Unknown: It wasn't until I made it, the
Unknown: haulers got the result.
Unknown: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for
SPEAKER_17: which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
SPEAKER_16: This meeting of the SMUD Board of Directors is recorded with closed captioning. The recording
SPEAKER_16: will be cable cast on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast
SPEAKER_16: and DirecTV U-verse cable systems. The recording will also be video streamed at Metro14live.saccounty.gov.
SPEAKER_16: The meeting is being recorded and will air Sunday, September 21 at 2pm and Monday, September 22 at 9am
SPEAKER_16: on Channel 14 and it will be available on demand at youtube.com slash Metro Cable 14. Board meetings
SPEAKER_16: are streamed live for customers and other interested parties. Meetings will be archived
SPEAKER_16: on SMUD's website for later viewing as well. To view an archived SMUD Board meeting, log on to
SPEAKER_16: smud.org to find a link to the broadcast. Please remember to unmute your microphone when you're
SPEAKER_16: speaking in order that our virtual attendees can hear you. The microphone will display a green
SPEAKER_16: indicator light when it is on. Please put all electronic devices in silent mode while you're
SPEAKER_16: in the auditorium. For members of the public attending in person who wish to speak at this
SPEAKER_16: meeting, please fill out a speaker's request form located on the table outside of the room
SPEAKER_16: and hand it to SMUD security. Members of the public attending the meeting virtually who wish
SPEAKER_16: to provide verbal comments during the board meeting may do so by using the raise hand feature in Zoom
SPEAKER_16: or pressing star 9 while dialed into the telephone toll-free number at the time that public comment
SPEAKER_16: is called. Technical support staff will enable the audio for you when your name is announced
SPEAKER_16: during the public comment period. You can also submit written comments by emailing them to
SPEAKER_16: publiccommentatsmud.org. Written comments will not be read into the record but will be provided to
SPEAKER_16: the board electronically and placed into the record of the meeting if they're received within
SPEAKER_16: two hours after the meeting ends. Board members may speak to items on the agenda on which the
SPEAKER_16: board will take action and may also address the board on other agenda items and items not on the
SPEAKER_16: agenda but within our jurisdiction during the general comment period. The auditorium is equipped
SPEAKER_16: with a safety alarm if the alarm sounds. Please leave in an orderly manner via the exits to the
SPEAKER_16: lobby or behind the dais. Assemble in front of the building and wait for the all clear announcement
SPEAKER_16: from security before reentering. Chief legal officer would you please conduct a roll call?
Unknown: Director Rose. I'm here. Director Bowie-Thompson. Present.
Unknown: Director Herber. Here. Director Kurth. Here. Vice President Tamayo. Here. Director Sanborn.
Unknown: President Fishman. Here. You have a quorum. Thank you. We will now get the climate action tip from
SPEAKER_15: Director Herber. Thank you, President Fishman. Tonight's climate tip deals with the fact that
SPEAKER_17: we should unplug our appliances. SMUD is committed to 100 percent zero carbon by 2030. There's lots
SPEAKER_17: you can do to join the charge and help us lead the global clean power city movement right here at home.
Unknown: Did you know that appliances that are plugged in but not being used can still consume electricity
SPEAKER_17: even when they're turned off? Unplugging these devices can eliminate this wasted energy
SPEAKER_17: and save you up to 10 percent on your energy bills. You can also get SMUD power strips from SMUD's
SPEAKER_17: energy store at SMUDenergystore.com. Let's get to zero carbon together. Join the charge and visit
SPEAKER_17: CleanPowerCity.org. Thank you. And if there are no corrections, changes or additions,
SPEAKER_16: I'll entertain a motion to approve the agenda. So moved. Second. Moved Director Herber, seconded
SPEAKER_16: by Vice President Tamayo. Directors, please vote. What do you have a roll call? Oh, we have to do a
SPEAKER_16: roll call. Okay. Director Rose? Aye. Director Buie-Thompson? Yes. Director Herber? Aye. Director
SPEAKER_06: Kurth? Aye. Vice President Tamayo? Yes. Director Sanborn? President Fishman? Yes. The agenda is
SPEAKER_06: approved with Director Sanborn absent. Thank you. So we will move on to our committee chair reports
SPEAKER_16: and we'll start with Director Buie-Thompson, chair of the Strategic Development Committee,
SPEAKER_16: with the report from September 9th. Thank you. The Strategic Development Committee met on Tuesday,
SPEAKER_18: September 9th. There is one informational item. The informational item was an external presentation
SPEAKER_18: of the current economic outlook by Sanjay Varshney. He's the founder and principal of Goldstone Wealth
SPEAKER_18: Management and also professor of finance at Sacramento State. He covered the economic
SPEAKER_18: forecast for the balance of 2025 and into 2026. The presentation provided key insights into the
SPEAKER_18: possible recession, interest rates, inflation, consumer spending, the housing market, U.S. debt
SPEAKER_18: and change, and trade partnerships. This concludes my report. Thank you. We'll move on to Director
SPEAKER_16: Rose, chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, with a report from September 16th.
SPEAKER_16: Thank you, President Fishman. So the Finance and Audit Committee met on Tuesday, September 16th.
SPEAKER_01: We had five discussion items and three informational items. The first discussion
SPEAKER_01: item was to discuss approval of the Weihau Ranch Solar Project, including certifying the Environmental
SPEAKER_01: Quality Act Final Environmental Impact Report, including adoption of the findings and the
SPEAKER_01: mitigation monitoring and reporting program. This is item number nine on the discussion calendar
SPEAKER_01: tonight. The second discussion item was to discuss approving a contract change with Kaiser Permanente
SPEAKER_01: to approve the 2026 medical insurance premium rates and extend the contract by one year
SPEAKER_01: from January 1st, 2026 through December 31st, 2026, for an estimated cost of $38.4 million.
