Mar 11, 2025 City Council Special Meeting

[00:04:10]

ALL RIGHT.

COME MA'AM.

CLERK, PLEASE MAKE ROLL CALL.

COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN.

PRESENT.

COUNCILMAN SUPER NA.

HERE.

COUNCILWOMAN KERR.

HERE, VICE MAYOR URANGA.

PRESENT COUNCILWOMAN THRASH.

OOK.

PRESENT.

COUNCIL MEMBER RICK

[CALL TO ORDER]

HERE WE HAVE A QUORUM.

THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK.

UH, PLEASE READ THE ITEM, THE HEARING REPORT FROM PUBLIC WORKS.

RECOMMENDATION

[ROLL CALL]

RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENT, DIRECT CITY CLERK TO TABULATE THE WRITTEN PROTEST AND REPORT THE RESULTS OF THE TABULATION.

AND IF A MAJORITY PROTEST IS NOT ESTABLISHED, CONCLUDE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPT A RESOLUTION.

ESTABLISHING

[1. 25-54515 Recommendation to receive supporting documentation into the record; receive public comment pursuant to Articles XIIIC and XIIID of the California Constitution (Proposition 218); direct City Clerk to tabulate the written protests and report the results of the tabulation to the Mayor and City Council during the March 11, 2025, hearing; and, if a “majority protest” is not established, conclude the public hearing and adopt resolution establishing Solid Waste Service Rates under a two-step rate adjustment. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Public Works         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

[00:05:01]

UH, THERE IS NO OATH REQUIRED FOR THIS HEARING.

UH, LIKE TO, UH, INTRODUCE MEREDITH REYNOLDS, WHO WILL BE MAKING THE STAFF PRESENTATION.

I'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE THIS ONE.

SO, UM, THANK YOU, UH, VICE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.

UM, WE'RE HERE TONIGHT TO REALLY TALK ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF THE ORGANICS PROGRAM AND THE REFUSE RATE INCREASE.

THIS HAS BEEN MANY, MANY YEARS IN THE MAKING.

THIS COMES FROM STATE LAW AND A REQUIREMENT, UH, TO CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE DO, UM, REFUSE, UH, COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL.

UH, WE'RE PREPARED TONIGHT TO GIVE YOU A FAIRLY EXTENSIVE REPORT.

UM, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY A BIG DEAL TO OUR RESIDENTS.

WE WANNA BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY WE'RE DOING THIS, UH, WHAT WE'VE LOOKED AT, HOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP COSTS AS LOW AS WE COULD, UH, BUT ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS A, A RATE INCREASE AND, AND WE'RE ALSO ADDING A BRAND NEW SERVICE, UM, THAT IS GONNA BE NEW FOR PEOPLE.

SO, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO, UH, OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND OUR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES BUREAU MANAGER TO WALK US THROUGH THE PRESENTATION.

GOOD AFTERNOON, VICE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.

WE ARE EXCITED TO BE HERE.

SO, DON HENDERSON, THE BUREAU MANAGER, AND MYSELF, ARE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ALONG WITH MANY OF OUR, OUR TEAM AND OUR STAFF THAT'S HERE TO HELP SUPPORT THIS ITEM.

SO, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW, AND REALLY EXCITED TO BE AT THIS IMPORTANT MILESTONE.

SO THIS IS THE AGENDA FOR THIS AFTERNOON.

UH, AS TOM HAD NOTED, WE ARE GONNA GO AND DIVE INTO SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THE COST OF SERVICE STUDY, BUT BEFORE DOING SO, WANTED TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF OUR COLLECTION SERVICES, OUR COST INCREASES, UH, THAT WE'VE SEEN RECENTLY, AND THEN THE EFFORTS THAT WE'VE TAKEN INTERNALLY TO HELP MINIMIZE SOME OF THOSE COST INCREASES.

WE'LL THEN DIVE INTO THE FUTURE OF THE REFUGE COLLECTION PROGRAM, AND ALONG WITH THE INFORMATION AND OUTREACH EFFORTS THAT WILL BE UNDERWAY IN THE COMING MONTHS.

SO, WHAT DOES OUR COLLECTION SERVICES TEAM LOOK LIKE? UH, CURRENTLY WE HAVE 81 REFUSE TRUCKS.

WE'VE GOT 118,000 ACCOUNTS, AND ANNUALLY WE COLLECT NEARLY 200,000 TONS OF WASTE.

THAT'S IN ADDITION TO ANOTHER 30,000 TONS THAT'S DIVERTED ANNUALLY FOR RECYCLING.

SO OUR TEAM, IN ADDITION TO JUST GOING OUT THERE AND PICKING OUT THE SOLID WASTE, THE, THE TEAM DOES A REALLY GREAT JOB, UH, COMPREHENSIVELY DOING AN EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAM TO MANY OF OUR CUSTOMERS, UH, A LOT OF WHICH YOU'VE SEEN AS PART OF THAT FIRST PHASE ROLLOUT FOR THE RESIDENTIAL ORGANIC PROGRAM.

SO THAT INCLUDES NOT ONLY OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO HANDLES, UH, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CALLS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, A HUNDRED THOUSAND, BUT WE ALSO DO DOOR TO DOOR OUTREACH, AND WE HAVE A DEDICATED WEBSITE AND OTHER COMMUNICATION TOOLS.

THE TEAM IS ALSO OUT THERE DOING THE CART INSPECTIONS AND LID FLIPPING, WHICH IS A REQUIREMENT OF THE STATE MANDATE IN ADDITION TO, UH, BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE NEED TO, TO COMPLY WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT USAGE OF ALL THREE OF THE CARTS.

IN ADDITION TO THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE AS THE CITY.

THERE'S ALSO EIGHT, UH, PERMITTED HAULERS THAT GET OUT THERE AND COLLECT THE SOLID WASTE FOR COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY ACCOUNTS.

SO THIS SLIDE HERE REPRESENTS A, A HANDFUL OF THE RECENT COST INCREASES AND WHAT'S DRIVING THAT.

WE'RE GONNA DIVE INTO EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDES.

SO, WHAT IS SB 1383? IT'S A STATE REQUIREMENT THAT STARTED IN, WELL, MAYBE EVEN BEFORE, BUT REALLY, UH, IN 2020, THE STATE DEVELOPED RULES FOR COMPLIANCE WITH SB 1383 AND OVER, OVER THE NEXT YEARS, THERE WAS, UH, SOME, SOME DIFFERENT EFFORTS UNDERWAY THAT WE'LL WALK THROUGH HERE REAL BRIEFLY.

SO, OCTOBER, 2021, THE SB SIX 19 WAS PASSED, PROVIDING A PATHWAY FOR LOCAL JURISDICTIONS TO COMPLY WITH THE STATE MANDATE.

THEN IN FEBRUARY OF 2022, CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN, WHICH WAS SUBMITTED TO THE STATE IN AUGUST OF 2022.

AND IN JUNE OF 2023, THERE WERE SOME PREVIOUS PROP TWO 18 HEARINGS FOR, UH, PREVIOUS RATE INCREASES.

IN FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR, WE CAME BACK TO CITY COUNCIL.

WE PROVIDED AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE WERE WITH THE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN AND WHERE WE WERE WITH THE STATUS OF THE SOLID WASTE PROGRAM LAST SEPTEMBER, WE PROVIDED A MEMO THAT INCLUDED DETAILS OF WHERE WE WERE INCLUDING THE ANTICIPATED COST OF SERVICE STUDY, WHICH WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TONIGHT.

