HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-25-2011 Steering Committee Agenda Packet of"tV SANIT °" Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Orange County Sanitation District �` 5:00 P.M.
Regular Meeting of the Q P Administration Building
Steering Committee Conference Rooms A & B
10844 Ellis Avenue
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
"G THE E"v (714) 593-7124
AGENDA
DECLARATION OF QUORUM:
PUBLIC COMMENTS: If you wish to speak,please complete a Speaker's Form and give it to the Clerk
of the Board. Speakers are requested to limit comments to three minutes.
REPORTS: The Committee Chair and the General Manager may present verbal reports on miscellaneous
matters of general interest to the Directors. These reports are for information only and require no action by the
Directors.
Property Tax Revenue (Teeter Plan)
CONSENT CALENDAR:
1. Approve minutes of the April 20, 2011 Steering Committee meeting.
INFORMATION ITEMS:
2. Public Affairs Report (Gold)
CLOSED SESSION:
During the course of conducting the business set forth on this agenda as a regular meeting of the Board,
the Chair may convene the Board in closed session to consider matters of pending real estate
negotiations,pending or potential litigation, or personnel matters,pursuant to Government Code Sections
54956.8, 54956.9, 54957 or 54957.61 as noted.
Reports relating to(a)purchase and sale of real property;(b)matters of pending or potential litigation;(c)
employment actions or negotiations with employee representatives; or which are exempt from public
disclosure under the California Public Records Act, may be reviewed by the Board during a permitted
closed session and are not available for public inspection. At such time as the Board takes final action on
any of these subjects, the minutes will reflect all required disclosures of information.
Convene in closed session.
(1) CONFER WITH DISTRICT NEGOTIATORS
(Government Code Section 54954.5(f))
05/25/11 Steering Committee Agenda Page 1 of 2
• Agency Designated Representatives: James D. Ruth, General Manager; Robert
Ghirelli, Assistant General Manager; Jim Herberg, Assistant General Manager,
Jeff Reed, Director of Human Resources; and, Richard Spencer, Human
Resources Supervisor.
• Employee Organizations: International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 501
and Orange County Employees Association (OCEA)
Reconvene in regular session.
Consideration of action, if any, on matters considered in closed session.
OTHER BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF
ANY:
ADJOURNMENT:
The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, 2011, at
5:00 p.m.
Accommodations for the Disabled: Meeting Rooms are wheelchair accessible. If you require any special disability
related accommodations, please contact the Orange County Sanitation District Clerk of the Board's office at(714)593-
7124 at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. Requests must specify the nature of the disability and the type of
accommodation requested.
Agenda Posting: In accordance with the requirements of California Government Code Section 54954.2,this agenda has
been posted outside the main gate of the Sanitation District's Administration Building located at 10844 Ellis Avenue,
Fountain Valley,California,not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting date and time above. All public records relating to
each agenda item,including any public records distributed less than 72 hours prior to the meeting to all,or a majority of
the Board of Directors, are available for public inspection in the office of the Clerk of the Board.
NOTICE TO DIRECTORS: To place items on the agenda for the Committee Meeting, items must be submitted to the
Clerk of the Board 14 days before the meeting.
Lilia Kovac
Associate Clerk of the Board
(714)593-7124
Ikovac(a)ocsd.com
05/25/11 Steering Committee Agenda Page 2 of 2
STEERING COMMITTEE Meeting Date To Bd. of Dir.
05/25/2011
AGENDA REPORT Item Number Item Number
2
Orange County Sanitation District
FROM: James D. Ruth, General Manager
Originator: Michael Gold, Public Affairs Manager
SUBJECT: Public Affairs update
GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
Information Only
SUMMARY
This report is the monthly Public Affairs Division update that includes legislative and
political information from Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, lobbyists' activities, and
outreach education and communication programs to member cities, employees and the
public.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Public Affairs Update
We are a-Twitter
OCSD's Facebook presence continues to grow, as the statistics below demonstrate.
In the past few months, we have had nearly 12,300 visits to our site view articles and
stories. In addition, the table shows the stories we have posted and the number of
people that clicked on the story to read, share or comment. There were over 1140 hits
on the ten articles posted in May (through May 15) alone.
The Public Affairs team sends out about one tweet per week that links people to a story
on Facebook talking about the good things OCSD is doing to save money and protect
the environment.
Staff has noted the increase in traffic since we launched Facebook and Twitter a few
months ago. Soon, these feeds will be integrated into our external website
(www.ocsd.com) so the stories appear in both places.
