of empowerment themes to it, including electricity themes, but also general empowerment of these children. And it's one of the best things I've been involved with in my 12 years here on the SMUD board. 00:52:43.000 --> 00:52:58.000 SPEAKER_02: I think, you know, we obviously we're here to keep the lights on and to keep your rates low and to do the right thing with the environment. But as we always say, we're also here to improve the quality of life for all of our residents. And this park goes a long way towards that for some kids that often are left behind. 00:52:59.000 --> 00:53:03.000 SPEAKER_02: So I'm really, really proud of SMUD and the staff that was involved in that. And what a great thing to do. 00:53:04.000 --> 00:53:12.000 SPEAKER_02: Let's see. Got to take part in the Valley Vision We Prosper Together Catalyst Summit last week. A great event there. 00:53:13.000 --> 00:53:26.000 SPEAKER_02: Stopped by the North State Building Industry Association, Builders and Brews, and talked a little bit there to some of the developers that are doing business in our area. And they're all very appreciative of SMUD and our efforts to make their lives a little bit easier. 00:53:27.000 --> 00:53:47.000 SPEAKER_02: And then finally, just this last weekend, Director Sanborn and I and some family members were at Sacramento Splash's second annual backyard bash. Splash provides, again, outdoor education for school-age kids. A great program. Our friend, Mackenzie Weiser, does wonderful work there and was proud to be there to support that. 00:53:47.000 --> 00:54:16.000 SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Director. I want to say Director Craig, but Director Fishman, I guess we can be informal. I have a few things to report on. I was really pleased to attend the Rancho Cordova area Chamber of Commerce, their elected officials reception. There were folks from all over the country that were here. 00:54:17.000 --> 00:54:29.000 SPEAKER_09: All over our service territory, elected officials and folks who work with the Chamber. And it was a very fun event. 00:54:29.000 --> 00:54:52.000 SPEAKER_09: Also had the privilege of speaking to the leadership Elk Grove class, which is put on by the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce. And I want to tell you, there was big concern there too about AI data centers. 00:54:52.000 --> 00:54:59.000 SPEAKER_09: And you know, you've heard from most everybody on the dais tonight, but I'm going to say my couple of words too. And that is that we are paying attention to this issue. We are not looking the other way. We are asking the right questions about what is best for our community, what is best for our customers, and how do we balance the needs of growth and 00:55:22.000 --> 00:55:43.000 SPEAKER_09: growing business with making sure we continue to have low rates. Our customers are not going to pay for AI databases to come here. We are not going to allow that to happen. And the way we're going to do that is through a policy that our staff is working on. 00:55:43.000 --> 00:56:00.000 SPEAKER_09: So I just want to put it out there because sometimes people watch our board meetings that all of us are very concerned about this issue and we're paying attention and we're going to do the right thing for our customers. 00:56:00.000 --> 00:56:29.000 SPEAKER_09: I also want to share that I got to go to Sacramento State for the President's fall address. SMUD and Sacramento State have a lot of partnerships in common. A lot of their interns end up over here at SMUD. A lot of their students even get hired by SMUD. 00:56:29.000 --> 00:56:48.000 SPEAKER_09: So Sacramento State and what they're doing is very important to us. And the President did announce that there is now money for a new engineering building. So we applaud that and look forward to seeing that happen. 00:56:48.000 --> 00:57:15.000 SPEAKER_09: Also had the chance to speak at the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association Music in the Park event, which was a couple of weeks ago. And the thing that's wonderful about that is that SMUD is able to talk to so many people about energy efficiency, about going carbonless, 00:57:15.000 --> 00:57:44.000 SPEAKER_09: because they're coming out to that event to hear music. And so I was very pleased to be there. Also one other thing. I have some friends who are really interested in solar over canals. And I sat in on a phone call and you know the idea is a good one, but there still are some people. 