* 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. [00:00:03] THE MEETING'S [CALL TO ORDER] CULTURE ORDER. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD. UH, THIS IS A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE. CALL ON DINA FOR THE ROLL CALL [ROLL CALL] CHAIR MCGUIRE. HERE. MEMBER CORDERO. THANK YOU. OKAY. OUR REGULAR AGENDA, JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT, UM, THIS COMMITTEE, THE CORE FUNCTION IS TO PROVIDE OVERSIGHT OF THE DEPARTMENT'S ENGAGEMENT WITH CUSTOMERS, EMPLOYEES, AND POLICY MAKERS. IT ENSURES TRANSPARENCY, RESPONSIVENESS, AND EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY ACROSS ALL COMMUNICATION, SERVICE AND POLICY FUNCTIONS. AND OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE IS TO GUIDE AND MONITOR THE DEPARTMENT'S ENGAGEMENT WITH CUSTOMERS, EMPLOYEES, AND POLICY MAKERS TO ENSURE TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION, RESPONSIVE SERVICE, AND EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY THAT BUILDS PUBLIC TRUST AND REINFORCES THE DEPARTMENT'S REPUTATION FOR INTEGRITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER [REGULAR AGENDA] ONE IS TO RECEIVE AND FILE A REPORT ON THE LONG BEACH PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT'S, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS EFFORTS. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO RECEIVE AND FILE? AND I WILL SECOND THAT. UH, UH, DIANA CHANG WAS SET TO PRESENT AND SHE HAS A CONFLICT. SHE'S ON HER WAY. I CALL AND JOY CONTRERAS IN HER STA. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS COMMISSION COMMITTEE COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS JOY CONTRARES, AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME PRESENTING AT A BOARD OR A COMMITTEE MEETING. YES. UH, JUST, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY TO REINTRODUCE MYSELF. SO MY NAME, FULL NAME IS JOY MARIE CONTRERAS. I AM A PROUD CHILD OF IMMIGRANTS UNABASHEDLY. SO I'VE BEEN BORN AND RAISED IN LONG BEACH WITH TWO OLDER BROTHERS, TWO YOUNGER SISTERS. I ATTENDED LONG BEACH SCHOOLS, LINCOLN ELEMENTARY, BANCROFT MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND LONG BEACH POLY. I VENTURED OFF OUTTA STATE, MISSED LONG BEACH SO MUCH, I CAME BACK TO WORK HERE. SO I WORKED IN VARIOUS NONPROFIT EDUCATION AND IN MARKETING FIRMS. AND AFTER APPLYING SEVEN TIMES, I FINALLY HAD THE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO WORK FOR MY HOMETOWN AS A MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT IN THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. SO I'VE BEEN A, A PROUD CITY OF LONG BEACH EMPLOYEE FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. I BELIEVE OUR PUBLIC SERVICE IS FOUNDED ON THE IDEA THAT EVERYONE DESERVES THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE A SAFE AND FUN, SUSTAINABLE QUALITY OF LIFE. SO IT IS AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO EXERCISE THIS THROUGH OUR WORK AT LONG BEACH UTILITIES. AND I'M VERY PROUD TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY MY WONDERFUL PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM, UH, HERE TODAY. DELI WEYRICH AND JESSE HAMSTRA. IF YOU WANTED TO WAVE, THAT'S THEM. . SO WE WILL GET STARTED. SO TODAY'S UP UPDATE PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF HOW PUBLIC AFFAIRS SUPPORTS TRUST, TRANSPARENCY, AND CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT. I'LL HIGHLIGHT RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ONGOING PRIORITIES, AND WHAT'S COMING NEXT. THIS WORK DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE COMMISSION'S