Page 1 of 10
Post Views' Post Feedback'
12,299'&31 70 V I Ii
Daily Story Feedback'
Q Likes Q Comments Q Unsubscribes
5
A A A A
lolcn Mon Mon Mon Mon Mon Mon Mon Mcn
Mar 14 Mar 21 Mar 28 Apr 4 Apr 11 Apr 18 AP, 3_
Page Posts'
Message Posted Impressions Feedback
LVhat are you s%aiting for?Close to 2,000 people have... May 12 at 3:57pm 78 2.6%
Our amazing employees are always there to lend a hand.Read... May 11 at 10:26am 113 0.88
It s%as early Thursday morning around 6 a.m.and still dark... May 11 at 10:17am 122 0.82%
Congratulations on your biosolids program! May 10 at 10:07am 67 0%
A balanced report on the issues surrounding biosolids. May 10 at 9:57am 96 1%
Employee Paul Ward captured this beautiful view at plant 1... May 10 at 9:39am 130 0.77
Employee Paul Ward captured this beautiful vie,n-at plant 1.... May 10 at 9:30am 119 0%
Still celebrating...we are just so proud! May 10 at 9:22am 105 0.95
Meet the team behind our quality biosolids program... May 9 at 2:05pm 152 0
Meet the People Behind the biosolids!Our Quality Team has... May 9 at 2:0Ipm 162 0%
Grants Update
Last month, staff sent out an RFP for grant assistance services. For the past several
years, we have had a consultant available to help with grant applications and technical
assistance. These services are only provided on an as-needed basis and the contracts
have been set up so we only pay for the services when we use them.
This year, we sent out an RFP for grant assistance to ensure fair costs. The only
change to the request was that we asked for additional research into possible grant
opportunities to provide another set of eyes looking for funds (in addition to what we
currently do), particularly by someone with experience in the grants arena.
The contract for these services is slated to begin on July 1 and is for an annual amount
not to exceed $20,000. The final decisions will be made in late May.
Page 2 of 10
Federal Legislative Update
Legislative Advocate: Eric Sapirstein, ENS Resources
The past month saw Congress continuing to wrestle over federal spending and ways to
move forward on the fiscal year 2012 budget. The House approved, along a party line
vote, a nonbinding resolution that would impose significant reductions in domestic
spending and transfer Medicare to a voucher program rather than an entitlement. The
nonbinding resolution is pending before the Senate where its prospects for passage are
slim. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had threatened to bring the measure up
for a floor vote, but the lack of enthusiasm for the measure may work to delay debate.
Congress continues to struggle with a framework for the 2012 budget and the harsh
partisan rhetoric has cast a cloud over negotiations. Speaker of the House John
Boehner (R-OH) stated that he continues to seek additional cuts in discretionary
spending, while Senate Democrats are seeking some tax increases, such as a
removing tax credits for oil companies. All of these talks are contingent on increasing
the debt limit that expires in August.
All of these factors suggest that the budget debate may again become gridlocked as the
September 30 deadline approaches. Should this occur, the prospect for another
Continuing Resolution debate and the prospect of government shutdowns looms large.
Page 3 of 10
Chemical Security and Vulnerability Assessments
On substantive matters outside the budget debate, congressional efforts to renew the
Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program began to gain
momentum in the House. The House Energy and Commerce Committee was slated to
markup an extension of the program (H.R. 908), but it was delayed. A number of
Democratic members of the committee, led by Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA),
have indicated that they would like to amend the measure to capture POTWs within the
program. An effort to impose Inherently Safer Technologies (IST) mandates is expected
to be offered during markup of H.R. 908. Despite this desire to impose IST and require
POTWs to follow Department of Homeland Security CFATS, it appears that most
committee members will not support such an effort. According to the committee, markup
is expected after the Memorial Day recess when Congress returns to work in June. In
the Senate, it remains uncertain when corresponding legislation (S. 473), will be acted
upon by the Committee on Homeland Security. However, it appears that Senate efforts
to capture POTWs remains a possibility as Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), has
introduced a bill to renew CFATS that would place POTWs under the Department of
Homeland Security. However, key homeland security policy leaders including, Senator
Susan Collins (R-ME), have legislation pending that would not result in capturing
POTWs as part of the CFATS program.
CASA and OCSD do not support being regulated by Homeland Security and prefer that
EPA retain oversight responsibilities.
Conflict of Interest and Appointments to Water Boards
OCSD continues to lead the charge in changing State and Federal guidelines for
appointees to Regional Water Quality Control Boards and we have gained momentum
after our meeting with Congressman Rohrabacher. Since that meeting, CASA has
drafted a letter urging support for an amendment to the Clean Water Act asking
Congress to update the conflict of interest definition and its application. As part of this
effort, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Association of Metropolitan
Water Agencies, American Water Works Association and the Association of California
Water Agencies have been asked to sign on to the letter in support of this amendment.
Infrastructure Funding Policy
Funding of wastewater and water facilities remains a highly visible issue. Support
continues for the State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) program, but the Committee on
Appropriations staff has signaled that the desire to cut spending that will impact the SRF
program. As a result, interest in designing a new approach to fund infrastructure is
growing. One approach that is gaining support is the creation of an infrastructure
financing agency. This approach is similar to transportation loan guarantee programs
that have been used to support financing of toll roads and would allow for reduced
borrowing costs to agencies to build treatment facilities through federal backing. The
question, however, is whether any approach like this would be justification to eliminate
existing infrastructure programs like the SRF. Any effort to substitute such a guarantee
program for the SRF program could unleash a backlash of opposition from the states
that rely heavily on the SRF for funding assistance.