00:57:44.000 --> 00:58:12.000 SPEAKER_09: There still are some challenges. But I just think that that's another area that SMUD should look at since we've been doing a lot of good solar stuff. And then last but not least, I want to say that I was able to go to the Sacramento History Museum to see several 00:58:12.000 --> 00:58:41.000 SPEAKER_09: individuals put on what they call, it's like a Chautauqua presentation where they inhabit the character that they're speaking for. And there was a gentleman who was Stanford, you know, the big railroad guy. 00:58:41.000 --> 00:59:03.000 SPEAKER_09: And there was another gentleman who was Teddy Roosevelt. And it was just really exciting to not only learn about their history, but how their history intersects with Sacramento. And so with that, I'll turn it on over. 00:59:03.000 --> 00:59:30.000 Unknown: Alrighty, so I'll start with on the 22nd of last month, I attended the human bulb event where we actually sponsor an event where we help young innovators innovate and have the support for that. And then they pitch their ideas and show their product. And this one happened to be around AI. 00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:49.000 SPEAKER_13: And it was fascinating because right across the street in Roosevelt was a flock camera protest. And so when I got to talk, I spoke to this interesting conundrum that we're in right now between data centers and all flock cameras, all the stuff. Where's this data being processed? What data is it? 00:59:49.000 --> 01:00:18.000 Unknown: And yet these people were there doing these amazing projects that we're going to solve really important problems for our society using AI. So anyway, I just wanted to put some of the more electrical energy solutions and also, and power solutions and fire solutions. So just, we're in an interesting time. We've got a lot of work to do, but I would also support my fellow board members that said, I do believe communication is really important to the public. 01:00:18.000 --> 01:00:42.000 SPEAKER_13: I do not think that these folks have done a good job at all of explaining to the public what they're doing. And that's led to a lot of concern. And then we've seen things in other parts of the country. So I look forward to seeing more information going out to the public, not just from us, but from all the people that are involved in data center permitting and so forth. Anyway, human bulb event was fantastic and very impressed with the young people there. 01:00:42.000 --> 01:01:11.000 SPEAKER_13: The Carmichael Chamber of Commerce, we went to a SMUD sponsored business luncheon, and it was right there at the American River College and director Fishman spoke. And then we showed the members of the chamber the tour of our new SMUD sponsored energy and electrical and training center, which is quite impressive. So if anybody's interested in getting into installing solar panels or becoming an electrician, we now have an incredible community college resource that SMUD helped sponsor. 01:01:13.000 --> 01:01:33.000 Unknown: And then I want to thank the staff for doing the video for me. I did win an award yesterday. I was in another country, so I couldn't be there to get it. But I did win a statewide award for from green tech for pioneer in environmental leadership. The staff did a really lovely video for me. So thank you for that. 01:01:34.000 --> 01:01:43.000 SPEAKER_13: So they could play it because I couldn't be there. The empowerment park was unbelievable. I mean, I want to thank director Fishman for all that he did to make that happen. 01:01:44.000 --> 01:01:57.000 Unknown: I had no idea what it would be. And I have never seen that many children having that much fun, laughing out loud, running around their hands in the air. There. It was so interactive. 01:01:58.000 --> 01:02:19.000 SPEAKER_13: If you had visual issues, there was Braille everywhere they could. Any type of issue those kids could play there. And it was absolute joy listening to them and watching them run around. It was doing the entire conference. So you could just hear him and see him running all around. Anyway, wonderful, wonderful project. I wish it didn't cost $10 million. We need to scale that kind of thing. 