Board Meeting Oct 16 2025

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Unknown: mask

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Unknown: Le cat

Unknown: But, you know.

SPEAKER_04: What's his last name?

SPEAKER_08: But, you know.

SPEAKER_08: Uh, Brandon.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, isn't that weird?

SPEAKER_04: Jarwin Brandon.

Unknown: Mr. Madinpamanda, remember this is a serious environment.

SPEAKER_09: So, no smiling.

Unknown: Good evening.

Unknown: Good evening.

SPEAKER_08: I'll call to order the SMUD Board of Directors meeting of October 16, 2025.

SPEAKER_08: Please join me in the pledge to the flag.

Unknown: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for

SPEAKER_04: which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Unknown: This meeting of the SMUD Board of Directors is recorded with closed captioning.

SPEAKER_08: The recording will be cable cast on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and Direct TV U-verse cable systems.

SPEAKER_08: The recording will also be streamed, video streamed, at Metro14live.saccounty.gov.

SPEAKER_08: This meeting is being recorded and will air Sunday, October 19th, at 2 p.m. and Monday, October 20th, at 9 a.m. on Channel 14.

SPEAKER_08: And will be available on demand at youtube.com slash Metro Cable 14.

SPEAKER_08: Board meetings are streamed live for customers and other interested parties.

SPEAKER_08: Meetings will also be archived on SMUD's website for later viewing.

SPEAKER_08: To view an archived SMUD Board meeting, log on to smud.org and find a link to the broadcast.

SPEAKER_08: Please remember to unmute your microphone when speaking in order that our virtual attendees can hear you.

SPEAKER_08: The microphone will display a green indicator light when the mic is on.

SPEAKER_08: Please put all electronic devices in the silent mode while in the auditorium.

SPEAKER_08: 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.

SPEAKER_08: Members of the public attending the meeting virtually who wish to provide verbal comments during the board meeting may do so by using the raise hand feature in Zoom or by pressing star 9 while dialed into the telephone toll-free number at the time that public comment is called.

SPEAKER_08: Technical support staff will enable the audio for you when your name is announced during the public comment period.

SPEAKER_08: You may also submit written comments by emailing them to publiccommentatsmud.org.

SPEAKER_08: 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.

SPEAKER_08: 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.

SPEAKER_08: The auditorium is equipped with a safety alarm.

SPEAKER_08: If it 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 for the all clear announcement from security before reentering.

SPEAKER_08: Chief Legal Officer, will you please conduct a roll call?

Unknown: Director Rose?

SPEAKER_03: Here.

SPEAKER_08: Director Buie-Thompson?

SPEAKER_03: Director Herber?

SPEAKER_03: Here.

SPEAKER_04: Director Kurth?

SPEAKER_03: Here.

Unknown: Vice President Tamayo?

SPEAKER_03: Here.

Unknown: Director Sanborn?

SPEAKER_03: Here.

SPEAKER_03: President Fishman?

SPEAKER_03: Here.

SPEAKER_08: You have a quorum.

SPEAKER_03: Thank you.

SPEAKER_08: For the 2030 Climate Action Tip, let's go to Director Rose.

SPEAKER_08: Thank you, President Fishman.

SPEAKER_06: SMUD is committed to 100% zero carbon by 2030.

SPEAKER_06: There's lots you can do to join the charge and help us lead the global Clean Power City movement right here at home.

SPEAKER_06: Did you know that appliances that are plugged in but not being used can take up a lot of energy?

SPEAKER_06: Unplugging these devices or using smart power strips can save households up to 10% on energy bills.

SPEAKER_06: Save on your household's energy bills by unplugging devices or using smart power strips from SMUD's energy store at smudenergiestore.com.

SPEAKER_06: Let's get to zero carbon together, join the charge and visit cleanpowercity.org.

SPEAKER_08: Thank you.

SPEAKER_08: If there are no corrections, changes or additions, I'll entertain a motion to approve the agenda.

Unknown: So moved.

SPEAKER_04: Second.

SPEAKER_04: Moved Director Sanborn, seconded Director Herber.

SPEAKER_08: Directors, please vote.

Unknown: The agenda is approved.

SPEAKER_03: Is all directors voting yes?

Unknown: Thank you.

SPEAKER_08: We will go to the committee chair reports and Director Bui-Thompson, are you ready to go?

SPEAKER_08: Do you want a minute?

SPEAKER_08: Okay.

SPEAKER_08: Let's go to the chair of Director Bui-Thompson, chair of the Strategic Development Committee with the report from the October 7, 2025 meeting.

Unknown: Thank you.

SPEAKER_10: The first informational item included one presentation on federal legislative activities.

SPEAKER_10: The presentation was an update from our partners at McGuire Whitney on recent federal legislative activities impacting SMUD, highlighting significant policy shifts during the second Trump Administration.

SPEAKER_10: Some of those impacts include a national energy emergency declaration, funding freezes and tariffs that affect our renewable energy projects and grants.

SPEAKER_10: There have also been shifts in federal priorities affecting wind and solar projects.

SPEAKER_10: Some challenges include accelerating phasing out of wind and solar.

SPEAKER_10: I think I have hers.

SPEAKER_10: Energy permitting delays and heightened focus from the federal government to compete with China on AI.

SPEAKER_10: Moving forward, we will leverage our strengths as a community-owned utility and line with partners.

SPEAKER_10: That concludes my report.

SPEAKER_10: Thank you.

SPEAKER_08: We will go to Director Sanborn, chair of the Policy Committee with the report from the October 8, 2025 meeting.

SPEAKER_08: Thank you, Chair.

SPEAKER_02: The first discussion item was on the monitoring report for Strategic Direction 6, Safety Leadership.

Unknown: SMUD demonstrated strong safety performance with days away restricted time or DART metrics well below the SMUD limits or board limits and rates better than industry standards.

SPEAKER_02: Workers' compensation costs have reached historic lows at 50 cents for every $100 of payroll.