SPEAKER_01: This is item number five on the consent calendar. The third discussion item was to discuss a contract
SPEAKER_01: change with United Health Care Insurance Company to approve 2026 medical insurance premium rates
SPEAKER_01: for an estimated cost of $40.6 million. This is item number six on the consent calendar.
Unknown: The fourth item was to discuss authorizing the Chief Executive Officer to negotiate and execute
SPEAKER_01: a sole source contract with SAP America, Inc. for enterprise resource planning software licenses
SPEAKER_01: from October 1st, 2025 through December 31st, 2030, not to exceed $27 million. This is item number
SPEAKER_01: seven on the consent calendar. The fifth discussion item was to discuss authorizing
SPEAKER_01: the CEO to negotiate and awards contracts to HDR Engineering, Bureau of Veritas North America,
SPEAKER_01: and Energy Project Solutions LLC to provide construction management services over a five-year
SPEAKER_01: term from October 1st, 2025 through September 30th, 2030, not to exceed $15 million. This is
SPEAKER_01: item number eight on the consent calendar. The informational items, the first one was a
SPEAKER_01: quarterly update on enterprise risk management, a model that demonstrates potential internal and
SPEAKER_01: external risks. The evaluated risks include safety and security, reliability, environmental,
SPEAKER_01: customer and community, financial, process and technology, and people. The second informational
SPEAKER_01: item was to review Smud's financial results from January to July 31st, 2025, and a summary of our
SPEAKER_01: current power supply costs. And the final one, the third informational item was a review of the
SPEAKER_01: audit services on our Green Energy Partner Plus annual verification. And that concludes the
SPEAKER_01: Finance and Audit Committee report. Thank you, Director Rose. We're going to go back to Director
SPEAKER_16: Herber and get the, she's the Vice Chair of the Policy Committee, and we'll get the report from
SPEAKER_16: September 9th. The Policy Committee met on Tuesday, September 9th, 2025. There was one discussion item
SPEAKER_17: and one information item on the agenda. The first discussion item was a review of the Board staff
SPEAKER_17: linkage policies for BL12, which is delegation to the CEO with respect to transactions involving
SPEAKER_17: transmission and wholesale energy, fuel and environmental attributes, BL13, delegation to the
SPEAKER_17: CEO with respect to grants, and BL14, which is delegation to the CEO with respect to customer
SPEAKER_17: products, services and programs. The informational item was a review of the Board's work plan.
Unknown: This concludes my report. Thank you. And we'll go back to Director Rose for, as Chair of the
SPEAKER_16: Energy Resources and Customer Services Committee for the report from September 17th. All right,
SPEAKER_01: thank you. So the ERCS Committee met on Wednesday, September 17th. We had just one informational
SPEAKER_01: item. The item was an update and status of customer programs under the 2030 Zero Carbon Plan.
SPEAKER_01: This included updates on 2024 accomplishments, year-to-date and forecasted key milestones,
SPEAKER_01: accomplishments, metrics for 2025, and upcoming planning or implementation considerations in
SPEAKER_01: each portfolio area. Some major milestones included the installation of over 20,000 heat
SPEAKER_01: pumps into residential homes through the Advanced Home Solutions, significant growth in the SMUD
SPEAKER_01: Contractor Network, exceeding our light-duty electric vehicle goal with a focus on commercial
SPEAKER_01: and public charging, reaching nearly 5 megawatts of battery capacity from our My Energy Opposite
SPEAKER_01: Plus program, and expanding battery storage incentives for five additional battery
SPEAKER_01: manufacturers, and then significant growth in the residential solar shares participation.
Unknown: While we've made significant progress in the consumer programs, the loss of some external
SPEAKER_01: funding, policy changes and tariffs slash supply chain issues are headwinds that SMUD will continue
SPEAKER_01: to face. Our integrated distribution resource planning analysis and integrated resource planning
SPEAKER_01: starting in 2026 will be used to update our goals accordingly while maintaining reliability and
SPEAKER_01: affordability. This includes a report. Thank you. Thank you, Director Rose. At this time,
SPEAKER_16: we will take comments from the public on the consent calendar. I do not have any cards from
SPEAKER_16: people here in the audience who wish to speak. Chief Legal Officer, do we have any requests to speak
SPEAKER_16: from virtual attendees? I do not see any hands, no. All right. So the consent calendar then is item
SPEAKER_16: number three to approve board member compensation for services rendered at the request of the board
SPEAKER_16: for the period of August 16, 2025 through September 15, 2025. Item number four is approval of the
SPEAKER_16: minutes of the meeting of August 21. Items number five through eight were reviewed at the Finance
SPEAKER_16: and Audit Committee of September 16 and just reviewed by Director Rose. If there are no
SPEAKER_16: corrections, changes or additions, I will entertain a motion to approve the consent calendar.
Unknown: So moved. Second. Move Director Bowie-Thompson. Seconded Director Rose. Please call the roll.