01:02:19.000 --> 01:02:48.000 SPEAKER_13: But it was very impressive. And a lot of people came together a lot of years to make it happen. So again, congratulations on that. The El Dorado Ag County Ag in the classroom fundraiser. I went up there. We have a lot of facilities up in El Dorado County. I always appreciate how much the people of El Dorado County love smud and appreciate us. And they were teaching again in the classroom, which is important. Our agricultural communities under assault right now between the tariffs and everything else. They're really important. 01:02:49.000 --> 01:03:18.000 SPEAKER_13: They're really struggling. And so teaching these young people how to be good ag stewards is fantastic. And I loved being there. At a meeting with the Foothill Highlands Rotary Club. They're having their annual Celebrate North Highlands event next Saturday, the 26th from 10 to 3. And it's going to be at the park right next to the Aerospace Museum off of North Watt Avenue. It's a wonderful event. I'm a sponsor. I wish I could be there. But again, work calls. So if you can go, I encourage you to go. It's a fun day. A lot of people are going to be there. 01:03:19.000 --> 01:03:40.000 SPEAKER_13: Lots of things going on there. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Sacramento, that's the downtown facility. Our staff literally electrified the whole building. It was very impressive. And they did their kitchen. And I know several of us were there. So actually, all four of us, I think we're there. So that was really awesome to see. Thanks to our staff for that. 01:03:40.000 --> 01:04:09.000 Unknown: Then I went to the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Management District 30th anniversary reception. And we were reminded that 25 years ago, our air basin was so polluted, we were not hitting basically any of the targets the federal government had set for us. We are now in full compliance for the first time. And that takes a lot of work by a lot of people, including SMUD, including all of, you know, transportation, 01:04:10.000 --> 01:04:25.000 SPEAKER_13: all the things. So everybody in the community takes all of us. So thank you to everyone who's walking and biking and getting an electric car and doing all the things that are helping us clean the air here in the basin. It helps us all breathe easier. 01:04:26.000 --> 01:04:43.000 SPEAKER_13: And then Sacramento Splash, their event, their backyard bash was wonderful. But again, these are very important. These are lovely events. But to hear from the woman who actually founded Splash, she's moved to Maine. She came back to actually explain why she started Splash. 01:04:43.000 --> 01:05:10.000 SPEAKER_13: She was an ecologist that literally saw that children were getting disconnected from Earth, didn't understand the basics about nature, started Splash to teach them hands on outside, looking at them, you know, down into the ground, looking into those vernal pools. And she's created this incredible legacy of children learning about nature and what supports life on Earth. So I was really happy to be there with my dad and my father. 01:05:11.000 --> 01:05:19.000 Unknown: And with Director Rose and Fishman. So that was really fun. So again, that was it for me. Thank you. 01:05:20.000 --> 01:05:38.000 Unknown: Well, I'm sorry to have missed the Sacramento Splash event. I've had a long history with Sacramento Splash. My former day job with Sacramento County was one of the founding agencies that got them off the ground and we had a long time relationship with them. 01:05:39.000 --> 01:05:56.000 SPEAKER_03: And subsequent to that, I've been this year, I've personally sponsored the entire fifth grade to attend a day at Splash and I'll be doing that every year and hopefully be able to expand to both of their grade levels. 01:05:56.000 --> 01:06:05.000 SPEAKER_03: So anyway, it is a great program. I do agree with that. I guess you get to meet Eva. That's terrific. So yeah. 01:06:06.000 --> 01:06:34.000 SPEAKER_03: So I had the pleasure of meeting with Sacramento City Unified School District Trustee, Justice Singh, just to kind of hear about what some of their issues are and to talk about some of the ways that SMUD works with the school district, both in, you know, helping develop a microgrid at Hiram Johnson, 01:06:34.000 --> 01:06:52.000 SPEAKER_03: helping develop, like, I think it's a scooter charging station at Hiram Johnson. And we also that we provide a lot of classroom and outside classroom STEM education and also vocation opportunities for Sac City Unified. 