OVERSIGHT ROLE IN OUR SERVICE TO THE GREATER LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. SO WHAT IS PUBLIC AFFAIRS? PUBLIC AFFAIRS IS ESSENTIAL TO BUILDING TRUST AND MAINTAINING TRANSPARENCY WITH OUR CUSTOMERS. OUR WORK ENSURES TIMELY, ACCURATE INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY DURING EMERGENCIES OR HIGH IMPACT, UM, CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. CORE FUNCTIONS INCLUDE MEDIA RELATIONS, DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS, EDU, EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGNS, AND IN-PERSON OUTREACH. AND HERE PICTURE IS OUR WONDERFUL TEAM. WE HAVE ADDED A NEW MEMBER OF OUR TEAM, MACKEL GRANT. SHE'S CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE TODAY, BUT THAT IS HER RIGHT NEXT TO ME. SO PILLAR ONE, CUSTOMER FOCUS. WE ALIGN OURSELVES WITH THE BUSINESS PLAN. SO OUR FIRST PRIORITY IS DELIVERING CLEAR, CONSISTENT MESSAGING CENTERED ON EQUITY AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE. WE FOCUS ON STRATEGIC DISSEMINATION SO CUSTOMERS RECEIVE THE RIGHT INFORMATION AT THE RIGHT TIME. WE ALSO MAINTAIN READINESS FOR RAPID EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS WHEN NEEDED. AND THAT WAS VERY EVIDENT DURING SOME OF OUR MOST RECENT WATER MAIN BREAKS. SO HOW HAVE WE ACCOMPLISHED, UM, THE OBJECTIVES IN THE CUSTOMER FOCUS PILLAR? WE PARTICIPATED IN 85 COMMUNITY EVENTS ACROSS THE CITY TO MEET CUSTOMERS WHERE THEY ARE. AND YES, YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT. 85 COMMUNITY EVENTS THANKS TO OUR COMMITTED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM LED UP AT OUR VERY OWN PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSISTANT DE WEYRICH. WE SUPPORTED COUNCIL REQUESTED TOWN HALLS AND DISTRICTS THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE. [00:05:02] WE HAVE MADE OUR PRESENCE KNOWN IN CITYWIDE EVENTS SUCH AS LONG BEACH PRIDE, LONG BEACH MARATHON, AND THE ACRA GRAND PRIX EXPANDED OUR REACH AND VISIBILITY. IN THIS PHOTO, YOU'LL FIND IN OUR FEBRUARY MONTH OF OUR BELOVED CALENDAR UTILITIES CALENDAR. AND HAPPY TO SAY THAT ALL THESE FOLKS IN THIS PICTURE ARE CITY EMPLOYEES. THIS SLIDE HIGHLIGHTS THE SCALE AND DIVERSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY PRESENCE. IT REFLECTS A SHIFT TOWARDS PROACTIVE AND RELAT RELATIONSHIP-BASED ENGAGEMENT RATHER THAN REACTIVE OUTREACH ALONE. THESE ARE JUST A FEW PHOTOS OUT OF THE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS WE HAVE. UM, REALLY CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM. SO PILLAR TWO. SO WE LOOKED ON THE OUTSIDE. LET'S NOW LOOK INTERNALLY. INTERNALLY, OUR GOAL IS TO CO-DEVELOP CLEAR USER-FRIENDLY MATERIALS WITH SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS. WE'RE BUILDING DEPARTMENT-WIDE TOOLS SO STAFF COULD COMMUNICATE CONSISTENTLY AND EFFICIENTLY WITH CUSTOMERS. THIS IMPROVES ACCURACY, SPEED, AND OVERALL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE ABIDE BY THE CITY'S LANGUAGE ACCESS PROGRAM POLICY, AS WELL AS ALIGN OURSELVES WITH ACCESSIBILITY, BEST PRACTICES AND REQUIREMENTS. SO WE REACH EVERY MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY NO MATTER THE ZIP CODE, ABILITY, OR LANGUAGE. AND I THINK JESSE HAMSTRA ON OUR TEAM TO ENSURE THIS COMMITMENT IS PART OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS. SO SOME OF THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WE SUPPORTED GRAPHIC DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION NEEDS FOR EXTERNAL REPORTS LIKE THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT, WATER QUALITY REPORTS, OIL, WATER NOTICE