* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] LISA, UM, SORRY. PRESIDENT RAINEY [ROLL CALL] HERE. VICE PRESIDENT MCGUIRE. HERE. SECRETARY SHANNON SCOTT. SORRY. PRESIDENT. COMMISSIONER SHANNON. COMMISSIONER CORDERA. WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU. OH, WALKER. WALKER. WE HAVE THE PLEDGE [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] OF ALLEGIANCE BY, UH, BRANDON WALKER. PLEASE STAND, PUT YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART. READY? BEGIN. [ANNOUNCEMENTS] OH, CHILD, I WAS SO BUSY. BUSY. BEST IN M WALKER. I FORGOT TO DO WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. . OKAY. UM, OKAY. THE ONLY, UM, REPORT, THERE'S, UH, THREE ITEMS THAT I HAVE. NUMBER ONE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER. THEY WILL BE, THEY'RE WITH US TODAY. AND SINCE OUR CITY MANAGER IS HERE, UM, WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND MR. TOM MOTOR? COULD JUST WAVE YOUR HAND, BABY. . THAT'S HOW I DO 'EM, THAT'S HOW I TREAT HIM. ALL DONE. UH, WE, I'M SURE ALL OF THE COMMISSIONERS WISH YOU A BELATED VALENTINE'S. HOPE YOU GOT A LOT OF CANDY AND FLOWERS. IF NOT, YOU COULD TAKE SOME OF THOSE WE GOT AT MY HOUSE. I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THEY WERE FOR MY HUSBAND OR, UH, ACTUALLY FOR, UH, FOR ME. WELL, WELL, AND THIS IS OUR MAYOR, UH, REX RICHARDSON. AND I'M GONNA DO YOU LIKE I DID, UH, TOM, YOU WAVE YOUR HAND FIRST. AND I DO HIM THE SAME WAY. OKAY. UM, WE ARE GONNA STOP AT, WELL, I'M GONNA FINISH THE ANNOUNCEMENT. UM, OUR DIRECTOR, ALL OF YOU KNOW, OUR OUTSTANDING DIRECTORS. HE PAID ME TO SAY THAT. 'CAUSE THE MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER IS GOING TO BE HERE. I'M LYING, YOU GUYS, . UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY? YES. SO REAL QUICKLY, I JUST WANNA POINT OUT THAT, UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE LOST ONE OF OUR EMPLOYEES OVER THE WEEKEND. UH, JOSE BJA, UH, PASSED AWAY SUDDENLY. UH, HE WAS 41 YEARS OLD, UH, OUT OF OUR SEWER OPERATIONS. UH, VERY SAD SITUATION. UM, HE HAD, HAD, HAD SOME HEALTH ISSUES, UM, BUT THIS WAS VERY UNEXPECTED. AND SO IT HAS HIT OUR, OUR DEPARTMENT VERY HARD. AND SO WE'VE HAD GRIEF COUNSELING COME OUT, UH, YESTERDAY, UH, FOR THE EMPLOYEES. UM, WE HAVE A GOFUNDME GOING WITH THE FAMILY. UM, HE, UH, HAS BEEN WITH THE CITY SINCE 2007, STARTED IN PUBLIC WORKS AND THEN TRANSFERRED TO, UH, THE WATER DEPARTMENT IN 2018 AND PROMOTED TO WATER UTILITY MECHANIC TWO IN 2019. UH, BUT HE'S BEEN IN OUR SEWER OPERATIONS AND SO, UH, WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT. BUT IT'S VERY TOUGH. HE LEAVES BEHIND, UH, A WIFE AND THREE YOUNG CHILDREN. UH, VERY SAD SITUATION. ON A LITTLE LIGHTER NEWS. UM, WE HAVE OUR ALL EMPLOYEE EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION, UH, BREAKFAST. IT'S GONNA BE HELD ON THE QUEEN MARY, UH, IN, UM, MARCH 20TH. AND SO YOU'LL GET INVITATIONS TO THAT TO ATTEND THAT. AND THEN, UM, IN MAY, WE'RE GONNA BE CELEBRATING OUR HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY FOR THE GAS UTILITY, UH, THAT STARTED IN, IN 1924. AND, UH, SO WE'LL HAVE A, UH, MOST LIKELY AN INTERNAL, UH, CELEBRATION. AND OBVIOUSLY YOU'LL ALL BE INVITED TO THAT ALSO. THAT CONCLUDES MARY REPORT. OKAY. HAVE GLORIA, CHRIS, CAN YOU, HOW OLD ARE HIS KIDS? JOSE'S KIDS. I KNOW HIS OLDEST DAUGHTER JUST TURNED 13. IT WAS VERY SAD ON, ON FACEBOOK. HE JUST POSTED A COUPLE MONTHS AGO THAT SHE HAD TURNED 13, AND HE, AND HE ENDS IT BY SAYING, UH, YOU KNOW, I'LL, [00:05:01] I'LL PROTECT YOU TILL THE DAY I DIE. UH, VERY, VERY SAD. UM, HE HAS A YOUNGER SON WHO'S PROBABLY, I, I THINK AROUND FIVE. AND, UH, I'M NOT SURE HOW THE, UH, OLD THE OTHER DAUGHTER IS, DO THEY? NOT THAT IT MATTERS, BUT DO THEY LIVE IN LONG BEACH? UH, NO, THEY DON'T CLOSE BY. OKAY. SO YOU'LL, YOU'LL GIVE US THE GOFUNDME INFORMATION? YES. YES. THANK YOU. [7. 24-52198 Receive and file an update on the proposed Charter Amendment for Civil Service reform from the Mayor and City Manager.       Suggested Action: Receive and file. ] IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS, WE'LL CLOSE THE ANNOUNCEMENTS. IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS FROM THE BOARD, WE WILL TAKE ITEM SEVEN OUT OF ORDER AND, UH, HEAR THEM NOW. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? HEARING NONE? WE WILL, UH, MOVE FOR OUR MAYOR AND CITY MANAGERS ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND THEN AFTER WE FINISH THAT, WE WILL, UH, COME BACK INTO ORDER. OKAY, WE'LL GO, UH, GO IN THE ROOM. IN THE BACK. YOU WANNA STAY HERE OR? YEAH, WE'LL DO IT HERE. OKAY. WE'LL DO HERE. THIS, THIS HERE. . WELL, NOW I TRY TO FOLLOW ORDERS. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST THE COMMISSIONERS. NO, IT'S EVERYBODY ALL. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ALL RIGHT. HELP ME, BABY. YOU KNOW, I'LL BE 75, SO HELP ME. OKAY. READY FOR, HUH? READY FOR, WELL, BABY, ARE YOU READY? WE READY? ALRIGHT, BABY. I WAS WAITING FOR YOU NOW. GOOD. WELL, GOOD MORNING. UH, YOU KNOW, YESTERDAY WAS VALENTINE'S DAY. UH, SO I DID SPLIT A BOTTLE OF WINE WITH MY WIFE. SO IT'S A LITTLE EARLY. I'M A LITTLE GRO GROGGY. IT'S MORNING. UM, BUT THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS. YOU'RE A DAD, MAYOR. I'M A HUSBAND, MAYOR, YOU KNOW, GOTTA STAY MARRIED. GOTTA PRIORITIZE. SO YOU, YOU KNOW, DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO, BUT YOU GOTTA GET UP EARLY. SO, I WANTED TO COME IN, UH, TODAY, AND WE'RE HERE WITH OUR CITY TEAM, AND WE'RE HERE TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT, UH, OUR, UH, PROPOSED BALLOT MEASURE THAT WE ARE PREPARING FOR NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR TO UPDATE AND MODERNIZE OUR HIRING PROCESS IN THE CITY AND PLACE A GREATER FOCUS ON LOCAL HIRE. HOW DO WE GET HERE? WELL, UM, A YEAR AGO, UM, I WALKED OUT ON THE STAGE AT THE STATE OF THE CITY, UH, AFTER ME AND MAYOR FOR ABOUT TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AND NEEDED TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING. AND, UM, AFTER BEING MAYOR FOR TWO AND A HALF WEEKS, YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY. SO I FOCUSED ON A 100 DAY PLAN. AND ONE OF THOSE KEY PIECES WAS LIKE, HOW DO WE, UH, HOW DO WE IMPROVE SERVICES, CREATE MORE LOCAL JOBS? SO, I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT VACANCIES A YEAR AGO, AND THE NUMBER WAS ABOUT 400 VACANCIES, UH, IN THE CITY, PLAGUING OUR CITY. NOW, UM, OVER THE COURSE OF THAT YEAR, WE BEGAN TO SEE EXAMPLES OF, UH, THE WAY THE SIGNIFICANT VACANCIES IN OUR CITY BEGAN TO PLAGUE OUR SERVICES AND IMPACT THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE. NOW, I'LL GIVE YOU A FEW EXAMPLES. UM, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE MONTHS IN THE OFFICE, UH, WE SAW THAT TRASH WASN'T BEING COLLECTED ACROSS THE CITY, AND WE FOUND THAT ABOUT 16, 17 GUYS WERE DOING THE WORK OF 40, 40 PEOPLE. UH, AND WE NEEDED TO PLACE A BIG FOCUS ON HIRING SO THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THE TRASH DOESN'T GET PICKED UP, IT'S STILL THERE. THE NEXT DAY, IT JUST CONTINUES TO BE BACKLOGGED. WE NEEDED TO CATCH UP. AND SO WE PLACED A BIG FOCUS AND WE GOT TO 100%, UM, HIRED, WE WORKED AT CIVIL SERVICE AND OTHERS, AND WE SPED UP THE PROCESS AND WE HIRED EVERYONE, EVERYONE WHO APPLIED, EVERYONE ON THE LIST. WE HIRED 'EM ALL. AND, AND WE SAW CHALLENGES WITH, YOU KNOW, AMBULANCE OPERATORS. UM, AND SOME OF THAT WAS WITH PAY, SOME OF IT WAS WITH, YOU KNOW, THE HIRING PROCESSES. AND, UM, AND SO WE FOCUSED ON THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE CHALLENGES IN PUBLIC SAFETY. WE PLAY SOME REAL ISSUES, PLAY SOME REAL FOCUS ON FIRE. HAPPY TO SAY WE'RE FINALLY FULLY STAFFED IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND SO WE'RE SEEING GOOD THINGS HAPPEN THERE. THERE'S STILL A LOT MORE WORK TO DO IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, OTHER DEPARTMENTS, UH, TO MOVE FASTER. AND SO THIS YEAR AT THE STATE OF THE CITY, UH, WE WANTED TO MAKE PERMANENT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE TESTED, SOME OF THE TRIALS AND THE PILOTS THAT WE TRIED OUT IN THE PAST YEAR. UH, BECAUSE THE REALITY IS, UM, YOU KNOW, TAKING SEVEN MONTHS TO HIRE JUST ISN'T COMPETITIVE FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR. AND GOVERNMENTS ARE, ARE, ARE FINDING THAT WE HAVE TO CHANGE OUR SYSTEMS IN ORDER TO KEEP UP. IT'S A WHOLE GENERATION OF PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST BYPASSING PUBLIC SERVICE. THEY'RE SAYING, THIS ISN'T FOR ME. UH, I'D RATHER GO IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. I'D RATHER DRIVE UBER, RIGHT? WE HAVE TO MAKE IT ATTAINABLE AND ATTRACTIVE FOR PEOPLE TO COME AND WANT TO SERVE IN OUR CITIES AND BUILD, UH, LEGACIES OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND HAVE A SECURE RETIREMENT, AND HAVE HEALTHCARE AND PUT THEIR CHILDREN ON COURSE TO COLLEGE. AND WE'RE A COLLEGE TOWN. [00:10:01] UH, WE ARE PROUD THAT WE HAVE LONG BEACH STATE, LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE AND MY ALMA MATER, CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS, RIGHT ON THE BORDER. AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DEVELOP PIPELINES. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS PROPOSING REALLY TWO THINGS. IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO TWO THINGS. ONE, TAKING OUR HIRING, WHICH IS SPREAD OUT ACROSS ANYONE EVER SEEN THAT, THAT, UH, THAT SPIDER-MAN MEME WITH SPIDER THREE, SPIDER-MAN, KIND OF POINTING EACH OTHER, RIGHT? THAT'S KIND OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH, WITH HIRING, RIGHT? YOU GOT CIVIL SERVICE, HR, AND THE DEPARTMENTS ALL KIND OF DOING LIKE THIS, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT VERTICAL. THERE SHOULD BE ONE DIRECTOR WHO'S ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIRING, NOT TWO, NOT THREE, NOT FOUR. WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT VERTICAL. WE'RE THE, THE OTHER PIECE IS WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON, UM, UM, SORT OF HIRING PREFERENCES. WE'RE GONNA CREATE NEW PREFERENCES, UH, FOR FOLKS WHO WENT TO SCHOOL IN OUR LOCAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. THINK OF A LONG BEACH COLLEGE PROVINCE PREFERENCE, RIGHT? SO IF YOU WENT TO OUR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS, YOU GET A PREFERENCE ON A CITY JOB. IF YOU LIVE IN LONG BEACH, YOU GET A PREFERENCE ON A CITY JOB. IF YOU, LET'S SAY YOU DIDN'T TAKE THE COLLEGE PATHWAY, BUT YOU DID AN APPRENTICESHIP OR A TRADE, THAT SHOULD RECEIVE AN EQUAL PREFERENCE TO A COLLEGE DEGREE. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS, LET'S SAY THAT YOU ARE ALREADY A, A, A, A NON-CAREER EMPLOYEE IN THE CITY. AND A PERMANENT POSITION OPENS. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET A PREFERENCE FOR HAVING CITY EXPERIENCE. AND THEY'RE STACKABLE. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET UP TO TWO. YOU CAN'T GET FOUR. THAT'LL, THAT'LL BE A LOT. BUT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET TO TWO. LET'S SAY YOU WENT TO SCHOOL HERE, DID APPRENTICESHIP HERE, AND YOU, UM, AND YOU LIVE HERE. THAT'S TWO. OR LET'S SAY YOU'RE ALREADY, UH, TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE HERE, AND YOU WENT TO SCHOOL TO, YOU KNOW, TO IMPROVE YOUR, YOUR EDUCATION, AND NOW YOU WANNA GO FOR THAT PERMANENT JOB. THAT'S TWO PREFERENCES. SO THE IDEA IS WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO BUILD PIPELINES TO, UH, REALLY CREATE, UH, A, A PIPELINE TO GET PEOPLE INTO CITY JOBS. THOSE ARE THE TWO THINGS. NOW, THE DETAILS IN THIS MEANS THERE WILL BE IMPACTS. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MOVE SOME OF THE FOLKS FROM THAT DO THE SAME WORK, UM, THAT ARE IN CIVIL SERVICE INTO THE HR DEPARTMENT. NOW, TO BE CLEAR, WE'RE NOT ELIMINATING CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION OR MAYOR BASE HIRING, AND THE CITY MANAGER WILL GO INTO THAT. WE VALUE THAT. UH, WE ARE NOT CHANGING THAT. IT'LL STILL BE A CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION FOR APPEALS. UH, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WEREN'T TREATED FAIRLY ON, ON DISCIPLINARY ACTION OR ON HIRING. YOU STILL CAN APPEAL TO THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. BUT ALL THAT PROCESS OF DEVELOPING LISTS AND, AND ALL OF THAT WILL BE UNDER ONE SHOP NOW. SO WE, WE WILL NO LONGER SEE, WHEN WE'RE OUT IN COMMUNITY MEETINGS, A CIVIL SERVICE TABLE DOING OUTREACH AND AN HR TABLE DOING OUTREACH AT THE SAME EVENT TO THE PUBLIC. THEY JUST SEE THE CITY. THEY JUST NEED A CITY JOB. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S SILVER SERVICE AND WHAT'S NOT. AND SO IT, WE NEED A MORE EFFICIENT SYSTEM, AND I BELIEVE THAT IT, IT IS CORE TO OUR ABIL OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE QUALITY CITY SERVICES. AND SO THAT SAID, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FOR YOU, AND WE'D LOVE TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK BECAUSE YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW NON-CITY MANAGER, UM, UM, UH, DEPARTMENTS. AND SO YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON WHETHER YOU THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA OR WHETHER YOU THINK WE'RE CRAZY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND WE'LL PASS IT ON TO CITY MANAGER. . THANK YOU, MAYOR. I THINK YOU SAID THAT REALLY, REALLY WELL. UM, I HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION TO SHARE. WE, WE DID THIS YESTERDAY, THIS PRESENTATION WITH THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION WENT ALMOST THREE HOURS. I DO NOT HAVE ANY EXPECTATION YOU WANNA GO HERE FOR THREE HOURS, BUT WE'RE HERE TO AS LONG AS YOU WANT US TO BE, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I AM GONNA SPEED THROUGH SOME OF THIS, BUT IF I GO TOO FAST, PLEASE SLOW ME DOWN AND WE CAN TALK IT THROUGH. BUT, UH, I, I WANT TO GIVE SOME OF THE DETAILS SO THAT YOU, YOU AS AN INDEPENDENT HIRING AUTHORITY, UH, KNOW WHAT THE, THE IS BEING PROPOSED AND HOW IT WILL WORK AND BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. UH, SO FIRST OF ALL, UM, UH, THE, ONE OF THE MOST BIGGEST CHALLENGES WE HAVE AS A CITY IS HIRING. WE KNOW THAT WE HEAR THAT FROM EVERYBODY. WE HEAR THAT FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. I HEAR IT FROM THE BOARD, I HEAR IT FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I HEAR IT FROM INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE VACANT POSITIONS NEXT TO THEM. WE HAVE ALMOST A THOUSAND, UH, VACANT POSITIONS RIGHT NOW. A 22% VACANCY RATE AND A HEALTHY RATE IS PROBABLY ABOUT 5%. UH, WE'RE AT ABOUT 22 IN THE PAST. WE'VE PROBABLY BEEN IN THE 10 TO 15% RANGE SOMETIMES. AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF HIDE THAT. THAT'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, SUCH A BIG IMPACT. IT HAS BEEN A VERY, VERY CLEAR IMPACT AT A 22% AVERAGE RATE. SOME AREAS ARE EVEN MORE THAN THAT AT 40%, 50%. AND SO FINDING A WAY TO, UM, TO IMPROVE THAT. UH, AND AT THE SAME TIME, MODERNIZING OUR RECRUITMENT AND REDUCING REDUNDANCY AND BUREAUCRACY IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE HERE TO DO. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO TALENT PIPELINES. WE HAVE GREAT TALENT HERE IN OUR CITY, GREAT RESIDENTS THAT WANNA WORK FOR THE CITY. HOW DO WE PRIORITIZE THAT? UM, I WANNA SAY THIS ISN'T PERSONAL. THIS ISN'T ABOUT PEOPLE. WE HAVE GREAT PEOPLE, VERY GOOD PEOPLE WORKING IN CIVIL SERVICE, GOOD PEOPLE WORKING IN HR. THIS IS ABOUT ENHANCING THEIR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS. UH, IT'S NOT A COST SAVINGS MEASURE. THIS IS ABOUT BRINGING EVERYBODY WITH US. UH, TO HAVE ONE STREAMLINED DEPARTMENT. UH, [00:15:01] IT, THE COMMISSION WHILE IT'S GONE THROUGH CHANGES, IS ESSENTIALLY VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WAS SET UP IN 1907. UH, AT THAT TIME, WE HAD A WATER. WE HAD A, UM, WE HAD A, UM, POLICE COMMISSION, A FIRE COMMISSION, A UM, PUBLIC, UH, HEALTH COMMISSION, A PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION, CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. UM, THOSE HAVE ALL BEEN KIND OF CHANGED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, UH, UH, IS, IS STILL THE WAY THAT WE DO HIRING. AND THEN OF COURSE, EMPLOYEE PROTECTIONS ARE CRITICAL. THEY MUST REMAIN. I BELIEVE IN THAT. IF I HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION, A CITY MANAGER, UH, TO FIRE SOMEBODY TO DO DISCIPLINE, YOU SHOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT BOARD YOU CAN GO TO WITH APPEAL TO GET YOUR JOB BACK. I BELIEVE IN THAT. THAT'S GOOD. CHECKS AND BALANCES, I THINK THAT WORKS. ALL OF THOSE PROTECTIONS WOULD REMAIN AS WELL AS YOUR APPEAL RIGHTS. UH, FOR, FOR CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEMS, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT, UM, REMOVING OR, UM, FORGETTING THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM, BUT RATHER STRENGTHENING AND MODERNIZING IT. UH, AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO CREATING THESE PIPELINES, UH, FOR LOCAL TALENT. AND SO, WHAT ARE SOME OF OUR GOALS? WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW DO WE STREAMLINE HIRING AND RECRUITMENT? HOW DO WE UPHOLD THE CIVIL SERVICE AND MERIT SYSTEM? UH, UH, OUR DISCIPLINARY APPEALS OR CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION IS VERY, VERY BUSY. UM, HOW DO WE GET THEM MORE TIME TO BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH THE DISCIPLINARY APPEALS, WHICH DOES TAKE A A LONG TIME? HOW DO WE DO, UH, LOCALIZED PREFERENCES? UH, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO ENHANCE, UH, UM, OUR EDUCATIONAL PIPELINES BY GIVING THOSE PREFERENCE POINTS. THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT, WE HAVE A LOT OF EMPLOYEES THAT GET INTO NON-CAREER EMPLOYMENT. HOW DO WE GET THEM INTO THE CLASSIFIED SERVICE AND GET THE PROTECTIONS OF THE CLASSIFIED SERVICE RIGHT NOW, THERE'S NO PIPELINE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. HOW DO WE WORK WITH OUR, UM, WITH, UH, LABOR AND OTHERS, IF THEY HAVE APPRENTICESHIP AND, AND, UM, PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE FEEL MATCH OUR SKILL LEVEL? HOW DO WE GIVE A PREFERENCE FOR THAT AND BRING THAT INTO THE CITY? AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION, UH, LOTS HERE, BUT, UH, WE SEE IT IN THREE DIFFERENT AREAS. OPERATIONAL, MANAGERIAL, AND ADMINISTRATIVE. WE HAVE A 22% VACANCY RATE. WE TESTED THAT LAST YEAR. I JUST GOT THE DATA BACK IN. UH, WE'RE AT A 21.5% VACANCY RATE. SO, UH, WE REALLY HAVEN'T MOVED THAT MUCH, UH, UH, BUT I WILL SHOW SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED ON THE HR SIDE THAT ARE REALLY GONNA START TO SPEED UP THAT PART OF THE HIRING. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW DO WE INCREASE HIRING THROUGHOUT THE CITY. UM, Y'ALL GET TO THIS LATER, BUT I FIRMLY BELIEVE HIRING IS ALL OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES. IT'S A DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITY. IT'S CITY MANAGEMENT, RESPONSIBILITY, HR, BUDGET, AND OF COURSE, CIVIL SERVICE AS WELL. SO THIS IS NOT ONLY ABOUT CIVIL SERVICE. THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE HIRING IS EVERYBODY'S RESPONSIBILITY. AND YOU, UH, WE'LL SHOW YOU TO TODAY SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT WE HAVE GONE THROUGH. A BIG ISSUE IS, UH, IS ACCOUNTABILITY. UH, RIGHT NOW, 60% OF OUR HIRING IS, IS RESPONSE TO AN INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENT THAT IS, UH, NOT UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE GENERAL MANAGER OR CITY MANAGER. IT IS FULLY INDEPENDENT. 40% GOES THROUGH, UM, UH, HR. AND SO, UH, I HAVE, UH, UM, THAT, THAT ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE HR SIDE. UM, BUT, UH, THERE IS SEPARATE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE SIDE. AND AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IS BE MORE EFFICIENT, UH, UNIFY ACCESS AND OVERSIGHTS OF SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARES, UH, AND BRING ALL THOSE, UM, BODIES TOGETHER TO BE ABLE TO HIRE QUICKER. UM, HIRING'S A NATIONWIDE CHALLENGE. IT'S NOT JUST IN LONG BEACH. 47 MILLION AMERICANS RESIGNED IN 2021. AND THAT TREND CONTINUES, UH, 9 MILLION OPEN JOBS IN THE US IN 2023. AND SO, AND THE GREAT RESIGNATION HAS IMPACTED US. UH, WE'VE ALL SEEN IT. PEOPLE QUIT PUBLIC SERVICE DURING THE PANDEMIC. IT WAS A HARD JOB TO DO. UH, AND NOW WE'RE COMPETING TO GET THAT TOP TALENT. AND EVERYBODY'S MODERNIZING. EVERYBODY IS CHANGING. AND SO THAT'S PRIVATE SECTOR, THAT'S NONPROFIT, THAT'S GOVERNMENTS, AND WE NEED TO AS WELL, TO KEEP UP. AND SO I TALKED ABOUT OUR 22% VACANCY RATE, UH, WITH, UM, UH, SOME, UH, AREAS AS HIGH AS 40%. UH, THE STAFFING CHALLENGES PUT A HUGE BURDEN ON OUR EMPLOYEES AS WE'RE ASKING THEM TO TRY TO DO THE JOBS OF MORE AND MORE WITHOUT, UH, WITHOUT SUPPORT. AND WE ARE AN OUTLIER IN HOW WE HIRE IN LONG BEACH. UH, THERE ARE TWO CITIES IN ALL OF CALIFORNIA THAT HAVE COMPLETELY SEPARATED HIRING SYSTEMS. MANY HAVE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEMS AND MERIT-BASED SYSTEMS. UH, IT IS US IN SAN DIEGO THAT HAVE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO, IS ESSENTIALLY BE VERY SIMILAR TO HOW OTHER CITIES ARE STRUCTURED, UH, AND TO INCREASE, UH, OUR, OUR EFFICIENCY. UM, UH, THIS IS MORE FOR, UH, WHEN WE DID CIVIL SERVICE, BUT, UH, UM, OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, UM, EVERYBODY TOOK REDUCTIONS OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS. IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, THIS, UH, GENERAL FUND HAS GROWN ABOUT 13%, AND STAFFING LEVELS HAVE GROWN 15%. UH, WE HAVE BEEN INVESTING IN CIVIL SERVICE, AND EVERY TIME THEY ASK FOR A BUDGET INCREASE, EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS APPROVED. UH, THEIR, UM, BUDGET INCREASED 90% OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, AND THEIR STAFFING INCREASED 50% OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS COMPARED TO 15%, UM, IN THE GENERAL FUND. AND SO THIS IS NOT AN AREA THAT'S BEEN NEGLECTED, IT'S BEEN INVESTED IN, BUT STILL SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES PERSIST. UH, THERE'S BEEN LOTS OF ATTEMPTS, UM, TO, UH, TO WORK ON CIVIL, CIVIL SERVICE HIRING OVER THE YEARS. UM, I DO GET TO MEET EVERY MONTH WITH THE CIVIL SERVICE DIRECTOR. WE HAVE A GOOD, YOU KNOW, PRODUCTIVE, YOU KNOW, CORDIAL RELATIONSHIP AND, AND, [00:20:01] UH, BRING HER INTO THE, UM, INTO THE MEETINGS THAT I HAVE EVERY MONTH WITH OUR, UH, EVERY WEEK WITH OUR DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS. UM, AND SO WE HA WE DO GO THROUGH THOSE THINGS. UH, OUR ANNUAL MANAGEMENT RETREAT, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS ABOUT SOME OF THE FRUSTRATIONS, UH, IN OUR CURRENT SYSTEM. UH, WE DID A STUDY BACK IN 2008, I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A SECOND. UM, IN 2019, WE ACTUALLY INVESTED IN FUNDING TO, UH, REALLY GIVE CIVIL SERVICE RESOURCES ON HOW THEY CAN, UH, LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY. UH, FOUR YEARS WENT BY BEFORE THAT FUNDING WAS PUT TO YOU. SO THEY'RE DOING THE STUDY NOW, WHICH IS GOOD. I APPLAUD THAT. UH, BUT THAT FUNDING WAS AVAILABLE IN 2019. UH, AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING STARTED NOW. UH, AND WE ALSO INVESTED IN WHAT'S CALLED THE, THE FUSE FELLOW PROGRAM. UH, HR, UM, HAS BEEN BUSY