Page 4 of 10
In addition to the guarantee approach, proposals to spur investments in infrastructure
through private capital have been introduced. These bipartisan and bicameral proposals
(H.R. 1801 and S. XXX) would eliminate the state volume cap on private activity bonds
when used to support construction of wastewater and water related infrastructure. The
legislation, if enacted, would allow agencies to engage in public private partnerships
and secure financing through bonds that are repaid by the private entity. According to
economic analyses, the change in policy could unleash more than $50 billion in
additional infrastructure financing and generate billions of dollars in local, state and
federal tax revenues associated with the increased construction activity.
Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)
According to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure staff and members
of the committee, prospects for WRDA continue to be good, but actual action to review
program needs will not begin until late summer. The ongoing challenges created by the
flooding in the South may create an impetus to review this law and address new needs
created by the flooding.
In the Senate, the Committee on Environment and Public Works continues to consider a
rewrite of WRDA. While actual language has not been made available, staff maintains
that the rewrite is a priority. They hope to move into formal public review of needs upon
completion of the reauthorization of the highway bill later this summer.
Waters of the U.S. Definition
USEPA finally issued its revised guidance to define which waters are subject to
regulation under the Clean Water Act. This controversial effort responds to the Supreme
Court rulings that invalidated the way the agency requires dredge and fill permits
(section 404 permits). Under the proposed guidance that is subject to public comment,
the agency would subject waters that have any connection to surface waters as covered
under the Clean Water Act rather than the more flexible case-by-case approach
currently in place. The proposed guidance would have limited impact on POTWs
because it leaves in place the waste treatment exemption. This exemption provides that
a facility like a pond would not be subject to an NPDES permit if it currently does not
require one.
State Legislative Report
Legislative Advocates:
Christopher Townsend, Heather Dion and Casey Elliott, Townsend Public Affairs
State Political Highlights
The Legislature returned from their Spring Recess the first week of May to push through
a number of bills before the May 6 deadline for to pass policy committees. Any bill not
clearing the first policy committee by May 6 becomes a two-year bill and cannot be
taken up until next year. The next hurdle in the legislative process is that bills tagged
fiscal must clear the Appropriations Committees by May 27.
While that week focused on moving bills, the State budget continues to loom like a dark
cloud over the Capitol. The Legislative budget committees have been conducting
Page 5 of 10
informational hearings throughout the State to hear from residents and discuss the
impacts of an "all-cuts" budget. For the most part, these hearings are being viewed as a
way for Democrats to drum up support for the tax extensions. However, recent polling
by the PPIC shows that the public, while opposed to an all-cuts budget, is not in favor of
extending taxes on income or sales tax or keeping the higher vehicle license fee. The
same poll seems to indicate that Californians want to continue to receive the same level
of services from the State, but want someone else to pay the costs.
May Budget Revision
On May 16 the Governor released his May Revise, which serves as an update to the
Governor's original budget released in January. While the State continues to face a
large deficit in the upcoming fiscal year, the May Revise comes with good news that the
State collected $2.5 billion in unanticipated revenue in the first six months of 2011. This
unexpected revenue will help mitigate some of the budget impact; however, the
Governor is still proposing significant cuts to programs, as well as increased revenues,
in order to close the budget gap.
Summary
When the Governor released his budget in January, the State budget deficit was $26.8
billion. Through the combination of actions taken by the Legislature earlier in the year
and the receipt of unanticipated revenue, the projected budget deficit for FY 2011-12 is
now $10.8 billion. While the State is still facing a large deficit, the primary message of
the Governor is that the State needs to put its fiscal house in order and promote
economic growth and job creation.
As mentioned above, the State saw an unexpected increase in revenue in the first six
months of 2011 and projections indicate that the State will generate an additional $6.6
billion in revenue beyond what was estimated in January. The May Revise proposes to
use this unexpected revenue for three primary items: provide a one-year reduction in
the State income tax; increase tax incentives to promote job growth; and to pay down
existing State debt.
State Revenues
A key pledge of Jerry Brown's gubernatorial campaign was that he would not raise
taxes without voter approval. In an attempt to uphold his pledge, in January the
Governor proposed to hold a special election in June so that voters could weigh-in on
the extension of current sales tax, income tax, and vehicle license fee. The Legislature
was unable to secure the 2/3 vote needed to place these measures on the ballot; thus if
no action is taken, the State revenues in FY 2011-12 will drop by approximately $9.5
billion.
The May Revise continues to rely on revenue from the temporary extension of these
taxes. The May Revise calls on the Legislature to approve the extension of the current
levels of the sales tax, income tax, and vehicle license fee, but to keep his campaign
pledge, the Governor is proposing to place the tax measures on the ballot in November,
so voters can decide if they want to keep them. It should be noted, that the Governor is
proposing a five-year extension of the current tax levels, with the exception of the
Page 6 of 10
income tax, which would become operative in calendar year 2012 and be in place for
four years.