TEMPLATES, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, DEDICATED WEBPAGES, CONSTRUCTION, NOTICING DOOR HANGERS, CORROSION SURVEY, EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS, THE CITYWIDE CALENDAR PROJECT, SPECIFIC COMMUNITY MEETINGS, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE. NOW MOVING ON TO PILLAR THREE OF THE BUSINESS PLAN FINANCIAL SERVICES. THIS PILLAR FOCUSES ON TRANSPARENCY AROUND BUDGETING AND RATE DEVELOPMENT. OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT REQUIRED OUTREACH AND MEDIA ENGAGEMENT SO CUSTOMERS UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY THESE DECISIONS ARE MADE. CLEAR COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL TO TO TRUST DURING FINANCIAL DISCUSSIONS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONDUCTING OUR BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS HAND IN HAND WITH THE FINANCE TEAM. SO SOME RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. WE SUPPORTED COMPLIANCE WITH AB 2257 AND PROPOSITION TWO 18 AND OUTREACH REQUIREMENTS, ENSURING THAT CUSTOMERS HAD THAT 45 DAY NOTICE SO THEY COULD VOICE THEIR OPINION OR COMMENT OR CONCERN AT ANY WATER AND SEWER RATE. RATE INCREASES. WE UPDATED UTILITY BILL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OR MATERIALS TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER OUTREACH AND ACCESS. WE ALSO SUPPORTED THE LAUNCH OF THE CITY'S CITY. UM, CITY'S NEW, MY UTILITY PORTAL, HOME STRETCH. SO PILLAR FOUR, WORKPLACE CULTURE, STRONG INTERNAL CULTURE SUPPORTS STRONG EXTERNAL SERVICE. OUR GOALS INCLUDE FOSTERING ENGAGEMENT, INCLUSIVITY, AND ALIGNMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT'S MISSION. WE EMPHASIZE APPRECIATION, TEAMWORK, AND CLEAR INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS. AND HERE ARE JUST A FEW PHOTOS OF SOME PREVIOUS LUNCHEONS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH OUR EMPLOYEES. WORKPLACE CULTURE COMPLIMENTS SOMETIMES ARE HARD TO MEASURE, BUT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ADVANCE BRANDING GUIDELINES ACROSS SIGNAGE, UNIFORMS, AND OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS. WE SUPPORTED EMPLOYEE EVENTS LIKE THE SUMMER FIESTA IN THE MOST RECENT WINTER LUNCHEON TO IMPROVE MORALE AND CONNECTION. BUT REALLY THE CROWN JEWEL IS THE EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER 'CAUSE WE COULD SHARE RESOURCES WHILE CELEBRATING STAFF CONTRIBUTIONS. SO BEFORE YOU, YOU'LL FIND THAT FOURTH EDITION OF THE EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER THAT EQUITY REFLECTS OUR UTILITY SERVICES AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF. SO WHAT'S COMING UP? EXAMPLES OF UPCOMING EFFORTS. CUSTOMER FOCUS EFFORTS WILL EXPAND EVIDENCE-BASED EDUCATION ON WATER QUALITY, GA, GAS SAFETY AND FOG, WHICH IS FATS, OILS, AND GREASE PREVENTION. INTERNALLY, WE'LL ADVANCE A STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLAN WITH THE UPCOMING DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC PLAN AND ONGOING BUSINESS PLAN EFFORTS. WE HAVE WORKFORCE EFFORTS, INCLUDING JOB FAIRS AND BEING PART OF AN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE. SO THANK YOU FOR ENTRUSTING THE TEAM TO BE METHODICAL, RESEARCH BASE AND COLLABORATIVE TO ENSURE THAT OUR COMMUNICATION TO THE COMMUNITY IS THE BEST IT CAN BE. SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS AS FOLLOWS, TO RECEIVE AND FILE A REPORT ON THE LONG BEACH PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS EFFORTS. WE WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS AND DIRECTION FROM THE COMMITTEE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, JOY. THAT WAS PERFECT. UM, ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? ANY COMMISSIONER COMMENT? [00:10:05] OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT JOY. I 85. THAT'S GREAT. THERE WAS ONLY THREE DISTRICTS THAT TOOK, TOOK PART IN. SO WE OFFERED, UH, TOWN HALL, UM, PRESENTATIONS TO EVERY DISTRICT AND THE ONES WHO TOOK UP, UP ON OUR OFFER WHERE COUNCILS, UH, DISTRICTS THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE. GREAT. BECAUSE I, THAT'S ONE OF THE THING I WROTE DOWN NEIGHBOR. THEY USED TO CALL 'EM NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, BUT I'M SHOCKED THAT MORE PEOPLE DON'T, DON'T THINK ABOUT WANTING TO HAVE A PRESENTATION. IT, YOU KNOW, JO JOY AND STAFF HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB IN TRYING TO GET US THERE. I THINK MY MY PERSONAL REACTION TO IT COMING INTO THIS, UM, NOT HAVING DONE IT THAT MUCH BEFORE, IS WHEN I'VE BEEN TO THE ONES WITH JOY. THE THE NEIGHBORHOOD TOWN HALL IS, WE'RE ONE OF A SERIES OF SPEAKERS. UM, NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND A BUNCH OF OTHER TOPICS CAN DOMINATE. SEE. YEAH. AND SO THEN IN THE, I MEAN, HOW LONG ARE THE MEETINGS? JOY ABOUT? TYPICALLY AN HOUR, AN HOUR AND A HALF AT MOST. AND THEN WE ARE ONE OF MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE DEPARTMENTS PRESENT. AND MOST, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WANNA HEAR FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, PARKS, PUBLIC WORKS. SO I'M, I'M GENERALLY TALKING TO STAFF AND WE'RE GENERALLY IN THE MINDSET THAT WE HAVE MAYBE 10 MINUTES MM-HMM . UM, WE THINK WE HAVE A LOT TO SHARE AND A LOT TO TALK ABOUT, UM, ANY WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS. AND YET AT THE SAME TIME, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, AND THIS IS THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING, WE CAN BE MORE CONVERSATIONAL. UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HAD THE BOIL WATER NOTICE, IT WAS SIGNIFICANT FOR US IN THE HISTORY OF THE UTILITY. WE HAD NEVER DONE THAT. IT WAS IMPACTFUL TO THE COMMUNITY. YOU EXPERIENCED IT YOURSELVES. AND SO I WAS AT, UH, DR JOINING RICKS OTI COUNCIL MEMBER RICKS OTIS, UH, TOWN HALL. AND JOY WAS GUIDING ME AND SAYING, OKAY, SO HERE IT IS. HERE'S THE INFORMATION. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA DELIVER. I'M PREPPING, TRYING TO THINK IN MY HEAD, CONTROVERSIAL. BE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. VERY SHORT. UH, MR. JOSH HICKMAN, UH, NOW DE NOW DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS. HE WAS THERE IN A DIFFERENT CAPACITY THEN, UM, 20 TO 25 MINUTES, UH, POTHOLE REPAIR, UH, FALLING BEHIND, UH, EQUITY ISSUES ON WHY POTHOLES IN SOME DISTRICTS GET REPAIRED FASTER THAN OTHERS. UM, THERE WAS A NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY ELEMENT WITH SOME STREET LIGHTING THAT WAS SO, I I JUST GIVE YOU, SORRY FOR BEING LONG-WINDED, BUT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HOW CO COUNCIL DISTRICTS RESPOND TO US, IN SOME CASES, WE'RE JUST SIMPLY NOT ON THE RADAR WITH OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE TOP OF MIND. SO AS A CREDIT TO JOY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM, OUR, OUR APPROACH IS COUNCIL DISTRICTS. YES. BUT ALSO SUBSEQUENT SATELLITE MEETINGS THAT OCCUR. SOMETIMES THERE'S NEIGHBORHOOD INTEREST GROUPS, THERE ARE AFFILIATED WITH THE COUNCIL DISTRICT AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WE'LL BE LOOKING AT ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS TO TRY TO GET IN THERE AND SPEAK. YEAH. THAT WASN'T TO SUGGEST THAT WE'RE NOT DOING A GOOD JOB AT IT BECAUSE I, I SEE US EVERYWHERE. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN TO A LOT OF OUR EVENTS AND I SEE YOU OUT THERE. UM, YOU CAN'T FORCE PEOPLE TO BECOME IT. IT'S A 10 FOR US. WE'RE LIKE, YOU KNOW, RELIABILITY, WATER, GAS, THE SEWER. BUT TO THEM IT'S A TWO UNTIL THAT MAIN BREAK, UNTIL THEY CAN'T TURN IT ON AND IT'S THERE. BUT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE GET FROM HERE TO THERE AND, AND MAKE PEOPLE? I WILL TELL YOU WHEN THERE ARE, UM, WHEN THERE'S, WHEN THERE'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT LIKE THE RANCHO LOS CERRITOS ON WATER, YOU GET PEOPLE TO GO AND, AND WANNA LISTEN ABOUT WATER. BUT THAT'S NOT THE DEPARTMENT'S, YOU KNOW, DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES, WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE IN A WAY, YOU KNOW. UM, BUT ANYWAY. BUT THANK YOU. YOU DID A GOOD JOB ON THAT. UM, SPEAKERS BUREAU. OH, COMMISSIONER, UH, LL CAN I GO BACK TO THAT POINT? SURE, GO AHEAD. UM, LET ME SEE IF ONE OF OUR GOALS FOR NEXT STEPS IS TO, UH, DO EVIDENCE-BASED EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGNS. SO MORE PROACTIVE OUTREACH THAN REACTIVE OUTREACH. AND THAT HITS EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE THERE ARE HOT SPOTS WHERE, UH, FOG, UM, FOG SPILLS COME UP, EITHER IN BUSINESS DISTRICTS, COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS, OR MULTI-FAMILY DWELLING. AND SAME WITH NATURAL GAS SAFETY. UH, WE ALL HEARD ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ON THE WEST SIDE, SO A LOT MORE TARGETED OUTREACH THERE ON THE WEST SIDE. AND THEN OF COURSE, WATER QUALITY. WE WANT TO EMPHASIZE TO THE PEOPLE IMPACTED BY THE BOIL WATER, NOTICE THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS SAFE AND IT'S GREAT. SO WE'RE ALSO GOING TO DO THAT CITYWIDE. SO WHILE IT MAY NOT BE AN EMERGENCY, 'CAUSE WE DON'T NECESSARILY WANNA BE INTRODUCED TO THE COMMUNITY WHEN THINGS GO WRONG, WE ALSO WANNA BE THERE. SO THEY PARTNER WITH US [00:15:01] SO THEY KNOW WHO TO CALL FOR NATURAL GAS. THEY TRUST THE WATER THAT THEY DRINK AND THAT TO WHERE GOES ONE WAY. GREAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, DO WE STILL HAVE A SPEAKERS BUREAU? SO, SPEAKERS BUREAU HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED TO THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM. SO NOW WE CALL IT A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM. OKAY. SO, AND WE'RE STILL DOING, YOU'RE STILL DOING TRAINING AND MEETINGS AND ALL OF THAT? YES, YES. SO THAT'S LED BY OUR VERY OWN DELI. WHY RICK? AND SHE'S DONE A REALLY FANTASTIC JOB ENSURING THAT THERE'S AN EQUAL BALANCE BETWEEN FOLKS WHO DO, UM, WATER, NATURAL GAS AND SEWER. SO THEN WHEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS DO COME UP, WE HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF, UM, EXPERTISE AT THE TABLE. GREAT. SO MAYBE IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT YOU SAW IN THE PRESENTATION, THOSE WERE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, TEAM EVENTS. YEAH. I, WHERE THE EMPLOYEES HAD VOLUNTEERED WITH, UH, DE LISA'S COORDINATION AND WERE STAFFING THE TABLES AND DOING THOSE THINGS. OKAY. I'M ALWAYS REALLY, I MEAN, WE'RE IMPRESSED WITH WHAT, WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND WHAT THEY DO AND THIS, THIS SPIRIT AND THE ENERGY THAT THE GROUP HAS FOR WANTING TO DO THIS. I REMEMBER A COUPLE YEARS AGO, WE HAD A LITTLE MORNING GATHERING OUTSIDE, UM, YOU DON'T, DON'T HAVE TO BE BIG, BUT I KNOW WE HAVE SOME NEW COMMISSIONERS ON HERE. THAT WOULD BE KIND OF A NICE THING FOR THEM TO SEE, TO MEET SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE. YOU