* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:31] SAN ANTONIO. SAN ANTONIO. MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU READ THE ROLL? COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER BRAN. HERE. HAPPY NEW YEAR. COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER CODA HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PEZ. COUNCIL MEMBER CURRY HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. I'M HERE. AND MAYOR BERG HERE. MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UH, THANK YOU AND WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL A SESSION AGENDA. THE TIME IS 9:07 AM ON THIS THURSDAY, JANUARY 14TH, 2021. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. THIS IS OUR FIRST VOTING SESSION OF THE NEW YEAR. UH, AND IT IS MY GREAT HONOR, UH, TO WELCOME OUR INDICATOR [1. 21-1012 Invocation] THIS MORNING. UH, BISHOP DAVID COPELAND IS A NATIVE OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, AND CURRENTLY SERVES AS SENIOR PASTOR OF NEW CREATION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. I KNOW ALL OF US KNOW HIM VERY WELL. BISHOP COPELAND COMPLETED HIS UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BROCKPORT, WHERE HE GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE. HIS SEMINARY TRAINING ALSO INCLUDES STUDY AT COLGATE ROCHESTER DIVINITY SCHOOL IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. IN MAY OF 1992, BISHOP COPELAND COMPLETED A DOCTORATE OF MINISTRY AT PERKINS SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY, SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY IN DALLAS, TEXAS. BISHOP COPELAND WAS ELEVATED TO THE HYPOCRISY EPIS EPIS EPISCOPY, EXCUSE ME, IN JUNE OF 1998. HE IS THE FOUNDER AND OVERSEER OF THE KINGDOM COUNCIL OF INTERDEPENDENT CHRISTIAN CHURCHES AND MINISTRIES. THIS COUNCIL IS AN INTERDEPENDENT AND INTERDENOMINATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF CHURCHES AND MINISTRIES DEDICATED TO PERFECTING THE CHURCH AND IMPACTING THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE. HE AND HIS WIFE, THE REVEREND DR. CLAUDETTE, A COPELAND, HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR MORE THAN 45 YEARS. THEY WERE HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS AND TOGETHER THEY HAVE FOUNDED A NEW CREATION AFTER SERVING SEVEN YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE CHAPLAINCY. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THEY WERE THE FIRST ACTIVE DUTY AFRICAN-AMERICAN COUPLE IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE CHAPLAINCY. BISHOP COPELAND CONTINUES TO AVAIL HIMSELF TO THE MOVE OF GOD SHARING VISION AND INSPIRATION WITH CHURCHES AND MINISTRIES IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. AFTER MORE THAN 50 YEARS IN THE MINISTRY, BISHOP COPELAND BELIEVES THAT GOD'S CHURCH SHOULD BE A CARING COMMUNITY, EQUIPPING THE SAINTS TO LIVE THEIR LIVES ON PURPOSE. BISHOP COPELAND, UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND, UH, TO ALL OF US IN THIS ROOM AND EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY. UH, WE'RE SO PRIVILEGED TO HAVE YOU HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND HONORED THAT YOU WOULD, UH, GIVE US THE INVOCATION FOR OUR FIRST MEETING OF THE DECADE. WELL, UH, GRACE AND PEACE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. UM, LET US PRAY ONE TIMOTHY TWO, ONE THROUGH FOUR. WE ARE URGED FIRST OF ALL, THAT PETITIONS, PRAYERS IN A SESSIONS AND THANKSGIVING BE MADE FOR ALL PEOPLE, FOR LEADERS, AND FOR ALL THOSE IN AUTHORITY THAT WE MAY LIVE PEACEFUL AND QUIET LIVES IN ALL GODLINESS AND HOLINESS. THIS IS GOOD AND PLEASES GOD OUR SAVIOR, WHO WANTS ALL PEOPLE TO BE SAVED AND TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH. WE THANK YOU LORD FOR ALLOWING US TO SEE A NEW YEAR. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THE GRACE AND FAVOR YOU HAVE GIVEN TO OUR NATION. WE PRAY FOR OUR GOVERNORS. WE PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENTS PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN. WE ASK FOR YOUR GUIDANCE IN THIS TIME OF TRANSITION. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO BE LIVING IN A DEMOCRACY WHERE MANY PLAY A PART IN MAKING SURE THE NEEDS AND DESIRES OF OUR CITIZENS ARE BOTH HEARD AND [00:05:01] MET. AS LEADERS, WE WORK TOGETHER TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO DIFFICULT PROBLEMS, AND WE ASK THAT YOU GUIDE US AND HELP US TO SPEAK RESPECTFULLY AND WITH HUMILITY TO ONE ANOTHER. HELP US TO SHOW GRACE AND LOVE TO THOSE WE INTERACT WITH AND TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS AND OTHERS. WE PRAY FOR OUR MAYOR, OUR CITY COUNCIL, AND ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. PLEASE GIVE US YOUR STRENGTH, YOUR WISDOM, EMPATHY AND COMPASSION TO GUIDE OUR DECISIONS AS WE HONORABLY SEEK TO SERVE. OUR CITY IS SURROUNDED WITH PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND MANY BACKGROUNDS SURROUND OUR LEADERS WITH PEOPLE OF HIGH MORAL CHARACTER AND MATURITY. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFFS OF OUR LEADERS. THEY HAVE IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES IN KEEPING THEIR OFFICES RUNNING WITH EXCELLENCE. AND WE THANK YOU FOR HAVING GIFTED THEM WITH THE SUPPORT NEEDED TO FULFILL EACH OF THEIR COMMITMENTS. GOD, WE THANK YOU FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AND LEADERSHIP ROLES, AND WE ASK THAT YOU BLESS THEIR FAMILIES. PLEASE REMIND WE WHO SERVE EACH DAY WHY WE DECIDED TO DEDICATE OUR LIVES TO PUBLIC SERVICE. AS WE ASK THAT BY YOUR GRACE, YOU USE OUR COMMITMENT TO ENCOURAGE US IN SEASONS OF DIFFICULTY. GRANT EACH OF US YOUR PEACE WHEN OUR WORK TAKES US AWAY FROM OUR FAMILIES. BLESS AND KEEP THEM SAFE. WE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR WIVES, OUR HUSBANDS, AND OUR CHILDREN. NOW LORD, WE PRAY FOR A HEDGE OF PROTECTION TO COVER OUR CITY, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AS WE KEEP, AS YOU KEEP US SAFE AND PROTECTED. I PRAY FOR A HEDGE OF PROTECTION FOR THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF OUR COMMUNITY IN THIS PANDEMIC. KEEP US HEALTHY. BLESS ALL HEALTH PERSONNEL WHO MINISTER FOR OUR WELLBEING. GOD, KEEP US SAFE FROM HURT, HARM AND DANGER WHETHER NATURAL DISASTERS AND EMIN. LORD, WE ASK THAT YOU GIVE US THE GRACE TO PROSPER AND TO BE IN GOOD HEALTH EVEN AS WE CONTINUE TO SEEK YOUR WILL. LORD, WE PRAY THIS PRAYER BY YOUR GRACE AND POWER. AMEN. AMEN AND AMEN. HAVE A GREAT YEAR. AMEN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, BISHOP AND PLEASE GIVE OUR BEST TO PASTOR C I SHALL GRACE AND PEACE. LOVE YOU ALL. YOU TOO BISHOP. ALRIGHT. NOW, [2. 21-1013 Pledge of Allegiance] IF UH, YOU WOULD PLEASE JOIN US, UH, IN A PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ALL RIGHT, UM, OUR FIRST ITEM [3. 