Public Utilities 2025/12/17CITY OF ANAHEIM
PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD
December 17,2025
The agenda having been posted on Thursday, December 11, 2025, the Regular Meeting of the Public Utilities
Board (Board) was called to order by Chairperson J. Seymour at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 17, 2025,
in the Gordon Hoyt Conference Center, 2 d floor, Anaheim West Tower, 201 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim,
California.
Board Members Present: Chairperson J. Seymour, Vice -Chairperson A. Pham, M. Lee, A. McMenamin,
T. Ibrahim
Board Members Absent: I. Castillo, (One Board Member seat is currently vacant)
City Staff Present: D. Lee, B. Beelner, C. Parker, J. Lonneker, J. Lehman, M. Avelino -Walker, A. Lee,
P. Starr, M. Seifen, S. Whitlock, G. Ludesirishoti, J. Greaney, J. Balandran, V. Tran,
P. Bogdanoff, B. Mendoza, A. Halim, A. Lee, D. Ramirez, E. Ramirez, T. Penna,
S. Barrera, J. Ramirez, T. Mardikian
Guests Present: M. Hicks, Vice President of Public Affairs for OCVIBE, J. Reall, Anaheim Union
High School District, Thien B., M. Ramirez, Y. Ramirez, M. Ramirez, Y. Munos
High School Students: Leonid R., Julissa W., Evangelina A., Melina M.
AGENDA ITEM
ACTION TAKEN
D. Lee, Public Utilities General Manager, recognized E. Ramirez, who is retiring after 38 years with the City of
Anaheim (City). After a 38-year career with the City, E. Ramirez is retiring as an Electric Meter Supervisor.
1. PUBLIC COMMENTS.
2. APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF
NOVEMBER 19,2025. *
RM 9 so 1 [44 1 1&11 a0 GWAUNZI U41IRMIN
M. Avelino -Walker, General Services Officer, provided an overview of
Anaheim Public Utilities (APU) 2025 High School Mentorship Program,
in which APU collaborates with Anaheim Union High School District
There being no electronic or oral
public comments, Chairperson
J. Seymour closed the public
comments portion of the
meeting.
T. Ibrahim moved the approval
of the Minutes of the Regular
Meeting of November 19, 2025.
M. Lee seconded the motion.
MOTION CARRIED: 5-0.
ABSTAINED: 0.
ABSENT: 1. [1. Castillo]
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(AUHSD) through their Anaheim Innovative Mentoring Experience
(AIMS) to mentor students in career -readiness. S. Whitlock, Resource
Programs Specialist, stated that there were 42 students from Loara High
School and Savanna High School who participated in four sessions of the
mentorship program.
S. Whitlock shared that the students worked towards fostering career -
readiness and interpersonal skills, as well as working with mentors that are
APU employees from a cross-section of the department. S. Whitlock
introduced four students (Leonid R., Julissa W., Evangelina A., and
Melina M.) who shared their mentorship experience and career interests
with the Board. The Board congratulated the students on the completion of
their mentorship and wished them well in the future.
ELECTRIC AND WATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
J. Lonneker, Assistant General Manager — Electric Services, provided a
brief introduction of APU's involvement in the development of the
OCVIBE and acknowledged M. Hicks, Vice President of Public Affairs
for OCVIBE, who was in the audience.
J. Greaney, Principal Electrical Engineer, provided an overview of the
OCVIBE development, which is an expansive mixed -use project
surrounding the Honda Center. J. Greaney described the electrical
infrastructure improvements that will support OCVIBE that are currently
underway, including an update on the development's construction
schedule for the new electrical line extensions and utility pole
undergrounding at Cerritos Avenue and Douglass Road. J. Greaney
highlighted APU's coordination efforts to address necessary electrical
updates for the upcoming 2028 Olympic volleyball events at the Honda
Center.
G. Ludesirishoti, Principal Civil Engineer, provided an overview of the
projected impacts to the water system to support the new development,
including demand increases and new infrastructure. G. Ludesirishoti
described the distribution mains constructed by the developer and the
transmission mains to be constructed by APU.
The Board asked whether the developer was required to meet APU's
design requirements to construct the infrastructure. G. Ludesirishoti
explained that all developers must comply with existing design standards
as part of the normal plan check process. G. Ludesirishoti then discussed
cost responsibilities between the developer and APU, summarizing the
total cost of the three transmission mains to be constructed by APU and
the cost share associated with additional scope for system improvements
not specific to OCVIBE. G. Ludesirishoti clarified that the majority of the
costs are the responsibility of the developer.
J. Greaney then summarized the electrical line extension and utility pole
undergrounding costs, as well as OCVIBE's cost -share requirements.