Unknown: Contractor safety efforts included managing 160 contractors and conducting 231 field visits in the first half of 2025.

SPEAKER_02: Public safety initiatives featured community outreach events at schools and safety days.

SPEAKER_02: The Safety for Life program continues to strengthen organizational resilience.

SPEAKER_02: This is item number five on tonight's consent agenda.

SPEAKER_02: The second discussion item was on the monitoring report for Strategic Directive 10 on innovation.

Unknown: The report highlighted how SMUD's initiatives align with the zero-carbon plan.

SPEAKER_02: Key project highlights include EV ecosystem enhancements with about 500 Level 2 charging handles at multi-family dwellings.

SPEAKER_02: SMUD installed 15 fast chargers at major locations, including the Sacramento International Airport and Sacramento State University.

SPEAKER_02: Critical to grid demonstrations include residential EV managed charging and school bus electrification projects.

SPEAKER_02: AI and machine learning applications include chat GBT, pilot and weather forecasting for outage prediction.

SPEAKER_02: Utility scale energy storage includes a 4 megawatts lithium battery project supporting program development and calendar.

SPEAKER_02: The third discussion item was on the monitoring report for Strategic Directive 19 on diversified business.

Unknown: The report provided an overview of SMUD's diversification strategy aligned with the zero-carbon plan.

SPEAKER_02: The recent DOE announcements have impacted grant funding through the elimination of grants.

Unknown: It does not prevent SMUD from moving forward with the projects.

SPEAKER_02: Technology partnerships include Aspen Tech, Uplight, SEW and ITron.

SPEAKER_02: SMUD expanded the CCA services to seven of the California's 25 community choice aggregators,

SPEAKER_02: representing 2.7 million meters with 11 major service offerings.

Unknown: Overall portfolio revenue shows positive performance with $16.6 million of gross revenue and $2.7 million net revenue in 2025.

SPEAKER_02: And this is item seven on tonight's consent calendar.

SPEAKER_02: The fourth discussion item was on the board monitoring regarding governance process eight, board committee principles,

SPEAKER_02: process 10 on board training and orientation, and governance process 15 on board travel and training reimbursement.

SPEAKER_02: This concludes my report.

Unknown: Thank you.

SPEAKER_08: And we will move to Director Kurz, Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, with a report from the October 14th meeting.

Unknown: Thank you, Mr. President.

SPEAKER_07: The Finance and Audit Committee met on Tuesday, October 14th.

SPEAKER_07: There were four discussion items and three informational items.

SPEAKER_07: The first discussion item was authorization of the CEO and general manager to negotiate and award contracts to GFT Infrastructure, Inc.,

SPEAKER_07: Mesa Associates, Inc., HDR Engineering, Inc., and Stand Tech Consulting Services, Inc.,

SPEAKER_07: to provide hydroelectric design and engineering services for an approximate five-year period from October 20th, 2025 to October 31st, 2030.

SPEAKER_07: For a total amount not to exceed $15 million.

Unknown: This is item number eight on tonight's consent calendar.

Unknown: The second discussion item was authorization of the CEO and general manager to negotiate and award contracts to Kleinfeld, Inc.,

SPEAKER_07: GFT Infrastructure, Inc., GEI Consulting, Inc., TerraCon Consultants, Inc., and HDR, Inc.,

SPEAKER_07: and KGS International, Inc., for geotechnical engineering services for an approximate five-year period from October 20th, 2025 to October 31st, 2030.

SPEAKER_07: For a not to exceed amount of $10 million.

SPEAKER_07: This is item number nine on tonight's consent calendar.

SPEAKER_07: The third discussion was authorization of the CEO and general manager to negotiate and award a sole source contract to the Sacramento Tree Foundation

SPEAKER_07: to provide shade trees to SMUD customers during the period of January 1st, 2026 to December 31st, 2028 for a surprisingly small amount, $6,034,461.

SPEAKER_07: This is item number 11 on tonight's consent calendar.

Unknown: The fourth discussion item was to negotiate SMUD's vote on the second special district representative seats and the first alternate special district representative seats on the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission, that being LAFCO ballot.

SPEAKER_07: This is item number 12 on tonight's discussion calendar.

SPEAKER_07: The first information item was to provide the board with a preview of SMUD's 2026 proposed budget.

Unknown: The second information item was to provide the board with SMUD's financial results from the eight-month period ending August 31st, 2025, and a summary of SMUD's current power supply costs.

Unknown: The third information item was to provide the board with the opportunity to ask questions and or discuss recent reports issued by internal audit services.

Unknown: And that concludes my report.

Unknown: Thank you.

SPEAKER_08: And finally, we'll go to Director Rose, chair of the Energy Resources and Customer Services Committee, with a report from the meeting of October 15th.

Unknown: All right. Thank you.

SPEAKER_06: So the ERCS committee met on October 15th.

SPEAKER_06: We had one discussion item, which was to provide the board with an external and internal presentations about the prospects of nuclear energy for deep decarbonization, which is the comprehensive and strategic reduction of carbon emissions across all sectors of the economy to mitigate climate change.

SPEAKER_06: The speakers included our own James Frazier, who is the research and development and grants and partnerships director, as well as representatives from Black & Veatch, the Electric Power Research Institute, or EPRI, and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

SPEAKER_06: The panel provided an overview of nuclear energy development, recent executive orders, cost and performance characteristics, key benefits, new technologies, and projects and process.

SPEAKER_06: The discussion also covered safety and waste disposal.

SPEAKER_06: This concludes the report.

Unknown: Thank you.

SPEAKER_08: At this time, we will take comments from the public on the consent calendar.

SPEAKER_08: I do not have any cards from people here in the audience.

SPEAKER_08: Do we have anybody virtually who would like to speak on the consent calendar?

Unknown: No, I don't see any hands.

SPEAKER_03: Thank you.

SPEAKER_08: Then we will move on to approving the consent calendar.

SPEAKER_08: Item number three is to approve board member compensation for services rendered at the request of the board for the period of September 16th through October 15th, 2025.