Unknown: Director Rose. Aye. Director Bowie-Thompson. Yes. Director Herbert. Aye. Director Kurth. Aye. Vice
SPEAKER_06: President Tamayo. Yes. Dr. Sanborn. President Fishman. Yes. The consent calendar is approved
SPEAKER_06: with Director Sanborn absent. Thank you. And we'll move on to the discussion calendar. And item
SPEAKER_16: number nine on our agenda is to certify the California Environmental Quality Act for Oveja
SPEAKER_16: Ranch Solar Project, the final environmental impact report, including adoption of the findings,
SPEAKER_16: adopted the mitigation monitoring and reporting program for the project, and to approve the
SPEAKER_16: project. And we have a presentation from Emily Bikini, the interim director of environmental,
SPEAKER_16: safety and real estate services. Great. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Emily Bikini and I'm the
SPEAKER_08: interim director of the environmental safety and real estate services team. Last night I said the
SPEAKER_08: wrong title. I'll get it right eventually. So I'm here tonight to talk about the Oveja Ranch
SPEAKER_08: California Environmental Quality Act environmental impact report review for the Oveja Ranch Solar
SPEAKER_08: Project. The Oveja Ranch Solar Project is a 75 megawatt solar project that would be located on
SPEAKER_08: up to 400 acres of land that we would lease. There would also be a 37.5 megawatt battery energy
SPEAKER_08: storage system. We'd have a substation for the project. There would be about eight miles of 69
SPEAKER_08: kilovolt distribution interconnection lines. Four miles of that line would be new construction and
SPEAKER_08: four would be upgrades to existing infrastructure. We would need to amend our Williamson Act contract
Unknown: for a couple of the parcels on which the property would be located. And those amendments would
SPEAKER_08: include solar energy generation and battery storage as compatible uses along with the
SPEAKER_08: agricultural uses associated with the sheep grazing and growing forage.
SPEAKER_08: Here's a couple of maps showing the project location. The project's located in southeastern
SPEAKER_08: Sacramento County. Again, it would be located on 400 acres within the parcels identified here.
Unknown: Overall, we analyzed 534 acres. There were a couple of options considered in the environmental
SPEAKER_08: impact report for the interconnection lines. And ultimately, we've since determined that the
SPEAKER_08: preferred route would be the one that comes along Gerber Road, north along Excelsior Road, and then
SPEAKER_08: west along Florin. And then the battery energy storage and substation portions of the project
SPEAKER_08: would be located on the northern part of the southern parcel. As is normal with our environmental
SPEAKER_08: impact reports, we have a robust public outreach process. That starts with a notice of preparation.
Unknown: We had a 30-day public comment period that started at the beginning of September
Unknown: 2024 and ran through until the beginning of October 2024. Our notices are published in the
SPEAKER_08: Sacramento Bee and it's mud.org. We also have hard copies available at the customer service center
SPEAKER_08: and the east campus operation center. And then we mailed out copies of the notice to landowners who
SPEAKER_08: live within half a mile of the solar facility and those that live within 500 feet of the
SPEAKER_08: interconnection lines as well as the four Native American tribes that we regularly consult with.
SPEAKER_08: And then we had a public meeting on September 18, 2024 and we had 12 members of the public attend that meeting.
SPEAKER_08: We received nine comment letters on the notice of preparation from a variety of state and local
SPEAKER_08: agencies. Most of the letters were notifying smud of either existing regulations that the
SPEAKER_08: project would be subject to or existing infrastructure that the agency might have
SPEAKER_08: jurisdiction over. So there's a new trail that's being proposed in the area. Those agencies wanted
SPEAKER_08: to make us aware of their plans or their existing resources to prevent any conflicts.
Unknown: There was a letter from a resident, Carl Werder, who was worried about water drawdown from the
Unknown: water aquifer and then a letter from defenders of wildlife who had concerns related to impacting
SPEAKER_08: sensitive species. We were able to incorporate the information that we received from the
SPEAKER_08: notice of preparation comment letters into our environmental impact report. And we ultimately
SPEAKER_08: found that the project would not have any significant or unavoidable impacts on the
SPEAKER_08: environment. We do have a series of mitigation measures that would be required for the project
SPEAKER_08: for the resource areas listed here. These are typical construction related impacts
SPEAKER_08: associated with, for example, air quality or potential impacts on biological resources.
SPEAKER_08: So the mitigation measures we have are preconstruction surveys or measures to minimize
SPEAKER_08: dust, things that we can do to minimize that impact on the environment. We also have an
SPEAKER_08: inadvertent discovery mitigation measure should cultural or tribal cultural resources be found
SPEAKER_08: during construction. We are mitigating for the potential loss or for the loss of agricultural
SPEAKER_08: land associated with the substation and the battery and energy storage facility. That would be up to
SPEAKER_08: four acres of mitigation for loss of farmland of statewide importance. And then we're also
SPEAKER_08: mitigating for the loss of foraging habitat for Swainson's Hawk. The EIR was published on March
SPEAKER_08: 17, 2025, and that started our 45-day comment period for that part of the process. The notice
SPEAKER_08: of that EIR environmental impact report was mailed out to the same distribution as our notice of
SPEAKER_08: preparation. And we also included the folks who had commented on the notice of preparation.
Unknown: We had a public meeting on the EIR on April 10, 2025, and no one from the public attended.
Unknown: And that 45-day public comment period ended May 2nd. We received another eight letters on the EIR.
SPEAKER_08: Many of those letters reiterated information that was shared in the notice of preparation
SPEAKER_08: letters. But there was some new information we wanted to incorporate into the final environmental
SPEAKER_08: impact report. Those changes that we made did not alter the conclusions of the draft environmental
SPEAKER_08: impact report, but they did provide additional clarity on mitigation measures or update the
SPEAKER_08: discussion around additional coordination that had occurred. And then we have our AB52 tribal
SPEAKER_08: consultation process. The United Auburn Indian Community and Wilton Rancheria both requested to
SPEAKER_08: consult on the project. After meeting with them, it was determined that there were no tribal
SPEAKER_08: cultural resources that could be impacted by the project. So they closed consultation. They did ask
SPEAKER_08: though that we include the inadvertent discovery mitigation measure again in the event that
SPEAKER_08: something be unearthed during construction activities. And that concludes my presentation.
