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 September 10, 2018, 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, it was determined by management to review the LOU in an effort to acknowledge improved service levels and 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 pursuit of 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 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 report 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. However, 9 months after our August meeting, Public Works staff were provided a redlined version of the revised draft LOU on May 23, 2019 by PG&E. We had been advised by PG&E that in light of recent catastrophic events, PG&E management and legal management 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:
• The LOU should always designate a number of service days that a customer should expect a response;
• Billing discrepancies should be resolved within two billing cycles; and
• 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 been no response since. The Cities have been discouraged by the delay and have inquired if there is a consequence for PG&Es 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 and 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 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.
PG&E has consistently stated that they would rather suspend these meetings and/or defer to a web-based platform. However, the survey results collected form the Cities reflect the quarterly meeting are effective in receiving the best service from PG&E and should continue to be conducted in person. In addition to updated information on service levels, attendees have also participated in presentations on 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 Inspects et. al., in addition to opportunities to share resources and best practices.
At this time, Public Works staff is seeking direction from the TWIC on next steps to move the LOU process forward.
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