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J. Greaney noted that these cost figures do not include individual building
infrastructure, as transformers and meters will be installed when each
building is ready for service. These components are referred to as service
connections, and their costs are fully reimbursable by OCYIBE.
The Board inquired if additional electrical line extension phases are
proposed for the area south of Katella Avenue near the Anaheim Regional
Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC). J. Greaney explained that the
existing electrical infrastructure is already installed within the roadways,
and that only additional service connections will be required for the new
buildings. G. Ludesirishoti noted that one of the water transmission mains
designed and constructed by APU will be located south of Katella Avenue
near ARTIC.
The Board asked if there would be sufficient water for the project if the
State of California experiences another drought. G. Ludesirishoti
explained that short- and long-term water demands were analyzed for both
dry and wet years, and confirmed that the area would be maintainable and
water efficient.
The Board asked if the new development would impact the Santa Ana
River Trail. D. Lee confirmed that the trail would continue to be an
amenity for the community.
C. Parker, Assistant General Manager — Water Services, presented the
Water System Reliability update for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024/25. APU was
in line with being in the top 25th percentile as compared to other water
agencies for the majority of the performance indicators. The Water
System Reliability report includes water supply and equipment availability
(Lenain Water Treatment Plant and wells), water main breaks, outages,
hydrant and valve maintenance, and annual water loss audit. The Lenain
Treatment Plant availability was 96% and met the goal of 95%. The well
operational availability was 60%, which was under the 75% goal but has
recently increased to 80% this FY due to increased well availability as
groundwater treatment systems have come online.
APU was well below the industry national average of 11.1 main breaks per
100 miles, with only 4.5 in the past FY, which is less than APU's goal of
8.0. The year -over -year increase is being addressed with prioritized main
replacement projects. However, the duration of 4.81 hours per occurrence
was slightly outside of the top 25%. With a focus on safe work practices,
C. Parker shared videos of how staff follows safety procedures during
excavation activities to avoid damaging gas lines or other utilities.
The Board inquired how APU determines the main break target and asked
why it doesn't change each FY. C. Parker shared that the 25th percentile
varies, but APU prefers to keep the 8.0 internal target consistent to
maintain work productivity.
C. Parker then mentioned that the City has a Class 1 rating for the
Anaheim Fire & Rescue's fire system, which only the top 1 % of fire
systems have obtained. APU's water system contributes to the Class 1
rating by exceeding rigorous standards to help meet water system needs.
C. Parker then discussed water conservation including water loss metrics,
shared that the APU conducts a leak detection survey every three years to
identify leaks and maintain water loss. The Board asked if leak detection
equipment is available for residents to locate leaks on their property. C.
Parker stated that the leak detection survey is available to private
contractors, and any leaks that are detected on the customer side are
reported to the customer and addressed by the customer.
C. Parker shared that overall, the water system is performing well, but
there is room for improvement. The focus in the future will be water main
replacement to achieve the top 25% of water agencies in main breaks per
100 miles.
The Board inquired if the cartridge filters have the same chain of custody
(special disposal requirements) as the resin in the Groundwater Treatment
Plants that remove Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). C. Parker
stated that the cartridge filters do not require a chain of custody because
they do not remove any PFAS.
6. UPDATE ON ELECTRIC SYSTEM ITEMS.
J. Lonneker shared that APU hosted a community event in the Minuet
Neighborhood to inform residents of the streetlight improvement plan and
discussed the various construction activities to replace aging metal
streetlight poles. The event was well attended with approximately 60
residents, and 44 Dusk -to -Dawn lights were distributed. Construction is
estimated to start at the beginning of 2026.
J. Lonneker informed the Board that the City currently has seven wildfire
mitigation cameras installed in the high Fire Threat Zones (FTZ) of East
Anaheim and that APU is adding two new locations in 2026. The first site
will overlook Peralta Fulls and the second site will overlook Deer Canyon
Park. These locations were selected in collaboration with Anaheim Fire
and Rescue and viewable from their dispatch center to assist with early
warning situational awareness. The wildfire cameras will be mounted on
new streetlight poles at the edge of the canyons and connected to the APU
fiber optic system. Construction will begin in summer 2026.
7. UPDATE ON WATER SYSTEM ITEMS.
C. Parker provided an update on the Water Supply Dashboard, sharing that
the Orange County Groundwater Basin is in good condition and rainfall to
date has been above average. The State Water Project is in good condition
with an initial allocation of 10%. The Federal Government issued the
National Farm Security Action Plan, which directed staff to ensure there is
enough water for farmers in the Central Valley using the Central Valley
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Project. California is pushing back on this due to environmental concerns.