Unknown: Thank you, Emily. Questions or comments from the board? Discussion?
Unknown: I guess, Emily, one thing that strikes me about it is you said that the first public meeting we had,
SPEAKER_16: there was 12 people who showed up. That was about a year ago. And then just a couple of months ago,
SPEAKER_16: we had another one and nobody showed up. That's correct. Okay. Thank you. Good to know.
Unknown: No comments or questions from the board. I do not have any cards at this time to speak on this item.
SPEAKER_16: Chief legal officer, do we have anybody from the virtual audience who would like to speak on this
SPEAKER_16: item? No, we do not. Okay. If there's no further discussion, I'll entertain a motion to approve
SPEAKER_16: discussion calendar item number nine. So moved. Second. Move director Tomayo, second. Director
SPEAKER_16: Rose, please call the roll. Director Rose? Aye. Director Buie-Thompson? Yes. Director Herber? Aye.
Unknown: Director Kurth? Aye. Vice president Tomayo? Yes. Director Sanborn? President Fishman? Yes.
Unknown: The discussion calendar is approved with director Sanborn absent. Thank you. We will move on to
SPEAKER_16: public comment on items not on the agenda. And I do have a few cards from folks for that. We will
SPEAKER_16: start with Mr. Weber and then we have Glaile Saba and Scott Scottabec. So Mr. Weber, you're up
SPEAKER_16: first. Please do not move the microphone. It's designed to pick up your voice at a distance.
SPEAKER_16: Direct your comments to the board, please. If you have written materials you wish to provide to the
SPEAKER_16: board, please hand them to a SMUD security officer to distribute. And since your matter has not been
SPEAKER_16: placed on the agenda, the board may not engage in an active discussion of the matter and is limited
SPEAKER_16: to briefly responding to statements, asking clarifying questions, and directing staff to
SPEAKER_16: follow up. Thank you. Good evening, president and board. I apologize. I forgot to shout out to one
SPEAKER_12: of the SMUD staff yesterday and that's Rhonda Brooks. She was a moderator for the zero carbon
SPEAKER_12: workshop. She did an excellent job. So I apologize for that. I also want to say I've read all of your
SPEAKER_12: bios and they're really impressive. And I really think the board, the combined education and
SPEAKER_12: experiences you all have, work really well together. And I think you're the perfect team
SPEAKER_12: for SMUD at this point in our history. Thank you and have a good evening.
Unknown: Thank you, Mr. Weber. If you get to know us, we're not nearly as impressive.
SPEAKER_16: Speak for yourself. I am. I am.
SPEAKER_14: Glaio Saba. Good evening, SMUD board. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Dr. Glaio
SPEAKER_07: Saba and I'm the facilitator for Third Act Sacramento, a group of older sacramentans
SPEAKER_07: who are focused on collective action to stabilize climate and our climate and democracy.
Unknown: I wanted to just this evening let you know that the top priority for our group, as well as hundreds
SPEAKER_07: of groups in California and around the US, is this trying to pass this, it's called the Make
SPEAKER_07: Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Bill that's already passed in New York and Vermont. It basically,
SPEAKER_07: I guess in California the bills are SB 684 and AB 1243 by Senator Mendevar and Assemblywoman
SPEAKER_07: Addis. So this is a bill that would basically charge the California EPA to assess a fee
SPEAKER_07: based on companies that have polluted over a billion metric tons of greenhouse gases since
SPEAKER_07: I believe 1990 and it would basically, based on that, would then assess them
SPEAKER_07: a fee. And it's not unprecedented because there's similar laws we know about the standard
SPEAKER_07: superfund bill that allowed for the government to have access to money from the polluters
SPEAKER_07: to fix up superfund sites. And there's also another set of it, another example that has
SPEAKER_07: to do with the childhood lead prevention program, which is still active right now.
SPEAKER_07: It basically says, you know, we know, scientists know that the oil companies cause the carbon
SPEAKER_07: climate pollution that we are now dealing with with things like in LA and the fires we've had.
Unknown: And since so many of our cities are basically in the red and counties, we really don't have the
SPEAKER_07: money to be able to deal with all the things we need to do with the climate, including building
SPEAKER_07: resilience centers, livable, I'm sorry, and having housing for the affordable housing.
SPEAKER_07: And it, you know, I'm not going to go through all the details obviously, but what we are asking
Unknown: is we would, we've sent emails to the board and we'd really like you to consider this legislation
SPEAKER_07: and it would not be something where you would be having to tell other legislators, oh, you're not
SPEAKER_07: doing the right thing, this is what you should do. What we would like to ask is that a letter be sent
SPEAKER_07: to the authors of this bill to say that this is something that would help our climate goals in the
SPEAKER_07: region, because I know SMUD is on its great way, but the city and county that also declared a climate
SPEAKER_07: emergency, they don't have money to fund their climate action plans. So we'll come back to the
SPEAKER_07: policy committee, but thank you for considering it. Thank you for your comments.
SPEAKER_23: President Fishman, I just really briefly wanted to note that I have talked to Dr. Sabo about this
SPEAKER_23: and requested of staff that they get in touch with her and her group to have a more detailed
SPEAKER_23: conversation about the merits of this legislation and what our position on it is.
SPEAKER_23: Great, thank you. And Mr., is it Scott or Beck?
Unknown: It's a lot. It's hard to read my handwriting.
Unknown: Oh, Scott or Beck?