AND LAST OCTOBER, WE BEGAN THE FIRST PHASE OF THE RESIDENTIAL ORGANICS ROLLOUT.

SO SOME OF THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF SB 1383 DOES REQUIRE, UH, STANDARDIZATION OF THE CART COLORS.

SO FOR

[00:10:01]

IN ADDITION TO THESE OTHER ITEMS NOTED HERE, PROCURING ITEMS WHICH RECYCLED OR ORGANIC MATERIAL CONTENT MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE, UH, OF THE ENFORCEMENT OUT THERE.

SO WE'VE HAD NOT ONLY, UM, COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT, BUT WE'RE ALSO UTILIZING OUR REFUSE FIELD INVESTIGATORS FOR RIGHT SIZING OF THE CART PROGRAM.

SO GETTING OUT THERE USING OUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND, UH, INDIVIDUALS TO HELP, HELP AUGMENT THAT PROGRAM, WHICH YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT LATER AS WELL.

ESTABLISHING THE FOOD RECOVERY PROGRAM, AND AS WE DISCUSSED, THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.

SO AN INCREASED DISPOSAL COSTS.

SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE ON THE SLIDE IS A PRETTY, UH, STEEP INCREASE FROM 2023 TO 2024, UH, THAT WAS DUE TO SURF SHUTTING DOWN AND THE REQUIREMENT TO UTILIZE, UH, OTHER DISPOSAL SOURCES AT TRANSFER STATIONS.

YOU THEN SEE, UH, A PRETTY STEEP, UH, HOCKEY STEP TYPE CURVE ON THE ORGANIC SIDE UP TO $123 PER TON.

UH, THAT'S BECAUSE ORGANIC PROCESSING DOES COST MORE THAN, UH, REFUSE ITSELF.

THE DISPOSAL AND TRUCKING OF REFUSE.

SO CHANGES IN, IN THE RECYCLING, UH, INDUSTRY AND THE COMMODITIES VALUE HAS REALLY CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.

AND AS PART OF THE COST OF SERVICE STUDY, HFNH HAS ANALYZED AND ACCOUNTED FOR THOSE VARIOUS CHANGES IN THOSE MATERIALS AND DISPOSAL COSTS.

SO, STAFFING COSTS, WE'VE GOT A GREAT TEAM WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES BUREAU.

THAT TEAM INCLUDES 125 REFUSE OPERATORS.

IN ADDITION TO, UH, A NUMBER OF OTHER FOLKS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO SUPPORT THE TEAM AND TO SUPPORT EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.

THE, THE TEAM AT LARGE IS APPROXIMATELY 200 OR SO FTES, AND THE, THE MOUS THAT WERE EXECUTED IN 2024, UH, INCREASED SOME OF THOSE COSTS AND WAGES, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE REFUSE OPERATORS INCREASED THEIR BASE, THEIR BASE PAY BY 15%.

WE ALSO HAVE INCREASED NUMBER OF STAFFING, SO THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS HAD TO RISE IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEW PROGRAM, INCLUDING NEW REFUSE OPERATORS, INCLUDING NEW REFUSE FIELD INVESTIGATORS, SUPERVISORS, AND SO ON.

THERE'S ALSO AN INCREASED NEED IN THE TRAINING ALONG WITH ANY NEW STAFF.

THERE IS A, A, AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF TRAINING THAT'S REQUIRED TO SUPPORT NOT ONLY THOSE INDIVIDUALS, BUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS GETTING INTO NEW VEHICLES AND THOSE NEW VEHICLES, INCLUDING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO OPTIMIZE OUR OPERATION.

SO, GROWING FLEET COSTS.

UH, WE DO HAVE 10 NEW SIDE LOADERS AS PART OF THE REFUSE COLLECTION PROGRAM.

IN ADDITION TO THE PICKUP TRUCKS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO DEPLOY OUR REFUSE FIELD INVESTIGATORS INTO THE FIELD, AS WELL AS OUR EDUCATIONAL, UH, FOLKS, GETTING THEM OUT INTO THE FIELD AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE, THE VEHICLES NECESSARY WHILE THE GROWING FLEET IS IS HAPPENING.

WE ALSO NEED TO THINK ABOUT THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE COMING TO THE FACILITY AND PARKING BEFORE THEIR JOB, PARKING THEIR OWN VEHICLES.

SO WE HAVE THE FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS FOR WHERE WE GONNA PARK, UH, ALL, ALL THESE PRIVATE VEHICLES IN ADDITION TO THE GROWING FLEET, AND NOT NECESSARILY INCLUDED IN THIS CURRENT COST OF SERVICE STUDY.

BUT WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT WE NEED TO PLAN FOR AND BE PREPARED FOR THE ELECTRIFICATION OF OUR FLEET VEHICLES.

SO WE JUST WENT OVER SOME OF THE COST DRIVERS, UH, THAT WERE INCREASING THE COST.

WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF REFLECTING AND A LOT OF WORK INTERNALLY TO MINIMIZE THE COST INCREASES TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE.

WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO DO THAT BEFORE WE JUST WENT OUT AND, AND, UH, LOOKED AT HOW AND PASSED THROUGH THESE COSTS TO, TO THE CUSTOMERS.

SO ON THE ORGANIZATIONAL SIDE, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STRATEGIES THAT WERE IMPLEMENTED.

RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE WORKFORCE REVIEW WERE IMPLEMENTED.

UH, THERE WAS A WHOLE SEPARATE STUDY THAT WAS CONDUCTED WITH AN OUTSIDE GROUP THAT CAME IN, PROVIDED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED THAT HAVE HELPED, UH, MAXIMIZE THE EFFICIENCY AND WORK WITH OUR DIFFERENT TEAMS. WE'VE ALSO RESTRUCTURED THE TEAM TO ENHANCE MORALE, THE EFFICIENCY, AND REALLY PROVIDE SUCCESSION PLANNING AND MAKING SURE THAT

[00:15:01]

WE'VE REDUCED THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE.

UH, THIS NOT ONLY PROVIDES STABILITY, BUT ALSO REDUCES THE NEED FOR OVERTIME ATTRITION, AND REALLY IMPORTANT TO US MINIMIZES THE NUMBER OF SAFETY RELATED INCIDENTS.

WE'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING, UH, PRETTY HEAVILY ON TRAINING PROGRAMS WITH EACH OF OUR TEAMS, AS WELL AS ROLLING OUT SOME TECHNOLOGY TO HELP OPTIMIZE THE OPERATION.

ON THE FINANCIAL SIDE, WE'VE STABILIZED SOME OF THE COSTS THROUGH MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENTS WITH THE VARIOUS TRANSFER STATIONS.

UH, YOU MAY RECALL SEEING THIS A COUPLE MONTHS AGO.

WE, WE'VE ALSO LOOKED AT ADJUSTING THE RESERVE ACCOUNT GOAL FROM FOUR MONTHS DOWN TO THREE MONTHS.

UH, THAT WILL, THAT'S IN LINE WITH OUR UTILITY PARTNERS, UH, OVER AT LB UTILITIES AND SECURING FINANCING FOR NEW VEHICLES AND CARTS TO HELP SPREAD OUT THE, THE COSTS OF THOSE NEW EQUIPMENT OVER TIME, OVER 10 YEARS, RATHER THAN IN LUMP SUM FORM AND LOOKING AT OBTAINING GRANTS WHEREVER POSSIBLE TO HELP WITH EDUCATION, OUTREACH AND OTHER OTHER EFFORTS.