CHANGING, UM, AND I GIVE 'EM A LOT OF CREDIT FOR THAT. UH, IT'S NOT DONE, IT'S NOT PERFECT. THEY WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, BUT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF MOVEMENT ON THE HR SIDE. I DO WANNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT A LITTLE BIT. BUT WHEN WE WENT OUT AND WE INTERVIEWED, UM, UM, ALL OF OUR HIRING MANAGERS, UH, UM, ABOUT THE UNCLASSIFIED SIDE, WE GOT 57 COMMENTS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE CLASSIFIED SIDE. UH, 93% OF THOSE, UH, MENTIONED THAT THE TIMELINE FOR CLASSIFIED RECRUITMENT WAS THEIR MAIN BOTTLENECK FOR FILLING VACANCIES. AND, UH, DEPARTMENTS MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT HIRING PROCESS TAKES ANYWHERE FROM SIX MONTHS TO TWO YEARS ON THE CLASSIFIED SIDE. AND 90% OF THE RESPONSES THAT WE GOT BACK SAID THAT, UM, IT, THE ISSUES WERE THAT, UH, RECRUITMENTS WERE OUTDATED, REDUNDANT. THERE WAS A BOTTLENECK FOR TIMELY HIRING, UH, CONSULTANTS. UM, AND THAT, UH, REALLY CANDIDATES ARE NOT GONNA WAIT AROUND FOR SIX MONTHS TO TWO YEARS, UM, UH, TO BE, UH, TO, TO GET A CITY JOB. AND WE SHARED THIS WITH CIVIL SERVICE AS WELL. UM, WE DID A BIG STUDY BACK IN 2007, UH, AND CALLED, UH, MANAGEMENT PARTNERS, WHICH IS NOW BAKER TILLY. AND THEIR NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDATION AFTER LOOKING AT ALL OF THIS WAS THAT THERE SHOULD BE ONE CONSOLIDATED DEPARTMENT. UM, AND SO THE, THERE, THERE IS THAT STUDY TO RELY ON. UH, AGAIN, WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS. UH, WE HAVE 60% OF CITIES, UH, POSITIONS ARE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE, UH, CLASSIFIED SERVICE. AND THEN HR IS, UH, OVER MANAGEMENT, INTERNS AND NON CAREERS. UH, AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE SEE ARE, ARE ISSUES ARE JUST THE APPROVAL PROCESSES. THE REVIEW OF PERSONNEL TRANSACTIONS ARE DUPLICATIVE, DEVELOPMENT OF JOB BULLETINS, CLASS SPECS, AND SALARY STUDIES. UH, THE MARKETING OF JOBS THAT THE MAYOR MENTIONED. WE, UH, UM, WE'RE STARTING TO GET A LITTLE BETTER AND DO JOINT, BUT A LOT OF TIMES YOU'LL SEE ONE BOOTH OVER HERE, ONE BOOTH OVER HERE. WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT WEBSITES YOU GO TO FOR CITY JOBS. TWO DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS THAT WE GO TO FOR, FOR JOBS. UH, THAT REALLY DOES NOT MAKE A LOT OF SENSE. UH, THE COMMISSION ITSELF, UM, BESIDES BEING AN APPEAL BOARD, ACTUALLY, UM, DOES A LOT OF THE TASKS THAT ARE ADMINISTRATIVELY DONE IN CITIES, UM, BY HR DEPARTMENTS, UH, EVERY TWO WEEKS THEY MEET. AND SO THAT BY ITSELF ADDS THAT TWO WEEK TIME PERIOD, UM, TO OUR HIRING PROCESS TO VOTE ON MAINTAINING ELIGIBLE LISTS TO VOTE ON NON-CAREER HOURS, EXTENSIONS, DEVELOPMENT OF JOB BULLETINS, PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENTS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. UM, SO THOSE, UH, WE WOULD ENVISION WOULD BE DONE, UM, AT AN ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL. WE LOOKED AT OUR COMPARABLE AGENCIES. UM, THEY, UM, THEY ALL HAVE SUCCESSFUL MERIT-BASED RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES, BUT ARE DONE IN ONE SINGLE HR DEPARTMENT, UH, WHERE HR SERVES AS THAT NEUTRAL PARTY FOR THE ENTIRE CITY. UH, YOU CREATE RULES. THE RULES ARE APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND HR, UM, UH, APPLIES THOSE RULES AND ENFORCES THOSE RULES SO THAT THERE'S A MERIT-BASED SYSTEM. UH, THE CITIES THAT, UH, UM, ARE INCLUDED UNDER THAT, UM, ARE FRESNO, LA, OAKLAND, SAN FRANCISCO, SAN JOSE, SAN, UM, SACRAMENTO, AND SANTA ANA. AND THEY ALL HAVE, UM, RECRUITMENT, MERIT-BASED RECRUITMENT STANDARDS FOR THIS CLASSIFIED SERVICE. THIS IS JUST MORE INFORMATION ON OUR COMPARABLES. UM, CITY OF SAN DIEGO, UM, THEY'RE REPORTING A, UH, WHERE'S THE NUMBER? NINE MONTHS. UM, UH, TIME TO HIRE, UH, CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO, UM, IS IN CRISIS. THEY'RE LOOKING AT CHANGING THEIR CHARTER, BUT THEY'RE AT 13% OF VACANCY RATE, UH, AND OAKLAND AS WELL. THEY'RE AT 19. UM, I WILL POINT OUT WE ARE HIGHER THAN ALL OF THEM, UH, AT 22%. JUST SOME EXAMPLES, UM, WHEN YOU HAVE A LIST AND THERE'S A CLASSIFIED LIST, UM, WHICH MEANS YOU ACTUALLY HAVE NAMES TO CHOOSE FROM THAT TIME TO HIRE FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END IS SEVEN MONTHS. UH, AND, UH, AGAIN, NOT ALL OF THAT IS THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM. THEY'RE IN THE MIDDLE. UM, UH, THERE IS A REQUISITION PROCESS UPFRONT AND AN ONBOARDING, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A SECOND. BUT EVEN AT THAT SEVEN MONTHS, WE HAVE COMPARED OURSELVES THROUGH, UM, DATA IN OUR HIRING SYSTEM TO OTHER GOVERNMENTS. WE'RE 42% LONGER, UH, THAN OTHER GOVERNMENTS. WHEN THERE'S A, WHEN THERE'S A LIST, WHEN THERE'S NOT A LIST, IT SOMETIMES WILL TAKE 18 MONTHS, TWO YEARS, SOMETIMES EVEN THREE YEARS, UH, TO HIRE. AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND. BUT A CLERK TYPIST, UH, TOOK ABOUT 377 BUSINESS DAYS. A PLANNER TOOK 269. AND SO, AS I MENTIONED, HIRING IS A JOINT RESPONSIBILITY. UM, IT IS A, UM, EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE ALL IN ON THAT. IT'S HUMAN RESOURCES, CIVIL SERVICE, BUDGET, HIRING DEPARTMENTS, AND CITY MANAGEMENT, HR, I GIVE 'EM A LOT OF CREDIT. TOOK ON, UM, THIS, THIS ISSUE AND SAID, WE NEED TO CHANGE. WE HEAR FROM OUR CUSTOMERS. UH, THEY, UH, BROUGHT ON BAKER [00:25:01] TILLY, THAT SAME GROUP THAT DID THE FIRST STUDY AND GOT 38 RECOMMENDATIONS ARE IMPLEMENTING EVERY SINGLE ONE, UH, TO IMPROVE. I'LL GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES. WE'VE CREATED A NEW TALENT ACQUISITION, UH, DEPARTMENT, WHICH NOW CENTRALIZES THE UNCLASSIFIED SERVICE. UH, WE INVESTED IN FIVE PEOPLE. THEY SET A, A GOAL SAYING, IT TAKES US EIGHT MONTHS, SEVEN TO EIGHT MONTHS RIGHT NOW TO HIRE UNCLASSIFIED. WE WANT THAT TO BE 90 BUSINESS DAYS. I REMEMBER GOING, WOW, THAT SEEMS AGGRESSIVE. THEY'RE AVERAGING RIGHT NOW AFTER SEVEN MONTHS, 70 BUSINESS DAYS. UH, SO IT CAN BE DONE. IT CAN, UH, AND THEY'RE HELPING, UM, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENTS INCLUDING WATER DEPARTMENT, OR, I'M SORRY, UTILITIES DEPARTMENT AND HARBOR AND EVERYBODY THERE, UH, THEY'RE THERE AS A RESOURCE. AND SO, UM, UH, I'M REAL PROUD OF THAT. OUR REQUISITION APPROVAL, THAT'S A TECHNICAL TERM FOR ASKING FOR A POSITION TO BE FILLED, WAS TAKING WAY TOO LONG. IT TOOK BETWEEN ONE MONTH AND EVEN THREE MONTHS TO ASK FOR THE POSITION TO GET FILLED. AS WE CREATED THESE LEVELS OF BUREAUCRACY. UH, HR, THIS, UH, IN JANUARY HAS A BRAND NEW PROCESS. IT'S NOW ROLLED OUT. IT'LL TAKE BETWEEN SIX AND 13 DAYS ON AVERAGE. UH, THAT WAS A BIG CHANGE. I, I PERSONALLY REMOVED MYSELF FROM THE, UM, FROM THE, FROM THAT, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST, CITY MANAGER APPROVED EVERY POSITION TO BE HIRED. WE REMOVED THAT. UM, WE REMOVED HR DIRECTOR, WE MOVED ALL THESE STEPS. THE DEPARTMENTS GET ONE OR TWO PEOPLE. HR GETS, UM, NORMALLY ONE PERSON FM GETS ONE PERSON, AND WE SPEED THOSE THROUGH. BUT WE SPEND THEN MORE TIME, MAYBE ON THE UNBUDGETED POSITIONS AND NOT ON BUDGETED POSITIONS. YOU USED TO HAVE TO GO ALL OVER THE PLACE TO BE ABLE TO, UM, DO ALL WHAT YOU NEEDED TO DO TO ONBOARD. WE HAVE A ONE STOP SHOP NOW. YOU CAN DO YOUR LIVE SCAN, PHYSICAL EXAMINATION, VIRTUAL OATH, CITY ID BADGE, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. YOU CAN GET LIVE SCAN NOW ANYWHERE IN CALIFORNIA, NOT JUST TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. UH, AND, UM, WE ALSO, UM, UH, MADE BIG CHANGES ON DRUG SCREENINGS, UH, ON, UM, HAVING TO GO TO THE DOCTOR FOR EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE. SO A LOT OF THOSE HAVE BEEN STREAMLINED. AND SO, UM, UH, AND, AND ONE OF THE BIG THINGS FOR ME IS NOW GETTING DEPARTMENTS TO REALLY FOCUS ON THEIR OWN ACCOUNTABILITY. UM, I'M GONNA BE, UM, EVALUATING MY DEPARTMENTS ON THEIR, UM, MANAGING OF THEIR, UM, DEPARTMENT, UM, OF THEIR HIRING. SO THAT'S ONE OF THEIR TARGETED RESULTS IN THEIR EVALUATION, IS HOW THEY'RE DOING AT, UH, MOVING FORWARD, UM, UH, POSITIONS. AND SO I WANNA GIVE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF, OF WHAT IT TAKES, UM, YOU JUST SOME OF, SOME OF THE, THE PAIN POINTS THAT WE SEE OUT THERE. SO, HARBOR DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS, UH, LIKE UTILITIES, IS, UH, UM, COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT FROM THE CITY MANAGER. SO THIS IS NOT JUST A CITY MANAGER ISSUE. THEY'VE TRACKED OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, FROM 2019 TO 2023. IT TAKES THEM ON AVERAGE 362 CALENDAR DAYS TO HIRE A POSITION FOR THE HARPER DEPARTMENT. UM, THROUGH CIVIL SERVICE, THERE IS A PROCESS YOU CAN ASK FOR PRIORITY AND SAY, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. UH, UH, TECH AND INNOVATION DID THAT IN JUNE, 2021 FOR A PRIORITY POSITION. AND 18 MONTHS, UH, WAS THEIR TIME TO HIRE FOR THE PRIORITY POSITION SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN, WHICH HELPS US WITH ALL OF OUR, UM, TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS. THEY HAVE A CURRENT VACANCY RATE OF 35%. THERE'S NOT BEEN AN ELIGIBLE LIST FOR TWO AND A QUARTER YEARS. UH, AND SO BEFORE YOU CAN UPDATE THAT LIST, WE HAD TO GO THROUGH A FOUR MONTH, UH, REVIEW PROCESS FOR THE CLASS SPECIFICATION THAT WENT THROUGH A FOUR MONTH REVIEW IN CIVIL SER, IN IN HR, WHICH I'VE SHARED WITH JOE, I THINK TOOK TOO LONG. UH, AND THEN AFTER THAT, IT GOES BECAUSE WE HAVE TWO SYSTEMS TO A FIVE MONTH REVIEW, UM, WITH CIVIL SERVICE. AND SO WE ARE STILL WAITING, UH, TO GET THAT UPDATED SO WE CAN GET THAT, UH, TWO AND A HALF YEAR LIST. UM, UM, UH, RENEWED, UM, COMMUNICATION SPECIALISTS. UH, THESE ARE ALSO IN OUR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION DEPARTMENT. UH, THEY HAVE A 36% VACANCY. AND, UH, THE LIST IS THREE YEARS OLD, AND WE'VE GONE THROUGH EVERY SINGLE LIST, AND WE DON'T HAVE QUALIFIED CANDIDATES. AND THEN THE PLAN CHECKER, WHO CHECKS YOUR ELECTRICAL PLANS AT, AT, UM, AT, UH, UH, THE, THE BUILDING DESK, THE LAST LIST WAS APRIL, 2018. UH, AND SO THAT'S IN THE PROCESS WITH CIVIL SERVICE, BUT THAT'S GONNA EXPECT TO TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS. UM, SO WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO? UH, WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE AN EFFICIENT PROCESS TO REDUCE BUREAUCRACY. UM, UH, WE WILL THEN, UH, ALIGN THOSE FUNCTIONS AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO SAY, HERE'S ALL OF OUR RESOURCES, AND THEN WE CAN ALSO TARGET THEM TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO. MAYBE IT'S A CLASSIFIED RECRUITMENT THAT'S IMPORTANT FIRST, THEN IT'S AN UNCLASSIFIED AND BE ABLE TO DO THAT ALTOGETHER. UM, SO WE TRANSFER RESPONSIBILITIES, UM, UH, TO THE HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT, LIKE ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES, CREATION OF CLASSIFICATIONS. THOSE ARE ALL GONNA BE DONE AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL. AND THEN, UH, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE KIND OF PROMPT AND DECISIVE DECISIONS. AND THIS IS A MODEL THAT WE SEE, UM, UH, UH, UM, UH, THAT HAS, THAT HAS THAT OVERSIGHT BECAUSE, UH, WE SEE THAT IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS. YOU'VE GOT YOUR DEPARTMENT, UH, YOU'VE GOT YOUR, UM, COUNCIL RULES, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT YOUR, UM, YOUR HUMAN RESOURCES, UM, UH, IMPLEMENTING THOSE. AND SO WHAT WOULD THE COMMISSION DO? UH, IT WOULD CONTINUE TO BE ON APPEAL BODY FOR COMPLAINTS IN THE HIRING PROCESS, UH, BUT NOT DOING THE ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES. UM, IT WILL BE INDEPENDENT. SO WHEN THEY RULE, UM, THAT THAT'S BINDING, UM, JUST LIKE IT IS TODAY, UM, THE COMMISSION WILL BE RENAMED, UM, FROM CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION TO [00:30:01] CIVIL SERVICE, EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND APPEALS COMMISSION. THEY'LL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE HIRING PROCESS. SO IF YOU FELT THAT YOU, THERE WAS, UM, AN ISSUE IN THE HIRING PROCESS, YOU CAN GO IN FRONT OF THE COMMISSION. UH, APPEALS WILL CONTINUE TO REST SOLELY WITH THEM. AND THEN, UH, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THINGS LIKE APPLICATIONS, EXAM COMPONENTS, LAYOFF AND DISABILITY RETIREMENTS. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE REAL EXCITED ABOUT, UM, IS THAT, UM, IS LOCAL PREFERENCES. UM, ACTUALLY ON THE RIGHT, THE RULES AND REGULATIONS WILL STILL HAVE CIVIL SERVICE RULES AND REGULATIONS. IF WE CHANGE THOSE, THOSE WILL GO TO THE COUNCIL, AND THE COUNCIL CAN CHANGE THOSE. AND WE'LL GO THROUGH MEET AND CONFER. THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD CONSULT, UH, WITH THE TWO INDEPENDENT HIRING AUTHORITIES AS WELL. UM, AND THEN, UH, LOCAL PREFERENCES WILL BE APPLIED. AND, UH, OUR HUMAN RESOURCES PROCESS, UM, UH, UH, WILL BE, UM, UH, THE, THE ONE RUNNING ALL OF THIS. UH, THEY'LL STILL BE INDEPENDENT. ITS APPEALS. THEY'LL STILL HAVE ALL THE SAME EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS. NONE OF THAT CHANGES. AND THEN WE ARE GONNA BE BRINGING ON AN OUTSIDE AUDIT FIRM, UM, THAT, UM, CAN TEST THIS. SO THAT, THAT'LL, THAT'S THE SAFEGUARD, IS THEY'LL BE ABLE TO, TO LOOK THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND SAY, LET'S LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT OUR TREATMENT OPERATOR, HOW DID THAT APPLICATION GO? UM, WHAT WERE THE RESULTS WAS, YOU KNOW, WAS IT DONE FAIRLY AND, AND UNBIASEDLY? UH, AND ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE, UH, HIRING PREFERENCES. THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT, UH, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO GET PREFERENCES, UM, FOR IF YOU LIVE IN LONG BEACH, UM, IF YOU GO TO SCHOOL WITHIN 10 MILES OF A, OF A HIGHER EDUCATION, UH, INSTITUTION IN LONG BEACH, UH, FROM LONG BEACH, UM, IF YOU'RE AN INTERNAL EMPLOYEE, UH, YOU'D BE ABLE TO GET, UM, FIVE POINTS OF CREDITS AND INTERNSHIP, UM, AS WELL. SO YOU WOULD STACK THESE, SO YOU CAN GET, UM, FIVE FOR BEING AN, UH, A RESIDENT AND FIVE FOR BEING HIGHER EDUCATION, FOR EXAMPLE. AND SO, UM, I'M SETTING A GOAL FOR THE TEAM OF 90 BUSINESS DAYS. UH, ON AVERAGE, THERE'S GONNA BE SOME THAT TAKE A LITTLE LONGER. I'M HOPING THERE'S GONNA BE SOME THAT GO EVEN FASTER. UH, BUT THAT IS GONNA BE OUR INTERNAL GOAL, IS BEING ABLE TO HIRE WITHIN 90 DAYS TO HAVE LISTS, LISTS THAT ARE CONSTANTLY, UH, REFRESHED SO THAT WE DON'T WAIT, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS OR, YOU KNOW, 12 MONTHS, 18 MONTHS, TWO YEARS FOR A LIST THAT THOSE ARE CONSTANTLY REFRESHED, UH, AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO ALL THE HIRING DEPARTMENTS. SO THE NEXT STEPS, WE'RE IN THE MEET AND CONFER RIGHT NOW. UM, I, UH, RELEASED MY PROPOSAL IN JANUARY, ON JANUARY 18TH. THERE'S A BIG WRITTEN PROPOSAL, UH, WE'RE GOING THIS MONTH, UH, TO THE VARIOUS COMMISSIONS TO, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THIS. WE'RE IN MEET AND CONFER WITH OUR EMPLOYEE ASSOCIATIONS, HOPING TO WRAP THAT UP BY END OF FEBRUARY, BUT IT MIGHT GO A LITTLE BIT INTO MARCH, THEN WE WILL HAVE A COUNCIL HEARING. SO, UM, THE COUNCIL'S A DECISION MAKER ON THIS, NOT ME, NOT THE MAYOR. UH, SO THEY GET TO MAKE THE DECISION, DO WE PUT THIS ON THE BALLOT? UM, IS THE FIRST DECISION. AND THEY'LL BE DOING HEARINGS BETWEEN APRIL AND AUGUST, AND THEN, UH, AP IN NOVEMBER. UM, THIS IS REALLY UP TO VOTERS. UH, THEY NEED TO DECIDE, DO WE CHANGE OUR CHARTER? AND THEN IF IT'S DECIDED, WE GO BACK THROUGH THE MEET AND CONFER PROCESS WITH THE EMPLOYEES TO SHOW WHO, WHO'S GOING SPECIFICALLY WHERE, AND WHAT DOES THE ORGANIZATION LOOK LIKE? AND I DO WANNA MAKE THAT, UH, POINT IS, UM, UH, I'VE TOLD ALL THE EMPLOYEES, MAYOR AND I WENT AND TALKED DIRECTLY TO THE EMPLOYEES. WE'VE TOLD THEM, NO ONE'S LOSING THEIR JOB FROM THIS. EVERYONE'S GONNA BE BROUGHT TOGETHER. WE HONESTLY USE THE EXAMPLE FROM THE, FROM THE MERGER OF GAS AND WATER, AND SAID, WE HAVE EXPERIENCE DOING THIS. UM, YOU CAN BRING THOSE TWO GROUPS TOGETHER AND EVERYBODY KEEPS THEIR EMPLOYMENT. UH, SO THAT WAS A, A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE TO SHARE WITH THEM. WE'VE DONE IT WITH HUMAN RESOURCES AND WORKERS' COMPENSATION REGULAR, UH, RECENTLY, THOSE WERE IN THE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THEY ALL HAVE BEEN BROUGHT OVER INTO THE, UH, INTO THE HR DEPARTMENT. AND WE DID IT WITH CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, UH, WHEN, UH, I'M SORRY, UM, POLICE COMPLAINT COMMISSION, THAT COMMISSION, UH, WENT AWAY. THERE'S A NEW POLICE OVERSIGHT DEPARTMENT, AND ALL THE STAFF TRANSFERRED OVER AS WELL. SO, THAT'S MY PRESENTATION. I KNOW I SPEAK FAST AND GO FAST, BUT, UH, HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. THAT WAS NOT FAST. ALL RIGHT? YES, SIR. SO, UH, WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS. NOW'S YOUR TIME. ANY, IF YOU WANT. I, I, I CAN JUMP IN REAL QUICK. UH, FOR OUR OWN DEPARTMENT, UH, WE'RE AT ABOUT 16% VACANCY RATE, BUT WE WERE UP AT 22%, UH, A YEAR AGO. WE'VE HAD SOME ACADEMIES AND FILLED SOME KEY POSITIONS, BUT IT IS, AS TOM MENTIONED, IT IS STRENUOUS. AND EVERY MONTH I MEET WITH OUR NEW EMPLOYEES. SO A NEW EMPLOYEE COMES ON, I MEET WITH THEM. AND, UH, WITHOUT FAIL, WE START GETTING AROUND TO THE, UH, APPLICATION PROCESS AND THE HORRORS THAT THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH, AND THE CONFUSION AND THE FRUSTRATIONS THAT THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED TO GET ON BOARD. UM, I, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY, UH, QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WE LOSE JUST BECAUSE OF THE LENGTH OF THE PROCESS. YOU KNOW, IF, IF I'M, IF I'M, ESPECIALLY OUR DEPARTMENT, UH, LIKE MANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS, WE'RE VERY TECHNICAL IN NATURE. AND SO WE'RE COMPETING WITH OTHER WATER AGENCIES, OTHER GAS AGENCIES TRYING TO GET THIS TALENT, EXPERIENCE, TALENT ON BOARD. WE CAN'T HAVE AN EXPERIENCED PERSON COME TO ME AND SAY, I'D LOVE TO WORK FOR LONG BEACH UTILITIES, [00:35:01] AND HERE'S MY QUALIFICATIONS. I'M CERTIFIED. I GOT MY CERTS, I'M READY TO GO. AND WHEN COULD I APPLY? I DON'T KNOW. IT DEPENDS ON WHEN THERE'S GONNA BE A TEST. WHEN'S THE TEST GONNA HAPPEN? I DON'T KNOW. IT'LL BE IN A YEAR, MAYBE TWO YEARS. STAY IN TOUCH. UH, WE'D BE HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU. WE LOSE PEOPLE ALL, EVERY DAY ON THAT. AND SO, UM, I'M, I'M VERY ENCOURAGED BY THIS. WE'VE HAD GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH, UH, HUMAN RESOURCES. JOE ABRINI IS OUR DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES IN THE FRONT ROW. UM, HE'S DONE A GREAT JOB. HE'S RELATIVELY NEW, UH, AND IS MAKING CHANGES, WHICH WE REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, FROM THEIR END. BUT, UH, AS TOM SAID, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MERGER BETWEEN GAS AND WATER WAS A GOOD EXAMPLE. UM, PEOPLE DIDN'T LOSE THEIR JOBS. WE DID IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. AND I BELIEVE THEY'RE DOING IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. AND ONE OTHER THING, I I, I'VE POINTED OUT BEFORE WITH OTHER PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE PROCESS, IF IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE APPLICANT, IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE OPERATIONS. IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE TAXPAYERS. WE GOTTA CHANGE THINGS. AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TODAY. AND WE'VE BEEN THIS WAY FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. AND SO THIS IS VERY TIMELY. SO I SUPPORT IT A HUNDRED PERCENT. GLORIA, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, TOM. I, YOU WORKED FAST. IT WAS PERFECT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HEAR THAT MAYOR. YEAH. THOUGHT IT WAS PERFECT. . UM, SO THE STUDY WAS DONE IN 2007, SEVEN, THE BAKER TILLY. UM, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN UNTIL NOW. SO CAN YOU, CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? SO, UM, YES, IT WAS IN 2007 IS WHEN WE DID THE STUDY. IT WAS ACTUALLY PROPOSED, UM, AND WENT TO THE VOTERS IN 2010. SO THERE WAS A MEASURE CALLED MEASURE GG DIFFERENT THAN THIS MEASURE. UM, AND IT FAILED AT THE VOTER, UM, AT THE VOTERS 53 TO 47. UM, I THINK THERE WAS CONCERN THAT EMPLOYEE RIGHTS WERE BEING AFFECTED 'CAUSE THAT WASN'T NEARLY AS CLEAR AS IT IS TODAY. IT WAS ABOUT SAVING MONEY. IT WAS ABOUT PEOPLE LOSING THEIR JOBS AS WE MERGE THE TWO. UM, AND SO, UH, WE LEARNED FROM THAT. UM, THIS IS, UM, NOW A, A, A DIFFERENT EFFORT, UH, BUT IT IS STREAMLINING UNDER ONE DEPARTMENT, BUT ADDS ALL THE PREFERENCES, UH, MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S GOT A JOB GOING FORWARD, UH, NOT ABOUT COST SAVINGS. UH, AND, AND ALSO MAKING SURE THAT THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION REMAINS. OKAY. GREAT. SO, I, WHAT I LO I LIKED ABOUT THIS IS, AND I HAVE TO CONGRATULATE YOU 'CAUSE I KNOW THIS IS, IS LIKE PUSHING SOMETHING UPHILL. UM, IS THAT NOT JUST THE EFFICIENCIES THAT IT CREATES. AND WE'VE SEEN THAT THROUGH OUR OWN CONSOLIDATION. I LOVE THE LOCAL HIRE PREFERENCE EMPHASIS. I THINK THAT'S SO SMART FOR OUR CITY TO DO. UM, AND I THINK EVERY DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE IN ON THAT. WHENEVER I MEET SOMEBODY, I ALWAYS SAY, DO YOU LIVE IN LONG BEACH? AND IF THEY SAY NO, I SAY, WELL, YOU MAYBE WANNA MOVE TO LONG BEACH. SO, BUT JOKINGLY, BUT I, I'M VERY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE, WE DO PUT AN EMPHASIS ON THAT, AND ESPECIALLY NOW. UM, BUT, BUT WE ALSO, HOPEFULLY OUR, OUR CUSTOMERS, OUR RESIDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WILL HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE. SO VERY SIMPLY. SO I THINK A LOT OF IT WILL BE THE ROLLOUT, AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE DIFFERENT IN 2007. SO CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GOOD WORK. I'M VERY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT NOBODY WILL LOSE THEIR JOB. BLESS YOU. NOBODY WILL LOSE THEIR JOB, UM, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, TO KEEP THEM. THEY'VE DONE A GOOD JOB. I KNOW THE COMMISSION IS VERY DEDICATED, UH, AND THEY WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT ROLE, AND WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES. BUT THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER . WELL, IT, YOU'RE MAKING IT VERY EASY FOR US TO UNDERSTAND, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE MATERIALS IN ADVANCE AS WELL. UM, I'M WORRIED, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDING AND THE CHALLENGE YOU HAVE COMMUNICATING THIS AND ALL THE OBVIOUS RED FLAGS PEOPLE HAVE. OH, NO. OH, NO. . I THINK WE HAVE A RESPONSE TO THAT COMING . SO, UH, AND WE'LL PUBLISH THIS SOON. YEAH, WE WENT AND DID SOME TESTING AND 79% OF THE VOTERS IN LONG BEACH SUPPORT, CUTTING RED TAPE, MOVING FASTER IN LOCAL MM-HMM, IT IS, WHEN I STARTED EARLIER, SAID, THIS IS REALLY TWO THINGS. MAKING BUREAUCRATS WORK FASTER AND CUT RED TAPE. AND TWO, GIVING OPPORTUNITIES, EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES. THERE'S A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR THOSE TWO THINGS. NOW, UH, IF, IF THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS AND GIGI WAS, GIGI WAS JUST AN ELIMINATION OF CIVIL SERVICE, YOU KNOW, TAKE IT ALL AWAY, THE