Unknown: Go ahead.
SPEAKER_19: A couple of things. Number one, I know that you mentioned previously that you
SPEAKER_19: notify the public through the Sacramento Bee, and since that publication no longer has a print
SPEAKER_19: version and many people in the SMUD districts don't subscribe to that newspaper, I would
SPEAKER_19: request that the board have better dissemination of information to the public. I know we all get a
SPEAKER_19: monthly SMUD bill and the amount of information that's contained in there is just very general
SPEAKER_19: and not specifically related in most cases to these important decisions that the board has to make.
SPEAKER_19: Unfortunately, I was not able to come and comment on a previous item that was on your agenda
SPEAKER_19: last month or the month before. My concern is specifically tonight to talk about your purchase
SPEAKER_19: of wind power. I'm totally against that. I hope that the board took into consideration
SPEAKER_19: that approximately 1 million birds a year are killed by wind farms. I think that's an
SPEAKER_19: environmental concern that is too easily dismissed. Birds don't vote. They don't pay SMUD bills. They
SPEAKER_19: don't read the Sacramento Bee. And yet you are killing birds by purchasing power through these
SPEAKER_19: wind farms, which are unsightly dangerous. And although your goal of having carbon-free
SPEAKER_19: energy very soon as a laudable one to kill birds to reach that goal is inconceivable to me that you
SPEAKER_19: would do something like that. There are other ways of purchasing power, generating power.
SPEAKER_19: Since the birds and other environmental creatures out there, other creatures that live
SPEAKER_19: in these projects that you so blithely approve can't speak for themselves, I'm here to speak
SPEAKER_19: on their behalf. I think that in the future the board should never purchase
SPEAKER_19: energy, electricity from wind farms because they do kill birds and nobody seems to think about that.
Unknown: Thank you for your comments. That's all the cards that I have from people here in the audience
SPEAKER_16: tonight. Do Chief Legal Officer, do we have any request to speak from our virtual audience?
Unknown: No, we do not. Okay. At this point in the agenda we will provide directors an opportunity to report
SPEAKER_16: on SMUD activity and we'll start with Director Rose in ward one and continue in ward order with the
SPEAKER_16: President's report as the final item. So, Director Rose, you're up. Thank you. I'll be brief tonight.
SPEAKER_01: I had the opportunity to sit down with the staff and I had a tour of our
SPEAKER_01: transmission distribution
SPEAKER_01: control room and a discussion about the latest in transmission planning and there's some really
SPEAKER_01: interesting changes going on there. And I also had the opportunity to get up to the UARP and take
SPEAKER_01: a tour of our Loon Lake facility where you go way under the ground. And so that was really
SPEAKER_01: cool to see the logistics of building a power plant 1500 feet underneath a lake. It certainly
SPEAKER_01: makes me look favorably on the solar panels. It's so much more simple to do. And then the
SPEAKER_01: five mile tunnel to get the water out from underneath the power plant. It really is an
SPEAKER_01: engineering marvel and we're lucky to have that. Thank the staff for taking the time from their day
SPEAKER_01: to show me around. And the only other thing I will just mention is got out to the River City
SPEAKER_01: Food Bank empty bowls event representing SMUD there. They do such important and critical work
SPEAKER_01: feeding our community. And so it's always great to get out there and represent SMUD and be part
SPEAKER_01: of the community and show our support for their work. And that's my report. Thank you. Thank you.
SPEAKER_16: Director Bowie-Thompson. Great. Thank you. This month we had some fun events in my ward
SPEAKER_18: in August. I attended the Ranger Cordova elected officials reception when they brought together
SPEAKER_18: the elected officials that represent Ranger Cordova. I also had an opportunity to speak and
SPEAKER_18: accept an award from what we formerly called the Little Saigon committee. And they have a new name
SPEAKER_18: called community partners advocates of Little Saigon of Sacramento. I was part of the original
SPEAKER_18: group 15 years ago to help designate a portion of Stockton Boulevard as Little Saigon. It was
SPEAKER_18: quite an emotional time. I'm from the Bay Area and several initiatives like this have failed in the
SPEAKER_18: past. You would think that it wouldn't, especially in this, as many years have passed, it wouldn't be
SPEAKER_18: as controversial as it still is today. But Sacramento was able to come together 15 years ago
SPEAKER_18: to bring this designation to this district. So I was proud to be there representing SMUD and
SPEAKER_18: accept this award and recognition of SMUD support. I also was able at the same place,
SPEAKER_18: not many days later, I was able to attend an event supporting Sunny Chong who used to
SPEAKER_18: run capital, which was one of the first Asian American groups to bring together both nonprofit
SPEAKER_18: electeds and business leaders. He sadly passed away last year and his legacy will continue
SPEAKER_18: through all of us that have been encouraged and mentored through capital. So I wanted to
SPEAKER_18: acknowledge as specifically as some of the members Stephanie Wynn who organized this event and who
SPEAKER_18: she had a deep relationship with Sunny and she had supported hers and for her to be one of the first
SPEAKER_18: Vietnamese Americans in the state of California to be elected to represent this area at the
SPEAKER_18: assembly, it was really touching to have him be honored at that event. I also attended the
SPEAKER_18: River City Food Bank empty bowls event, always a wonderful event to support our community.
Unknown: And lastly, I met with a really interesting entrepreneur,
SPEAKER_18: Sadie St. Lawrence, who has an AI hub in Rancho Cordova. So really exciting to see
SPEAKER_18: what can happen when good people throughout technology and nonprofit and the business and
SPEAKER_18: government space get together. So very excited to see possibly what may sprout out of her
SPEAKER_18: activities in Rancho Cordova. Is it for me for this? Thank you. And we'll move on to Director
SPEAKER_15: Herber and Ward Four. Thank you, President Fishman. This was a busy month for me too.