As part of the January budget, the Governor proposed to eliminate the Enterprise Zone
program in order to increase the revenues to the State. As part of his May Revise, the
Governor is no longer proposing to eliminate the Enterprise Zone program; however, he
is proposing some modification of the program that would result in $130 million in
annual savings to the State. The key modification that the Governor is proposing to the
Enterprise Zone program is that the State would only provide vouchers for new hires,
not retroactive vouchers for previous hires.
The May Revise still calls for the elimination of Local Redevelopment agencies;
however the Governor did acknowledge that there are additional proposals, that would
modify, rather than eliminate RDAs, and these will continue to be discussed.
Addressing the Budget Deficit
The State still faces a $10.8 billion deficit for the 2011-12 fiscal year. The May Revise
proposes to close this gap primarily through increased revenues, with some additional
cuts, including $9.3 billion in revenues and $2.3 billion in spending cuts. If the May
Revise is adopted, then the State would have adopted $11.2 billion in total cuts and
$9.8 billion in new revenues since January to address the State's budget deficit.
In addition to addressing the current budget deficit, the Governor proposes to address
the State's outstanding debt obligations. The State currently has approximately $35
billion in outstanding debt, including: Prop 98 deferrals, Prop 1A borrowing, Prop 42
borrowing, and other borrowing from special funds. The May Revise sets forth a plan
that would reduce the State's outstanding debt to $6 billion by FY 2014-15. Specifically,
the Governor is proposing to increase Prop 98 spending by $3 billion, reducing future
deferrals, and reducing internal special fund borrowing by $744 million. The Governor
also has indicated that paying off debt should be the highest priority for any unexpected
revenue that comes into the State.
Timeline
Now that the Governor has released the May Revise, the Legislature will begin to hold
budget hearings to discuss the proposal. The Legislature will likely oppose some of the
items contained in the May Revise and will need to come up with additional cuts and/or
revenue enhancements to address the budget deficit. The Legislature will begin
conducting these hearings later this week but they will last several weeks.
The State Constitution requires the Legislature to pass a budget by June 15 and
legislators will stop being paid if a budget is not adopted by July 1 . In addition to
legislative hearings, the Governor will focus on getting Republican votes for the tax
extensions. Brown needs two Republican votes in each house to get a 2/3 majority.
While the Governor remains optimistic that he can obtain these votes, he will need to
make concessions on other items, including pension reform, regulatory reform,
redevelopment reform, and State tax modifications.
Page 7 of 10
The May Revision can be found at http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/
TPA's activities for the month
• TPA continues to monitor, report, and promote the following state legislative and
advocacy goals:
o Proactive protection of OCSD property tax funding
o Outreach and education, particularly to new members of the legislature, at
both the staff-staff and elected-board member levels.
o Ongoing analysis of legislative measures including but not limited to
environmental mandates that could affect the District's operations, local
government transparency measures, and budget measures redirecting
fees to local wastewater agencies.
o The potential for regulatory streamlining
o Round II of IRWM funding
• TPA is monitoring, analyzing and tracking legislation as it is introduced on behalf
of the OCSD — the 2011 bill introduction deadline was February 18. TPA also
drafts letters, when appropriate, for OCSD consideration on particular budget or
legislative matters of interest.
• TPA monitors and reports on key committee hearings on the budget and special
districts.
• TPA provides up-to-date briefings on the State budget.
Legislative Outreach
On May 13, Assembly Don Wagner toured plant 1 with Chair Larry Crandall and OCSD
staff.
Staff continues to meet with Orange County's legislative delegation with TPA to discuss
property taxes and key bills. In addition, staff attended the CASA Conference in
Sacramento the last week in April and spent a day with TPA staff at the Capitol meeting
with legislators and their staff.
Of particular note, one bill, AB 457 (Wagner) is now a two-year bill thanks in part to the
efforts of TPA and OCSD staff. This measure changed existing law to allow contractors
challenging public bids to recover all legal fees if they can demonstrate errors or
omissions in the bid process, regardless of whether those errors would have impacted
the bid outcome.
Page 8 of 10
Outreach meetings to date include:
• Assembly Member Mansoor
• Assembly Member Miller
• Assembly Member Norby
• Assembly Member Silva
• Senator Harman
• Senator Huff
The only remaining meeting is Senator Correa's District staff but we did meet with his
Capitol staff.
The current legislative matrix and recent letters are attached.
Public Affairs Update
Grants Update
Staff researched two grants during the past month — climate change grants through the
Bureau of Reclamation (WaterSmart program) and another round of OCTA grants for
storm water capture. After discussing with staff, we determined that these grants do not
apply to wastewater agencies.
Also, we closed out the EPA grants for secondary treatment and received just over $2
million to reimburse OCSD for the cost of final design for project P1-101. The funds
were deposited into our bank account at the beginning of this month and we submitted
all the final paperwork to close the grant.
Media, Outreach and Education
OCSD volunteers participated in the OC Science and Engineering Fair, an event to
encourage high school students to consider careers in science and engineering. OCSD
judges student entries and we offer two $200 prizes for the junior and senior class
winners.
We also sent volunteers to the Children's Water Festival, as described in the General
Manager's monthly update.