21-1014 Approval of Minutes from the City Council Meetings of September 17, 2020, September 30, 2020, and October 1, 2020] ON THE AGENDA TODAY IS THE APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 17TH, SEPTEMBER 30TH AND OCTOBER 1ST, UH, 2020. IF THERE ARE NO CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION MOTION FOR THE APPROVAL OF THOSE NEXT. SO MOVED. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION BY PERRY. WAS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND BY COURAGE. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. MAY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT. BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR, UM, BUSINESS AGENDA TODAY, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF POINTS OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. LET ME FIRST TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER JADA ANDREW SULLIVAN. WELL, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, CITY COUNCIL. GOOD MORNING. CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO ALL OF OUR CITY STAFF A BLESSED AND HAPPY NEW YEAR AS WE ARE HERE TO START OUR NEW YEAR. WE KNOW THAT M L K DAY IS RIGHT UPON US AND IT IS AN HONOR, A PRIVILEGE AND A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE TO BE ABLE TO BRING FORTH THE M L K JUNIOR VIRTUAL MARCH OF 2021. ON YESTERDAY, I GOT TO SIT AND WATCH [00:10:01] A PREVIEW, AND WHEN I SAY THAT THE CHILLS THAT IT GAVE ME TO SEE HOW OUR CITY COMES FROM THE RESILIENCY OF GOING THROUGH COVID TO BRING FORTH SOMETHING THAT WILL NOT ONLY BE A MONUMENT OF HOW WE CAN STAND TOGETHER, BUT BE SEEN BY A WORLDWIDE PRESENTATION OF WHAT WE DO BEST HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND THAT IS LIFT EACH OTHER UP. THIS YEAR OUR THEME IS RE RISE UP FOR JUSTICE AND WE AS A CITY COUNCIL HAVE BEEN DOING THAT THROUGHOUT THIS PANDEMIC, THROUGHOUT THIS RACIAL UPRISING AND THROUGHOUT ALL OF THE CHALLENGES THAT 2020 HAS BROUGHT TO US. ON 2021, YOU'LL SEE THE M L K MARCH BE BROUGHT TO YOU IN A WAY THAT WE NEVER THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD BE DOING THIS. AND THAT IS VIRTUALLY I WILL CLOSE OUT BY SAYING THAT DR. KING ALWAYS USED THE QUOTES TO UPLIFT US. AND AN INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO JUSTICE EVERYWHERE. AND TODAY AND THIS MOMENT AND THIS TIME IS THE TIME TO MAKE THE CHANGE THAT WE WANT TO SEE. AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO JOHN, WHO WILL PLAY A SMALL VIDEO TO SHOW A SNIPPET OF WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT ON MONDAY MORNING, STARTING AT 10:00 AM BEING VIEWED ON CHANNEL FOUR, ANDT V S A. THANK YOU, DR. KING. DR. HE CAN I SAY FREEDOM? YOU SAY KING. FREEDOM KING. FREEDOM KING, EVEN KING. KING. WE STAND AND WE RISE UP IN JUSTICE AND WE RISE TOGETHER. JOIN US FOR THE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMEMORATIVE MARCH AND VIRTUAL CELEBRATION AIRING ON JANUARY 18TH FROM 10:00 AM TO 12 NOON ON NEWS FOUR, SAN ANTONIO T V S A 21 NEWS FOUR LIVE STREAMING FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE. I'D LIKE TO THANK MR. YAKI SMITH, WHO IS A GRADUATE OF HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL, FORMER CHEROKEE. UM, THANK YOU TO OUR M L K JUNIOR COMMISSION. THANK YOU TO MS. RENEE WATSON WHO STEPPED UP TO BE OUR CHAIRPERSON, TO BRING SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW IT WAS GONNA COME TO FRUITION, BUT IT HAS. THANK YOU TO OUR MAYOR. THANK YOU TO MR. DAVID MCCAREY. THAT WAS HIS VOICE THAT YOU HEARD AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT SNIPPET. THANK YOU TO OUR CITY MANAGER, ERIC WALSH, FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE OUR PLATFORM TO BRING THIS FORWARD. WE LOOK FORWARD TO EACH AND EVERY COMMUNITY MEMBER SITTING BACK, RELAXING AND ENJOYING THE 2021 VIRTUAL M L K JUNIOR MARCH. ENJOY IT WITH YOUR FAMILY, WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS, BUT MOST OF ALL, MAKE THIS A DAY OF GIVING BACK LOCALLY AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREA SULLIVAN. AND WE DO LOOK FORWARD TO JOINING YOU AND, AND OUR COMMUNITY ON MONDAY VIRTUALLY, UM, BUT HOPEFULLY ALSO JOINING MANY, MANY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD AS A RESULT OF, OF THE VIRTUAL MARCH. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THAT, JADA. ALRIGHT, LEMME TURN IT OVER NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBERS SANDOVAL FOR POINT OF PERSON PURPOSE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD FROM THE MAYOR, UH, JUST ABOUT EVERY EVENING ON OUR DAILY BRIEFING THAT WE HAVE A SHORTAGE OF BLOOD, UH, OF BLOOD AT OUR BLOOD AND TISSUE CENTER. IN FACT, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, UH, MARINER AND BERG AND I, UH, MADE A STOP OVER THERE IN ONE OF THOSE, IN THOSE REALLY COMFORTABLE CHAIRS TO, UH, TO DONATE SOME BLOOD. SO OVER HALF OF BLOOD DRIVES HAVE BEEN CANCELED OVER THE PANDEMIC, PUTTING OUR BLOOD AND TISSUE CENTER IN A VERY DIFFICULT POSITION AND THE HEALTH OF MANY, MANY RESIDENTS AT RISK. UM, WHEN WE RUN LOW ON BLOOD, OUR COMMUNITY IS IN TROUBLE. SO THIS JANUARY IS NATIONAL BLOOD DONOR AWARENESS MONTH, AND IN RECOGNITION OF THAT, I AM HAPPY TO SHARE THAT ALL OF THE CITY COUNCIL OFFICES ARE PARTICIPATING IN A FRIENDLY COMPETITION TO SEE WHO CAN HOST THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BLOOD DRIVE THIS YEAR. UH, ACTUALLY NEXT WEEK, , SO ALL OF YOU HAVE SIGNED UP. YOU'VE PICKED A DATE, YOU'VE PICKED A LOCATION. THEY'RE ALL ON THE BLOOD AND TISSUES WEBSITE, UH, FOR YOU TO SEE. OURS WILL BE, UH, AT THE CROSSROADS, UH, BAPTIST CHURCH THIS THURSDAY, JANUARY 21ST FROM 11 TO FOUR. AND I JUST WANNA WARN EVERYONE THAT DISTRICT SEVEN [00:15:01] IS OUT FOR BLOOD. SO WATCH OUT. AT THIS POINT, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME MS. ELIZABETH WALTMAN, THE C O O OF THE SOUTH TEXAS BLOOD AND TISSUE CENTER TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING BLOOD. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU MAYOR NUREMBERG AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOU SOME, A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING BLOOD IN OUR COMMUNITY. JANUARY IS RECOGNIZED AS NATIONAL BLOOD DONOR MONTH AND EVERY YEAR ACROSS THE UNITED STATES COMMUNITIES JUST LIKE OURS. TAKE THE MONTH OF JANUARY TO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR BLOOD DONORS. I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE, A FEW STATISTICS THAT MIGHT HELP YOU AS YOU TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING BLOOD AND HOPEFULLY, UH, ENCOURAGE THEM TO DONATE AT YOUR BLOOD DRIVES. LAST YEAR IN THE SOUTH TEXAS REGION, OVER 150,000 INDIVIDUALS LIKE YOU STEPPED FORWARD TO GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE. AS A RESULT, WE HAD OVER 400,000 DIFFERENT BLOOD UNITS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO TRANSFUSE TO PATIENTS IN NEED THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. IN ADDITION TO BLOOD, AS WE THINK OF IT, WHICH IS RED BLOOD CELLS, PLASMA, AND PLATELETS. WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO PROVIDE OVER 20,000 UNITS OF CONVALESCENT PLASMA TO PATIENTS WHO WERE SUFFERING FROM THIS MOST RECENT HORRIBLE PANDEMIC THAT WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF BLOOD TRANSFUSION PLAYS A CRITICAL PART IN TREATMENTS FROM CANCER TO TRAUMA TO CHILDBIRTH. AND IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE HAVE THE LUXURY OF NOT ONLY BEING ABLE TO TRANSFUSE BLOOD WITHIN OUR HOSPITALS AND TRANSFUSION FACILITIES, BUT ALSO ON THE STREETS OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF RAC, THE MILITARY AND FOLKS JUST LIKE YOU. WE HAVE THE LARGEST NETWORK OF LOW TITER OR WHOLE BLOOD OF ANYWHERE IN THE CIVILIAN WORLD, ANYWHERE IN THE CIVILIAN WORLD, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT OF FOLKS LIKE YOU. WE GREATLY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT AND ESPECIALLY THAT OF MAYOR NUREMBERG WHO HAS TAKEN THE TIME EVERY MONDAY. AND AS WE ASK TO BRING TO AWARENESS OF OUR COMMUNITY, THE NEED FOR BLOOD TODAY, WE NEED A SEVEN DAY SUPPLY, EXCUSE ME, A BLOOD, EXCUSE ME, OF BLOOD IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. CURRENTLY, OUR BLOOD SUPPLY HAS DROPPED FROM ABOUT A FIVE DAY SUPPLY DOWN TO A THREE DAY SUPPLY. AS WE LOOK AT THE DAYS TO COME, ESPECIALLY AS THE CHANGE IN POWER FROM ONE PARTY TO ANOTHER CHANGES, UM, WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING ENOUGH BLOOD FOR TRAUMA. SO YOUR BLOOD DRIVES THAT YOU'LL BE HAVING IN THE SEVERAL WEEKS TO COME WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT. THE, THE SAN ANTONIO DISTRICT CHALLENGE FROM JANUARY 19TH TO THE 22ND IS GOING TO HELP US GET THAT BLOOD SUPPLY BACK UP TO A SEVEN DAY SUPPLY. CURRENTLY, OUR NEED FOR TYPE O POSITIVE AND O NEGATIVE IS LESS THAN A DAY SUPPLY. SO AS YOU REACH OUT TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS, TO YOUR FRIENDS, AND TO YOUR FAMILY, I HOPE THAT THIS INFORMATION THAT I'VE PROVIDED WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, EXTRA AMMUNITION, SO TO SPEAK, TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO DONATE. 'CAUSE WITHOUT BLOOD, OUR HOSPITALS, OUR DOCTORS, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, OUR NURSES, ALL THOSE WILL HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME SAVING LIVES. SO YOU TURN, YOU COMPLETELY ARE A LINK BETWEEN A PATIENT'S NEED AND A PATIENT'S SURVIVAL. SO, WITH THAT, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. BUT YOU CAN ALSO GO TO OUR WEBSITE, SOUTH TEXAS BLOOD.ORG. THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THERE, AND WE'D BE HAPPY TO HELP IN ANY WAY WE CAN TO MAKE YOUR BLOOD DRIVE SUCCESSFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ELIZABETH. AND, UM, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO, UH, THANK ELIZABETH FOR BEING HERE FOR SPREADING THE WORD AND OF COURSE, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, DISTRICT THREE IS ALWAYS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. SO WE ARE READY TO GO TUESDAY, UH, THE 19TH FROM 11:00 AM TO 4:00 PM I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNER AT EMBASSY SUITES ON THE BROOKS CAMPUS. THEY ARE OPENING UP THEIR BALLROOM FOR US TO USE THAT AREA, SO IT'S A COMMUNITY EFFORT. SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND I, I, UM, LOOK FORWARD TO THE COMPETITION. THANK YOU. OKAY, . THANK [00:20:01] YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VERON. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH ELIZABETH, AND PLEASE GIVE OUR BEST TO, UH, THE TEAM OVER THERE AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS, UH, THAT ARE, UH, WORKING DOUBLE TIME, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS PANDEMIC. WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHT, UM, AT THIS TIME WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO OUR BUSINESS AGENDA. WE DO HAVE ONE ITEM LISTED FOR INDIVIDUAL BRIEFING. UH, ITEM NUMBER FOUR. EVERYTHING ELSE [CONSENT AGENDA] IS ON, UH, CONSENT. I DO WANT TO NOTE STAFF HAS PULLED, UH, FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION, UH, NOT FOR TODAY. ITEMS NINE AND 24, I DO HAVE ITEMS 15 PULLED BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN, AND THEN COUNT, UH, ITEMS 16, PULLED BY COUNCIL MEMBER. ARE THERE ANY OTHERS, UH, TO PULL FOR CONSIDERATION INDIVIDUALLY? UH, MAYOR. MAYOR, UM, GO AHEAD. UH, ANA. SO, SO I, I THINK I SHOULD PULL 16 AND 17 TOGETHER. OKAY. UH, TO HEAR, HEAR TOGETHER? YES, PLEASE. OKAY. YEAH, GO AHEAD. UM, I GOT IT. MAY COUNCIL MEMBER ROSA GARCIA. UH, I'D LIKE TO PULL ITEM NUMBER 19, BUT IT'S JUST FOR RECUSAL PURPOSES. GOT IT. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, I'VE GOT ITEMS 15, 16, 17, AND 19. ANY OTHERS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION? IF THERE ARE NONE, UM, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. THAT'S ALL ITEMS SAY FOR, UH, THOSE PULLED FROM THE AGENDA TODAY AS WELL AS 15, 16, 17, 19. AND THEN ITEM FOUR, WE DO HAVE A FEW, UH, MAYOR, I MOVE THE APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION FOR APPROVAL. IS THERE A SECOND? I, ALL RIGHT. WHO, WHO IS THE SECOND? I'M SORRY. YOU JUST WAVE HAND DEFECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. MOTION BY COURAGE. SECOND BY, UH, BERT HDA. UH, WE DO HAVE SOME CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS REMAINING ON CONSENT. I'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE THEM NOW. UH, WE'LL START WITH, UH, JACK FINGER SPEAKING ON ITEMS FOUR 14 AND 25 Y. YES. UH, MAYOR NURNBERG. YES, I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK AFTER ON NUMBER FOUR AFTER WE'VE HEARD THE STAFF, UH, PRESENTATION ON THAT, JACK. YEAH. SO THIS IS FOR 14 AND 25. GO AHEAD. YES. UH, ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, A FEW FEW ITEMS I, UH, WISH TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION, UH, TO MAYOR NURENBERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. UH, THE, UH, ITEM NUMBER 14 IS ABOUT THE, UH, ACCEPTING THE, UH, OH, THE, THE, THE SAN ANTONIO METROPOLITAN HEALTH DISTRICT'S, UH, PARTICIPATION IN THE MEDICAID 1115, UH, UH, DEMONSTRATION WAIVER PROGRAM. UH, THIS IS FOR, UH, VARIOUS, UH, PROGRAMS, UH, THAT THE, UH, THAT THE CITY WILL RECEIVE, UH, FUNDING FOR, FOR, FROM, FROM, UH, THE, THE MEDICAID PROGRAM, UH, DIABETES PREVENTION, CHILDREN'S SCHOOL-BASED ORAL HEALTH, UH, S T D