SPEAKER_17: First of all, I want to say thank you to Director Bowie Thompson who allowed me to
SPEAKER_17: speak at the Galt Chamber of Commerce. While she was out of town, we did a little
SPEAKER_17: lunch and learn and it's a great group of people. I also had a chance to speak at the Outgrove
SPEAKER_17: Chamber of Commerce. And thanks to Angela who did a wonderful job of giving SMUD an opportunity
SPEAKER_17: to talk about our 2030 Zero Carbon Plan. I attended the Tower Bridge Dinner, the Farm to
SPEAKER_17: Fork celebration, which was amazing. It was wonderful to see our Congresswoman Doris Matsui
SPEAKER_17: and our electeds at the state level be able to be there and talk about how important agriculture
SPEAKER_17: is to the Sacramento community. I also had a really fun time going to Sacramento Open Studios
SPEAKER_17: on behalf of SMUD. It was last weekend and coming up this weekend. All kinds of artists who are
SPEAKER_17: displaying their works in their studios are available to share what it's like to be an artist
SPEAKER_17: and maybe sell some of their work. I also want to give a shout out to a friend of all of us who
SPEAKER_17: retired, Scott Rose. He was with Runyon Saltzman for many, many, many years and he's retired to do
SPEAKER_17: some stuff on his own. And then last but not least, I'm on the Sacramento History Museum Board
SPEAKER_17: and the Burnett Awards are coming up on October 9th. And this is when the Sacramento Museum honors
SPEAKER_17: the iconic businesses in Sacramento who have endured the test of time. They are the
SPEAKER_17: venerable businesses. And this year we're honoring the Country Club Lanes, Widener, California,
SPEAKER_17: KFBK, Morgan Jones Funeral Home and the Community Partner Award goes to ACC Senior Services
SPEAKER_17: and the Preservation Award goes to Zelda's. If you've never been there for pizza,
SPEAKER_17: it's something you want to do. And with that, that's the end of my report.
SPEAKER_17: Thank you. And we will go to Director Kurz who's with us virtually today. Director Kurz, you're up.
Unknown: Thank you. I hope this is coming through okay. So just a few things to mention.
Unknown: I was very happy to attend the Celebrate Natomas event at the South Natomas Community Center
Unknown: in a lovely park in the middle of South Natomas. And yeah, obviously I've been around a while and
SPEAKER_20: I remember when people really worried about what might happen in South Natomas. Well, I'm glad to
SPEAKER_20: report that it is just a wonderful part of town that just keeps getting better every year. If you
SPEAKER_20: haven't made the long Northgate Boulevard to enjoy the food scene that's developing there,
SPEAKER_20: you're late to the party because it's going on now. It went on a neighborhood walk with the
SPEAKER_20: SMUD staff to talk to neighbors in the Del Paso Heights community about SMUD programs. And I'm
SPEAKER_20: also happy to report here that pretty much everyone knew about our programs. And so most of our job
SPEAKER_20: there was just to encourage them to take part in it, which we found a very receptive audience of
SPEAKER_20: folks that wanted to know more about how to save energy and to be green with their power.
SPEAKER_20: Of course, attended the Tower Bridge dinner. I think the highlight of the evening was,
SPEAKER_20: you know, explaining the history of Iron Bridges to Director Rose.
SPEAKER_20: Beyond that, it was fabulous food. If you get the chance to go, please do.
SPEAKER_20: Attended a tour of Bloom Energy and SPAN, two Bay Area companies that have very interesting
SPEAKER_20: technology that SMUD is considering for the future. Learned a lot on the tour, is very happy to do it,
SPEAKER_20: and looking forward to wonderful things there. And last, I would like to mention the
SPEAKER_20: Renewable Energy Plus Conference, which I just concluded last week. It brings together renewable
SPEAKER_20: energy and all the related components to that. So everything from things that will float solar
SPEAKER_20: panels on lakes to solar panels themselves, of course, to batteries and all the interconnection
SPEAKER_20: and all the software that it takes in control systems, it takes to fit these things into our
SPEAKER_20: system, into the grid in general. 40,000 people from all around the world were there. It's really
SPEAKER_20: tremendously exciting. I know there's some headwinds right now in the renewable energy world, and
Unknown: you sure couldn't tell it there. And so with that, let me conclude my report, and thank you.
Unknown: Thank you, Director Kurz, and we'll go to Vice President Tamayo representing Ward 6.
Unknown: I'm still thinking about zeldas.