SPEAKER_08: Item four is the approval of the minutes of the meeting of September 18th.

SPEAKER_08: Items five through seven were just reviewed at the policy committee of October 8th, 2025.

SPEAKER_08: Items eight, nine, and 11 were reviewed at the Finance and Audit Committee of October 14th.

Unknown: And if there are no corrections, changes, or additions, I will entertain a motion to approve the consent calendar.

Unknown: Second.

Unknown: Move Director Kurth, second Director Tamayo.

SPEAKER_08: Directors, please vote.

SPEAKER_03: The consent calendar is approved with all directors voting yes.

SPEAKER_08: And we will move on to the discussion calendar, agenda item number 12, which is to cast a vote on the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission, the LAFCO ballot regarding the election of a special district representative,

SPEAKER_08: and two seats, and an alternate special district representative for one seat.

SPEAKER_08: And we have a brief presentation from our Chief Legal Officer, Laura Lewis.

SPEAKER_03: Thank you.

SPEAKER_03: The board has an opportunity to cast a vote for the LAFCO representatives.

SPEAKER_03: These votes are due in writing on or before 5 p.m. on November 21st.

SPEAKER_03: And there are going to be three votes that you'll be making tonight if we can go to the first.

Unknown: Next slide, please.

Unknown: So the first office up is the special district representative to LAFCO.

SPEAKER_03: This is a four-year regular term.

SPEAKER_03: And the nominees are Gay Jones from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, Jim Fraser with the Harold Fire Protection District, and Robert Weikert with the Sacramento Suburban Water District.

SPEAKER_03: We can go to the next one.

SPEAKER_03: The next office is for the special district representative to LAFCO.

SPEAKER_03: A two-year regular term, it's taking the place as the one that resigned early in the middle of the term.

Unknown: There are four nominees, Beau Reynolds, North Highlands Recreation and Park District, Brandon D. Rose, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Jim Fraser, Harold Fire Protection District, and Robert Weikert with the Sacramento Suburban Water District.

Unknown: And then finally, the last office is the alternate special district representative.

SPEAKER_03: There are two nominees, Charlize Moore from the Rio Linda, Alberta Recreation and Park District, and Jim Fraser, the Harold Fire Protection District.

SPEAKER_03: And go to the next slide.

SPEAKER_03: So the board can choose to select the candidate for these three seats, and I understand the board did have a discussion at the meeting earlier in the week.

SPEAKER_03: So with that, I'll hand it over to President Fishman to guide the discussion.

Unknown: All right. So we did discuss this at our committee meeting.

SPEAKER_08: I did. Yeah. Director Herber.

SPEAKER_08: Yes, I'd like to go ahead. I don't know if we need to go one by one.

Unknown: We would do it all with one motion for all three.

SPEAKER_03: And I think President Fishman has some language to that effect.

SPEAKER_03: Oh, do you? Okay, that's fine.

SPEAKER_03: Well, so the discussion from our committee meeting was that we would nominate or vote for Gay Jones for the four-year regular term, for Brandon Rose for the two-year regular term, and Shirley Moore for the four-year alternate term.

SPEAKER_08: And I would, unless there's discussion.

SPEAKER_08: I would make that motion, Mr. President.

SPEAKER_04: Is there any discussion? No.

Unknown: So moved by Director Herber. Is there a second?

SPEAKER_08: Second.

Unknown: Second, Director Kurth. Directors, please vote.

Unknown: The motion is approved unanimously.

SPEAKER_08: I was supposed to ask for any public comment on that. I don't have any cards on that. Did we have any virtual?

Unknown: No, we did not.

SPEAKER_08: Okay. Thank you. Good.

Unknown: And we now have time for public comment on items not on the agenda.

Unknown: We allow the public to comment on items not on the agenda, but within our jurisdiction. I do not have any cards for that either. Do we have any virtual attendees who wish to speak?

Unknown: I do not see any hands now.

SPEAKER_03: All right. Then we will move on to directors' reports. And we'll go again in order of ward order, and I'll go last. So we'll start with Director Rose in ward one.

Unknown: All right. Thank you, President Fishman. It's a busy month, and so I'll try to be succinct.

SPEAKER_06: I had the opportunity to get out to the Sunday in Climate Justice Festival in September, which was at Cesar Chavez Park. I think several other board members did.

SPEAKER_06: Really, always interesting, as you see, this is the variety of different solar companies and just the community spirit in that renewable energy space as well.

SPEAKER_06: I also had a chance to speak at the Folsom Chamber of Commerce Future of Folsom event. They had Tom Sullivan, who flew in from New York.

SPEAKER_06: Most of you remember him as Sacramento radio host for decades.

SPEAKER_06: So we had some really interesting business takes at that event. So that was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_06: The other main thing I did is I had the opportunity with Director Kurth. We went on the Metro Chamber study mission to Boston last week, which was extremely well – kudos to the staff – extremely well put together event.

SPEAKER_06: Lots of really interesting panels. They had panel format, and they switched over to a roundtable.

SPEAKER_06: So we were just meeting really in small groups with a whole number of local officials from Boston, the Boston area.

SPEAKER_06: It was just a great opportunity to really learn and hear what they're doing and their city, and the opportunity to bring that back to Sacramento, especially law enforcement, community development.

SPEAKER_06: The last day was at the Innovation Park next to MIT's campus as well, and being able to sort of help form those technological partnerships.

SPEAKER_06: So I think it was extremely valuable. I appreciate the opportunity to go to that.

SPEAKER_06: I went to a few other things, but I think I will call that and pass the mic. Thank you.

Unknown: Thank you, Director Rose. Moving on to Ward 2 and Director Bowie-Thompson.

SPEAKER_08: Great. Thanks. I attended various events throughout the ward, including Summerfest at Rancho Marietta.

SPEAKER_10: They don't have a lot of events, so it was fun to be out in the community.

SPEAKER_10: I also attended the Hope Cooperative, which I quite experienced with.

SPEAKER_10: They provide housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness, focusing on the age population.