SAYING YOU WANNA THROW US A PARTY? YEAH. . , YES. I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD OUT STOOD THANK YOU FOR STOOD OUT TO ME WAS WHEN ONE YOUNG MAN SAID, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BEING A DIS A EMPLOYEE OF THIS DEPARTMENT. AND, AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, I THINK I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, I WAS ABLE TO BUY A HOUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN I GOT THIS JOB, I, I DID THIS, I WAS ABLE TO BUY A HOUSE. I'M ACTUALLY LOOKING TO BUY ANOTHER ONE. I MEAN, IT JUST TOUCHED ME THINKING THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WANT. THEY WANTED GOOD SOLID JOBS. THEY CAN BUY THINGS, HOMES AND TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILIES. AND SO IT'S A, IT'S A DUAL THING. WE WE'RE TEACHING 'EM ABOUT GAS, WATER, SEWER AND BEING ABLE TO GO OUT AND SPEAK, BUT THEN ALSO PROVIDING THEM THAT WORKPLACE CULTURE TO FIRM UP THEIR, THEIR EMPLOYMENT HERE. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. LASTLY, CHIEF OF STAFF MEETINGS. MM-HMM . DO WE ENGAGE IN THOSE AT ALL? YES. YES, WE DO. SO WE HAVE PARTICIPATED WITH CHIEF OF STAFF, UM, IN THEIR QUARTERLY MEETINGS. AND SO WE'LL INVITE THEM IF WE HAVE ANY PROGRAMS WE WANNA SHARE. THE LAST, UH, MEETING THAT WE ATTENDED, WE, UH, PROVIDED A PRESENTATION ABOUT OUR DIRECT INSTALL, UM, APPLIANCE PROGRAM, DIA, SO THAT WAS WITH A SENIOR DIRECTOR, DEAN WANG, AS WELL AS THE PROGRAM MANAGER OF UTILITY RESOURCES, UM, JOEY PASO. AND SO WE PROVIDED, I BELIEVE OVER A THOUSAND MATERIALS FOR EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT SO THEY COULD HAVE IT AT THEIR FIELD OFFICE AND THEN ALSO HAVE IT AT THEIR, UM, THEIR REGULAR OUTREACH. AND SO THERE, FROM THAT, THEY, THAT'S HOW THEY REQUESTED OUR PRESENCE. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE IT GOES. DEAN . HI DEAN. UM, OKAY. I, I JUST, UH, WANNA EMPHASIZE THE CONCEPT OF YEAR ROUND COMMUNICATION, NOT, NOT JUST FOCUSED AROUND WHEN THEIR BUDGET RATES AND CHANGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, OR EMERGENCIES. AND I KNOW THAT I'M, I'M SEEING THAT WITHIN THIS AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT EVERYBODY BEING FOCUSED ON POTHOLES, , YOU KNOW, AND I LIKE TO THINK THAT WE ARE SORT OF LOW ON THE RADAR BECAUSE OF PUBLIC TRUST. AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT, IS PROMOTING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH TRANSPARENCY. SO THAT'S WHAT YOUR JOB'S ALL ABOUT. AND I THINK THE FOUR OF YOU HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB, YOU KNOW, THIS LAST YEAR. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS REPORT ON THE, THE BREADTH OF THAT AND THE DEPTH OF THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU. JOY. WISH DIANA WERE HERE TO SAY THAT TO HER AS WELL. . UM, AND JUST TO SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION AND WE HAVE PLANS TO TALK AS WE'RE DEVELOPING THE MESSAGING FOR THIS YEAR AND THE OVERRIDING ARCH ARC AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT PLAN AS WELL FOR THIS YEAR FOR THE DEPARTMENT'S COMMUNICATION. YES. UM, THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE WILL CERTAINLY PLAY A STRONG ROLE IN HELPING DEVELOP THAT STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLAN. PERFECT. I AGREE. UM, COMMISSIONER MCGUIRE, EVER SINCE GETTING INTO LOCAL GOVERNMENT, I'VE NOTICED THAT INTEREST IN GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN HIGH, BUT THE TRUST IN GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN VERY LOW. SO TO GRAPPLE AND RECONCILE THAT IT'S PUBLIC SERVANTS, ESPECIALLY