We submitted two press releases this past month: one describing Fountain Valley's use
of our biosolids for recreation area compost to draw attention to our biosolids recycling
and other publicizing our Plant of the Year award from the regional SARBS chapter (as
reported last month).
Also, there was story in a northern California paper advocating that the state take
special district reserve funds to balance the state budget and they cited OCSD's
reserve. The article and our response are attached to this report.
Page 9 of 10
PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS
N/A
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Attachments: OCSD Bill Matrix
Plant of the Year Newsletter
SB 482 and SB 900 Legislative Letters
WERF Support Letter
CEQA
N/A
BUDGET / DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY COMPLIANCE
N/A
Page 10 of 10
OCSD Legislative Bill Tracking- 2011
Bill Number Author Summary MD Position Notes Status
AB 213 Silva Requires State Agencies to notice"interested Support Suspense file
parties"of proposed actions on rules and
regulations.
AB 262 Harkey Revises the boundaries of the Santa Ana Watch Two-year bill
Regional Water Quality Control Board to
include south Orange County.
AB 457 Wagner Allows bidders of public contract work to Oppose Offering amendments for Two-year bill
recover full attorney's costs for challenging reciprocity
an award if their bid is determined to be
invalid due to errors or omissions of the
agency.
AB 512 Gordon This bill would expand the definition of an Support Assembly Floor
eligible renewable generating facility to
include facilities that have a generating
capacity of no more than 5 megawatts to
allow bill credits for generating renewable
energy.
AB 646 Atkins Changes exsiting law so that during labor Oppose In Appropriations Committee
negotations,agencies are no longer allowed
to declare an impasse and impose a contract.
Instead,the agency must appoint a mediator
to recommend a settlement.
AB 741 Huffman Allows the creation of voluntary assessment Support This bill is sponsored by IRWD In Sentate Rules(passed
districts to finance the cost of converting Assembly)
septic to sewer,connecting to a community
system and replacing damaged sewer
laterals.
AB 1178 Ma This bill seeks to clarify existing law to Support In Appropriations Committee
prohibit discriminatory restrictions on the
disposal of solid waste based on its place of
origin.
AB 1354 Huber Eliminates the 5%retention requirements for Oppose Two-year bill
public work contracts and prohibits any
contract retention amount.
OCSD Legislative Bill Tracking- 2011
Bill Number Author Summary MD Position Notes Status
SB 482 Kehoe Shifts the responsbility of beach testing from Oppose In Appropriations Committee
th Department of Public Health to the State
Water Resources Control Board and allows
the Board to levy fees on wastewater
treatment agencies to pay for administration
of the program.
SB 771 Kehoe This bill expands the energy sources that are Support In Appropriations Committee
eligible to receive funds through the
Renewable Resources Trust Fund to include
digester gas and waste gas to fuel cell power
generation.This bill changes the current
definition of eligible renewable energy to
include digester or other gasses from
wastewater treatment.
SB 900 Steinberg Support Consistent with our efforts at the In Appropriations Committee
Provides that a person would not be federal level to change the 10
disqualified from being a member of a percent income rule.
RWQCB if they receive,or a significant
portiontheir income from a person subject to
waste discharge requirements,or an
applicant for waste discharge requirements,
that govern discharges not within the
jurisdiction of that RWQCB.
OCSD Legislative Bill Tracking- 2011
Bill Number Author Summary OCSD Position Notes Status
Bell-related Bills
AB 162 Smyth Requires that if an independent audit reveals
irregularities,the findings are sent to the
State Controller.
AB 187 Lara Authorizes the Controller to establish a high-
risk audit program to identify agencies the
State Auditor views as being at risk of waste,
fraud or abuse.
AB 229 Lara Requires the Controller to receive all audits
within 9 months of preparation and directs
the Controller to develop a plan to review all
local agency audits.
AB 253 Smyth Requires the Controller to develop guidelines
for local government audits based on input
from a specified group of city officials
AB 1287 Buchanan
Requires all agencies to comply with GAO
standards for audits and requires auditors to
complete a GAO quality control review.
AB 1344 Feuer Prohbits employment contracts from having
automatic renewal clauses or automatic Watch
increases in excess of cost-of-living
adjustments.Also,this bill requires all
meetings be noticed on an agency's website
(if they have one).
SB 46 Correa
Requires all public officials to file statements
of economic interest and these statements to
be filed on the public agency's website.
SB 186 Kehoe Give the State Controller discretion to audit
or investigate any local agency to ensure
compliance with laws,ordinances and grant
agreements and allows the Controller to
charge the agency for the cost of the
investigation.
OCSD Legislative Bill Tracking- 2011
Bill Number Author Summary OCSD Position Notes Status
SB 449 Pavley
Authorizes the Controller to conduct reviews
of local agencies finances to determine if
there may be problems and develop a
committee of officials to assist agencies with
finanical problems(upon request).
Orange County Sanitation District Wins Prestigious State Award Page 1 of 3
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
Orange County Sanitation
Proudly g public health and the environment through
Orange County Sanitation District Wins In This Issue
Prestigious State Award Our pride is
contagious!