SPEAKER_10: I also attended a fun event at the Sacramento Zoo to support their great efforts in conservation.

SPEAKER_10: Last week, I attended the International Convening of the German Marshall Fund and their Marshall Memorial Fellowship.

SPEAKER_10: I was a fellow in 2012. There are 50 Americans chosen every year and 25 Europeans throughout the European Union.

SPEAKER_10: We do an exchange of ideas. One of the main topics, which is always of concern, is energy, quality, and affordability,

SPEAKER_10: which is one of the items, especially with the war in Ukraine and Russia.

SPEAKER_10: We actually had a representative from the City Council in Ukraine, from MIEV, that traveled four days to get to Detroit to be able to meet with us.

SPEAKER_10: It was a great opportunity to meet with people leading NGOs and government entities from around the world to discuss our common challenges and struggles,

SPEAKER_10: especially in a time of war and not peace.

SPEAKER_10: It was wonderful being able to represent SMUD and the State of California at this convening.

SPEAKER_10: I look forward to connecting with more of them in the future.

SPEAKER_10: They have some great ideas and some programs that hopefully we can bring along here at SMUD. Thank you.

Unknown: Thank you. And Director Herber and Ward Four.

Unknown: Thank you, President Fishman. This was a busy, busy month.

SPEAKER_04: I had a great time speaking to the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce and talking about our different business programs.

SPEAKER_04: I also was able to attend the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, kind of like the State of Hispanics.

SPEAKER_04: And the good news is that there have been gains in terms of education, in terms of employment, but there still is a long way to go.

SPEAKER_04: They had some great speakers for that event.

SPEAKER_04: One of my favorite events was the Exceptional Women of Color Expo and Awards.

SPEAKER_04: I was able to go to that event and meet a lot of entrepreneurs that are working together to try to help each other be strong business people.

SPEAKER_04: And of course SMUD was also providing support for those businesses.

SPEAKER_04: I got a chance to see our Congresswoman, Doris Matsui, at the Marisol Village Early Learning Center.

SPEAKER_04: They celebrated the completion of the construction.

SPEAKER_04: And that Marisol Village is one of the most incredible places.

SPEAKER_04: They house people who are under-resourced.

SPEAKER_04: They also have affordable housing on that location.

SPEAKER_04: But they really work hard to make sure that the children get the inspiration and the stimulation to be good students.

SPEAKER_04: They also attended the Sacramento Zoo event, but a highlight was the annual Literacy Festival.

SPEAKER_04: And I was especially excited to be there because SMUD has done so much with literacy.

SPEAKER_04: It really is the basic component that you need to be successful in the business world.

SPEAKER_04: And then just a couple of other things.

SPEAKER_04: I went to the SMUD Resource Fair, which was fabulous.

SPEAKER_04: There were so many people there, so many different community groups.

SPEAKER_04: It's so great that we are making such strong connections.

SPEAKER_04: And I got to celebrate with Inno Grove, which is kind of like an incubator.

SPEAKER_04: It was their 10th anniversary, and you know, Out Grove is really working to grow small businesses.

SPEAKER_04: And then last but not least, I got to see the ARC Center for Technical Education.

SPEAKER_04: And it is so neat to walk in there and see SMUD's name up there,

SPEAKER_04: and that we're working to teach people how to be electricians and understand EVs and understand how to build renewable energy.

SPEAKER_04: So it was a great month, and I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity to go to all those places.

Unknown: Thank you, Director Herber and Director Kirsan, Ward 5.

SPEAKER_08: Thank you.

SPEAKER_07: A very busy month.

SPEAKER_07: Just three things I want to touch on, and it's great to hear all the wonderful things folks are up to.

SPEAKER_07: First off, I continued my attendance at the Twin Rivers School District Bond.

Unknown: Now it's shutting off by itself there.

SPEAKER_07: Okay, for a while, the mic's been turning on by itself now.

SPEAKER_07: Anyway, I think they're mixed up.

Unknown: The Twin Rivers Citizen Bond Oversight Committee, where Twin Rivers continues to rebuild pretty much all their schools,

Unknown: largely with the help of SMUD at every single one.

SPEAKER_07: I know one of the big projects we're all looking forward to now is a parking lot solar PV installation

SPEAKER_07: at the Grand High School that SMUD's helping them out with quite a bit to go along with the electric buses there.

SPEAKER_07: Next up was a business walk along the R Street corridor.

SPEAKER_07: If you all haven't been there in a while, it's a great place to check out.

SPEAKER_07: I spoke with just the small business owners along the strip about what's confronting and what their issues are,

SPEAKER_07: where things are going, and it was a very positive event.

SPEAKER_07: And lastly, I'd like to add a little bit more on the study mission to Boston, which Director Rose covered really quite well.

Unknown: I'm a recovering City Council member from the City of Sacramento, and I have to admit just this tremendous budget envy I had.

SPEAKER_07: The City of Boston is roughly the same size as the City of Sacramento.

SPEAKER_07: It's got about 75,000 more people.

SPEAKER_07: It's half the geographic area, and it has four times the budget.

SPEAKER_07: And they spend it apparently pretty well because the crime rate is exceptionally low.

SPEAKER_07: The place was wonderfully clean.

SPEAKER_07: I didn't see any graffiti.

SPEAKER_07: And just this delivery of government services was so impressive to me, and that it must be keeping their people happy,

SPEAKER_07: because if the voters weren't happy with the services they were getting for much money they were paying,

SPEAKER_07: they'd have thrown their rascals out a long time ago and changed that.

SPEAKER_07: But just a very encouraging thing now was there stuff we could bring home?

SPEAKER_07: Absolutely, because they have some wonderful programs there.

SPEAKER_07: Maybe we can't do them to the same extent or in all the different places they do,

SPEAKER_07: but we can definitely bring home those kinds of after-listen programs and really approach to getting business done that they've got so good at there.

Unknown: And with that, I will pass it back to you.

SPEAKER_08: Thank you.