SO IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE HAVE DONE, THERE'S A NUMBER OF OTHER ITEMS THAT WE'RE STILL LOOKING TO DO, OR IN THE PROCESS OF DOING.

WE HAVE CONTINUOUS TRAINING TO ENHANCE SAFETY, PROFESSIONAL GROWTH, AND EFFICIENCY.

THAT'S, AGAIN, AN ONGOING ITEM THAT WE'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT DOING, AMENDING EXISTING AGREEMENTS TO MAINTAIN A STABLE RECYCLING RATE.

UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT FURTHER LATER THIS EVENING.

CONTINUE TO SEEK GRANTS AS THEY'RE AVAILABLE, SUPPORTING THE CONVERSION OF SURF TO AN ANAEROBIC DIGESTION FACILITY AND PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR ENERGY RESOURCES TEAM, LEVERAGING IN-VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE THE TEAMWORK, EFFICIENCY AND THE ROUTE REVIEWS, EDUCATING CUSTOMERS ON CART PLACEMENT AND SPECIAL PICKUPS.

THIS HELPS CUT DOWN ON URBAN BLIGHT, HELPS CUT DOWN ON DUMPED ITEMS, AND, UM, JUST MAKES OUR, OUR OPERATION A BIT MORE EFFICIENT, DEVELOPING A PROGRAM TO HELP CUSTOMERS RIGHTSIZE THEIR CARTS.

SO AS MORE CUSTOMERS ADOPT THE ORGANICS, UH, CART AND START USING IT THE WAY THAT IT SHOULD BE, IN THEORY, IT SHOULD BE REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF MATERIALS WITHIN THE, THE BLACK REFUSE CART, AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO THEN RIGHTSIZE THAT CART DOWN.

AND THEN OF COURSE, INTEGRATING LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT FIRST PHASE BACK, UH, IN OCTOBER.

SO WHAT WERE SOME OF THOSE LESSONS LEARNED FROM OCTOBER? THE, THE SUCCESS STORIES, WE'LL START THERE.

UH, WE HAD NEARLY 8,000 ACCOUNTS INCLUDED WITHIN THAT FIRST PHASE.

THERE WAS A WHOLE BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROCESS, INCLUDING NOT ONLY MAILED MATERIALS, BUT ALSO DOOR TO DOOR OUTREACH, UH, WHICH HAD PROVEN REALLY SUCCESSFUL AND REALLY GOT A LOT OF THE INFORMATION OUT THERE TO THE COMMUNITY.

WE ALSO HAD A DEDICATED WEBSITE, WHICH REALLY, UH, A LOT OF FOLKS HAD VISITED THAT WE HAD NEARLY 300 VISITS WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH, UH, WHICH WE WERE REALLY PROUD OF.

AND THEN ANOTHER SUCCESS STORY WAS THAT TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE TIMES, WHICH, TO ELABORATE A BIT FURTHER, WE PUT IN VEHICLE DEVICES TO ALLOW TURN BY TURN ROUTING ON EACH OF OUR ROUTES, RATHER THAN THE UTILIZING OF PAPER MAPS.

SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNED, UH, IT, THE, THE FIRST PHASE, THE WHOLE REASON FOR DOING THE FIRST PHASE WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WORKED AND WHAT DIDN'T WORK, AND THEN WE COULD BUILD IN THOSE LESSONS LEARNED INTO OUR FUTURE PHASE PLANNING, AND IF NECESSARY, BUILD IT INTO THIS COST OF SERVICE STUDY OR AT LEAST VALIDATE SOME OF THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT WERE MADE.

SO THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM OUR FIRST PHASE, EARLY COORDINATION WITH SPACE CONSTRAINTS CUSTOMERS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, ALLOWING FOR SMALLER CARS IF AND WHEN APPROPRIATE TO MAXIMIZE THE, THE LIMITED SPACE THAT SOME OF OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE.

AND THEN ON THE FLIP SIDE, FOR OUR, OUR CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE VERY HEAVY LANDSCAPE MATERIALS, OR THEY HAVE A LARGE FRONT LAWN, MAKING SURE THAT THEY GET LARGER ORGANIC CARTS TO HELP SUPPORT THAT.

WE ALSO SAW A NEED FOR INCREASED NUMBER OF FIELD INVESTIGATORS.

SO THIS WAS NOT ONLY TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAD THE RIGHT CARTS, THEY GOT THE RIGHT DELIVERY OF THE CARTS, BUT THAT THEY WERE DELIVERED TO THE RIGHT LOCATION.

UH, IN ADDITION TO HELPING IN THE FUTURE WITH THESE RIGHT SIZING PROGRAM TO HELP ENSURE THAT EACH CUSTOMER HAS THE APPROPRIATE CART FOR THE APPROPRIATE USE AND THE INCREASED NEED FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.

SO OUR CURRENT RATE IS $42 AND 66 CENTS A MONTH FOR OUR, UH, LET'S SAY TYPICAL CUSTOMER.

OUR TYPICAL CUSTOMER INCLUDES A 95 GALLON REFUSE CART AND A 95 GALLON RECYCLE CART.

[00:20:01]

SO THE RATES THAT WERE ESTABLISHED IN JULY 1ST, 2023, AND AGAIN ON OCTOBER 1ST, 2023, INCLUDED THE COMMERCIAL ORGANICS RATES, BUT DID NOT INCLUDE RESIDENTIAL ORGANICS RATES.

SO THE CURRENT COST OF SERVICE STUDY PROVIDE A QUICK OVERVIEW HERE.

IT WAS PERFORMED BY A THIRD PARTY SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT, WHICH, UH, WE HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE HERE TODAY IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS THAT COME UP RELATED TO THE STUDY ITSELF, UM, INCORPORATES INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES, ACCOUNTS FOR COST INCREASES, INFLATION AND REDUCTION EFFORTS.

SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS IT ACCOUNTS FOR EVERYTHING WE HAD JUST TALKED ABOUT IN THOSE PREVIOUS SLIDES, ALL THE COST DRIVERS, BOTH UP AND DOWN ACCOUNTS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE MANDATES THAT WE REVIEWED PREVIOUSLY.

IT DOES ESTABLISH RATES FOR RESIDENTIAL ORGANIC COLLECTION, AND IT REFLECTS THE UPDATED REFUSE AND RECYCLING COSTS.

SO A COUPLE CONSIDERATIONS OF THIS STUDY, SOME OF THE ITEMS WE REALLY WANTED TO, TO MAKE SURE WERE INCLUDED, AND WE WORKED WITH OUR PARTNERS TO ENSURE THEY WERE, UH, PROPOSING A PHASED APPROACH TO RATE INCREASES.

WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THIS WASN'T ALL JUST A, A ONE-TIME RATE INCREASE.

WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE RESERVE.

SO WE TALKED ABOUT IT BRIEFLY BEFORE, WE DID ADJUST THAT FROM FOUR MONTHS DOWN TO THREE MONTHS, WHICH DOES REDUCE THE, THE FEE BY, BY A LITTLE BIT, AND ALLOWS US TO MAKE SURE WE'RE MAINTAINING THAT ADEQUATE RESERVE.

WE WANTED TO VERIFY THE FY 20 FIVE'S ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE HAD BUILT INTO THE FY 25 BUDGET WITH LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE FIRST PHASE.

SO WE'RE HAPPY, HAPPY TO SAY THAT, THAT THEY HAVE BEEN VERIFIED AND, AND OUR ASSUMPTIONS WERE, WERE PRETTY CLOSE.

