The TWIC requested that Public Works management report annually on the status of street light maintenance coordination efforts with PG&E. Management last reported to the TWIC on November 14, 2019, regarding this item.
Background:
The Letter of Understanding (LOU) dated February 2008, between PG&E and the County, states the commitment of PG&E for open communication, responsive service levels, and actions in resolving issues related to street light performance. In 2018, management reviewed the LOU in an effort to verify improved service levels and to ensure that LOU addressed the needs of the 19 Cities and Contra Costa County.
As a result of the feedback from the meeting convened on October 2, 2017, PG&E and Contra Costa Public Works staff began updating the LOU to reflect the needs of the Cities and County, addressing the type of support needed from PG&E Public Works staff drafted a document and made it available to the cities for feedback. Once City feedback had been incorporated, management provided the 2018 Draft LOU to PG&E management for review.
On August 20, 2018, Public Works staff met with PG&E to review the draft LOU at PG&Es request to discuss the LOU and address standards of service identified in the revised LOU. At the end of that meeting, the agreement had been reached. However, there were two (2) items that PG&E management wanted to confirm could be accommodated by PG&E.
These items included:
• The provision of service credits for customers who are without service for a period of greater than 14 days; and
• The provision of monthly reports by PG&E detailing power outages and knocked down street light poles.
During the September 2018 report to TWIC, Public Works staff made TWIC aware of the status. Direction was provided from TWIC to place the revised LOU on the consent calendar once confirmation was received from PG&E.
On May 23, 2019, Public Works staff were provided a redlined version of the revised draft LOU by PG&E. We had been advised by PG&E that in light of recent catastrophic events, PG&E management and legal revisited the document changing items that had been previously agreed to.
On September 17, 2019, Public Works staff met and determined that the items of contention in the redlined draft of the LOU included:
1) The LOU should always designate a number of service days that a customer should expect a response;
2) Billing discrepancies should be resolved within two billing cycles; and
3) Agencies should be provided with a GIS map annually.
Public Works staff reached out to PG&E management to schedule a meeting to discuss the outstanding issues in an effort to resolve them. However, the meeting was cancelled by PG&E at the last minute and there has not been a response since.
Following the 2019 report, TWIC advised Public Works staff work with TWIC to draft a letter as there had not been a response from PG&E. As previous correspondence had not responded to, letter was sent to William D. Johnson, CEO and President on March 11, 2020. Courtesy copies of the letter were sent to the Compliance and Public Policy Committee, East Bay Government Relations, and all associated cities.
To date, there has not been written response from PG&E. However, on July 20, 2020, during a Street Light Coordination meeting, Vic Baker, Senior Manager—Diablo Division acknowledged that communication had been delayed and would be forthcoming. As of the writing of this report, we have not received any communications from PG&E.
The Cities have been discouraged by the delay and inquired if there is a consequence for PG&E’s inaction.
The lack of response from PG&E has impeded securing an updated LOU. The service needs of the Cities and County are different now than they were in 2008. Not only is it imperative to update the LOU to reflect current and projected service needs, but it is equally necessary that PG&E adhere to the language of the LOU.
One method of maintaining open communication channels is conducting regular discussions at Street Light Coordination meetings which include PG&E, the County, Cities, and Towns. Since the 2017 report period, the Coordination meetings have convened once per quarter, as opposed to monthly as stipulated in the 2008 LOU. This change was made based on feedback received from participating Cities as part of the 2015 participation survey. Meetings were interrupted in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 related shelter in place orders. The April 2020 meeting was cancelled. Quarterly meetings resumed in July with a plan to convene future meetings in a virtual platform until it is safe to resume in person meetings.
In addition to updated information on service levels, attendees of the coordination meetings have also participated in presentations on the FCC Ruling and Proposed Action, California Street Light Association (CAL-SLA) conference information—detailing international emerging technologies related to outdoor lighting, and street light pole corrosion inspections, in addition to opportunities to share resources and best practices.
At this time, Public Works staff is seeking further direction from the TWIC on next steps to move the LOU process forward. |