The Colorado River Basin is in adequate condition, but still strained.
Rainfall has been a little under average to date. The seven states are still
negotiating a conservation plan to reduce use to match what the river can
provide.
C. Parker also briefed the Board on the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California (MWD) Calendar Art Recognition Event held at
MWD's headquarters. The event recognized calendar art for students from
schools around Southern California. Two students from the City were
selected to have their art included in the 2026 MWD calendar. The art has
themes of water conservation and how important water is to the
community.
8. UPDATE ON FINANCE AND ENERGY RESOURCES ITEMS.
B. Beelner, Assistant General Manager — Finance and Energy
Resources, discussed the monthly Finance Dashboard for the period
ending October 2025. B. Beelner mentioned that the Electric Utility
revenue for the period exceeded expectations mainly due to better-than-
expected wholesale revenue. Electric expenses were approximately 14.5%
below budget mainly due to some timing differences with various
renewable energy contracts. B. Beelner shared that the Water Utility costs
and revenue are relatively in line with budget.
B. Beelner discussed the monthly Power Supply Dashboard noting that the
Intermountain Power Project in Delta, Utah delivered its last megawatt
hour (MWh) of coal energy on November 26, 2025. B. Beelner reminded
the Board that at one point Anaheim's portfolio was made up of almost
60% coal, so this is a major achievement.
B. Beelner then informed the Board of an upcoming tour of the San
Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) to see the status of the
decommissioning and demolition of the plant. Board Members interested
in attending can inform staff.
9. UPDATE ON ADMINISTRATION AND RISK SERVICES ITEMS.
J. Lehman, Assistant General Manager — Administration and Risk
Services, updated the Board on the Wholesale Energy Risk Management
(ERM) program's Quarterly Compliance report. J. Lehman highlighted
that during this period there were no violations of the ERM program and
that all transactions complied with the ERM program requirements.
J. Lehman then shared that APU was still currently tracking 100 bills, and
that the Legislative Working Group would meet and review these and any
new bills that may have been introduced after January 5th, when the
legislature comes back into session. J. Lehman said that the likely focus of
the upcoming legislative year will be affordability and water -related issues
such as water quality provisions and water affordability.
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J. Lehman then reviewed the safety metrics and shared that APU had one
reportable injury during the reporting period related to a back strain. J.
Lehman said that APU continues to provide training, job site inspections
and process reviews to help employees minimize injuries.
10. ITEMS BY SECRETARY.
D. Lee informed the Board that the Oath of Office for Board Member -
Elect Hemant (Shashi) Kewalramani is scheduled to be administered in
January 2026.
D. Lee shared agenda items planned for next month:
• United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) North
Basin Groundwater Cleanup and Public Outreach Presentation;
• Proposed Electric and Water Rule Modifications; and
• Two Agreements in Development: Residential Energy and Water
Efficiency Programs and Wind Power Purchase Agreement.
D. Lee shared the following updates:
• Vice -Chairperson A. Pham and Board Member I. Castillo attended
the Board and Commissions Appreciation Dinner, and A. Pham
presented a plaque to Chairperson J. Seymour from the recognition
event;
• APU staff participated in Guinn Elementary School's Career Day;
• APU hosted the annual Holiday Lights event and an Open House at
the Sustainability Education Center;
• APU participated in a tree lighting event near the Ponderosa
Family Resource Center; and
• APU participated in a holiday event in District 2 and provided
information about energy and water conservation to residents.
11. ITEMS BY BOARD MEMBERS.
Board Members T. Ibrahim and A. McMenamin wished everyone a
happy holidays.
Board Member M. Lee expressed his appreciation for the presentations
provided to the Board and wished everyone happy holidays.
Vice -Chairperson A. Pham thanked APU staff for everything they do
throughout the year to provide quality service and wished everyone happy
holidays.
Chairperson J. Seymour wished everyone a happy and safe holiday season.
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12. ADJOURN: (NEXT REGULAR MEETING ON JANUARY 28,2026 M. Lee moved to adjourn the
AT 5:00 P.M.) Regular Meeting in the Gordon
Hoyt Conference Center at 6:17
p.m. to the Board's Regular
Meeting date of January 28,
2026, at 5:00 p.m. T. Ibrahim
seconded the motion.
MOTION CARRIED: 5-0.
ABSTAINED: 0.
ABSENT: 1. [1. Castillo]
Respgctfully su mi ed,
su
Dukku Lee
Public Utilities General Manager
*Indicates voting item(s) that will be forwarded to City Council for action upon recommendation by the Board.
**Indicates voting item(s) that do not require further approval actions.
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