SPEAKER_08: And we will move over to Vice President Tamayo in Ward 6.

SPEAKER_09: Thank you, President Fishman.

SPEAKER_09: So first of all, I wanted to mention a community leaders listening forum that we had that Paul attended

SPEAKER_09: and gave a very great outline of the types of things that we're doing to meet our 2030's old carbon plan and invest in communities.

SPEAKER_09: And I have to say you did a great job.

SPEAKER_09: I also wanted to give a shout out to Rhonda Staley Brooks, who did an amazing job of organizing it

SPEAKER_09: and actually facilitating the meeting so that neither Paul nor I could dominate the conversation.

SPEAKER_09: So she did a really good job of teasing out questions from the community.

SPEAKER_09: And they did have some very interesting questions.

SPEAKER_09: It was a great opportunity to talk to them.

SPEAKER_09: I had the pleasure of attending that Inna Grove event as well and learning what they're doing down there.

SPEAKER_09: It's actually really cool.

SPEAKER_09: And I met a few people that are doing neat things there.

SPEAKER_09: And I have to compliment Director Herber in that she spoke at this event and she just did an incredible job of talking about what Inna Grove's doing

SPEAKER_09: and also Smud's passion for helping the community through organizations like that.

Unknown: I have to announce that this is Filipino American History Month.

SPEAKER_09: And I had the pleasure of attending the Magkaisa event at Laguna Town Center, which was very interesting.

SPEAKER_09: A lot of different Filipino businesses and then various speakers about different topics of Filipino American history.

SPEAKER_09: I met a number of folks that I've never met before and got a great T-shirt out of it.

SPEAKER_09: I'll share that with you some other time.

SPEAKER_09: And then I'll be attending two more events this Saturday, one hosted by the Filipino American National Historical Society,

SPEAKER_09: the Sacramento chapter, and then also the Filipino community of Sacramento and vicinity.

SPEAKER_09: And so I'm looking forward to that and connecting with more of the folks in the community there.

Unknown: I had a great time yesterday at the Sustainable Communities Partnership Summit, which has been happening for the last five years.

SPEAKER_09: The energy there was amazing, the types of things that people are engaged in.

SPEAKER_09: And so I knew a number of people there, but I also met a bunch of new people who were doing great things in the community.

SPEAKER_09: And once again, a shout out to staff. Shiloh did an amazing job.

SPEAKER_09: And there are plenty of other staff that I see all the time working with the community there.

SPEAKER_09: And folks were sharing ideas and meeting new people, making new connections, and hopefully coming up with new collaborations.

SPEAKER_09: It's just a great event. And if you guys can, anybody can make it to that. I highly suggest going there.

SPEAKER_09: I had thought that I was going to go to the ARC event, but I just couldn't tell myself away from the summit that I was already at.

SPEAKER_09: It was just so much fun. I had the pleasure also of speaking and attending the SMUD's Emerging Leaders Energy Summit,

SPEAKER_09: which is for high schools and now also for college students. And there are a number of speakers.

SPEAKER_09: And I was really impressed with the types of questions that the students were asking.

SPEAKER_09: You could tell that they had already been working on understanding energy and really thinking about what could be done

SPEAKER_09: and what do you need to think about when you're considering a project. They had some very intelligent questions.

SPEAKER_09: I attended the Hispanic Chamber. Really it was about their economic report, annual report.

SPEAKER_09: And so there were a number of great speakers. A really good panel discussion moderated by our very own Jose Bodipa-Memba,

SPEAKER_09: who did a great job as a very enlightening discussion. And then I would also say that the report revealed some encouraging progress,

SPEAKER_09: but also recognized ongoing challenges for the Hispanic community, but also for our region as a whole.

SPEAKER_09: So it's a very useful document and it's available on their site. And I attended the Community Resource Project Literacy event in my ward at Rainbow Park.

SPEAKER_09: And it really was bringing resources and enthusiasm about learning how to read.

SPEAKER_09: I met a local company that is developing Spanish language books for kids. There's a very short supply of those.

SPEAKER_09: And so actually it's one of the local news anchors, Leticia Ordaz, has this company and they're promoting literacy through providing these very excellent books.

SPEAKER_09: So I wanted people to be aware of that. I had the pleasure of attending the Terra Madre event, which was amazing that we have that here in Sacramento,

SPEAKER_09: an international event that's going to keep coming back here. So that was exciting. And then I'll end it up with the Veggie of the Year event that was held by the Food Literacy Center.

SPEAKER_09: I think they were about fifth graders. It was at an elementary school in Land Park. And they had some various chefs that were competing.

SPEAKER_09: And they were each assigned a vegetable to create a dish for. And then they would serve it to the kids. And the kids got to vote on which the best vegetable was.

SPEAKER_09: And I'm sorry to say that I don't remember who won, but I really liked the Ethiopian cabbage. So it was really good.

SPEAKER_09: But they were all really good dishes. And it was a great way to get kids thinking about, hey, I can eat more than hamburgers. I can eat vegetables. And they were all having a really good time.

SPEAKER_09: And that was an event, of course, that we support. And I'm really proud that we support things like that all over the community. Thank you.

SPEAKER_09: I'm a big fan of Rutabagas myself. Director Sanborn and Ward 7.

SPEAKER_02: Thank you. Well, I'll start with last month I attended for the first time the Women's Empowerment Gala at the Kempton. And President Fishman was there as well. And it was absolutely wonderful.

SPEAKER_02: Women's empowerment empowers women who are unhoused and often with their children to find housing, get employment, get the health care they need and other things.

SPEAKER_02: And hearing the personal stories of women who have been through the program was incredibly moving. And I encourage anyone if you want to help in that regard, Women's Empowerment is a wonderful charity.

SPEAKER_02: The Habitat for Humanity, Hard Hats and High Heels was incredible. Our own Shiloh is the president of the board. And she was amazing and got up there. And they raised over $575,000.

Unknown: Broke a record. They were hoping to hit $500,000. And it was at the ReStore, which is recycling used building materials, which actually I helped set that up back 25 years ago when Archie was the CEO.