01:06:52.000 --> 01:07:03.000 SPEAKER_03: I wanted to make sure that he was aware that we're out there and we provide resources that enhance their activities. And so that was actually a really productive meeting. 01:07:04.000 --> 01:07:18.000 SPEAKER_03: It was great to be at the ceremony to cut the ribbon for the electrification of the Boys and Girls Club. And I've met, you know, it was very much pleasure to meet their executive director and their operations chief. 01:07:18.000 --> 01:07:29.000 SPEAKER_03: And we'll be doing a tour of the Boys and Girls Club in my neighborhood. There's one that's about a half a mile from my house that I have not been to yet. 01:07:29.000 --> 01:07:47.000 SPEAKER_03: So we're, we're that that's going to be calendared shortly. Looking forward to that. Really glad that we support organizations like Boys and Girls Club that, you know, helping improve the quality of life for everybody in our community. 01:07:47.000 --> 01:07:51.000 SPEAKER_03: Moving on to the kid wind 01:07:52.000 --> 01:08:08.000 SPEAKER_03: contest up at the aerospace museum. There were 140 children grades, primarily six, seventh and eighth that were competing to see who could squeeze the most energy out of their own design of a wind turbine. 01:08:08.000 --> 01:08:14.000 SPEAKER_03: And we provide them with the kits and materials and there was quite a bit of 01:08:14.000 --> 01:08:31.000 SPEAKER_03: SMUD staff support at that. We've got a couple of wind tunnels and there was a great display showing the energy that was created by each of the wind tunnels in a way that kids could go back and improve their their design. 01:08:31.000 --> 01:08:45.000 SPEAKER_03: And one of the really cool things that I learned was there was a there was a contingent of students and parents from a school called the Reed Academy, R E A D. 01:08:45.000 --> 01:09:06.000 SPEAKER_03: And they specialize in supporting kids with dyslexia. And one thing that they told me was this type of hands on exercise that the kids don't have to read instructions. They just get to do things that that really gets them energized and very frequently. 01:09:06.000 --> 01:09:22.000 SPEAKER_03: They excel at that sort of thing. So they were very thankful that we provide that opportunity. And I think it's, you know, that's not the first time that something that we've done out in the in the community has benefits for people with special needs. 01:09:22.000 --> 01:09:36.000 SPEAKER_03: And I'm just that's another thing that I'm enormously proud of that we have that sort of effect. I was very grateful to learn about that something about that community and the challenges that they face. 01:09:36.000 --> 01:09:59.000 SPEAKER_03: And it was great to attend the meet the buyer event that we had over at our customer service center. It was incredibly well attended. I think it was a great opportunity to tell to meet with current vendors and also aspiring vendors to provide SMUD services. 01:09:59.000 --> 01:10:21.000 SPEAKER_03: It's in they get to learn about, you know, to get better at competing for contracts and opportunities to do business with SMUD. And it was I think it was an all day basically, wasn't it? But people were very appreciative of the opportunity. 01:10:21.000 --> 01:10:48.000 SPEAKER_03: And I could see there was a lot of interaction between the vendors and staff. So I'm very glad that we do that. I got to go to the onom celebration of the Sacramento area Alliance of Malayali's, which is people who speak the language Malayalam in southwestern India, and the state of Kerala. 01:10:48.000 --> 01:11:05.000 SPEAKER_03: And it was really great to just learn about their culture, incredible food, they serve it on a on a banana and eat with one hand and and but I got to meet a lot of people, a number of them live in my community and are members of a church that's a block away from my house. 01:11:05.000 --> 01:11:34.000 SPEAKER_03: I didn't know that there was that connection. But it's just another example of how, you know, us connecting with different communities helps us get the word out to everybody in our community. I know we don't have any materials in Malayalam, but we're out there and we're showing an interest and and we're making an effort to get our programs and all the different information that benefits us. 01:11:34.000 --> 01:12:03.000 SPEAKER_03: customers to very wide range of people in our community. I would like to say that I wrote a fairly long Facebook post in response to concerns about our role in in in AI. You can go to my Facebook page and read that. I won't go over it. But and then, I think that's a really good example of how we can get people to work with us. 01:12:04.000 --> 01:12:31.000 SPEAKER_03: Our chief diversity officer and I met with the leaders of Hispanics and energy and talking about opportunities to work with them to actually sort of use smud's model for engaging the Latino community and getting folks in that community involved in the energy industry. 