INDEPENDENCE, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION, ALL OF THAT, AND SHIFT EVERYTHING INTO HR. THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT, VERY NUANCED APPROACH. WE JUST WANNA HIRE FASTER, AND WE JUST WANNA HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. SO I, I'M COMFORTABLE GOING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND SAYING, DO YOU WANT THIS SYSTEM WHERE NO ONE GETS AN OPPORTUNITY OR THIS SYSTEM WHERE ALL OF OUR LOCAL FOLKS THAT GREW UP THAT GO TO SCHOOL IN OUR COMMUNITY CAN ACTUALLY HAVE A PIPELINE TO A FUTURE CAREER WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH? SO I'M WILLING TO HAVE THAT FIGHT . I, HOPEFULLY IT WON'T BE A FIGHT. I CAN, I THINK IT'S NOT CRAZY. OKAY. IT'S, UH, DEFINITELY NEEDED. IT'S VERY CRITICAL. I THINK ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, [00:40:01] EVERY INDUSTRY SEGMENT HAS BEEN HIT BY THIS PIPELINE DEFICIENCY AND ALL THE RED TAPE THAT EXISTS WITH HIRING, ESPECIALLY IN GOVERNMENT. SO THIS IS MUCH NEEDED, AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFORMATION, AND I'M HERE TO HELP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, . MAYOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS. UH, THIS IS A COMMON SENSE APPROACH. UH, I, I GET WHY THE POLLING IS COMING BACK SO HIGH. IT, IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. UH, TOM, GREAT PRESENTATION. YOU, YOU BOIL DOWN A LOT OF DIFFICULT SUBJECTS AND, AND, UH, IT'S EASY TO DISTILL AND UNDERSTAND. AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THAT MESSAGE OUT. UH, AS A FORMER EMPLOYEE, UM, UH, IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WHO SUFFERED UNDER, UNDER, UH, UH, BEING SHORT STAFFED, UH, I, I CAN TELL YOU IT'S, IT, IT'S PAINFUL. AND I, I REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW OUR, OUR WORKFORCE, ESPECIALLY NOW IN THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT IS, IS, IS SUFFERING UNDER THAT. SO IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT APPROACH. I LOVE IT. UH, HAPPY TO HELP. THANKS A LOT. I WILL SAY, WHEN WE DELIVER BETTER SERVICES, IT HELPS EVERYONE. MM-HMM. PEOPLE HAVE A BETTER OUTLOOK VIEW ON THEIR CITY. LIKE WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO RESPOND LAST YEAR TO THE ENERGY CRISIS AND THE GAS CRISIS, AND, UH, DUE TO YOUR INCREDIBLE WORK THAT HELPED BUILT MORE CONFIDENCE IN THE CITY, AND EVEN, UH, THIS YEAR COMING OUT WITH THE LOWEST UTILITY, UH, GAS PRICES IN THE STATE, THAT HELPS PEOPLE HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN THE CITY. WHEN WE BRING IN MORE STAFF ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, IT BENEFITS EVERYONE, ALL OF US. AND THAT'S ULTIMATELY WHAT WE NEED TO DO, DELIVER QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES. QUESTION. GOT YOU. GOT MR. SHANNON OVER THERE? GEEZ, I'M A POTTED PLANT, I GUESS. UM, I'VE, WHEN I JOINED THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN 1974, WE WON'T GET INTO SPECIFICS THERE, UH, FOR 10 YEARS BEFORE I WAS BORN, YEAH, I SHOULD HAVE KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT. UM, FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST 10 YEARS, 10 TO 15 YEARS, I WAS THE LEGAL ADVISOR TO CIVIL SERVICE. AND I WAS HEARING FROM CITY EMPLOYEES JUST EXACTLY WHAT I'M HEARING TODAY. THIS IS LIKE DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN. HOW, HOW LONG CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS? AND, UH, IN ALL FAIRNESS DEPARTMENT, UH, EXCUSE ME, UH, THE, UH, EARLIER CHARTER MEMBER AMENDMENT, UH, MOTHER DORIS, WHOM I LOVE DEARLY, WAS VERY MUCH AGAINST IT. AND SHE AND I, IN HER, IN HER FRONT ROOM HAD SOME ARGUMENTS. AND, UH, EVEN NOW I'LL ADMIT THAT I THINK THAT, UH, THAT CHARTER AMENDMENT WAS OVERLY SIMPLISTIC. UH, I THINK THIS IS A MUCH BETTER DRAWN UP, UH, CHARTER AMENDMENT. UH, IT'S, UH, I, I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF, BUT I AM VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF IT. AND, UH, I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE. UH, IT, THE PRESENT SYSTEM IS JUST NOT WORKING. AND, UH, IF ONLY THE PEOPLE KNEW THAT, UH, IT'D BE A SLAM DUNK. SO, THAT'S MY 2 CENTS. WELL, WELL, THANK YOU. AND I, I'VE HAD MANY OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN, ON HER COUCH IN HER LIVING ROOM, AND SHE CERTAINLY, UH, LOVED THE CITY. UH, WHAT I, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THE SPIRIT OF DR, I MEAN, OF, OF DO MOTHER DORIS, WAS THAT SHE WANTED TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE. AND THAT WAS EVIDENT IN HER WORK ON COUNCIL AND AT THE PORT. AND I, I THINK THAT THIS APPROACH, BY PLACING THAT REAL FOCUS ON LOCAL HIRE AND GIVING OPPORTUNITIES TO YOUNG PEOPLE, I THINK SHE WOULD, SHE WOULD APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK, I THINK ONE OF THE UNDERLYING MOTIVES FOR, UH, FOR KEEPING THE CIVIL SERVICE, UH, THE WAY IT IS, AND I, I THINK IT JUST NOT A GOOD MOTIVE, BUT I'M FANCY MYSELF A STUDENT OF HISTORY, BUT ALL THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM EVOLVED IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY. PEOPLE WERE TAKING MONEY UNDER THE TABLE TO GET A JOB, UH, AND THINGS WERE, AND THE CIVIL SERVICES SYSTEM REALLY NEEDED TO BE IMPLEMENTED. UH, THAT'S CHANGED. THE WORLD HAS CHANGED IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME. UH, WE CAN SEPARATE THE HIRING SYSTEM FROM THE, UM, DISCIPLINARY SYSTEM. IT'S VERY EASY TO DO. AND, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CONCEPTUALLY TOTALLY DIFFERENT. AND AS LONG AS THAT'S EMPHASIZED, I DON'T THINK CIVIL SERVICE HAS ANY, UH, BEEF COMING. AND BY THE WAY, UH, AT THE END OF MY, UH, TIME, UH, WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, UH, THE, UH, ALL THE COMMISSIONS CEASED TO BE, UH, UH, REMOVED FOR CAUSE. SO I WOULDN'T, I'M NOT SUGGESTING ANYTHING LIKE THIS, BUT, UH, YOU SERVE ON THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, BUT WELL, YOU KNOW, IT WAS DONE. IT WAS DONE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES RADICAL THINGS HAVE TO BE DONE. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENDATION? [00:45:02] UH, OKAY, JUST ONE. UM, NO, HAVEN'T, NOW LET'S FINISH YOU, THEN WE GO TO PUBLIC AND GET ALL OF THE PUBLICS. I'M JUST GONNA JUST FINISH BY SAYING, UM, I THINK SEVERAL OF US HAVE MENTIONED IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO, AND I THINK COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND, AND ALL OF THAT STRATEGY IS GONNA BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. SO, UM, PLEASE KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE FOR THAT. BUT WITH THAT, I WANTED TO MAKE A MOTION TO RECEIVE AND FILE, IF I COULD THIS POINT, OR WAIT, LET ME JUST, JUST, JUST, RIGHT. I LOVE THIS IDEA IS OUR CITY BOAST. AND I ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HOW OUR CITY BOAST OF DIVERSITY. THIS WOULD BE SO GOOD TO ADDRESS AND INCLUDE ALL THE RESOURCES. CITY COLLEGE, AS YOU SAID, CAL STATE LONG BEACH. GREAT PRESENTATION. I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THINGS LIKE THIS, BUT I'M PROUD OF BOTH OF YOU. YOU CAN TOTALLY SAY THIS, . WELL, BABE, I'M JOKING. GO AHEAD. I'M A BELOW. YES, I AGREE. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, I, AND I LIKE THIS BECAUSE I CAN'T WRITE THAT FAST. I HAD A QUESTION AND IT WAS ANSWERED, UH, WHEN TOM SPOKE, THEN I HAD ONE ABOUT, I MEAN, HOW DO WE GET MORE OF THE COMMUNITY? THEN YOU ANSWER THAT. SO, UH, WE'RE ALL, I BELIEVE I CAN SPEAK FOR MY COLLEAGUES AND STAFF. THIS WAS A GOOD PRESENTATION. NEXT, OUR AUDIENCE QUESTIONS. SO I WANT, BEFORE YOU DO THAT, I WANT TO JUST RESPOND TO, TO, UH, COMMISSIONER CORDERO. SO YOU TALKED ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP. SO WE HAVE A PERIOD OF TIME, UH, WHERE WE'RE GETTING FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMISSIONS, YOU KNOW, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY. AND WE'RE MEETING CON CONFIRMING WITH UNIONS. BUT ULTIMATELY, ALL OF THIS IS GONNA GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL. SO IF YOU THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, IF YOU THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD PURSUE, YOU CAN EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR TAKING THIS STEP. I DON'T KNOW THAT THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION IS GOING TO DO THE SAME. UH, BUT THIS IMPACTS MORE THAN ONE COMMISSION. SO, AND ALL OF YOU HAVE JUST AS MUCH INFLUENCE. YOU HAVE ONE WHO'S OBVIOUSLY, UM, THEY'RE GONNA LOOK AT IT DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE THEY'RE THE COMMISSION THAT'S OVERSEES THE CURRENT PROCESS. BUT YOU ARE THE ONES THAT ARE IMPACTED, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO DELIVER SERVICES, RIGHT? SO YOU CAN, AND I WANNA LOOK TO, UH, TO CITY ATTORNEY ANTHONY ABOUT THEIR OPTIONS. BUT YOU CAN EXPRESS, UH, YOUR POSITION OF SUPPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL WHEN IT GOES. UH, YOU WANNA CONFIRM THAT? YES, CERTAINLY. CERTAINLY. THEY CAN ALL DO THAT INDIVIDUALLY, AND I THINK THEY CAN DO IT COLLECTIVELY AS A BOARD, JUST NOT RIGHT NOW. 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT WAS IZED, BUT IT'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. OKAY. AUDIENCE, YOU TURN, SPEAKING OF THE AUDIENCE, SO WE HAVE IN THE AUDIENCE OUR NEW ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, JAIME GARCIA. JAIME, WHY DON'T YOU STAND UP? SO HE, HE'S, UH, HE'S NEW. HE IS DOING A FANTASTIC JOB FOR US. I, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HIM. AND HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR, UH, LEADING THE CHARGE IN HIRINGS AND, UH, IS DOING A GREAT JOB FOR US. OKAY, GOOD. SO YOU'LL SEE MORE AND MORE OF HIM. OKAY. QUESTIONS. DON'T BE AFRAID. I CAN BEAT ALL OF THEM UP. IT'S JUST TOO OVER. OKAY. HEARING NONE. I HAVE MOTION TO APPROVE TO RECEIVE AND FILE. MOTION TO APPROVE I SECOND. RECEIVING FILE FILE. UH, SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. GREAT. WELL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH FOR COMING. COME BACK AGAIN. I LEARNED A LITTLE BIT TODAY. OKAY. THANKS. THANKS. OKAY. UH, WE HAVE DONE QUESTION. WE ARE GONNA TAKE A SHORT RECESS. [01:01:21] WE [01:01:21] ARE [01:01:21] GOING TO [1. 24-52186 Recommendation to approve February 1, 2024 Board meeting minutes.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] RECONVENE OUR MEETING AND GO TO ITEM NUMBER ONE, APPROVE THE FEBRUARY THE FIRST, UH, BOARD MINUTES APPROVAL. WE NEED, UM, WE NEED MOTION TO APPROVE. A MOTION TO APPROVE THE FEBRUARY 1ST BOARD MEETING. MOTION TO APPROVE THE BOARD MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 1ST. OKAY. BEEN MOVED BY, UH, COMMISSIONER CORDERO AND SECOND BY COM, UH, COMMISSION, SHANNON. OKAY. UM, ANY, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS, ANY COMMISSIONER'S COMMENTS? OKAY, WE'VE HAD OUR MOTION, OUR SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSITION? HEARING NONE. THE MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER TWO, [2. 24-52190 Recommendation to approve Retirement Order No. 6176 for items that have become obsolete, demolished, or unrepairable during the current year. These items may or may not be sold to auction.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] APPROVE RETIREMENT ORDER NUMBER 6 1 7 6. ANY, ANY, UM, PUBLIC COMMENTS? ANY COMMISSIONER'S COMMENTS? DO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND MOTION TO APPROVE? OKAY. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MCGUIRE. A SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GLORIA, UH, CORDERO. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSITION? HEARING NONE. THE MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER THREE, [3. 