WE WANTED TO PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY FOR MULTIPLE PHASE RESIDENTIAL ROLLOUTS.

SO NO, NO LIGHT SWITCH TYPE APPROACH.

WE REALIZED FROM AN OPERATIONAL STANDPOINT, IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO ROLL OUT ALL OF THE REMAINING ACCOUNTS ALL AT ONCE.

SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD FLEXIBILITY TO BE ABLE TO ROLL IT OUT OVER TIME.

AND AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, BRIEFLY EARLIER, WE WANTED MAKE SURE WE PROVIDED FLEXIBILITY FOR RIGHT SIZING OF CARTS.

SO WE WANTED TO HAVE FEES IN PLACE FOR 35, 65 AND 95 GALLON CARTS FOR REFUSE RECYCLING AND ORGANICS.

SO MOST CUSTOMERS WILL MAINTAIN THE 95 GALLON REFUSE CARTS AND THE 95 GALLON RECYCLE CARTS, AND MOST CUSTOMERS WILL RECEIVE THE NEW 65 GALLON ORGANICS CARTS.

AGAIN, THERE'LL BE A PROGRAM IN PLACE TO HELP, UH, RIGHT SIZE CARTS IF AND WHEN APPROPRIATE, WHETHER THAT'S REDUCING THE SIZE OF THE REFUSE CART OR INCREASING THE SIZE OF, OR ORGANICS CART.

SO, TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THOSE DIFFERENT SIZES LOOK LIKE, WE'VE GOT A PICTURE HERE ON THE SCREEN THAT SHOWS THE ALL THREE CART SIZES, 95, 65, AND 35.

AND THESE ARE ALL PRETTY SIMILAR, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S REFUSE RECYCLING OR, AND ORGANICS, THEY'D JUST BE A DIFFERENT COLOR.

SO SOME OF THE FINDINGS OF THE COST OF SERVICE STUDY, THE, THE, THE CURRENT RATES DO NOT GENERATE ENOUGH REVENUE TO SUSTAIN THE COST OF PROVIDING THE SERVICE.

THE RATE NEEDS TO INCREASE TO $67 AND 63 CENTS A MONTH FOR WEEKLY SERVICE OF A 95 GALLON REFUSE CART.

SO THIS IS OUR, OUR TYPICAL CUSTOMER, IF YOU WILL.

UH, THE BILLING FOR ORGANICS WILL BE CHARGED ONCE THE SERVICE BEGINS.

SO WHILE IT SHOWS ON HERE, THERE'S AUGUST 1ST, 2025, UH, FOR THE PROPO PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RATE, IF A CUSTOMER DOESN'T HAVE ORGANIC SERVICE UNTIL, LET'S SAY SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER, THE THE BILLING WILL NOT OCCUR UNTIL THAT SERVICE BEGINS AT THAT LATER DATE.

AND THE TYPICAL RATES THAT YOU SEE HERE, UH, ASSUME A 95 GALLON RECYCLE CART AND A 65 GALLON ORGANICS CART.

SO YOU SEE ON THE, UH, LOWER LEFT SIDE, 95 GALLON CART CURRENT RATE THAT YOU HAD SEEN ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE OF $42 AND 66 CENTS.

WILL, UH, IF, IF APPROVED, GO UP TO $50 ON MAY 1ST, 2025, AND THEN TWO $67 AND 63 CENTS ON OCTOBER 1ST, 2025, OR AT SUCH TIME THAT YOU GET THE ORGANICS COLLECTION.

SO THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS A GRAPH SHOWING ALL THE DIFFERENT, UM, MUNICIPALITIES NEARBY AND HOW THEIR RATES COMPARE TO THE PROPOSED RATE

[00:25:01]

SO RECYCLING, REFUSE, AND ORGANICS.

SO YOU CAN SEE, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE IN LINE WITH OTHER, UH, GROUPS AROUND US, OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, SO WE'RE RIGHT, RIGHT NECK AND NECK WITH SANTA MONICA, SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN BURBANK, AND, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN SOME OF OUR OTHER MUNICIPAL COLLEAGUES UP NORTH.

SO WE'VE ALSO DONE QUITE A BIT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION OUTREACH, AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE, WE LAUNCHED A NEW WEBSITE JUST, UH, EARLIER THIS YEAR.

IT'S GOT A LOT OF GREAT INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON ABOUT THE FIRST PHASE, ALL OF THE DETAILS, UH, THAT, THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE.

IT'S GOT OUR NOTICE, IT'S GOT THE COST OF SERVICE STUDY FOR ANYBODY THAT REALLY WANTS TO DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THE COMPLETE REPORT.

AND WE INTEND TO CONTINUE TO UPDATE THAT AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE, UH, UH, AS TO HOW WE'RE GONNA ROLL OUT THESE FUTURE PHASES OF THE RESIDENTIAL ORGANICS PROGRAM.

SO PUBLIC NOTICES HAD GONE OUT TO, UH, ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.

THE HEARING NOTICES, UH, AS AS NOTED, ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

SO WHAT'S THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE, FUTURE LOOKS LIKE? UH, WE WE'RE GONNA BE DEVELOPING A PHASE IN PLAN FOR ALL OF THE REMAINING CUSTOMERS.

SO YOU, YOU HAD SEEN ON ONE OF A PREVIOUS SLIDE THAT WE HAD, UH, 118,000 CUSTOMERS, 8,000 OR SO HAVE ALREADY BEEN A PART OF THAT FIRST PHASE.

SO WE NOW NEED TO ROLL IN ALL OF THE REMAINING CUSTOMERS.

SO HOW ARE WE GONNA DO THAT? AND WHAT'S THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO DO THAT? WE'RE DEVELOPING THAT PLAN NOW.

UH, WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT THAT PHASE IN PLAN, MUCH LIKE THAT FIRST PHASE, WE'LL HAVE AN INTERACTIVE WEBSITE.

SO YOU CAN SEE WHEN YOU'LL BE RECEIVING SERVICE AND WHEN YOU'LL BE RECEIVING YOUR CARTS AND OTHER DETAILS.

AS WE GET ALL OF THIS ROLLED OUT THROUGHOUT THE, THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR, WE DO ANTICIPATE AND, AND HOPE THAT WE CAN EFFECTIVELY ROLL OUT THE RESIDENTIAL ORGANICS PROGRAM TO ALL THE REMAINING CUSTOMERS BY THE END OF CALENDAR YEAR 2025 NEW CARTS.

UH, WE NEED TO REPLACE ALL OF THE PURPLE CARTS WITH BLUE CARTS, AND WE WILL BE DOING THAT AGAIN OVER, UH, OVER THIS NEXT, NEXT FEW MONTHS.

BEFORE THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, WE'LL BE ADDING 112,000 NEW GREEN CARTS FOR THE ORGANICS COLLECTION.

AND NOW WE HAVE RFID TAGS EMBEDDED WITHIN EACH OF THE CARTS.

SO SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS CARTS DIDN'T HAVE RFID TAGS.

WE HAD TO GO BACK AND DO A SEPARATE, WHOLE SEPARATE INITIATIVE TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD A, A, A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT OUR INVENTORY WAS OUT THERE.

ALL OF OUR NEW CARTS NOW COME WITH THOSE TAGS.

SO WE NEED TO, TO MERGE ALL THAT INFORMATION AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, A GOOD SOLID ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR OUR CART INVENTORY.

AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY THROUGHOUT OUR OPERATIONS.

SO THE ROUTES SMARTT, UH, TECHNOLOGY HAS REALLY BEEN QUITE HELPFUL, AND WE INTEND TO ROLL THAT OUT TO ALL OF THE NEW TRUCKS THAT ARE COMING IN AND ROLL IT OUT TO ALL THE NEW DRIVERS SO THEY, UH, THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND AND, AND USE THOSE IN-VEHICLE MOBILE DEVICES TO HELP GUIDE THEM, ROUTE THEM AND, UM, DO THEIR JOBS MORE EFFECTIVELY.

WE'LL, ALSO WORKING WITH OUR TI COLLEAGUES TO REPLACE THE MOBILE WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE, WHICH ALLOWS US TO GET OUT THERE AND, UH, COLLECT ANY SORT OF MISSED PICKUPS OR, OR OTHER, OTHER ISSUES THAT MAY ARISE.

SO FROM HERE, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR THE PROTEST INFORMATION.

THANK YOU, JOSH.

SO, AS PART OF THIS PROCESS, UM, THERE IS A PROTEST PROCESS.

AND SO THE CLERK'S OFFICE HAS BEEN RECEIVING WRITTEN PROTESTS.

THEY WILL, AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE HEARING, TABULATE THOSE WRITTEN PROTESTS AND WILL HAVE A DETERMINATION IF WE'VE REACHED A MAJORITY.

A MAJORITY IN THIS INSTANCE IS 50 TH 7,924 TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL PROTEST.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

IN ADDITION TO DON AND I, WE HAVE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND MEMBERS OF THE TEAM HERE TO HELP ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.

THAT CONCLUDES STAFF'S PRESENTATION.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

AT THIS POINT, I CAN GO TO A PUBLIC COMMENT, SO IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT TO MAKE, PLEASE LIGHT UP.

IF THERE'S ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE END UP AT THE PODIUM.

NOW,

[00:30:03]

IF YOU WANNA GIVE IT JUST ONE SECOND, WE'LL SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL LINE UP.

IF THERE'S MORE THAN 10 INDIVIDUALS, THE TIME WILL GO DOWN TO 90 SECONDS.

I SEE FOUR, FOUR INDIVIDUALS.

SO EVERYONE WILL GET, THEY'RE THREE MINUTES.

WE THERE THREE MINUTES? YES.

ALRIGHT, LAST CALL.

ANY COMMENTS? ARE WE READY TO START? WAIT, WAIT.

OKAY.

THREE MINUTES.

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.

IN ORDER, UM, I'LL START WITH MY QUESTIONS AND, UM, FOR AN UNDERSTANDING, I, EXCUSE ME WITH MY VOICE TODAY.

EXCUSE ME.

I'M A HOMEOWNER AND I HAVE, UM, ATTACHED, UM, RENTAL PROPERTY ON THE SAME SITE.

AND THE QUESTION WOULD BE FOR THE RENTERS, IF WHERE TO, UM, IT'S AUTOMATIC THAT WE'LL HAVE THESE, UH, NEW BINS AND I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UPKEEP OF THE PROPERTY.

HOW ARE THEY CHARGED OR HOW WOULD THEY NEED TO HAVE ONE OF THESE, UH, NEW BINS IF THEY HAVE NO, UM, NOTHING TO PLACE IN THOSE BINS.

THEY DON'T HAVE ANY SORT OF, UH, UM, I'M SORRY.

EXCUSE ME.

I'M JUST TRYING TO SEE WHAT GOES IN THE BIN.

IF THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO RECYCLE, BUT YET THEY'RE GONNA BE CHARGED FOR THIS SERVICE.

CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THEY WOULD NEED, UM, THAT SERVICE IF THEY HAVE NOTHING TO, UH, PLACE IN THE BIN, SUCH AS GRASS, SUCH AS TWIGS OR ANYTHING THAT WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR, BUT YET YOU WANNA CHARGE THEM AND GIVE THEM A BIN? I'LL WAIT FOR THAT ANSWER, WHICH THEY GET, WHICH THEY'RE ASKING ME.

SO, SO MA'AM, UH, THIS PART IS PUBLIC COMMENT, SO GO AHEAD AND MAKE YOUR COMMENT.

AND THEN AT THE END, UH, WE, WE DON'T, UH, RESPOND WITH QUESTIONS, BUT MAKE YOUR COMMENT AND THEN WE CAN GET, UM, DIRECTION FROM THE CHAIR TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS AT THE END.

OKAY? SO WHAT HE'S REFERRING TO THE INFORMATION, YOU'LL WAIT TO GET THAT ANSWER.

WILL WE GET THAT ANSWER TODAY? BECAUSE HE'S ONLY TALKING ABOUT A BIN THAT'S BEING SUPPLIED AND WE HAVE NO ANSWER TODAY.

YES.

SO THE WAY PUBLIC MEETINGS WORK, YOU GIVE YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN, UH, WE TAKE DIRECTION FROM THE CHAIR ABOUT, UH, IF THERE'S QUESTIONS THAT THE COUNCIL CAN ASK OF US THAT WE CAN ANSWER, ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.

OKAY? UM, I WAS GOING OVER THE NOTES AND I'M TRYING TO GET CLARITY ON WHAT IS CONSIDERED ORGANIC PRODUCT.

QUESTION TWO, WHAT WOULD GO IN THAT BAND? OR DID I ALREADY ANSWER THAT WHEN I SAID A GRASS OR A TWIG OR A BREAST? JUST GO AHEAD, CONTINUE WITH YOUR SPEECH.

OKAY, NUMBER TWO.

OKAY.

AND THEN FOR THE LAST QUESTION WAS JUST GIVEN, HOW LONG DO WE HAVE FOR THIS PROTEST FOR US TO BRING, UH, INFORMATION, WHETHER IT BE ONLINE OR TO ASK FOR A REJECTION ON THIS, ON THIS, UH, WHATEVER'S COMING THROUGH AS FAR AS THESE, UH, THE BINS GO, YOU'RE GIVING A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME FOR US TO RESPOND TO THAT SO WE CAN DETERMINE IF WE ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS.

AND THAT'S MY QUESTIONS.

UM, AS FAR AS THE OTHER AREAS, I WOULD'VE HAD A CONCERN IS THAT WHEN THE GENTLEMAN WAS TALKING ABOUT THE, UM, TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT FOR THIS NEW CART, WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE NEW MANAGEMENT, NEW TRAINING FOR THE SAME SERVICES OF THE SAME BINS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE TO DATE.

WE HAVE OUR GRAY BIN, WE HAVE OUR PURPLE BIN, BUT I'M GONNA NEED TO TRAIN INDIVIDUALS TO ALIGN THEMSELVES WITH THIS NEW CART.

THAT MEANS THERE'S A COST.

MA'AM, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED, YOUR TIME CONCLUDED YOUR THREE MINUTES.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

SO THAT'S WHERE MY CONCERN IS, ALL THE MONIES AND ALL THE TRAINING FOR ONE NEW CART.

THANK YOU.

NEXT, SO I CAN FACE SIX DISTRICT RESIDENT, UH, MUCH LIKE, MUCH LIKE MR. HENKELMAN AND MS. HENDERSON, AS WELL AS THE WASTE MANAGEMENT, UH, REPRESENTATIVE IN THE CROWD.

I'M ALSO A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT, UH, BEING THAT I AM A TAXPAYER, AND A RATE PAYER.