01:12:31.000 --> 01:12:54.000 SPEAKER_03: I know we put a lot of effort into workforce development all the way down into elementary school. So getting moving kids up and getting them people aware of the different pathways that you can get involved in energy. And I believe we're going to plan to participate in their national conference coming up in the spring. Don't know exactly when that's going to be either March or April and and present. 01:12:55.000 --> 01:13:15.000 Unknown: This is what we do and this is something that other folks could do and that the energy industry at large could invest in a model similar to ours that could open up opportunities and it's not just about the Latino community. It's about all sorts of people who don't know about the great opportunities in the energy industry. 01:13:15.000 --> 01:13:17.000 SPEAKER_03: And then finally, I spent all day yesterday being a biologist. I totally geeked out on the CAP Bio Summit, which was held at Aggie Square and it was about our region's effort to bolster the to build on the success that we've already had in developing a biotech industry here, but identify the missing pieces and utilize the strengths that we have and greatly expand the 01:13:45.000 --> 01:14:14.000 SPEAKER_03: opportunities for attracting and keeping biotech here in the Sacramento region. I met a lot of people from the industry, largely a lot of people in sort of like trade organizations and I think that there's a lot of opportunities to make sure that people in that industry, including their investors and other support services are aware of what an advantage it is. 01:14:15.000 --> 01:14:44.000 SPEAKER_03: And I think that's a really good thing. I think that if you have energy intensive uses either in research or in manufacturing that SMUD territory is a huge advantage for their companies and it was just actually really interesting to see the types of things that they're thinking about and talk to our CEO about, hey, let's strengthen our connection to those and look for opportunities to help participate. 01:14:45.000 --> 01:15:05.000 SPEAKER_03: We did get a great shout out from G-Sec about our role in attracting businesses to the Sacramento region and then also there was a lot of talk by Los Rios, they weren't talking about us, but similar to the partnership that we have with them, they're very involved in this field as well. 01:15:06.000 --> 01:15:16.000 SPEAKER_03: Anyway, I will end my comments there. I know that was a lot and we will move on to our CEO's report and take it away, Laura. 01:15:17.000 --> 01:15:24.000 SPEAKER_07: Thank you, President Tamayo. This week, National Hispanic Heritage Month begins, which runs from September 15th through October 15th. 01:15:25.000 --> 01:15:36.000 SPEAKER_07: This is an opportunity to honor the rich history and tradition of the vibrant Hispanic culture and the significant contributions of people with roots in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. 01:15:37.000 --> 01:15:48.000 SPEAKER_07: A special thanks to LUNA, our SMUD employee resource group that stands for Latinos Unity Network for Action, for all that they do to support our employees and create opportunities to grow and share knowledge across our community. 01:15:49.000 --> 01:15:56.000 Unknown: As President Tamayo mentioned, it was terrific to see such a large turnout at our annual Meet the Buyers event for local vendors who want to do business with SMUD. 01:15:57.000 --> 01:16:00.000 SPEAKER_07: More than 350 attendees representing small businesses attended. 01:16:01.000 --> 01:16:06.000 Unknown: This is part of our ongoing effort to make sure the entire community is benefiting as we transition to a clean energy economy. 01:16:07.000 --> 01:16:17.000 Unknown: In 2025, we awarded 31% of our contracts to supplier education and economic development seed program vendors, totaling 107 contracts worth $97 million. 01:16:18.000 --> 01:16:23.000 Unknown: That's money that stays right here in our local economy to support jobs, small businesses and families. 