If pride is contagious -get up close to our amazing employees! We've Our employees
always had great pride in the job we do to protect the public's health Peter picks a problem
and environment. And now, we are being honored as the California
Water Environment Association Plant of the Year. We've gotten even Levla lays down the
more excited to come to work each day. law
Ernie's winning smile
Fountain Valley Plant named best wastewater Quick Links
treatment plant in the State MUM
Y
The Orange County Sanitation District's
Fountain Valley water reclamation plant
received the prestigious statewide California A I ,
Water Environment Association "Plant of the
Year" award for 2010 in the large plant
category.
The award, conferred April 15 at the CWEA 90
�F y.
Annual Conference in Ontario, recognizes the l/h� THE EN\P
District's facility for permit compliance,
innovative practices, cost effectiveness, and Protecting the Public
superior plant operations. The District prevailed Health and the
over other regional award winning facilities from Environment
throughout California that treat more than
Employee Ray twenty millions gallons of wastewater per day.
Navarro
Read more. �►" `T
Our winning employees
California Film
Each day our 600 men and women employees Festival Winner-
pour their heart into their work with little Wastewater 101
attention and even fewer accolades.
From plant operators, to accountants, to
engineers and mechanics, source control ;
inspectors to administration staff-we work
hard to ensure you don't have to think about
us! Most people in the world don't have that i►
luxury. 2010
Sanitation District Awards
The sad fact is that more people in the world I ;
have cell hones than access to a toilet. Distinguished Budget
p Presentation Award by the
https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual editor preview.jsp?agent.uid=11055735... 5/17/2011
Orange County Sanitation District Wins Prestigious State Award Page 2 of 3
Emilio Arlston Governmental Finance
Please take a minute to read about just a few Mechanical Officers Association
of our fabulous employees. Their hard work, Technician of the Plant of the Year California
professionalism, creativity and talent are Year Water Environment
responsible for us being named CWEA 2010 Association Reclamation
Plant of the Year. Plant No. 1
Plant of the Year Santa Ana
River Basin Section
Peter picks a problem Reclamation Plant No. 1
SARBS Mechanic of the
"There is an old saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Year(local level)-Emilio
That's exactly what happened in my case." Ariston
Achievement of Excellence
in Procurement Award by
Peter Cheffs saw a problem. The the California Association of
Collection Facilities O&M staff performs Public Procurement
line cleaning and other maintenance Officials
work in the sewer lines of OCSD's Excellence in Information
service area. Trucks, equipped with an Technology Practices by
arrow board and illuminated with the Municipal Information
i incandescent light bulbs, warn Systems Association of
oncoming traffic that employees are California
performing work in the street. Safety Achievement Award
by the American Water
Works Association
The power to light the arrow board
p 9 Gold Peak Performance
Peter Cheffs Collections bulbs is supplied by the alternator of a Award by the National
running engine. In a normal day, the Association of Clean Water
truck engine runs for eight hours to Agencies-for both OCSD
Reclamation Plant No. 1
supply power to the arrow board. The arrow board can only be moved and Treatment Plant No.2
90 degrees; so, at times, a second truck is necessary to provide
protective services when the working truck is turned so the arrow
board faces oncoming traffic. Peter thought of a way to cut costs and Join Cur Mailing List!
protect the environment.
Read more.
Leyla lays down the law
"We insist that our contractors strive to be good neighbors, and
build relationships with the local community."
Senior Environmental Specialist Leyla Perez
is our biosolids inspector. She inspects and
trains the truck drivers on our requirements
and serves as the liaison between the
operators and contractors.
She audits the preventive maintenance
programs required for all contractors and
ensures they meet those standards. Leyla
conducts periodic safety checks and one-on-
one training of drivers in both English and
Spanish to help ensure our biosolids safely
reach their final destination. �+
Leyla Perez Biosolids
We insist that our contractors minimize the Inspector
odor and reduce the impacts on neighbors
near our sites. It is critical that our contractors
https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual editor preview.jsp?agent.uid=11055735... 5/17/2011
Orange County Sanitation District Wins Prestigious State Award Page 3 of 3
hold our same values. Leyla is our eyes, ears, and nose on the
ground to help prevent and resolve problems.
Read more about our biosolids program.
Ernie's winning smile
"I feel proud to be a plant operator...it makes me so proud when
children thank me for protecting the environment."
When you look at Ernie Castro's picture, you
can see clearly the kind of person he is -eager,
encouraging, positive - a motivator. When you
talk to him, his positive attitude and enthusiasm
ooze out. His pride in what he does and how
he does it, flashes enthusiastically across his
face.
Ernie is the type of person you are always
happy to see, he makes your day, and makes
you just a little bit prouder to do your job.
- We need more Ernies. He received the
Ernesto Castro Plant California Water Environment Santa Ana River
Operator Basin Operator of the Year Award at their
annual awards ceremony in February 2010. He
was nominated by supervisor Ken Wong for his
"eagerness to help and a can do attitude."
Read more.