SO I FEEL LIKE I SPEAK WITH EXPERTISE WITH RESPECT TO, UH, THE TOPIC AT HAND.

OKAY? SO THAT BEING SAID, UH, IN THE SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS OF PAYING TAXES, UM, I HAVE NEVER ONCE HAD A FILLED 95 GALLON TRASH CAN.

SO I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW IN MY BENEFIT, UH, YOU CAN ADVOCATE FOR ME TO PAY A HIGHER RATE.

I JUST WANT TO, I I MISSED THE PROTEST

[00:35:01]

I KNOW IT WAS AT TWO 30, I WAS SITTING OUTSIDE.

UH, I JUST WANNA VERBALLY COMMIT TO AS A RATE PAYER THAT I DO NOT, I AM PROTESTING THIS.

I THINK THIS IS EGREGIOUS.

I THINK YOU GUYS ARE USING US, US BEING THE RATE PAYERS, THE A HUNDRED AND THOUSAND PLUS HOUSEHOLDS AND COMMERCIAL, UM, VENDORS.

YOU'RE USING US TO, UM, COVER YOUR BASIS WITH RESPECT TO OTHER DEFICIENCIES IN THE BUDGET, WHICH AS WE KNOW, I KNOW IS ONLY ONE.

YOU KNOW.

UM, A 92ND SLIDE THERE, MR. HENKELMAN, BUT WE'RE NOT COMPLIANT WITH PROP 2 1 8.

SO, UM, COMPLIANCY IMPLIES THAT IF YOU CAN LOOK AT THE COZIER VERSUS OTE WATER, UH, DEPARTMENT, THAT WAS A CASE IN THE CALIFORNIA COURT OF APPEALS.

A TIERED PRICE STRUCTURE IS NOT COMPLIANT WITH PROP TWO 18.

SO THIS IS A EASY, HOWARD JARVIS, ONE OF THESE TAXPAYER ASSOCIATION'S CASE THAT THAT YOU GUYS WILL LOSE IN COURT.

UM, YOU CANNOT, ACTUALLY, I CAN JUST READ IT TO YOU.

I'M NOT GONNA POSE HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS TO YOU.

I'LL JUST READ THE LAW TO YOU SPECIFICALLY.

IT'S A REQUIREMENT THAT A PROPERTY RELATED FEE OR CHARGE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PROPORTIONAL COST OF THE SERVICE ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE PARCEL.

SO WHEN IN YOUR SLIDE, YOU KNOW, LET'S GO BACK A COUPLE YEARS WHEN YOU GUYS SAID THAT WE'RE GONNA COMBINE WATER AND, UH, UH, WHAT WAS MR. GARNER'S OFFICE? ALL THESE ENERGY OFFICES, YOU SAID THE PRICES WERE GONNA GO DOWN.

THIS IS AN OBVIOUS EXAMPLE OF, OF THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE PER USUAL WITH THE CITY.

I THINK THAT IT'S APPALLING, UH, THAT YOU WANT TO CHARGE 50% MORE TO RESIDENTIAL HOUSEHOLDS AND ACCORDING TO YOUR, UH, UH, YOUR RATE STRUCTURE, THE COMMERCIAL, UH, VENDORS, THEY PAY LESS.

THEIR PRICES DECREASE OVER, OVER YOUR, YOUR SAME TIME PERIOD WHILE RESIDENTIAL HOUSEHOLDS, THEY, THEY INCREASE.

SO, UH, FOR A PERSON LIKE ME WHERE, UH, MY TENANTS ARE, MY, MY RELATIVES, MY MOTHER, MY FATHER, MY GRANDMOTHER, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE SUPPOSED TO COVER THE COST.

I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S APPROPRIATE TO, UH, SUBJECT MATTER MATTER EXPERTS LIKE MYSELF AND MUCH OF THESE OTHER PEOPLE HERE.

SO I'M PROTESTING THIS.

THANK YOU, CHRISTINA.

LEAH, DISTRICT FIVE.

UM, THE FIRST THING I WANNA TELL YOU, THAT MONTHLY RATE COMPARISON BETWEEN THE DIFF DIFFERENT CITIES IS, IS REALLY WEIRD.

UM, WE HAVE A SON LIVING IN SAN JOSE.

WE GO UP AND SEE 'EM AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR, AND THEIR SERVICE IS NOTHING LIKE YOURS.

THEY HAVE A PARADE OF VEHICLES COMING IN ON STREET SWEEPING DAY.

THERE'S A TRASH TRUCK, THERE'S A, A GRINDING TRUCK FOR YOUR, YOU CAN THROW, THEY, THEY ENCOURAGE YOU TO THROW EVERYTHING INTO THE STREET.

YOUR GRASS CLIPPINGS, YOUR BRANCHES, YOUR LEAVES, AND THEY SHRED IT THERE AND THEY PUT IT IN THE SHREDDING TRUCK.

AND THEN THEY, IF YOU HAVE FOOD OR WASTE IN YOUR TRASH CANS, IT PUTS THERE, THEY HAVE LIKE THREE OR FOUR VEHICLES GOING IN LINE DOWN THE STREET AND IT'S SORT OF ENTERTAINING TO WATCH.

UM, AND THEY HAVE TO PAY FOR ALL THOSE DIFFERENT MACHINERIES AND PEOPLE RUNNING EACH VEHICLE.

AND THEN THERE'S ALSO A PERSON ON FOOT WHO PUTS THE TRASH CANS IN OR WHO, WHO PUTS THE, UM, AND THEN THEY HAVE A STREET SWEEPER, ONE THAT SHOVES EVERYTHING INTO THE SHREDDER MACHINE.

AND JUST LIKE WHEN YOU PRUNE YOUR TREE AND THE, THE GUY HAS A SHREDDING, BIG SHREDDING TRUCK THERE AND HE ENDS UP WITH A, ALL THE SHREDDED STUFF AT THE END FAILED UP IN THE TRUCK, THEY END UP WITH THAT TOO.

BUT THEY HAVE TO HAVE A PERSON, UH, EITHER PUSH IT IN OR, UM, WITH A MACHINE OR BY HAND SOMEONE ON THE STREET.

SO THEY MAYBE HAVE FOUR PEOPLE OUT ON IN FRONT OF YOUR HOUSE WHILE THEY'RE DOING IT.

THAT'S IF YOU WANNA GET UP AT EARLY ON FRIDAY MORNING.

THAT'S WHAT I SEE.

UM, SO THAT, THAT'S JUST FOR THEIR TRASH PICKUP.

SO WE'RE, IF YOU WANNA GIVE US ALL THAT SERVICE AND WE DON'T HAVE TO PUT IT IN TRASH CANS AND THEY PUT IT IN THE TRASH CANS AND THEY PUT IT IN THE TRUCKS, THEN IT'S FAIR TO SAY ONE 60.

BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE GETTING.

WE'RE NOT GETTING THAT SERVICE.

I LOOKED UP OAKLAND.

THEY HAVE A CHOICE OF CITY SERVICE OR A PRIVATE SERVICE WITH WASTE MANAGEMENT.

THAT'S NOT EVERYONE GOES WITH THE CITY, SO THEY HAVE AN OPTION THERE TOO.

UM, SO TAKE THOSE TWO OFF THE CHART AND THEN I'LL START TO SEE THAT BEING MORE BELIEVABLE.

UM, YESTERDAY I WAS AT AN ORGANIC GARDENING CLASS WITH WATER REPLENISHMENT DISTRICT AND THEY'RE ENCOURAGING YOU TO ALL HAVE COMPOST PILES.