SPEAKER_23: So I've had the pleasure of meeting with Pat Galvin, who's the president of the board of
SPEAKER_23: Rebuilding Together Sacramento. They go out to individuals' homes and help them make significant
SPEAKER_23: repairs, and they do that all over the Sacramento area. It's a really good program. I've participated
SPEAKER_23: in a couple of those events. And so, you know, sort of caught up on what they're up to these
SPEAKER_23: days. And I know that we do work with them and, you know, help them with some of their projects,
SPEAKER_23: and also to identify potential homeowners that we can help. So I also had an opportunity to meet with
SPEAKER_23: and individually with some BIA staff, Northern California BIA staff, and then also go on to a
SPEAKER_23: BIA policy tour of Elk Grove. So I was able to learn a lot about the challenges and really
SPEAKER_23: opportunities in the building community for, you know, meeting the housing needs. And certainly
SPEAKER_23: there are significant challenges, and I did get a lot of feedback about SMUD and how they're
SPEAKER_23: actually very happy with how we interact with the building community. And, you know, made sure that
SPEAKER_23: they know of, you know, if they do run into some sort of an issue that, you know, we're there to
SPEAKER_23: help them solve problems. Had a nice meeting with Guy Hall, who's on the board of Sacramento EV,
SPEAKER_23: and learned about what they're up to in the community, and also nationally. And I attended
SPEAKER_23: the River City Food Bank Empty Bowls event, which is a really nice event. I think Director Kurt
Unknown: mentioned that. And also attended the tour of Bloom Energy and SPAN down in the Bay Area,
SPEAKER_23: and learned a lot about some very important technologies that will help the utility industry,
SPEAKER_23: and really economy in general, transition to a clean energy economy. And then met with
SPEAKER_23: John Haynes, who's the owner of Haynes Industrial, which provides recycling services for a lot of it
SPEAKER_23: focused on change outs for HVAC, and then also he does recycling of solar panels and related
SPEAKER_23: equipment. So that was a very enlightening conversation. And I'll be helping him meet with
SPEAKER_23: Director Sanborn, who knows a lot more about that industry than I do. And then,
SPEAKER_23: finally, I had a great opportunity to speak to the Oak Park Neighborhood Association,
SPEAKER_23: presented on our electrification efforts, our efforts to help people with
Unknown: energy efficiency, and then also for making sure that people are aware of our low income,
SPEAKER_23: our EPRA program. Had actually quite a few questions, and that was very interesting.
Unknown: A nice mixture of compliments, but also some questions about our rates increases and things
SPEAKER_23: like that. So it seemed to be very well received, and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to do that.
SPEAKER_23: And I'll end it there. Thank you. Thank you, Vice President Tamayo. My turn, and I'll go with a few
SPEAKER_16: things here. A couple of weeks apart, I was asked by two different organizations to talk to them
SPEAKER_16: essentially about the same topic, and I was, what makes SMUD so successful? And so one of them was
SPEAKER_16: the County Engineers Association of California, which is essentially all of the public works
SPEAKER_16: directors from 58 counties. A former colleague of mine when I was at CSAC asked me to go there,
SPEAKER_16: and they were really interested in public power and how, you know, why is the public power model
SPEAKER_16: looking so good compared to the investor owned utility? So I danced around that one a little bit,
SPEAKER_16: but it was a good discussion, and they were really interested again in hearing
SPEAKER_16: what SMUD is doing and why we are so successful. And the other group was Leadership Elk Grove,
SPEAKER_16: which is just one of the many leadership organizations. It's taking a cohort of people
SPEAKER_16: through and trying to get them to be more involved in the community, be more engaged in the community,
SPEAKER_16: and take their new knowledge and their new skills and help us, you know, do what we do. And they too
SPEAKER_16: were interested, what is SMUD doing? What's the secret sauce? I said, you know, you got a great
SPEAKER_16: board. It's really all the board. No, obviously, we have a great staff, we have a great business
SPEAKER_16: model, and it works really, really well. So those two were a lot of fun. I also got to MC the
SPEAKER_16: dinner in the park for the Carmichael Park and Rec Foundation. That was a really fun event the
SPEAKER_16: other night. And I'd like to also mention something that's upcoming on Saturday of this weekend.
SPEAKER_16: I'm on the board of the American River Parkway Foundation, and they have the Great American
SPEAKER_16: River cleanup coming up. GARCU, to those of us in the know. And if you'd like, you can go to
SPEAKER_16: arpf.org and sign up to volunteer. There are sites all up and down the American River.
SPEAKER_16: If you really want to have some fun, you can join me at the Harrington River Access at 9 o'clock
SPEAKER_16: and help me eradicate star thistle and stinkwort, because there's nothing like the smell of stinkwort
SPEAKER_16: in the morning. So that will be a good time to be had by all. And we will all end my report there,
SPEAKER_16: and we'll go to our CEO's report, and Paul Lawa. Well, thank you so much, President freshman. I
SPEAKER_00: definitely agree we have a great board. I just want a secret to our success. And so this week's
SPEAKER_00: National Hispanic Heritage Month begins, which runs from September 15 to October 15. Now, this
SPEAKER_00: is a great opportunity to honor the rich history and tradition of the vibrant Hispanic culture
SPEAKER_00: and the significant contributions of people, the roots in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean,
SPEAKER_00: Central America, and South America. And a big special thanks to LUNA, our SMUD employee resource
SPEAKER_00: group that stands for Latinos, Unity Network for Action, for all that they do to support our
SPEAKER_00: employees and create opportunity to grow and share knowledge across our community. It's also
SPEAKER_00: great to see such a great turnout, a large turnout at our annual Meet the Buyers event for local
SPEAKER_00: vendors who wants to do business with SMUD. Thank you to President Fishman for attending,
SPEAKER_00: speaking at the event, and connecting with our community. Now, it's part of our ongoing effort
SPEAKER_00: to make sure that our entire community is benefiting from the transition to a clean
SPEAKER_00: energy economy. Now, last year alone, SMUD awarded over $204 million to local small businesses.
