The Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee (TWIC) requested Public Works staff to report annually on the status of street light maintenance coordination efforts with PG&E. Staff reported at the December 4, 2014 meeting 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 and responsive service levels and actions in resolving issues related to street light performance. Communication channels have continued to remain open by conducting regular discussions at street light coordination meetings with the County and its constituent Cities and Towns. However, in 2015, there was a change in the frequency of these meetings at the request of PG&E.
Continuing the effort initiated in May 2008 and since reporting to TWIC on December 4, 2014, the County Public Works Department, PG&E and the Cities met in January, March and April 2015. The July meeting was cancelled at the request of PG&E and the October meeting was also cancelled. City attendance was high at the March 2015 meeting when PG&E rolled out the plan to do LED installations countywide.
Because of the generally low City attendance at the meetings, Public Works assembled a City survey which was reviewed by PG&E. The goal of this survey is to determine if Cities and the County should continue to meet to discuss street light issues and if so, to determine the best way to conduct the meetings, who should attend, how often should meetings be held, identify topics to discuss that would be of value, etc. The plan is to poll the Cities on what topics of interest they would like to hear as well as if the meetings are necessary and/or productive.
The LOU with PG&E was established in 2007/8 and partial implementation has occurred over the past seven years. Staff recommends that it would be desireable review results and revise the PG&E LOU in 2016.
Ongoing concerns by the County including the following:
1. Reporting of outages and request for status/update
With the improvements in the notification process, PG&E’s Streetlight Maintenance Department now sends emails to County staff when street lights are repaired but only when requests on outstanding repairs are sent to PG&E. Staff would recommend an automatic response system, whereby when a light is repaired, the County is notified. County staff continues to assist PG&E by providing a list of outstanding cases and requests their status.
2. Light Emitting Diode (LED) Financing and related legislation, specifically AB 719 update
AB 719, approved by the Governor on October 7, 2013 and now a chaptered law, requires the PUC to order electrical corporations to submit tariffs by July 2015 to be used to fund energy efficiency improvements in street light poles owned by the electrical corporations. PG&E has been asked to present updates at the PG&E City/County Street Light Coordination meetings; however, a complete report about this legislation and the plan to implement has not been forthcoming.
3. CPUC updates
The CPUC approved a tariff for the conversion of PG&E-owned (LS-1) high pressure sodium vapor (HPSV) lights to LED throughout the state in 2012. As of August 2014, PG&E has an approved rate schedule for doing the conversions of HPSVs to LEDs and that work is underway in Contra Costa County and its Cities.
4. Letter of Understanding (LOU) with PG&E
PG&E plans to do LED replacements on LS-1 (PG&E owned lights) over a three-year period. Starting with the pilot project in Bay Point in Spring 2015, the unincorporated area work continues and is expected to be completed in 2016.
The summary of goals and target dates for the street light service level commitment per the LOU indicated that some of the goals have been achieved and others are now out of date. Website updates and responsiveness to repair requests should also be addressed. New product choices, e.g. decorative lights, would be a desirable item for the new goals per the LOU. PG&E repair rates over the past four years could be reviewed, as well as development of a capital replacement plan for older equipment including street light poles (wood or painted). The review of the LOU should be a cooperator, joint PG&E/County effort.
Conclusion:
The County, Cities, and PG&E are committed to continue the well-organized and efficient system for street lights. PG&E’s reorganization and relocation of the call center in 2012 continues to provide ongoing program improvements in the timeliness and reporting of street light repairs. Another step forward would be if PG&E would routinely report on work done, rather than needing a list requesting updates on repairs.
In light of the LED replacements being installed and the review of summary of goals and target dates as per the 2008 LOU, it is suggested that the County and PG&E review and revise the document so that it’s in line with current efforts.
By working together to develop improvements in street lighting, Cities, the County and PG&E are able to improve the delivery of excellent quality street lighting throughout the County.
Next Steps:
1. PG&E and the County should continue to coordinate on the LED replacement projects throughout the County.
2. PG&E, Cities and the County should coordinate on and pursue changes to the LOU to reflect the challenges of 2015 and beyond.
3. PG&E Street Light Coordination meetings should be reconsidered in light of the results of the polling of Cities which will be done in early 2016. Based on the results of the poll, County will identify meeting preferences from Cities and return to TWIC to present a plan going forward. There may be other ways that City and County staff can collaborate on street light issues, assuring cost effective methods for providing energy efficient street lighting and safety for the residents and visitors to the County and City.
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