Administrative Offices
10844 Ellis Avenue,
Fountain Valley, CA 92708-7018
(714) 962-2411
Forward email
� I11fYCd lmif!IDT
✓�,�feUnsNl�saia: Co►sfaItConW*
irf ror yaurv`!t
This email was sent to smorgan@ocsd.com by smorgan(a)ocsd.com
Update Profile/Email Address I Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribeTI I Privacy Policy.
Orange County Sanitation District 1 10844 Ellis Avenue I Fountain Valley I CA 192708
https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual editor preview.jsp?agent.uid=11055735... 5/17/2011
"s� SAN�TgT/°" ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT
s We protect public health and the environment by providing effective wastewater collection,treatment,and recycling.
ti
h
9or �2
F a
May 10, 2011
The Honorable Christine Kehoe
California State Senate
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: SB 482(Kehoe): Notice of Opposition
Serving
Anaheim Dear Senator Kehoe:
Brea On behalf of the Orange County Sanitation District(OCSD), I regret to inform you that we
Buena Park oppose SB 482. We understand the goal of SB 482 is the creation of a sustainable funding
mechanism for the beach water quality control program but has serious concerns with
Cypress transferring the program to the State Water Resources Control Board.
Fountain Valley OCSD discharges into coastal waters and we already contribute to local monitoring efforts.
Fullerton In addition we work collaboratively with the County Health Department and SB 482 could
Garden Grove impede our local efforts.
Huntington Beach SB 482 not only transfers authority for administration of this program to the State Water
Board, but also puts the State Water Board in charge of making public health decisions
Irvine regarding posting, closing and reopening of public beaches, a function that traditionally has
La Habra been carried out by local health officers or environmental health directors. We believe that
La Palma
these local health officials are the best qualified individuals to make such decisions, and that
these decisions must be made by officials at the local level, since these local officials already
Los Alamitos have the procedures in place to notify the public about closures and reopening of beaches.
Newport Beach Also SB 482 directs the State Water Board to look at"options for modifying wastewater and
Orange stormwater discharge monitoring requirements of local agencies as a method of meeting the
requirements set forth in Section 115880."We believe this bill would simply have the effect
Placentia of transferring the cost of a program of general interest onto water quality permit holders,
Santa Ana going beyond a reasonable nexus to the potential impacts of their discharges on water
quality. Local wastewater and stormwater resources are already contribute to these
Seal Beach monitoring efforts.
Stanton
Finally, SB 482 proposes a major expansion of the beach water quality monitoring program
Tustin from a seasonal program that runs from April to October to a year-round weekly monitoring
Villa Park requirement. Because of natural conditions that occur during the winter months, far more
exceedances can be expected to occur and simply would not provide useful information.
Yorba Linda Thank you for your consideration.
Costa Mesa
Sanitary District Sincerely
Midway City
Sanitary District
Irvine Ranch 4µ�
Water District
County of Orange Larry Crandall
Chairman of the Board
recycled paper 10844 Ellis Avenue • Fountain Valley,CA 92708-7018 • (714)962-2411 • www.ocsd.com
ON14 SANITgT/o ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT
v_ We protect public health and the environment by providing effective wastewater collection,treatment,and recycling.
n
o �
Por/NG THE EN�P�
May 10, 2011
The Honorable Darrell Steinberg
State Senator, 6th District
State Capitol, Room 205
Sacramento, CA 95814
Serving Re: SB 900 (Steinberal: Notice of Support
Anaheim Dear Senator Steinberg,
Brea
Buena Park On behalf of the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD), I would like to express
our strong support for SB 900 (Steinberg). This legislation will restore the credibility
Cypress of regulatory programs and encourage stronger cooperation in their implementation.
Fountain Valley
Fullerton The Orange County Sanitation District operates the third largest wastewater agency
west of the Mississippi River. For over 50 years, we have safely collected, treated
Garden Grove and disposed of and/or reclaimed the wastewater generated by 2.5 million people
Huntington Beach living and working in central and northwestern Orange County. The proposed
changes to the conflict of interest requirements for the State Water Resources
Irvine Control Board and the 9 California regional water quality control boards are crucial
La Habra in order to restore the full participation at the regional board level.
La Palma Removing the 10 percent rule provision, in addition to the altering the conflict of
interest policy, will increase the number of qualified people eligible to serve on these
Los Alamitos boards. Having qualified board members is crucial for increasing cooperation in the
Newport Beach state water boards' regulatory programs.
Orange
Once again, the Orange County Sanitation District strongly supports this legislation
Placentia and appreciates your efforts. This legislation will greatly improve both the
Santa Ana performance and the outcomes of the regional boards.
Seal Beach
Sincerely,
Stanton
Tustin
Villa Park
Yorba Linda Larry Crandall
Costa Mesa Chairman of the Board
Sanitary District
Midway City
Sanitary District
Irvine Ranch
Water District
County of Orange
4 10844 Ellis Avenue • Fountain Valley,CA 9270E-7018 17141 962-2411 www.ocsd.com
recycled paper
JN11 SANITgT/� ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT
� O
C^ �
e
We protect public health and the environment by providing effective wastewater collection,treatment,and recycling.