SPEAKER_00: Now, that's money that stays in our local economy and helps our local small business grow. Now,
SPEAKER_00: this event gives local businesses an opportunity to connect with our purchasing team,
Unknown: explore upcoming procurement opportunities, and network with others. Now, attendees also learn
SPEAKER_00: about our 2030 Zero Carbon Plan, the role of our vendors and supply chain in meeting our vision,
SPEAKER_00: and how energy efficiency and electrification can enhance the business and our community. Now,
SPEAKER_00: thanks to everyone who made this year's event success with over 300 small business attendees.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm also excited to share that we once again received Cal OSHA's highest workplace
SPEAKER_00: safety recognition. Employees from our hydrogeneration team received the STAR certification
SPEAKER_00: from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Cal OSHA, for their exemplary
SPEAKER_00: achievement in the prevention and control of workplace safety and health hazards. Now, as
SPEAKER_00: part of the voluntary protection program, this special certification is the highest safety
SPEAKER_00: recognition Cal OSHA gives to any organization. Now, it's the second time we've been awarded this
SPEAKER_00: designation, and in 2022, Fresh Pond was the first hydro operations in California to achieve
SPEAKER_00: this prestigious certification. 2025 STAR status designation will last through September,
SPEAKER_00: 2028, and thank you to all the teams involved in this, and thank you for continuing to prioritize
SPEAKER_00: safety in everything that we do. Now, on the workforce development front, our Sacramento
SPEAKER_00: Power Academy is thrilled to be leading Sacramento's or SMUT's CalUS grant award by Valley Vision.
SPEAKER_00: This 500,000 grant will be used to plan, develop, and a roadmap for creating a regional
SPEAKER_00: skilled trade workforce development program. Now, over the next eight months, SMUT will establish
SPEAKER_00: a technical advisory committee responsible for creating a fundamental skills trades curriculum
SPEAKER_00: and designing a regional workforce development initiative, which will be implemented in 2026.
SPEAKER_00: Next, I'd like to highlight some of the exciting awards. SMUT received awards for the Reagan
SPEAKER_00: Communication for Collective Community Program and our I Am SMUT campaign, and then our Director of
SPEAKER_00: Facilities, Security and Emergency Operations Kirsten DePercy was recognized as 2025
SPEAKER_00: Woman Who Sparks, honored by the utility 2030. Congratulations to everyone on those awards and
SPEAKER_00: accomplishments, and finally, today's video is part of I Am SMUT video campaign showcasing our
SPEAKER_00: employees, who they are, what they love, and what matters to most of them. Now, as you know,
SPEAKER_00: throughout our award-winning I Am SMUT campaign, we've been sharing employees' stories of diversity,
SPEAKER_00: equity, inclusion, and belonging here at SMUT, aimed at starting conversations, building education,
SPEAKER_00: and fostering appreciation for how different, yet similar, we all are. Now, let's take a look.
Unknown: Perfect.
Unknown: I Am SMUT.
SPEAKER_04: I Am Mae.
SPEAKER_10: And I Am SMUT.
SPEAKER_10: I am a senior IT analyst that work on the systems to help keep the lights on.
Unknown: I am a SolarShares program manager. I basically sell sunshine like it's a subscription.
SPEAKER_10: Well, I am the manager of line construction and maintenance.
Unknown: I am the jack of all trades and master of millions.
Unknown: I work in compensation, classification, and performance. It aligns really well with my own
SPEAKER_03: personal value of fairness and equity. My job is meaningful to me because I get to give back to
SPEAKER_22: the community that I live and I work in. Working at SMUT means helping the community that helped
SPEAKER_04: raise me. When I'm talking with customers, I really imagine I'm talking with an auntie,
SPEAKER_04: a sister, you know, a friend from the church, someone like that. So at SMUT, not only do we
SPEAKER_03: value our differences, it helps us do our work better. I am a cancer survivor battling my
SPEAKER_02: disabilities on a daily basis and thriving. I'm an advocate for everyone and everything
SPEAKER_10: that is an underdog. I want to become a better version of myself than I was yesterday. This
SPEAKER_05: job has provided way more than just wages. It's provided me with a sense of purpose. I'm also a
SPEAKER_02: husband, a stepdad to two beautiful bonus children. Also, I have two beautiful grandchildren, so I'm
SPEAKER_02: also a grandfather. I am an Eagles fan. Oh, I can always fly Eagles fly anytime. I am a Christian.
SPEAKER_11: It means to me being an imperfect, imperfect person in an imperfect world, striving to make
SPEAKER_11: the perfect impact. I am a connector. I love to connect people to resources and people to other
SPEAKER_21: people. I am a good neighbor. I'm a pretty good listener and I'm a good friend. I am music. It's
SPEAKER_10: not just background noise, it's my heartbeat, my expression, my memories. So I am a husband,
Unknown: a father and a lineman. That's how I identify myself. I'm a single mother. I face a lot of
SPEAKER_10: challenges, but despite all of that, I'm able to overcome all of that with hard work. I'm a proud
SPEAKER_13: daughter of immigrants. I am a cancer survivor. I am gay. I am a really good friend. I'm also a
SPEAKER_04: pillar in my family. It's a lot of weight, but I have strong shoulders. I'm just a big kid at
SPEAKER_04: heart. I have a twin sister. People always are surprised, you know, when I share that with them.
SPEAKER_11: She is one of the most important people to me. I am the nurturer. I am the sounding board and
SPEAKER_21: complete lover and embrace of my family. I am a father, a soccer dad, a theater dad, a track dad.
SPEAKER_05: I am always there for my family. I hope that I leave behind a legacy of just making a difference.
Unknown: I am Jerry. I am Smud. I am Arlene. I am Smud. I am Steve and I am Smud.
SPEAKER_17: No fair to make us cry. And this concludes my report, President Fishman.
Unknown: Thank you. That's an awesome video. Kudos to the team who put it together and everybody who's in it.
SPEAKER_16: Thank you. Do we have any summary to note for the record? No, we do not. Other than the fact that we
SPEAKER_16: need tissue up here? Having completed our agenda and seeing no further business, we are adjourned.
Unknown: Thank you.