SPEAKER_02: And we got them a reuse grant from the state agency I worked at at the time, which was CalRecycle. And that was seed money, that $50,000. Now they make about $100,000 a month at the ReStore.

SPEAKER_02: But they also keep millions of pounds of materials out of local landfills. And those materials can be used for people to stay in their homes that are having a hard time getting. They can't afford a brand new sink or a brand new this or that.

SPEAKER_02: They've got the furniture, they've got the paint, they've got everything. If you haven't been to it, I highly encourage everyone to look at it or donate if you have furniture.

SPEAKER_02: I saw a truck going down the street today and they were going to clearly go to the dump with all the stuff, but there was two beautiful pieces of furniture in there that somebody could really use.

SPEAKER_02: And it helps, you know, so if you donate it to the ReStore, they sell it, they make money, and people can have materials that they need.

SPEAKER_02: So congratulations to Habitat for Humanity and our own Shallow Castello because that was just an incredible event.

Unknown: The ward was seven. We did a tree planting with the Kiwanis Club of Carmichael and our Key Club Kids in the schools. And we planted 15 trees. Thank you to the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

Unknown: They were also very excited to hear that next year we will have the option of shrubs, native shrubs that are coming online with the project, the contract we just approved, and fruit trees have been added.

SPEAKER_02: So we're all very excited about that. And that was in Maddox Park. So we're pleased to do that.

SPEAKER_02: I went to the Native American Health Center event, first foods dinner, and I learned a lot about indigenous cooking and food, and it was delicious and healthy, and it was all from plants in this region.

SPEAKER_02: And it was incredible. All I can say is it was to benefit the Native American Health Center, which Smud has been incredibly impactful to setting that up.

SPEAKER_02: But I didn't get to go to the grand opening, so I was glad to go to this event. And also see and hear from the people who benefit from that Native American Health Center.

SPEAKER_02: Many of those people are suffering from things like diabetes, and they had a diabetes doctor get up and explain how they're teaching them about their native cooking, even to help them get healthier and get off of some of the processed foods that are making them sick.

SPEAKER_02: So it was a great event, and hopefully they raised a lot of money.

Unknown: Also attended the Sacramento Valley Conservancy Treasures of the Valley event at Camp Pollock. That was awesome. I know Director Tamaia was there also, and we saw a lot of our colleagues and friends.

SPEAKER_02: And again, Smud is a great sponsor. But I, for the first time, got to tour around in Camp Pollock, past the Peacocks, which are always beautiful.

SPEAKER_02: But that is an incredible little gem in the middle of the city. And if you haven't been to Camp Pollock, I encourage you to do it and support Sacramento Valley Conservancy.

SPEAKER_02: They're preserving land so we can all enjoy it for generations to come.

SPEAKER_02: And then I spoke yesterday at the elected officials mixer for the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce. We had Senator Niella there, Assemblymember Josh Hoover, Supervisor Rich Desmond, and Ami Berra.

SPEAKER_02: So that was kind of fun. And I will end with where Director Herber and I were yesterday at the American River College Center for Technology and Education.

SPEAKER_02: That tour of that building was incredible to see what our staff have done in supporting, I think it's a multi-year agreement we have where we're going to give them money.

SPEAKER_02: But what they're doing to train future electricians and future installers of solar was incredible. The electricians program is oversubscribed. The other one is not.

SPEAKER_02: So if anybody knows high schoolers who are interested in getting into possibly installing solar panels and doing other things that might be great employment at Smud, do let the school know.

SPEAKER_02: But what a wonderful program and a pipeline for future workforce. So I want to thank Brian, Amir, and Ocean because they're the ones. Brian feeds us at the Culinary Center and then Amir and Ocean are the ones who run the program and teach the kids.

SPEAKER_02: And they're very excited about what they do. Wonderful people. And I will say if you're in the Carmichael area or it's actually I think more Foothill Farms.

SPEAKER_02: But the school has a cafeteria that's open that the culinary students make the food and serve it just like a fine dining restaurant.

SPEAKER_02: And they do that I think Wednesdays and Thursdays or Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursdays, Wednesday, Thursdays. They don't have to advertise because they're always packed.

SPEAKER_02: The food is delicious. I believe it was $25 for a full three course lunch. And we had salmon and really fancy dessert and all the good things.

SPEAKER_02: But it's teaching the kids. It's giving the kids a way to actually learn culinary skills. And we just thought that was wonderful. And of course they're using our electric cooking. So we're excited about that.

SPEAKER_02: So that's all I have to report. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02: Thank you. Boy, it's going to be hard to do my report without being redundant. Everybody covered everything already.

Unknown: Actually, within the first nine days of this month, I was able to attend four different SMUD sponsored events.

SPEAKER_08: Well, more than that. But the four that I'm going to mention, the Sacramento Republic FC Hispanic Heritage Night and their Noche Latina.

SPEAKER_08: The Asian Resources Autumn Moon Dinner. The Sacramento Native American Health Center First Foods Dinner that Director Sanborn mentioned.

SPEAKER_08: And I'd like to add that Scott Martin is on the board of that organization. And that was a really fun dinner.

SPEAKER_08: And then the Yumian Community Services Dinner on the ninth of this month.

SPEAKER_08: So those four events just really spoke to me about the multicultural nature of our community and how we honor all of them in different ways.

SPEAKER_08: And also how SMUD is playing a role in supporting these organizations. Not only with the dollars that we spend for a table at their dinner or to support their event.

SPEAKER_08: But with people who are on their boards and giving of their time and their expertise and their knowledge and their talents as well.

SPEAKER_08: So I think that's really, really cool.

SPEAKER_08: And I'm going to also call out Shiloh because I did get to say a few words at the Habitat for Humanity Dinner.

SPEAKER_08: And it was spectacular, a really fun event. And Shiloh, again, president of that board.

SPEAKER_08: I think all of our executives on at least one board, probably several, right? Everybody is.