01:16:24.000 --> 01:16:30.000 Unknown: This event gave local businesses an opportunity to connect with our purchasing team, explore upcoming procurement opportunities and network with others. 01:16:31.000 --> 01:16:34.000 SPEAKER_07: Thanks to everyone who made this year's events another success. 01:16:35.000 --> 01:16:39.000 Unknown: We also held our 7th Annual Sustainable Communities Partnership Summit this month. 01:16:40.000 --> 01:16:48.000 SPEAKER_07: The event brought together our nonprofit and organization partners to share ideas, build connections and explore ways to strengthen career opportunities in our community. 01:16:49.000 --> 01:16:56.000 Unknown: This year's theme, Communities and Careers, was hosted by our Sustainable Communities Partnerships and Regional Workforce Development Teams. 01:16:57.000 --> 01:17:05.000 SPEAKER_07: The Summit sparked meaningful conversations and new connections, reinforcing our commitment to inclusive growth and collaboration across the communities that we serve. 01:17:06.000 --> 01:17:09.000 SPEAKER_07: Next, I'd like to highlight some exciting recent awards. 01:17:09.000 --> 01:17:17.000 SPEAKER_07: At the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's inaugural Hispanic Economic Impact Awards, we were recognized with the Economic Impulso Award. 01:17:17.000 --> 01:17:26.000 SPEAKER_07: This honors organizations that demonstrate leadership, investment and collaboration in expanding economic opportunities for Hispanic businesses, workers and families. 01:17:27.000 --> 01:17:41.000 Unknown: Also, Director Heidi Sanborn was recognized with the Pioneer Award at the Green California Summit 2026 for her transformative leadership in advancing green technology over her three decades in solid waste and environmental policy sectors. 01:17:41.000 --> 01:17:43.000 SPEAKER_07: Congratulations, Director Sanborn. 01:17:44.000 --> 01:17:47.000 Unknown: You did say that. It was my too. Thank you. 01:17:48.000 --> 01:18:00.000 SPEAKER_07: And in late breaking news, Director Nancy Bowie-Thompson couldn't be with us here tonight because she is being honored by the Sacramento Cultural Hub Media Foundation as a 2026 Exceptional Woman of Color, or EWOC. 01:18:00.000 --> 01:18:08.000 SPEAKER_07: Congratulations, Director Bowie-Thompson, for demonstrating leadership, service and impact that is shaping communities across the greater Sacramento region. 01:18:09.000 --> 01:18:17.000 SPEAKER_07: Lastly, SMUD has three employees that were named 2026 Changemaker by the Sacramento Bee in partnership with Nehemiah Leaders Program. 01:18:17.000 --> 01:18:20.000 SPEAKER_07: Jenny Rodriguez in our Economic Development and Partnerships Team. 01:18:20.000 --> 01:18:26.000 SPEAKER_07: Tony Wong in our Reliability Compliance and Coordination Team and myself. 01:18:26.000 --> 01:18:32.000 SPEAKER_07: It's a tremendous honor to share the spotlight with 60 local, innovative and diverse leaders who are shifting our region's landscape. 01:18:32.000 --> 01:18:34.000 SPEAKER_07: Congratulations to Jenny and Tony. 01:18:34.000 --> 01:18:37.000 SPEAKER_07: And congratulations to everyone on these accomplishments. 01:18:38.000 --> 01:18:43.000 Unknown: And finally, tonight's video features our telecommunications team. 01:18:43.000 --> 01:18:51.000 SPEAKER_07: Telecom is responsible for designing, installing and maintaining and protecting our communication networks that keep our grid safe and reliable. 01:18:51.000 --> 01:19:04.000 SPEAKER_07: In attendance here tonight, we have several members of our telecommunications team, including Breece Swierstock, our Manager of Telecommunications, and Eric Poff, who is our Director of Substation, Telecom and Metering Assets. 01:19:04.000 --> 01:19:06.000 SPEAKER_07: So let's take a look. 01:19:09.000 --> 01:19:14.000 Unknown: Hey, I'm Mike. I'm a Telecom Tech for SMUD. 01:19:14.000 --> 01:19:27.000 SPEAKER_05: SMUD's Telecom Department builds and maintains the data communications networks that allow SMUD to monitor and control our electrical grid, as well as the radio systems that help SMUD field and security personnel communicate safely and effectively. 01:19:27.000 --> 01:19:33.000 SPEAKER_05: This is a great job. All of it is exciting and I think it's very important, so that adds another aspect to it. 01:19:34.000 --> 01:19:38.000 SPEAKER_15: SMUD's Telecom team works on camera systems like this to keep the grid safe. 01:19:38.000 --> 01:19:43.000 SPEAKER_15: It's a way for our security team to monitor our substations. 