AS, UH, PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATORS REALLY ASSURES, UM, THAT WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE A JOB JOB SECURITY, BUT, UM, IT, THAT THE WORK NEVER STOPS. YEAH. AND IT'S REALLY THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THROUGH VERY THOUGHTFUL DESIGN OF OUR MATERIALS. THAT'S HOW WE GET IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK. ARE WE DOING THINGS RIGHT? CAN WE BE DOING SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT? WHO ARE WE NOT REACHING OUT TO? SO, UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH YOU. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, OKAY. ARE, [00:20:01] IS THERE ANYONE WISHING [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Communications Committee on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] TO SPEAK ON A NON AGENDA ITEM? SEEING NONE, THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS CLOSED. ARE THERE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS, ANYTHING, UM, WE'RE MISSING? DIANA, I HAD KIND OF HOPE SHE'D SCOOT IN AT THE VERY END. ANNA TALK. NO, I, I, I'LL TALK. YOU KNOW, DIANA, UNFORTUNATELY, I DO APOLOGIZE. SO THERE WAS A CONFLICT THAT AROSE AND IT'S BEST DESCRIBED AS SOMETHING THAT I KNOW I EXPERIENCED, RIGHT? IS I NEED YOU TO BE TWO PLACES AT THE SAME TIME. AND WE KNOW THAT THAT'S A PHYSICAL IMPOSSIBILITY. SO DIANA APOLOGIZES, WE, WE SIMPLY COULDN'T RECONCILE SCHEDULES, BUT I THINK IT WORKED OUT, OH YEAH, YOU GOT THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEEDED. UH, I WROTE DOWN THE, THE INPUT THAT YOU WERE PROVIDING. I DO TAKE INSIGHT FROM WHAT YOU DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF YEAR ROUND. UM, THE INSIGHT THAT I TOOK AWAY FROM THAT IS THAT IT IS YEAR-ROUND COMMUNICATIONS. AND SO THEREFORE THERE SHOULD BE A NARRATIVE, NOT ONLY WITHIN THE PRESENTATION ITSELF, BUT THERE SHOULD BE A NARRATIVE KNOWING THAT THE YEAR IS GOING BY AND THERE'S AN EVOLUTION OF THE MESSAGE. THERE'S AN EVOLUTION OF THE CONTENT MM-HMM . THAT IS MORE IN TUNE WITH THE FACT THAT YOU ARE IN A DIFFERENT PART OF THE CALENDAR. CERTAIN THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THE CITY, CERTAIN THINGS ARE HAPPENING WITH US. AND SO IT'S NOT JUST A CANNED CONTENT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT HAS THE ABILITY TO EVOLVE AND SHAPE DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF YEAR THAT YOU'RE HAVING OR THE MONTH OF THE YEAR. RIGHT. SO IT'S, IT'S DUAL THINGS AT THE SAME TIME. I KNOW IT'S DIFFICULT TO MEASURE SOME OF YOUR RESULTS, YOU KNOW, BUT CERTAINLY REPORTING'S IMPORTANT. BUT, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING, LIKE YOU SAID EARLIER, HOW ARE WE ACTUALLY IMPACTING SOME OF THOSE GROUPS THAT ARE HARD TO GET TO AND KIND OF PUTTING OUR HEADS TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO DO THAT CONTINUALLY. AND THEN, AND THEN REALLY SEEING AN INTEGRITY OF FOR THE WHOLE YEAR, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'RE MOVING MORE AND MORE TOWARDS THAT AS A BOARD AND AS A, AND AS A DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, THROUGH OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING TO, TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT FROM 30,000 FEET, NOT JUST IN THE DOING PART OF EVERYDAY WORK AND LIKE WHERE, WHAT DID, WHERE DID WE GO? WHAT DID WE DO? BUT WHY ARE WE DOING IT? AND HOW'S THAT WORKING? SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, JOY. IT WAS REALLY A PLEASURE TO HEAR YOU TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. THE 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.