SPEAKER_08: As well as several people at one level down at the director level.

SPEAKER_08: So it's really a cool thing that SMUD is doing.

Unknown: Not just allowing that to happen, but encouraging that to happen. Because it really does matter.

Unknown: Let's see. I did get to speak at the opening of the ARC Tech Educational Center a few weeks ago.

SPEAKER_08: Phenomenal location and phenomenal resource for the community in so many different ways.

Unknown: Participated in the Great American River cleanup.

SPEAKER_08: I am on the board of the American River Parkway Foundation and I got to pull several large garbage bags full of invasive stinkwort.

SPEAKER_08: And after doing that on a warm morning, I became a little bit of stinkwort myself.

SPEAKER_08: But that was a fun event and they pulled tons of trash off of the parkway, making that environment a little bit better.

SPEAKER_08: And then finally, actually, something slightly more serious along with Paul and a couple of others.

SPEAKER_08: I attended the Northern California Power Authority Conference late last month.

SPEAKER_08: Big discussion about artificial intelligence again.

SPEAKER_08: How are we going to handle the power demands? Are those demands going to be changing?

SPEAKER_08: Everybody sees this spike, but then possibly with better technology and better chips that are on the horizon already,

SPEAKER_08: maybe that spike won't last very long.

SPEAKER_08: So how do we manage that without stranding a bunch of assets and spending a lot of money on things that we don't need more than five years from now?

SPEAKER_08: So it's a fascinating topic and lots of good ideas being thrown around.

SPEAKER_08: We generally in the industry are still in that sifting process in terms of finding out what are we really going to do

SPEAKER_08: and what's the best way to approach AI and the power demands that it has in the short run.

Unknown: I will stop there.

SPEAKER_08: And I believe now we go to our executive director's report, our CEO report, Paul.

SPEAKER_08: Well, thank you so much, President Fisherman.

SPEAKER_00: But before I start, I do actually want to thank Vice President Tamayo for really creating the venue

SPEAKER_00: for inviting all the neighborhood associations and the nonprofits that serve in the South area

SPEAKER_00: to spend the evening with us so we can actually listen to him.

SPEAKER_00: I'm absolutely amazed by the details that Vice President Tamayo has about our program

SPEAKER_00: because he was actually answering back and forth as when Rhonda did the facilitation about having those conversations.

SPEAKER_00: I think the only thing that Rhonda couldn't do for us that evening was because it was actually raining.

SPEAKER_00: It's our first rainstorm.

SPEAKER_00: But people braved their elements.

SPEAKER_00: I was so impressed.

SPEAKER_00: Asian Resources Board was there.

SPEAKER_00: The Metaview Neighborhood Association was there commenting us.

SPEAKER_00: I had a lot of details about what we're doing in the neighborhood.

SPEAKER_00: So it was a wonderful venue.

SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much, Vice President Tamayo, to actually having the idea, creating the venue,

SPEAKER_00: and then having a listening session and then having the nice interactions with the folks that lives in the community,

SPEAKER_00: but also more importantly, serving our community and listening to really some of the challenges they're facing

SPEAKER_00: really with the new national policies, the state policies, the state budgets.

SPEAKER_00: So it was really a wonderful evening.

SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much for creating the venue.

SPEAKER_00: Now I'd like to start by sharing some good news.

SPEAKER_00: The SmutCare Employees Giving Campaign exceeded its goal of $440,000.

SPEAKER_00: We raised over half a million dollars this year, knocking it out of the park.

SPEAKER_00: And 28 percent of our employees participated by donating in causes and local nonprofits that they're passionate about.

SPEAKER_00: Now we know every dollar makes a difference.

SPEAKER_00: And I really want to thank our employees, our board, and for the deep generosity and commitment to our community,

SPEAKER_00: and a huge special thanks for Laura Angway, who is our executive, leading the charge, creating fun events like the golfing, bowling, and doing all that stuff.

SPEAKER_00: So this is kind of wonderful that, in fact, we actually talked about it during the listening session, that with Smut employees,

SPEAKER_00: after we, for those people having trouble paying the bills, we actually gave them help with the city, help with the county.

SPEAKER_00: And then when all things fail, SmutCare is actually behind it.

SPEAKER_00: So it's a wonderful thing that our Smut employee does for our community.

Unknown: And also now for exciting milestones, we actually have surpassed 20,000 heat pump insulation in the Sacramento market

SPEAKER_00: using rebates, customer education, and the Smut Contracting Network to achieve this clean energy milestone.

SPEAKER_00: Now together with more than 390 approved multilingual contractors and electricians,

SPEAKER_00: we'll help Sacramento family replace the gas heating systems with efficient electric heat pumps.

SPEAKER_00: Now this installation will eliminate 20,000 tons of carbon emissions each year,

SPEAKER_00: and this is equivalent to removing 8,000 gas-powered cars from the roads,

SPEAKER_00: and each of this customer will save about $500 per year from the electric bills by going electric,

SPEAKER_00: and also improving the air quality inside the home, which is wonderful.

SPEAKER_00: Now this past month, we're also very proud to host our third Connecting Our Community Resource Expo,

SPEAKER_00: as Vice President Tomiles, some of the directors are actually there mingling with the folks.

SPEAKER_00: So we know now that bringing Smut resources to customers is important,

Unknown: and so is it making it easier for them to access wraparound services to our community partners.

SPEAKER_00: Community members and customers engage with our Smut teams and resources,

SPEAKER_00: connecting with more than 35 organizations, and sign up for wider programs and services.

SPEAKER_00: And this event has over 500 attendees, even Lorraine.

SPEAKER_00: So I attended last year, it was kind of really wonderful to see people from the community walking up

SPEAKER_00: and really talking to organizations that provide really needed services that they have no idea,

SPEAKER_00: they have never even heard of, and so it was wonderful to see that connection happen.

SPEAKER_00: So thank you to the team who works hard each day to make it possible for our community to support their needs.