UM, I'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

I DON'T SEE ME PUTTING ANYTHING IN, UM, THE RECYCLING AND THE, THE ORGANIC WASTE.

ALL I NEED IS ONE, THE MARKET WHERE I SHOP HAS THESE ORGANIC BAGS FOR YOUR, IN THE PRODUCE SECTION.

I PUT MY CHICKEN BONES AND, AND SKIN IN THAT, AND THAT'S GONNA BE MY TRASH.

I DON'T EVEN NEED THE TINY CAN.

SO AM I STILL GONNA HAVE TO TAKE A CAN AND PAY FOR IT.

UM, I, ON THE EARLY SURVEYS ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, I WAS OBJECTING TO THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO OPT OUT IF YOU DON'T NEED THAT.

I PROBABLY AM IN THE SAME

[00:40:01]

UM, SO I WANT, I, MY QUESTION IS GONNA BE WHAT IF SOMEONE DOESN'T HAVE ANY ORGANICS IN THERE? AND I ASSUME YOU CAN USE THAT, UH, SENSOR ON THE CAN TO KNOW WHAT SIZE CAN THEY'RE PICKING UP AND HOW MANY THEY'RE DOING.

MA'AM, YOUR TIMES INCLUDED SEVERAL CANS.

WE ONLY USE OUR THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

HELLO.

UM, I AM A RENTER HERE IN LONG BEACH AND I SHARE SIMILAR CONCERNS AS EVERYBODY ELSE THAT HAS SPOKEN SO FAR.

UM, I LIVE IN A BUILDING WITH FOUR OTHER, UM, I GUESS RENTERS.

UM, AND WE TEND TO SHARE OUR, UM, TRASH BINS AND WE EACH PAY FOR OUR OWN, BUT WE SHARE IT.

AND USUALLY WE DON'T EVEN FILL UP HALF OF THE, WE HAVE FOUR BINS AND WE DON'T EVEN FILL UP HALF OF THEM.

AND SO MY QUESTION IS, WHY SHOULD WE BE INCREASING THE PAY WHEN WE CAN'T EVEN GET RID OF THE ONES THAT WE DON'T USE? IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

AND ALSO SIMILAR TO THE BAG, I, ONE, IT WOULD ADD AN ADDITIONAL COST TO GETTING A COMPOST LITTLE BIN TO BE ABLE TO STORE THE THINGS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO GO IN COMPOST, LIKE FOOD BONES, WHATEVER.

UM, I DON'T USE, I DON'T LANDSCAPE, I DON'T DO ANY OF THE EXTRA THINGS THAT WOULD NEED OR THAT WOULD MAKE ME NEED A LARGER BIN.

SO I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE RAISING THE, OR IMPLEMENTING THESE BINS THAT ARE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE, ESPECIALLY IN THE INFLATION THAT WE'RE RECEIVING NOW.

AND THE WAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S LOOKING LIKE IT'S, IT'S SCARY.

AND BEING A SINGLE WOMAN LIVING IN, IN A, IN A ONE BEDROOM, YOU KNOW, IN LONG BEACH, I MOVED HERE BECAUSE IT'S AFFORDABLE AND NOW IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IF IT'S GETTING AFFORDABLE, IT'S GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE WITH, YOU KNOW, UNNECESSARY COSTS AND IT IS VERY WORRYING.

SO, UM, THAT'S MY MAIN CONCERN.

A QUESTION I DID HAVE, UM, THAT I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WAS THIS DOOR TO DOOR OUTREACH.

I UNDERSTAND THERE'S EDUCATION THAT YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO DO, I JUST WOULD LIKE MORE CLARITY ON WHAT THAT IS BECAUSE IN THE AREA I LIVE, IT'S A MILE DOWN.

UM, THERE'S A LOT OF TRASH AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, I'VE NEVER GOTTEN A, UM, KNOCK ON THE DOOR TRYING TO EDUCATE ME ON ANYTHING.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE THAT'S GOING.

AND I UNDERSTAND YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO FIND GRANTS, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT, UM, WE SHOULD HAVE TO COVER THAT IF YOU GUYS CAN'T FIND THAT.

UM, YES.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THATS GOVERNOR.

HI.

SO I, I'VE SENT UP, I THINK YOU GUYS ALL GOT THIS GRAPH OF THE OC WASTE AND RECYCLING CRISIS.

THEY'RE ALL COMPLIANT WITH THE ORGANICS, EXCUSE ME, AND OUT OF 44 CITIES, THERE'S ONLY THREE THAT ARE OVER $30 A MONTH, AND THESE ARE ALL CURRENT.

UM, THE OTHER THING, IT'D BE NICE IF YOU COULD PUT THAT UP THERE.

THE OTHER THING, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE COMPOST, WHICH IS JUST A MATTER OF THE GREENS, COFFEE GROUNDS, EXCUSE ME, AND SO FORTH THAT WE WOULD BE COMPLIANT TO DO WHAT OTHER THAN WHAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING.

UM, AND YOU DIDN'T PUT ON THERE THE PRICE OF THE 30 GALLON OR 35 GALLON, AND THAT I KNOW WAS 2102.

THEY WANT TO INCREASE THAT TO $50 AND 11 CENTS, A $30 INCREASE FOR LESS VOLUME THAT'S GONNA GO OUT, DON'T GET IT THERE.

SO IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME.

UM, YEAH, BASICALLY THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA CALL OUT THE PART THAT HE KIND OF CHERRY PICKED ON THE, UM, COMPARISONS WHERE WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR WERE 395 MILES FROM OAKLAND, 364 MILES FROM SAN JOSE AND 120 MILES FROM SANTA BARBARA.

SO IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

THE, THE MONEY AND THE PRICES JUST DON'T JIVE AT ALL AS FAR AS THIS COMPARISONS.

THAT'S ALL.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

UH, THANK EVERYBODY WHO MADE UP FOR THE COMMENT TODAY.

UM, I GONNA HERE, UH, MONICA,

[00:45:02]

ARE THERE SOMETHING WE CAN ANSWER TODAY OR DO WE HAVE TO WAIT? YES, NO, THE TEAM'S READY TO RESPOND TO THOSE.

SO JOSH? YEAH, GREAT QUESTIONS.

SO TO, TO START WITH THE, THE FIRST COUPLE ONES, UM, JUST REALLY WANTED TO REITERATE THAT, THAT THIS IS REQUIRED BY THE STATE.

WE ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE THE ORGANICS FOR ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS THAT ARE RECEIVING SOLID WASTE COLLECTION TODAY.

SO AS, AS PART OF THAT PROCESS, WE ARE REQUIRED TO DISTRIBUTE THE GREEN CARTS, COLLECT THE ORGANIC WASTE.

I THINK THERE WERE A FEW QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP ABOUT WHAT SHOULD GO IN THERE.

IT IS MORE THAN JUST THE GRASS CLIPPINGS AND TWIGS AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

IT ALSO INCLUDES THE FOOD WASTE MATERIALS AS WELL.

SOME STUFF THAT YOU CAN, UH, PUT IN, LET'S SAY A BACKYARD COMPOSTER, SOME, SOME STUFF THAT MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T BE PUTTING IN THERE OR ISN'T RECOMMENDED LIKE MEAT, DAIRY AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

SO THE, BUT WE DO ACKNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTAND THAT SOME, ESPECIALLY IN OUR MORE URBAN AREAS, MAYBE DON'T HAVE, UH, LANDSCAPING MATERIALS TO DEPOSIT IN THESE CARTS.