24-52193 Recommendation to authorize the General Manager to issue a task order under On-Call Professional Engineering Services Contract No. UT-3812 to Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., for the Groundwater Treatment Plant Chemical Facility Improvement Project (EO-3688), in the amount not to exceed $668,384.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO ISSUE A TASK ORDER TO SANEX CONSULTING SERVICE. AND WE'RE CALLING ON WENDY CHANG. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. I'M WENDY CHEN. I'M THE MANAGER OF, UM, ENGINEERING FOR THE WATER WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION UNDER ENGINEERING. SO TODAY I'M PRESENTING THE, UH, GROUNDWATER TREATMENT PLAN, CHEMICAL FACILITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. SO, SOME BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE GROUNDWATER TREATMENT PLAN IS LOCATED AT 29 50 REDONDO AVENUE. UM, I BELIEVE ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN THERE. IT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1994 AND RATED AT A 62.5 MGD OF, UH, CAPACITY THROUGHOUT, UH, THE YEARS THE TREATMENT PLAN TEAM HAS BEEN MAINTAINING AND REPLACING AGING EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES. LAST YEAR, WE COMPLETED THE FIRST FACILITY IMPROVEMENT MASTER PLAN FOR THE ENTIRE TREATMENT PLANT, AND RESPONDING TO A, A POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN GROUNDWATER REPRODUCTION ONCE ALL THE NEW WELLS COME ONLINE. IN ADDITION, THE PLAN HAS BEEN 30 YEARS OLD EXACTLY THIS YEAR. ACTUALLY, SOME ACCESS ARE DUE FOR REHAB OR RE UH, REPLACEMENT. SO THE TWO MAIN GOALS OF THE MASTER PLAN WERE TO LOOK AT. NUMBER ONE WAS THE TREATMENT PROCESSES TO POTENTIALLY OPTIMIZE, UH, TREATMENT PROCESS AND CONFIRM [01:05:01] THE PLAN CAN OPERATE AT THE RATE IS 62.5 MGD OF CAPACITY, WHICH WE HAVE NEVER OPERATED AT THAT CAPACITY. SECOND IS TO PERFORM CONDITION ASSESSMENT FOR STRUCTURAL ELECTRICAL MECHANICAL INSTRUMENTATION ASSETS TO ENHANCE RELIABILITY AND REDUNDANCY. SO AS A RESULT OF THE STUDY, THERE WERE TWO GROUPS OF, UM, IMPROVEMENTS IDENTIFIED. THE FIRST GROUP OF IMPROVEMENT WERE SIX CIP PROJECTS, AND TWO ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENTS CAME UP FROM THE STUDY. AND THE SIX CIP PROJECTS WERE GROUPED BY PROCESS AREAS DUE TO IMPACT, I MEAN, SORRY, TO REDUCE IMPACT TO PLANT OPERATIONS. SO THE SECOND GROUP OF IMPROVEMENTS WERE OPERATIONAL FOCUSED IMPROVEMENTS SUCH AS REPLACING SMALLER METERS AND VALVES AND SO ON. AND ALL THE PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS WERE THEN PRIORITIZED BASED ON RISK FACTORS SUCH AS REDUNDANCY, IMPACT OF FAILURE, SAFETY, IMPACT ON OPERATIONAL COST. SO THIS PROJECT, CHEMICAL FACILITY IMPROVEMENT WAS RANKED AS THE FIRST PROJECT DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS WITH MISSING GUARD RAILING IN THE CHEMICAL STORAGE AREA AND UNCONDITIONAL CHEMICAL LINES AND OPPORTUNITY TO OPTIMIZE AND IMPROVE CHEMICAL FEED LINES. JUST A SIDE NOTE ABOUT THE CHEMICALS USED AT THE TREATMENT PLANT. UM, IT'S GOVERNED BY COUPA, CUPA, WHICH IS, UH, SHORT FOR CERTIFIED UNIFIED PROGRAM AGENCIES IN LONG BEACH IS REPRESENTED BY HEALTH AND FIRE DEPARTMENT. THEY PERFORM ANNUAL INSPECTIONS AT OUR FACILITIES. SO THE CHEMICAL FACILITIES AT THE GROUNDWATER TREATMENT PLANT INCLUDES THE CHEMICAL STORAGE TANKS, UH, CHEMICAL PUMPS AND CHEMICAL FEED LINES. AND IN A LATER SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE AN AERIAL MAP OF THE TREATMENT PLANT. AND ON THE BOTTOM OF THIS SLIDE SHOWS A SCHEMATIC OF, UM, UH, OF THE, THE, THE TREATMENT PROCESSES AND THE CHEMICALS THAT ARE ADDED INTO, INTO THE PROCESSES. SO I'M GONNA WALK THROUGH, UH, REAL RECO ON, UH, TREATMENT PROCESSES AND TO JUST TO GIVE YOU, UM, A HIGH LEVEL INTRODUCTION. UM, APOLOGIZE IF YOU'VE HEARD OF THIS BEFORE. SO THE FIRST, THE FIRST STEP IS THE, UH, PRODUCTION WELLS. YOU KNOW, THE RAW WATER COMES FROM THOSE PRODUCTION WELLS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND IT GOES THROUGH THE FLOW SPLITTING BASIN, WHICH IS SPLIT THE WATER TO FIVE BASINS, AND IT GO THROUGH COAGULATION, COAGULATION AND SEDIMENTATION PROCESSES TO GET RID OF SOLIDS IN WATER. AND THEN IT GOES TO QUERYING CONTACT BASINS TO GO THROUGH THE FIRST STEP OF A DISINFECTION, THEN FILTERS TO GET RID OF, UH, UH, FINER, FINER SOLIDS. AND FINALLY, IT GOES TO THE ON ONSITE STORAGE, UH, CLEAR, CLEAR WELL BEFORE IT GETS SENT TO THE ON OFFSITE RESERVOIR AT OUR MEADOWS RESERVOIR. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE CHLOR UH, WAIT, THERE ARE CHEMICALS ADDED DURING THESE, UH, EVERY, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. YOU KNOW, THEY ARE DEMAND TO HELP WITH THE TREATMENT AS WELL AS, UH, DISINFECTION OF THE WATER. SO THIS IS AN AERIAL MAP OF, UH, THE TREATMENT PLANT AS YOU, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER. SO YOU CAN, WATER COMES IN LOT, WARM WATER COMES IN BOTH WAYS AND EMERGE HERE AND IT GOES DOWN THE DRIVEWAY. AND THEN IT WATER GOES TO THE F FLOW SPREADING BASIN HERE, AND IT GOES TO ALL THE FIVE BASINS THAT PERFORMS CALCULATION, CALCULATION AND SEDIMENT VEGETATION. AFTER THAT WATER GOES THROUGH THE CHLORINE CONTACTOR FOR THIS FIRST INSPECTION, THEN FILTER THEN GOES TO THE ONSITE STORAGE. THERE ARE TWO STATION OF PUMPS TOTAL OF 11 PUMPS. SEND WATER FROM THE RESERVOIR TO ALAMITOS RESERVOIR AND THE AREA THAT'S HIGHLIGHT, THAT'S CIRCLED IN RED IS THE AREA OF MOST OF THE CHEMICAL STORAGE, UH, TANKS AND BUILDINGS ARE LOCATED AT. UH, OBVIOUSLY THE, THE CHEMICAL LINES THAT FEED TO DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT PROCESS OF TREATMENT ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE OF, YOU KNOW, GOES UP BEYOND OUTSIDE OF THIS RED BOX. SO THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO ADDRESS SAFETY AND SUR CONCERNS AT A CHEMICAL STORAGE AREA TO ADD EQUIPMENT TO IMPROVE RELIABILITY AND REDUNDANCY, UH, SUCH AS, SUCH AS ASSESSING ALTERNATIVES FOR CHEMICAL FEED AND ADDING DEDICATED CHEMICAL LINES FOR EACH BASIN. ALSO, TO REPLACE SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT SUCH AS CHEMICAL PUMPS, THEY ARE AT RISK OF FAILURE OR HAVING LOW REMAINING USEFUL LIFE. AS PART OF THIS PROJECT, WE'LL ALSO BE LOOKING AT STRUCTURAL AND SEISMIC CONDITION OF THE BASINS, THE FIVE BASES [01:10:01] I SHOWED YOU EARLIER, AND A COUPLE OTHER BUILDINGS TO ENSURE THAT IT'S AT, THEY ARE AT A GOOD CONDITION TO RESIST THE SEISMIC, UH, ACTIVITIES. SO ON AUGUST 31ST, 2023, A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL WAS DISPUTED TO 14 CONSULTANTS ON THE ON CALL PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICE BENCH. THESE FOUR, UH, 14 CONSULTANTS WERE SELF-IDENTIFIED UNDER THE GROUNDWATER TREATMENT PLAN IMPROVEMENT CATEGORY ON NOVEMBER 16TH. THE TWO PROPOSALS WERE RECEIVED, EVALUATED, AND ANALYZED. STAFF RECOMMENDS STANTEC CONSULTING SERVICES, INC BASED ON THEIR PROJECT, PROJECT UNDERSTANDING EXPERIENCE ON SIMILAR PROJECTS, PROJECT TEAM, AND REASONABLENESS OF THE FEES, THE NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT FOR THE SERVICES OF $668,384. SO STAFF RECOMMENDS, UH, TO AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO ISSUE A TASK ORDER UNDER ONCALL PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACT NUMBER UT 38 12 TO STANTEC CONSULTING SERVICES, INC. FOR THE GROUNDWATER TREATMENT PLAN, CHEMICAL FACILITY PROJECT, ANY AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $668,384. THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. I'M OPEN, OPEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE HAVE, UH, THANK YOU. UM, WILL THERE BE ANY IMPACT, UH, TO, UH, ANY OF THE OPERATIONS DURING THE PROJECT? SO THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT, UH, WILL BE TO MINIMIZE IMPACT GIVEN CONSTRUCTION, AND THAT THAT WAS TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION IN FROM LOOKING AT THE PROPOSAL THAT THE, THE STANTEC PROVIDED, THEY ARE PROPOSING TO, TO REPLACE, TO INSTALL NEW CHEMICAL LINES SO THAT IT DOESN'T IMPACT THE PLANT OPERATION. SO THAT'S DEFINITELY A BIG FACTOR WHEN WE, WHEN IT COMES TO THE DESIGN. OKAY. UM, AND I DON'T THINK I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE. ONE OF MY ROLES ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS A, UH, HAZMAT SPECIALIST. UH, I WAS ON THE HAZMAT TEAM. UH, HAS THERE BEEN ANY OUTREACH TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, TO THE HAZMAT GROUP, UH, REGARDING THE PROJECT AND ANY POTENTIAL ISSUES THAT MIGHT ARISE? I, I KNOW WHENEVER, WHENEVER YOU START DOING DIFFERENT THINGS TO YOUR OPERATIONS, IT INTRODUCES A, A LEVEL OF RISK THAT, UH, MAY BE UNANTICIPATED OR OR UNKNOWN. THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENT, ACTUALLY. UM, WE WILL DEFINITELY REACH OUT TO THEM DURING DESIGN PROCESS. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL. HI. AYE. UM, POSITION? HEARING NONE WITH MOTION HEARING. THE NEXT ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER [4. 24-52194 Recommendation to authorize the General Manager to accept the terms and conditions associated with the US Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART: Water and Energy Efficiency Grant for the Lawn-to-Garden Program.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] FOUR. AUTHORIZED THE GENERAL MANAGER TO ACCEPT THE ASSOCIATED. THANK YOU. UH, GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. UH, SO I'M HERE WITH A, A GOOD NEWS ITEM. UH, WE APPLIED FOR A GRANT TO THE USBR, UH, FOR OUR LAWN TO GARDEN PROGRAM IN THE AMOUNT OF $400,000 AND WERE SELECTED. UH, AND SO AS PART OF THE GRANT, UH, ACCEPTANCE PROCESS, UH, PREVIOUSLY IN THE PAST, UH, THE USBR WOULD REQUIRE, UM, AUTHORIZATION TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT WITH THEM, AND THAT WOULD REQUIRE COMING TO THE BOARD TO RECEIVE THE AUTHORIZATION FOR THE GENERAL MANAGER TO SIGN THAT AGREEMENT. THE PROCESSES HAVE BEEN CHANGING A LITTLE BIT, AND I'LL TOUCH ON THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE PRESENTATION. BUT, UM, FOR THIS GRANT AWARD, THERE IS ACTUALLY NOT AN, UH, AGREEMENT SIGNATURE NECESSARY. UH, BUT NONETHELESS, UH, STAFF WANTED TO COME TO BOARD AND RECEIVE THE AUTHORIZATION TO START DRAWING DOWN FUNDS FROM THIS GRANT BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY, THE USBR IS ACCEPTING OUR SUBMITTAL OF INVOICES AND REIMBURSEMENT AS ACCEPTANCE OF THE AGREEMENT. SO WHILE THERE'S NO FORMAL, UH, SIGNATURE OR AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED, UH, STAFF IS COMPANY TO BOARD FOR, FOR THAT OFFICIAL APPROVAL. UM, SO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON THIS GRANT SPECIFICALLY. UH, IT WOULD, IT IS A $400,000 AWARD. AND IN THE APPLICATION WE COMMITTED TO, UH, FUND $800,000 OF MATCHING FUNDS. UH, WHILE THAT IS, UM, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT, WE HAVE THE METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT FUNDING TO ACTUALLY SUPPORT THAT FULL AMOUNT. AND SO THIS WILL BE BE AT ZERO NET COST TO THE DEPARTMENT TO CONTINUE TO, TO OFFER $3 PER SQUARE FOOT TO OUR RESIDENTS FOR [01:15:01] OUR LAWN AND GARDEN PROGRAM. SO IN IN ESSENCE, UH, THIS, THIS GRANT FOR $400,000 WILL ALLOW US TO CONTINUE OUR REBATE AT ZERO COST TO THE DEPARTMENT. UH, SO, SO AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE SB R'S BEEN CHANGING THEIR GRANT, UH, PROCESSES. I, I THINK FOR THE BETTER, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EFFICIENCIES TODAY IN HIRING. I THINK US B R'S KIND OF LOOKING AT THEIR OWN PROCESSES AND SEEING HOW THEY CAN, UH, MORE QUICKLY PROCESS GRANTS. UH, THEY USED TO REQUIRE EVERY, UH, AGENCY OR APPLICATION TO SUBMIT AUTHORIZATION FROM THE BOARD AT THE TIME OF SUBMITTING APPLICATION. UM, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, STAFF