SPEAKER_00: It was just a wonderful event for those of you who have not attended, so next time when we have it, it's really a wonderful event.

SPEAKER_00: Now Smut team was recognized with several well-deserved awards to share.

SPEAKER_00: I think first PR Daily awarded us with two honors.

SPEAKER_00: First was in the media category for our 2024 press event with Congresswoman Doris Matsui for our Metaview work,

SPEAKER_00: and the social media category for our People Behind the Promise Campaign.

SPEAKER_00: And the Public Relations Society of America, California, capital chapter, also honors Smut with a PRSA influence award for our Clean Power Promise Campaign.

SPEAKER_00: I know Ferris is not here tonight because he's actually out there with his team celebrating, you know, at the ceremony,

SPEAKER_00: celebrating, getting the award.

SPEAKER_00: And then also the U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans Employment and Training Services, VETS,

Unknown: recognized Smut with the Hire Vets Medallion Award for veteran hiring and recruiting.

Unknown: And finally, I was deeply honored to receive the George Westinghouse top innovator in the leadership in innovative award at the Smart Electric Power Alliance.

SPEAKER_00: Public Utility Fort Lightening Top Innovator Conference in Washington, D.C., early this week.

SPEAKER_00: And I think this actually makes it like over like 57 awards that Smut actually has received this year.

SPEAKER_00: And I think this is actually a raising up to the challenge that Vice President Tomiks has set for Smut to get a one award a week, I think, if I remember correctly.

SPEAKER_00: So I think last year you heard Tracy Carlson saying we missed it with like 47.

SPEAKER_00: I guess we made it up in force this year.

SPEAKER_00: So congratulations to the team.

SPEAKER_00: And then for tonight's video, we're going to on the clock with our power system operating, PSO team.

SPEAKER_00: And the power system operations team manages our transmission systems from both an engineering and operation perspective, 24 by 7, 365 days a year.

SPEAKER_00: And our transmission planning team is always monitoring our current set up with the grid, the resources for transmission, as well as calculating the need for the next five to ten years.

SPEAKER_00: Now PSO is absolutely essential in the orchestration of serving electricity to the distribution systems in order for every one of us in Sacramento to actually have electricity.

SPEAKER_00: So you always hear about the neighborhood substations and the alignment.

SPEAKER_00: But really, it is really the PSO folks, the other one who is working on our transmission system to make sure energy gets delivered into the Sacramento area to serve us.

SPEAKER_00: And so let's take a look at the video.

Unknown: Right at the top of the list on our 2030 planet, safety and reliability.

SPEAKER_05: Our customers expect the lights to come on, which means for us, the safety and reliability of our grid is number one.

SPEAKER_05: And while we're facing the integration of renewables into our system, addressing large loads driven by AI and many other industries coming to our area, those who manage our transmission system, the transmission planning and operations group are key to that.

Unknown: They're quietly working away both from an engineering and operations point of view.

SPEAKER_05: Our transmission planning team is constantly looking at our current set up on the grid, how we're sitting with resources, how we're sitting with the transmission.

Unknown: And then they're also monitoring for growth, forecasting for the next five to ten years out, working with other departments like resource planning, forecasting with energy trading and contracts to integrate all of that information into our overall map.

SPEAKER_12: My role in the power system operations team is supporting the operators, giving them the tools that they need, removing any impediments and successfully operating our transmission system.

Unknown: Our team is here 24 seven, 365 days a year, helping to keep the lights on.

SPEAKER_11: They're going out every four seconds and balancing load and generation, responding to market input signals and responding to both planned and unplanned outages.

Unknown: I'm Carl Ramos. I'm a power system operator for SMUD.

Unknown: I watched the grid from a computer monitor. I'm a pattern recognition geek.

SPEAKER_01: I look at my displays and I condition myself to pinpoint whenever there's something that's out of the ordinary.

SPEAKER_01: From the transmission perspective, that's our job.

SPEAKER_01: We need to ensure that as the load grows throughout the day, as it reaches the hot afternoon peak on summertime, we have enough generation.

SPEAKER_01: We have generators that are within the SMUD service area and transmission lines that connect those generators to loads within the SMUD service area.

SPEAKER_11: We're mission critical because without us, we can't serve electricity to the distribution system operators for them to be able to serve the customer load within the service territory.

Unknown: We have a variety of real time tools that evaluate and analyze real time data so that we can safely and reliably manage the grid.

Unknown: From a transmission standpoint on the West Coast, all of the utilities are interconnected.

SPEAKER_12: We're here to not only benefit from each other but help support each other as well.

SPEAKER_12: We always have to be prepared for the unknowns or for the contingencies that might occur and having a mitigation plan to be able to respond to those.

Unknown: We have a fantastic team in transmission planning and operations.

SPEAKER_05: What they do every day, managing the grid every second, every minute, has been nothing but phenomenal. I'm very, very proud of this group.

Unknown: Back in the audience today, one of the star of the show, David Wilkes, who manages our PSO operations is back there.

Unknown: I can't say thank you enough to the group. Every time there's a windstorm, a heatwave, or an energy crisis in California,

SPEAKER_00: David's team is really the heroes behind making sure that all the power that we actually contracted for, all the powers that actually get disrupted,

SPEAKER_00: and they were able to find a different way to actually bring power into our grid so that we can actually serve our customers.

SPEAKER_00: So a special thanks to David, you and your team. So thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00: With that, I'm going to turn it back over to President Fishman.

Unknown: All right, thank you. We are looking for a summary of board direction. I don't believe there was any.

Unknown: I don't have anything now.

SPEAKER_03: All right. And Chief Legal Officer, have we received any request to speak on the closed session agenda?

Unknown: No, we've not.

SPEAKER_03: All right. The board will now enter into a closed session to discuss the following item, public employment pursuant to Section 54957 of the government code.

SPEAKER_08: We're going to be talking about our CEO and general manager. The board will not be taking any action during the closed session,

SPEAKER_08: so there will be nothing to report out at the end of the session. Seeing no further business, the board will now adjourn into that closed session.