0
4
THE ENv\PO�
May 11,2011
The Honorable Diane Feinstein
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington,D.C.20510
Fax: 202-228-3954
Dear Senator Feinstein:
Serving
Anaheim As Congress begins work on the FY 2012 Budget, I want to urge you to support the continued
funding for drinking water and wastewater-related research at EPA in partnership with local
Brea wastewater and drinking water utilities. For over twenty years, Congress has supported this
Buena Park research at nonprofit water industry foundations who sponsor competitive research into source
water protection, water quality and water infrastructure. Water and wastewater-related
Cypress research should remain a high priority as the nation looks at the staggering cost estimates for
Fountain Valley replacing aging water infrastructure and contaminant-removal compliance costs.
Fullerton The Orange County Sanitation District supports and benefits from the respective research
Garden Grove conducted through the Water Research Foundation (WaterRF) and the Water Environment
Huntington Beach Research Foundation (WERF). This research helps ensure that sound science governs
compliance with Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act mandates, regulations and
Irvine policies.
La Habra
With the demise of earmarks,we have worked with our supporters on Capitol Hill to develop a
La Palma carefully defined competitive program for nonprofit organizations who conduct water and
Los Alamitos wastewater research of national significance.This research program will ensure that during FY
2012,critical water and wastewater-related research will continue to meet the needs identified
Newport Beach by the local agencies charged with meeting federal mandates. Specifically, the language would
Orange prioritize funding for a cost-shared, competitive grant program within monies already being
provided to the U.S. EPA Office of Research & Development budget. This language would be
Placentia included in the Interior,Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee bill and would read:
Santa Ana
16,000,000 shall be used for extramural research grants,independent of the Star
Seal Beach Grant program, to fund high-priority water quality and availability research by
Stanton not-for-profit research organizations whose members are regulated under the
Clean Water Act or Safe Drinking Water Act Within 180 days after the date of
Tustin enactment, funds shall be awarded competitively with priority given to those
Villa Park organizations who often partner with the agency, who propose research of
national scope and who provide25%cost sharing."
Yorba Linda
Costa Mesa We thank you for your attention to this matter of important national, state and local
Sanitary District significance. If you have any questions or comments,please contact me.
Midway City
Sanitary District Sincerely,
Irvine Ranch C?a
Water District
County of Orange Larry all
Chairman of the Board
�9 10844 Ellis Avenue • Fountain Valley,CA 92708-7018 • (714)962-2411 • www.ocsd.com
reo/cw paper.
°y ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT
_ g We protect public health and the environment by providing effective wastewater collection,treatment,and recycling.
Q
o \
4
THE ENV\P°�
May 11,2011
The Honorable Ken Calvert
2269 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.20515
Fax: 202-225-2004
Serving
Anaheim As Congress begins work on the FY 2012 Budget, I want to urge you to support the continued
funding for drinking water and wastewater-related research at EPA in partnership with local
Brea wastewater and drinking water utilities. For over twenty years, Congress has supported this
Buena Park research at nonprofit water industry foundations who sponsor competitive research into source
water protection, water quality and water infrastructure. Water and wastewater-related
Cypress research should remain a high priority as the nation looks at the staggering cost estimates for
Fountain Valley replacing aging water infrastructure and contaminant-removal compliance costs.
Fullerton The Orange County Sanitation District supports and benefits from the respective research
Garden Grove conducted through the Water Research Foundation (WaterRF) and the Water Environment
Research Foundation (WERF). This research helps ensure that sound science governs
Huntington Beach compliance with Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act mandates, regulations and
Irvine policies.
La Habra
With the demise of earmarks,we have worked with our supporters on Capitol Hill to develop a
La Palma carefully defined competitive program for nonprofit organizations who conduct water and
Los Alamitos wastewater research of national significance.This research program will ensure that during FY
2012,critical water and wastewater-related research will continue to meet the needs identified
Newport Beach by the local agencies charged with meeting federal mandates. Specifically, the language would
Orange prioritize funding for a cost-shared, competitive grant program within monies already being
provided to the U.S. EPA Office of Research & Development budget. This language would be
Placentia included in the Interior,Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee bill and would read:
Santa Ana
"$6,000,000 shall be used for extramural research grants, independent of the Star
Seal Beach Grant program, to fund high-priority water quality and availability research by
Stanton not-for-profit research organizations whose members are regulated under the
Clean Water Act or Safe Drinking Water Act Within 180 days after the date of
Tustin enactment, funds shall be awarded competitively with priority given to those
Villa Park organizations who often partner with the agency, who propose research of
national scope and who provide 25%costsharing."
Yorba Linda
Costa Mesa We thank you for your attention to this matter of important national, state and local
Sanitary District significance.If you have any questions or comments,please contact me.
Midway City
Sanitary District Sincerel ,
Irvine Ranch
Water District
County of Orange Larry Cran all
Chairman of the Board
10844 Ellis Avenue • Fountain Valley,CA 92708 7018 (714)962-2411 www.ocsd.com
recycled paper