AND MAYBE A SMALLER CART WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A ROBUST RIGHT SIZING OF THE CARTS PROGRAM TO BE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS, IF AND WHEN NEEDED, WE CAN SEND OUT ONE OF OUR REFUSE FIELD INVESTIGATORS.

THEY CAN TALK WITH THE INDIVIDUALS, THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THE SPECIFIC CONSTRAINTS OF THEIR, UH, INDIVIDUAL, UH, CIRCUMSTANCES, AND THEN RIGHT SIZE ACCORDINGLY.

SO IF FOLKS AREN'T USING THOSE, THOSE GREEN CARTS, THEN LET'S, LET'S GET THOSE DOWN.

AND LIKEWISE, IF THEY'RE NOT USING THE FULL CAPACITY OF THEIR REFUSE CARTS, WE CAN ALSO RIGHTSIZE THOSE AS WELL.

AND BY DECREASING THE SIZE OR THE GALLON CARTS, THAT WILL ALSO, THERE'LL BE, UH, A REDUCTION IN THE COST AS WELL.

SO WHILE IT'S NOT A A PERFECT SOLUTION, IT DOES ALLOW US TO BE COMPLIANT WITH THE STATE MANDATES AS WELL AS, UH, COLLECTING THE ORGANICS, DISPOSING OF THEM PROPERLY AND HELPING OUT THE CUSTOMERS MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE RIGHT, UM, THE, THE RIGHT CARS FOR WHAT THEY NEED.

THE, UM, THERE WAS ALSO, UH, A COMMENT ABOUT THE COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS AND WHY ARE THEY BEING DECREASED.

AND, AND I THINK THE, THE QUESTION SORT OF ALLUDED TO MAYBE RESIDENTS ARE SUBSIDIZING THE, THE COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS IN SOME WAY.

UH, WHAT YOU'RE REALLY SEEING THERE IN THE NUMBERS ARE THOSE ETERNAL EFFICIENCIES THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT.

SO WHEN WE WENT INTO, UH, WENT INTO THE TEAM AND, AND STARTED THIS PROCESS A COUPLE YEARS AGO, WE WANTED TO DO A DEEP DIVE AND MINIMIZED THOSE COSTS WHERE, UH, IN THE COST IMPACTS WHERE POSSIBLE.

AND SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THOSE NUMBERS ARE THE REDUCTION IN OUR OVERALL COST INTERNALLY AND THE EFFICIENCIES THAT WE'VE PUT INTO PLACE BECAUSE THOSE PREVIOUS COST OF SERVICE STUDIES AND THE PREVIOUS RATE INCREASES INCLUDED ORGANICS PROCESSING FEES FOR THE COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS.

UH, NOW THERE'S THAT SMALL, UH, REDUCTION IN, IN THOSE PRICING TO ACCOMMODATE THAT.

THE, I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT ABOUT TOUCHES A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

MAD CLERK, CAN YOU HAVE A COMMENT? UH, YES.

BEFORE WE GET INTO COUNCIL DELIBERATION, I'D JUST LIKE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND I HAVE A STATEMENT I'D LIKE TO READ.

WE HAVE RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 1,314 THAT INCLUDES THE FIVE VERBAL, UM, AND WRITTEN NONE A A PROTEST, NONE OF WHICH HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED BY THE CITY CLERK.

ASSUMING THAT ALL OF THESE PROTESTS ARE CERTIFIED BY THE CLERK, THIS NUMBER DOES NOT REPRESENT A MAJORITY.

AND AS A REMINDER, THE MAJORITY IS 57,924 OF THE RATE PAYERS AS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW.

THE PROTEST IS UNSUCCESSFUL, THEREFORE SUBJECT TO APPROVAL BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

THE FIRST INCREASE TO RATES WILL TAKE EFFECT ON MAY 1ST, 2025, AND THE SECOND INCREASE TO RATES WILL TAKE EFFECT ON AUGUST 1ST, 2025.

THANK YOU.

OKAY.

WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, MEMBER SONI.

UH, YEAH.

UH, THANK YOU, UH, VICE MAYOR.

UM, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF MORE QUESTIONS THAT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE GOT THEIR, THAT THEIR ANSWERS TO.

UM, SO I DID WRITE DOWN YOUR QUESTIONS.

UM, WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND OUT, UM, WHAT IS CONSIDERED ORGANICS? I KNOW I'VE GOTTEN THIS QUESTION A LOT FROM MY OWN RESIDENTS, RIGHT? WHICH IS JUST BASICALLY THE EDUCATION PIECE.

UH, AND I THINK ONE OF THE, UM, COMMENTERS MENTIONED, LIKE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE OUTREACH WE'VE DONE.

I KNOW THAT WE SENT MAILERS TO PEOPLE'S HOUSES, BUT CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHERE ON THE CITY WEBSITE PEOPLE CAN FIND OUT INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT GOES IN THOSE BINS? AND THEN IF YOU CAN GO

[00:50:01]

YEAH, THANK YOU.

GREAT.

GREAT QUESTION.

AND WE'VE GOT AARON ROWLAND, WHO'S OUR EXPERT IN COMMUNICATIONS OUTREACH AND EVERYTHING ORGANICS HERE TO HELP RESPOND TO THAT.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THE MEETING TODAY.

UM, MOST OF THE INFORMATION LIVES ON OUR WEBSITE PAGES, WHICH IS THE LONG BEACH.GOV/LB RECYCLES.

UM, AS MENTIONED, THE OUTREACH THAT WAS DONE, EVERY PERSON IN THE PILOT RECEIVED OR IN PHASE ONE RECEIVED DIRECT MAILERS AND THEN A PORTION OF FOLKS DID RECEIVE DOOR TO DOOR OUTREACH THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH LONG BEACH CONSERVATION CORPS.

UM, WE ARE LOOKING TO DO LARGER COMMUNICATIONS CITYWIDE MOVING FORWARD ONCE WE HAVE THE RATE ESTABLISHED AND WE FURTHER CONFIRM WHAT OUR OUTREACH PLAN AND STRATEGIES WILL BE.

UM, AND WE EXPECT, UM, LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE AT NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, UM, SPECIFIC REQUESTS THAT AS THEY COME IN, AND YOU'LL SEE US A LOT AT THE SUMMER OUT IN THE SUMMER TABLING AT PUBLIC EVENTS.

WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT NEW STRATEGIES LIKE TABLING AT GROCERY STORES AND OTHER COMMONPLACES THAT WE KNOW RESIDENTS, UH, VISIT.

OKAY.

SO I THINK THAT MAYBE THAT ANSWERS THE QUESTION BECAUSE I THINK ONE OF THE SPEAKERS MENTIONED THAT THEY HADN'T HAD ANYONE OUTREACH, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYONE GOT A MAILER THAT WAS IN PHASE ONE.

UM, AND THEN A PORTION OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WERE REACHED OUT TO BY DOOR-TO-DOOR BY LONG BEACH CONSERVATION CORPS.

Y YES, THAT IS CORRECT.

AND WE WILL STILL CONTINUE TO DO DOOR-TO-DOOR OUTREACH, BUT IT WILL BE A PERCENTAGE.

WE DON'T HAVE FUNDING TO DO EVERY SINGLE RESIDENT IN LONG BEACH, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE LOOKING AT LARGER COMMUNITY EVENTS, GROCERY STORES, AND OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN REACH PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE WHEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN PEOPLE ARE NOT ALWAYS HOME.