TIME TO PUT TOGETHER A BOARD LETTER PRESENTATION TIME TO, TO AGENDIZE THINGS. AND, UH, USBR REALIZED, WELL, NOT EVERYBODY RECEIVES THE AWARD, SO NOT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO HAVE A COMMITMENT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO, TO, UM, FUND THE, THE, THE GRANT MATCH. UH, AND SO NOW THEY'VE STREAMLINED THEIR PROCESSES TO NOT REQUIRE A, A BOARD AUTHORIZATION AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION, BUT ONLY FOR THE SELECTED APPLICANTS AT THE TIME OF WHEN THEY DECIDE THAT THEY DO WANT TO ACCEPT THE AWARD. AND SO, UH, FOR A COUPLE OF THESE GRANTS, UH, WE WERE KIND OF IN THE, THE TRANSITION PROCESS. THIS GRANT IS, IS ONE OF THOSE. UH, AND THEN WE ALSO APPLIED ON JANUARY 16TH FOR, UH, USBR SMALL SCALE WATER EFFICIENCY GRANT IN AMOUNT OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, UH, FOR OUR INDOOR INSTALLATION, UM, UH, INDOOR DEVICE INSTALLATION, UH, PROGRAM. AND SO THAT DID NOT REQUIRE A BOARD AUTHORIZATION TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION, WHEREAS PREVIOUSLY IN, IN PAST IT WOULD, UH, BUT IF WE ARE SELECTED FOR AWARD ON THAT GRANT, WE WOULD COME BACK TO BOARD FOR ACTUAL APPROVABLE OF THE AGREEMENT, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN HOW THIS GRANT IS BEING HANDLED BECAUSE AGAIN, USBR HAS BEEN CHANGING THEIR PROCESSES. SO THOSE FUTURE GRANTS WOULD GO THROUGH A DIFFERENT PROCESS AND WE WOULD COME BACK TO BOARD FOR OFFICIAL AUTHORIZATION TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT. UH, SIMILARLY, UH, WE WILL BE SUBMITTING A GRANT ON FEBRUARY 21ST, SO IN A, IN A COUPLE DAYS FOR AN IN AMOUNT OF $200,000 FOR OUR DIRECT INSTALL GARDEN PROGRAM. UH, AND SO SIMILAR, SIMILARLY FOR THAT ONE, WE DO NOT REQUIRE A BOARD AUTHORIZATION TO SUBMIT THE GRANT, BUT IF WE ARE SELECTED FOR AWARD, WE WILL COME BACK TO BOARD AT THAT TIME. UH, SO WITH THAT, I'LL CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION, UM, AND REQUEST BOARD'S AUTHORIZATION, UM, FOR THE GENERAL MANAGER TO ACCEPT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE US BUREAU OF REC, RECLAMATIONS WATER, SMART WATER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY GRANT FOR THE LAUNDRY GARDEN PROGRAM. THANK YOU. I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS FOR FROM THE BOARD. COMMISSIONERS COME, GLORIA. THANK YOU, DEAN. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU DID WHAT A, WHAT A GREAT, UH, ROLLOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND. CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ONE IN JANUARY FOR INDOOR INSTALLATION FOR INDOOR INSTALLATIONS? SO, YES, IT'S INDOOR DEVICES. UM, WE ARE FOCUSING ON BOTH, UH, SINGLE FAMILY AND, UH, MULTIFAMILY. UH, IT WILL BE FOR, UH, SHOWER HEADS, FAUCET, AERATORS, CLOTHES, WASHERS, UM, IN, IN RESIDENTIAL. UM, GREAT. OKAY, GREAT. SO LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE, UM, THE LAWN OF GARDEN. UM, 'CAUSE I, I, I PULLED UP THE WEBSITE, WHICH IS VERY GOOD, VERY DETAILED, BUT IT'S NOT IN SPANISH OR ANY OTHER LANGUAGE. CORRECT? I THOUGHT WE HAD THE LANGUAGE IS WE, DON'T WE? YEAH, I THINK THERE'S, SOMEHOW YOU CAN THE WEBSITE. GREAT. SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS TOO. UM, EVEN IF IT IS AN ENGLISH, SPANISH, CAMBODIAN, IT'S, IT'S, IT CAN BE PRETTY CUMBERSOME, YOU KNOW, EVEN FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHY WE'RE DOING IT. UM, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY ON STAFF THAT ACTUALLY, UM, LIKE A, AN ACCOUNT MANAGER WHO, OR SOMEONE WHO GOES OUT AND WORKS WITH PEOPLE? OR ARE WE NOT DOING THAT? YEAH, WE WORK VERY, VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CUSTOMERS. AND JOEY IN THE BACK IS, UH, ONE OF OUR KEY PEOPLE THAT, UH, DEALS WITH CUSTOMERS ON THIS. OKAY. NOT . SO, SO THEY, THEY WALK, THEY REALLY HOLD THEIR HAND AND WALK THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS. PERFECT, PERFECT. UM, JOEY, DO YOU DO, DO YOU FIND THAT PEOPLE ARE GRATEFUL THAT SOMEONE CAN WALK THEM THROUGH THERE? I I I CAN ASSUME IT MAKES ALL THE WORLD A DIFFERENCE TO HAVE SOMEONE ACTUALLY GO OUT AND HELP THEM MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE, UM, WE DO HAVE SOME STAFF THAT SPEAK SPANISH, WHICH IS OKAY, GOOD, GOOD FOR US. AND WE ALSO HAVE, UH, ONE STAFF THAT ACTUALLY SPEAKS JAPANESE. UM, SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY KAMAI AND, AND CAMBODIAN AND THE POPULAR, I'D SAY TOP FOUR LANGUAGES THAT WE PROVIDE. UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE, UM, LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE, UM, FOR PHONE CALLS. SO WE CAN ACTUALLY CONTACT THAT CONTRACTOR AND THEY'LL CONTACT THE CUSTOMER AND SPEAK TO THEIR LANGUAGE THAT THEY'RE SPEAKING ON, AND THEY'LL TRANSLATE TO US AND WE CAN DISCUSS WITH THEM OVER THE PHONE. UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, THE FOUR LANGUAGES FOR ALL THE APPLICATIONS, UM, IN THEIR, IN THOSE FOUR LANGUAGES. SO WE CAN PROVIDE THAT TO 'EM BY MAIL. AND IF IT GETS TO THE POINT WHERE I NEED TO SHOW UP AT ONSITE TO REVIEW THE PROCESS AND THE PROGRAM, WE CAN DO THAT TOO. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. AND DEAN, I JUST HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. IN TERMS OF, WE HAVE TO, THEY HAVE TO SELECT OFF THE LIST OF DESIGNERS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY OUR DEPARTMENT. IF THEY WANT THE DESIGN [01:20:01] REIMBURSEMENT, THEY'RE WELCOME TO DIY AND, AND COME UP WITH THEIR OWN DESIGNS. UM, BUT WE OFFER THEY ASSISTANCE. YES. YES. AND THEY STILL GET THE FUNDS. YES. IF THEY, THEY HAVE TO MEET THE CRITERIA OF THE PROGRAM AND WE REVIEW THE DESIGN THAT THEY'LL COME UP WITH AND WE'LL ASSIST THEM WITH THAT IF THEY, THEY'RE DOING IT ON THEIR OWN. BUT, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE BENEFIT OF THE DESIGNER TO BOTH THE CUSTOMER AND TO US IS THE DESIGNER KNOWS KIND OF OUR STANDARDS AND RIGHT. AND PUTS OUT A GOOD PLAN. COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER COURT. SO WHEN YOU SAID THEY GET THE FUNDS, THEY, THEY GET THE INCENTIVE, WELL, WE CAN USE THE FUNDS, BUT NOT THE, BUT NOT THE DESIGNER REIMBURSEMENT. RIGHT. RIGHT. OKAY. THAT'S FINE. UM, DO YOU SEE THAT A, THERE'S A LARGE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO WANNA DO IT THEMSELVES, OR HOW DO WE BREAK THAT DOWN? IS IT, I'D SAY IT'S ROUGHLY 50 50, SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE. OKAY. DO WE DO ANY SORT OF, UM, CLASSES FOR PEOPLE ON HOW TO DESIGN YOUR OWN? UH, WE DO PARTNER, WE'RE STARTING TO PARTNER MORE NOW WITH, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY GETTING MORE USED TO VIRTUAL AND ZOOM. OKAY. PARTNER WITH THE DIFFERENT REGIONAL AGENCIES RATHER THAN, UH, WE USED TO, UH, PRE PANDEMIC HOSTS WORKSHOPS HERE ON SITE IN, IN OUR, UH, ASSEMBLY ROOM DOWNSTAIRS. BUT WE REALLY HAVEN'T REVIVED THAT SINCE THE PANDEMIC. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT. BUT NOW WITH THE PANDEMIC AND EVERYBODY USED TO ZOOM, WE'RE PARTNERING WITH REGIONAL AGENCIES. IT'S AT LESS COST TO US. AND, AND WE KIND OF SHARE, UM, PROFESSIONAL, UM, GUIDANCE AND, AND THERE'S MORE CLASSES NOW AVAILABLE OVER ZOOM THAN, UH, WE USED TO OFFER ON OUR OWN DEAN. AND I KNOW THAT BEFORE IT USED TO BE ONLY THE FRONT YARD AND NOW IT'S THE BACK ALSO. BUT THEN WE ALSO NOW HAVE THE MEDIAN, OR WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT? LARRY PARKWAY STRIP PARKWAY. MM-HMM. . SO WITH REGARDS TO THE PARKWAY IS, I KNOW THERE WAS A, AT ONE POINT WE WERE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE LIKE MAYBE IN A WHOLE BLOCK TO GET TOGETHER AND DO IT. DID WE HAVE ANY SUCCESS IN THAT? UH, THAT WAS SHUT DOWN BY THE PANDEMIC AS WELL. WE DECIDED IT WAS NOT A GREAT IDEA TO HAVE A PARTY, UH, ON A BLOCK DURING THE PANDEMIC. UM, BUT THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. AND, AND, UH, WITH OUR NEW OUTREACH, UM, FOR OUR DIG PROGRAM, UH, THERE HAS BEEN DISCUSSION AMONG A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS THAT THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN, IN TRYING TO CONVINCE, YOU KNOW, A CONTIGUOUS SET OF, OF HOUSES TO DO A CONVERSION. SO WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE IT, SAME, THE MUSEUM OF LATIN AMERICAN ART IN THE GARDEN, THE NATIVE GARDEN AREA, AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE IN THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY THERE TO COME IN AND, AND LEARN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT. A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THERE, UM, COULD DO THEIR OWN PARKWAY OR THEIR OWN YARD. I MEAN, IS THAT A POSSIBILITY? IT'S DEFINITELY A POSSIBILITY. AND ACTUALLY, I THINK JUST, UH, MAYBE TODAY OR OR NEXT WEEK, WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING A DISCUSSION HOW TO DO BETTER OUTREACH FOR THESE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. UM, 'CAUSE THAT IS, UM, LAWN GARDEN HAS KIND OF A, A GOOD SPREAD OF, OF PARTICIPATION, BUT FOR OUR DIG PROGRAM, UM, WHICH IS, UM, TO ADDRESS THE FACT THAT CERTAIN POPULATIONS HAVEN'T BEEN TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE STANDARD LAWN AND GARDEN INCENTIVE, WE WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW TO DO BETTER OUTREACH TO, TO, UM, ENTICE THOSE, UH, NON-PARTICIPATING AREAS SO THAT, THAT ABSOLUTELY. WE, WE CAN TAKE THAT, UH, SUGGESTION. OKAY. THANK YOU. A GOOD PRESENTATION, AND THIS IS JUST A COMMENT, COMMENT. UM, IT'S KIND OF A INTERESTING, UH, PUSH PULL TYPE OF A THING WHERE I KNOW AT METROPOLITAN WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET, AND I KNOW WE'RE GONNA DO THAT TOO. AND WE'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING TO RAISE RATES THAT MET, OBVIOUSLY NOT THE POSSIBILITY OF THE PROBABILITY OF IT. AND A LOT OF IT IS BECAUSE OF THIS DEMAND THAT HAS GONE DOWN AND THE SALES AND WATER. SO IN, IN A SENSE, HERE, WE'RE PROMOTING THIS, ON THE OTHER HAND, IT'S LIKE THE RIGHT HAND AND THE LEFT HAND, UM, BUT THERE IS CONSERVATION AS A WAY OF LIFE. AND SO UNTIL WE HEAR DIFFERENTLY, WE ARE MOVING TOWARD THAT DIRECTION, AND IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, BUT IT DOES PRESENT OPPORTUNITIES AND IT ALSO PRESENTS CHALLENGES, AS WE WILL SEE. YES. THAT'S AN, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT THAT YOU RAISED. AND SO IN KEEPING WITH THE EFFORTS COMING OUTTA RESOURCES THAT DEAN IS LEADING, AND THAT'S HAPPENING IN METROPOLITAN AS WELL, IS THERE'S A CONTINUED EMPHASIS THAT IF WATER EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS COME FORWARD, THAT IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT CAN BE OBTAINED TO FUND THOSE PROGRAMS, THAT BECOMES AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PIECE. SO METROPOLITAN HAS ALSO SECURED FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ITS PROGRAMS. THAT'S A BIG BENEFIT. THE SECOND ASPECT IS IN TERMS OF EQUITY AND ACCESS, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS HAVE AN ELEMENT THAT ALLOW DISADVANTAGED OR UNDERSERVED NEIGHBORHOODS OR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE FUNDS AND THOSE PROGRAMS IN A WAY THAT BEFITS THOSE COMMUNITIES. SO THAT'S HAPPENING AT METROPOLITAN'S LEVEL AS WELL, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE FOCUS THAT WE HAVE ON OUR PROGRAMS HERE. DEAN METROPOLITAN IS COMING FORWARD, UH, AGAIN, I THINK WITH LANDSCAPING, UH, CLASSES IN PERSON WHERE THEY NOT MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION AGAIN. YES. THEY, THEY ARE. UM, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY, UH, HOSTING, I THINK ONE OF THOSE, UH, THAT'S ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE VIRTUAL IN-PERSON HYBRID, RIGHT. UM, OFFERINGS. YEAH. THE PANDEMIC REALLY CHANGED THINGS, BUT I CAN SEE WITH METROPOLITAN, THEY'RE STARTING TO REINTRODUCE IN-PERSON AGAIN. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. ANY ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONER [01:25:01] COMMENTS? I JUST HAVE A QUESTION. UM, WHO, WHO'S DOING THE WORK ON THESE GRANTS? IS IT, DO YOU, ARE YOU USING CONSULTANTS WITH YOUR STAFF OR FOR THE MOST, SO FOR THE LAWN GARDEN PROGRAM, UH, THEY'RE DOING IT, JOEY AND OUR STAFF HANDLES MOST OF IT IN MOST OF IT INTERNALLY. THAT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY UNIQUE TO THE REGION. WE'RE ONE OF VERY FEW AGENTS, RIGHT. THAT RUNS OUR OWN PROGRAMS. THERE'S TONS OF BENEFITS TO DOING THAT. UM, BUT FOR THE, UH, DIRECT INSTALLATION PROGRAMS FOR LIKE THE IN INDOOR EFFICIENCY, WE HIRE A CONTRACTOR TO ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, PLUMBERS AND TO, TO INSTALL THE ACTUAL DEVICES. WELL, CONGRATULATIONS. IT'S WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER SCOTT. UH, YEAH, KUDOS. UH, I, GRANTS DON'T JUST RUN OUT AND JUMP IN YOUR LAP. UH, THEY, THEY, THEY'VE GOTTA BE SOUGHT AFTER, AND I KNOW THEY CAN BE A LOT OF WORK. UM, AND THEN TO GO THE EXTRA MILE AND, AND HAVE THE MATCHING FUNDS, UH, BE AN ADDITIONAL, UH, FREE SOURCE, UH, THAT'S, THE ACCOUNTANT IN ME IS OVERJOYED BY THAT. SO CONGRATULATIONS. KEEP IT UP. THANK YOU. WE'LL HOLD THAT THOUGHT FOR THE NEXT PRESENTATION. , WE NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND MOTION TO APPROVE. OKAY. MOTION COMMISSIONER C CERO. I SECOND, SECOND. SECOND. I SECOND. OKAY. A SECOND. COMMISSIONER MCGUIRE. UH, ANY, UM, ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSITIONS? HEARING NONE. THE MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER [5. 24-52195 Recommendation to authorize the General Manager to execute contracts with 1) Blais & Associates LLC; 2) Engineering Solutions Services; and 3) Hagerty Consulting Inc., for on-call grant funding application and management services, for a period of one year, with the option for two additional one-year extensions, in a combined amount not to exceed $200,000 per year.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] FIVE, AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE CONTRACT WITH NUMBER ONE. UH, IS IT, UH, BAY BAYLESS AND ASSOCIATE? HOW IS THAT THE FIRST NAME SOUNDS RIGHT TO ME. YEAH, I'M NOT ACTUALLY SURE. . THAT SOUNDS RIGHT. OKAY. WELL, WE'LL SAY BAYLESS AND ASSOCIATES, LLC, AND THEN ENGINEERING SOLUTION SERVICES NUMBER TWO. AND NUMBER THREE, HAGERTY CONSULTANT FOR AN ON-CALL, GRANT FUNDING APPLICATION AND MANAGEMENT SERVICE. AND AGAIN, WE'LL CALL ON MR. DEAN WANG. THANK YOU. UH, SO TO TO COMMISSIONER SCOTT'S EARLIER POINT, UH, GRANTS DON'T JUST HAPPEN. THEY DON'T JUST FALL INTO OUR LAP. IT TAKES WORK AND EFFORT, UM, TO, TO GO AND PURSUE THOSE. AND, UH, ABSOLUTELY THE SUCCESS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE SE PAST SEVERAL YEARS HAS BEEN DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE'VE HAD GRANT CONSULTANTS, UH, AVAILABLE TO ASSIST US IN, IN CRAFTING OUR GRANT APPLICATIONS AND ADVISING WHICH GRANTS TO GO AFTER WITH WHICH PROJECTS. UM, AND SO THAT'S A EXTREMELY VALUABLE RESOURCE THAT WE'VE HAD. AND IT'S, IT'S PAID OFF, UM, UH, MULTIPLE TIMES WHAT WE SPENT ON GRANT CONSULTANTS. AND SO, UH, WITH THAT, UH, OUR, OUR EXISTING GRANT CONSULTANTS CONTRACTS ARE EXPIRING. AND SO THIS WAS AN EFFORT TO GO OUT FOR, UM, A NEW CALL FOR CONSULTANTS AND EVALUATE WHICH, UH, CONSULTANTS WE THOUGHT WE COULD, UH, WOULD BE, UH, MOST BE ABLE TO ASSIST US WITH OUR GRANTS, UH, GRANT EFFORTS GOING FORWARD. UM, AND SO STAFF ISSUED AN RFQ AND WE RECEIVED, UH, SEVEN DIFFERENT PO PROPOSALS. AND FROM THAT, UH, WE'RE DECIDING TO GO WITH, UH, THREE OF THOSE PROPOSALS. UH, BLAZING ASSOCIATES, UH, WAS EVALUATED AS, AS THE STRONGEST, UH, CONSULTANT, UH, PROPOSAL. AND, UH, THEY MATCH UP WITH THE TYPES OF GRANTS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PURSUE. THEY'VE DEMONSTRATED EXPERIENCE PURSUING WATER SPECIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS, UH, CONSERVATION GRANTS, UH, ET CETERA. SO IT'S JUST THEIR, THEIR EXPERIENCE AND SUCCESS IN THE AREAS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR GRANTS, UH, WAS, WAS, UH, EXEMPLARY. UH, ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS SERVICES. UH, THEY, THEY ACTUALLY, UM, ARE ONE OF OUR EXISTING GRANT CONSULTANTS. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH THEM. AND SO THEIR, THEIR PROPOSAL WAS, UH, ALSO VERY STRONG. AND THEN FINALLY, THE THIRD CONSULTANT WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. UH, WE, WE FELT THAT IT WAS VALUABLE BRINGING HAGGERTY CONSULTING ON BOARD BECAUSE THEY, THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT AND DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE, UH, WITH GRANTS THAT WE MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY HAVE PURSUED BEFORE IN THE PAST AROUND FEMA AND SECURITY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, BUT ARE IMPORTANT. AND, UM, I THINK COULD PAY DIVIDENDS AS FAR AS TRYING TO OPEN UP OUR IDEA TO WHAT THE, THE DEPARTMENT COULD PURSUE AS FAR AS GRANT FUNDS. UH, SO, UH, FROM THAT STANDPOINT, UH, WHAT STAFF IS ASKING BOARD FOR IS, UH, AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $200,000 PER YEAR, NOT PER EACH CONSULTANT, BUT IN AGGREGATE. AND THE WAY WE WOULD AWARD THESE FUNDS TO CONSULTANTS WOULD BE ON A, A TASK BY TASK BASIS. AND SO FOR EACH GRANT THAT WE PURSUE, WE WOULD SELECT THE, THE APPROPRIATE GRANT CONSULTANT, HAVE THEM WORK ON THE GRANT. WE PAY THEM, UM, HOURLY FOR THEIR SERVICES ON THAT GRANT. UH, SO IN THAT SENSE, FOR ANY OF THESE THREE CONSULTANTS, UH, IN SOME YEARS WE MAY SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE, SOME YEARS WE MAY NOT SPEND ANYTHING ON, ON SOME OF THESE CONSULTANTS. UH, BUT ON AVERAGE, UH, THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, WE'VE BEEN SPENDING ABOUT $80,000 [01:30:01] PER YEAR. UH, BUT THE FACT THAT IN SOME YEARS, AS I MENTIONED, WILL FLUCTUATE, WE'LL HAVE SOME HIGH YEARS, SOME LOW YEARS. UH, WE'RE ASKING THE BOARD TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT, UH, DUE TO, YOU KNOW, WAGE INFLATION, IT'S, UH, WHAT HAVE YOU. AND YOU ALSO, UH, A DESIRE TO PURSUE MORE AGGRESSIVELY ADDITIONAL GRANTS. WE THINK $200,000 PER YEAR WOULD BE, UM, A CONSERVATIVE, UH, MAXIMUM FOR WHAT WE COULD, AND, UH, WE COULD SPEND IN A GIVEN YEAR ON A GRANT CONSULTANT. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASKING FOR $200,000 PER YEAR, UH, WHICH IS AN INCREASE COMPARED TO THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR THAT WE USED TO, TO HAVE. UH, SO WITH THAT, I'LL CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION AND OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS FROM THE, THE BOARD. OKAY. UM, ANY, ANY, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS, ANY COMMISSIONER'S COMMENTS? OKAY. ANY, SO HEARING NO COMMISSIONER'S COMMENTS, DO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A APPROVAL BY SHANNON? SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER DER. ALL OF THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. UH, OPPOSED HEARING? NO. UH, OPPOSITION. THE MOTION CARRIES. OUR NEXT ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER [6. 24-52196 Receive and file an update on authorized work from the Professional Engineering Design bench of consultants.       Suggested Action: Receive and file. ] SIX. RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON AUTHORIZED WORK FROM THE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING DESIGN BENCH, UH, ON CONSULTANTS CALL ON ROB . THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, PRESIDENT RENNY. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. UH, THE ITEM I HAVE BEFORE YOU THIS MORNING IS TO PROVIDE, UH, THIS BOARD AN UPDATE ON, ON OUR, ON-CALL BENCH, UH, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONSULTANTS. SO I HAVE A VERY BRIEF PRESENTATION PREPARED FOR YOU, AND I WILL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH THAT. SO, JUST IN BACKGROUND INFORMATION, UH, THIS BOARD APPROVED THE CREATION OF A BENCH OF CONSULTANTS TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES IN SUPPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT'S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. UH, THIS SPANS, UH, ALL THREE UTILITIES. SO, WATER, UH, GAS AND SEWER. UH, THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 33 CONSULTANTS THAT COMPRISE THE BENCH, AND THE TOTAL AGGREGATE AND AMOUNT OF THE CONTRACT IS 21 MILLION FOR A TWO YEAR PERIOD WITH A ONE YEAR RENEWAL OPTION. UH, ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE 11 DIFFERENT CATEGORIES WITHIN THE BENCH THAT, UM, UH, CONSULTANTS, UH, RESIDE IN. SO, AND THIS IS A LIST OF THE 33 CONSULTANTS THAT COMPRISE THE BENCH. UH, IT'S A GOOD MIX OF LARGE AND SMALL FIRMS, UH, WITH DIFFERENT AREAS OF EXPERTISE. AND AS I MENTIONED, THERE ARE 11 DIFFERENT, UH, AREAS OF SPECIALTY, UH, WITHIN THE BENCH THAT THE CONSULTANTS CAN PROVIDE DESIGN SERVICES TO THE DEPARTMENT. EVERYTHING FROM PIPELINE IMPROVEMENTS, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO REGULAR REGULATORY COMPLIANCE FOR OUR GAS, UH, SIDE. UH, THE NUMBERS, UH, ADJACENT TO EACH CATEGORY REPRESENTS THE NUMBER OF CONSULTANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO PROPOSE WITHIN THOSE CATEGORIES. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE PIPELINE IMPROVEMENTS, WE HAVE 23 CONSULTANTS AVAILABLE TO US, UH, TO PROVIDE PIPELINE DESIGN WORK. NOW, THE GIST OF THE SUMMARY OR THE UPDATE, UH, THIS IS, UH, ALL THE ACTIVITIES TO DATE SO FAR FROM THE BENCH. UM, THE FIRST TWO ITEMS LISTED ON THIS TABLE WERE, UH, AUTHORIZED BY THE BOARD BACK IN SEPTEMBER. SO THAT'S WHEN MOST OF THE CONTRACTS, UH, CAME INTO EFFECT. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE, WE'VE HAD ABOUT, UH, SEVEN, UH, PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, STARTED FROM THE BENCH. UM, THERE'S ONE ITEM THAT THE BOARD ABS, UH, APPROVED THIS MORNING, UH, THAT WENDY HAD PRESENTED. AND WE HAVE ANOTHER FIVE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON RPS, UM, UM, AND MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE DESIGN WORK. SO AGAIN, STATUS SUMMARY. WE'VE, UH, AUTHORIZED ABOUT 1.43 MILLION IN TASK ORDERS TO DATE. ACTUALLY, THAT NUMBER CHANGES 'CAUSE THE SECOND BULLET, AGAIN, THAT WAS APPROVED EARLIER THIS MORNING. UM, SO IT'S ROUGHLY ABOUT [01:35:01] $2 MILLION WORTH OF DESIGN WORK THAT'S BEEN AUTHORIZED. AND WE HAVE ANOTHER 1.4 MILLION, UH, IN THE HOPPER, UH, THAT WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH AS WELL. UM, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION COMMISSIONERS. UH, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. OKAY. UM, DO WE HAVE, UM, ANY QUESTIONS OR NO, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY. IF NOT, WE NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND. OKAY. MOVED BY SHANNON. A SECOND. SECOND. SECOND BY MCGUIRE. ALL OF THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSITION? NAY. ANY OPPOSITION? UH, HEARING NONE, THE MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Utilities Commission on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] WE HAVE PUBLIC, UH, COMMENTS. IS THERE ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK ON A NON-AG AGENDA ITEM THEN? NONE. WE WILL, AS WE CLOSE TODAY, [ADJOURNMENT] UM, I WOULD LIKE TO CALL ON ALL OF US FIRST TO HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND THEN ADJOURN TODAY'S MEETING IN MEMORY OF OUR EMPLOYEE JOSE RAJAS, WHO PASSED AWAY THIS WEEKEND. OUR MEETING IS ADJOURNED. . * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.