01:19:44.000 --> 01:19:51.000 Unknown: We maintain the communications equipment on the power poles. It helps our operators isolate and find faults and quickly restore power. 01:19:52.000 --> 01:19:58.000 Unknown: Our Telecom equipment monitors alarms and other sensors in SMUD substations, providing data to our engineers that can help prevent outages. 01:19:59.000 --> 01:20:04.000 Unknown: We can monitor the health of each device in order to protect the grid. 01:20:04.000 --> 01:20:09.000 SPEAKER_15: We maintain over 300 miles of fiber to monitor and control our generation systems. 01:20:09.000 --> 01:20:13.000 SPEAKER_05: Some of this runs up into our hydro generation up in the mountains. 01:20:13.000 --> 01:20:19.000 SPEAKER_05: This cable allows our operators to spin up and spin down the turbines, providing affordable power to our customers. 01:20:19.000 --> 01:20:24.000 SPEAKER_05: This equipment is taking our radio waves in from the tower outside. 01:20:24.000 --> 01:20:31.000 SPEAKER_15: It's connected to Solano wind project so that the power operators can either control it or just monitor the data. 01:20:31.000 --> 01:20:35.000 SPEAKER_15: Communications at SMUD is critical to the safety of our field crews and security officers. 01:20:35.000 --> 01:20:44.000 SPEAKER_05: We tune these radios and make sure they're communicating properly to ensure that we can provide great communications during critical times, such as power outages. 01:20:44.000 --> 01:20:49.000 SPEAKER_05: Being a Telecom tech is the best job. Anywhere that SMUD touches, we're there. 01:20:55.000 --> 01:20:58.000 Unknown: Thank you. That concludes my report. 01:21:00.000 --> 01:21:01.000 Unknown: Go ahead, Mary. 01:21:01.000 --> 01:21:06.000 Unknown: Thank you to all the Telecom folks, especially for being here. 01:21:06.000 --> 01:21:10.000 SPEAKER_02: I'm sure you get the message, gee, we want to do a video to highlight your work. 01:21:10.000 --> 01:21:14.000 SPEAKER_02: It means you have to sit through an hour and a half meeting to get that accolade. 01:21:14.000 --> 01:21:17.000 SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for the work you do. Thanks for sitting through the meeting. 01:21:17.000 --> 01:21:18.000 SPEAKER_09: We do appreciate you. 01:21:24.000 --> 01:21:28.000 Unknown: I just wanted to add onto that because I learned a lot just watching that video. 01:21:28.000 --> 01:21:33.000 SPEAKER_13: I think people don't understand just how many really cool jobs we have here at SMUD. 01:21:33.000 --> 01:21:38.000 SPEAKER_13: That's a really important one. Thank you for highlighting it. Great job on the video team. 01:21:39.000 --> 01:21:46.000 Unknown: I want to mention that this weekend I was at the event. 01:21:46.000 --> 01:21:51.000 SPEAKER_03: I'm spreading the branches or something like that. 01:21:51.000 --> 01:22:01.000 SPEAKER_03: Anyway, it was arborists that get together every year to maintain vegetation, 01:22:01.000 --> 01:22:08.000 SPEAKER_03: especially trees at cemeteries for veterans and honoring the veterans 01:22:08.000 --> 01:22:12.000 SPEAKER_03: and showing some love to the places where they're laid to rest. 01:22:12.000 --> 01:22:18.000 SPEAKER_03: But there were several of our Telecom folks that were there participating. 01:22:18.000 --> 01:22:22.000 SPEAKER_03: I guess they secretly want to be arborists as well. 01:22:22.000 --> 01:22:27.000 SPEAKER_03: But out there digging in the rock hard clay, I see some. 01:22:27.000 --> 01:22:35.000 SPEAKER_03: And a couple of, I guess, apprentices, you have to be named Josh to get into the apprenticeship system. 01:22:35.000 --> 01:22:36.000 SPEAKER_03: Maybe we change names every day. 01:22:36.000 --> 01:22:42.000 SPEAKER_03: But I just wanted to shout out that they took the time to participate in that. 01:22:43.000 --> 01:22:50.000 SPEAKER_03: And then also, you mentioned the Hispanic Heritage Month and the award. 01:22:50.000 --> 01:22:55.000 SPEAKER_03: I'll be accepting that award tomorrow morning at their award ceremony. 01:22:55.000 --> 01:22:59.000 SPEAKER_03: And boy, I am pesar mis comentarios en español. 01:22:59.000 --> 01:23:02.000 SPEAKER_03: So, yeah. All right. 01:23:02.000 --> 01:23:06.000 SPEAKER_03: Anyway, that I think concludes our meeting. 01:23:06.000 --> 01:23:09.000 SPEAKER_03: And thank you very much. We are adjourned. 01:23:12.000 --> 01:23:15.000 Unknown: Thank you.