PREVENTION, HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS, AND SO FORTH. BUT ONE OTHER PARTICULAR ONE IN PART THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION. TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION. YES. LOOKING AT THE BACK OF DOCUMENTS FOR THAT, WE'RE FINDING OUT THAT IT'S CALLED A COMPREHENSIVE TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION. AND I LOOKED AT, UPON LOOKING AT SOME OF THE BACKUP INFORMATION ON THAT, WE FIND OUT THAT, UH, UH, THIS TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION PROGRAM IS NOT JUST BASED ON ABSTINENCE. IT IS BASED ON ABSTINENCE PLUS MEANING, MEANING THAT THE CITY IS GOING TO PROMOTE, UH, ESSENTIALLY GOING TO PROMOTE A, A PROMI PROMISCUOUS BEHAVIOR FOR OUR TEENAGERS. THE IDEA OF OFFERING THEM, UH, ITEMS REGARDING BIRTH CONTROL AND, AND, AND, AND SO FORTH THAT, UH, CITY, CITY IS, IS TALKING OUT BOTH SIDES OF ITS MOUTH IS ABSTINENCE. OKAY, WELL, FINE IF, BUT, BUT THEY'RE TELLING THE TEENAGER IF, IF YOU CAN'T, CAN'T CONTROL YOUR URGES, HERE ARE THE BIRTH CONTROL DEVICES. WELL, I'M SORRY THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, THAT REALLY JUST, JUST DOES NOT CUT IT. UH, WE ARE TRYING, THE IDEA [00:25:01] IS THAT, I MEAN, WHO, WHO ARE THE ADULTS IN THE ROOM HERE ANYWAY? I MEAN, ARE WE TRY TRYING TO HELP OUR TEENAGERS, UH, UM, ENCOURAGE THEM NOT TO HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE? OR ARE, ARE, ARE WE JUST GOING TO, UH, GIVE UP AND, AND, AND, UH, TELL 'EM, GO AHEAD AND COME TO OUR, OUR CITY CLINICS AND YOU CAN GET THE, THE, THESE CONDOMS AND, AND BIRTH CONTROL PILLS AND SO FORTH THERE. NOW, QUITE FRANKLY, WE, WE, WE, IN THE, THE CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE COMMUNITY, WE, WE DON'T LIKE OUR TEXTILES GOING TO THIS, BUT, BUT THAT'S, BUT THAT'S WHAT WHAT YOU ARE, ARE, ARE ALLOWING TO SH SHIFT OVER TO. SO, NO, I THINK, UH, SOMEONE THAT NEEDS TO PULL ITEM NUMBER 14, HAVE A DISCUSSION ON IT AND, AND, AND OFFER AN AMENDMENTS TO SAYING NO TO IT. THERE. THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. YES. UH, NEXT UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM 18. IS MARISA UCHIN NOT CONNECTED, SIR? MS. UCHIN? I DON'T THINK WE, UM, ARE ABLE TO RECONNECT WITH HER, MS. UCHIN. OKAY. WE'LL GO NOW TO BRAD MCMURRAY ON ITEM 23. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MY NAME IS BRAD MCMURRAY AND I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT FOR PROSPER HOUSING COMMUNITY SERVICES. UH, PROSPER IS A 5 0 1 C THREE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDER, AND WE'VE SERVED SAN ANTONIO AND ITS RESIDENTS BY PROVIDING, UH, SAFE, HIGH QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING SINCE 19 93, 93. AND WE ALSO PLACE A HIGH PRIORITY ON PROVIDING SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS TO ENSURE THAT THEY NOT ONLY HAVE A QUALITY HOME, BUT THAT THEY ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THEIR CIRCUMSTANCE. AND I WANTED TO SPEAK IN REGARDS TO ITEM 23 THAT'S AWARDING CHOTO OPERATING EXPENSE FUNDING. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THE CITY'S SUPPORT OF LOCAL, NONPROFIT AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDERS WITH THIS CHODA OPERATING EXPENSE FUNDING. AND WE APPRECIATE STAFF STAFF'S DECISION TO INCLUDE PROSPERA IN THE NONPROFIT, CHODOS BEING RECOMMENDED FOR AN AWARD. UH, THIS FUNDING IS GONNA SUPPORT PROSPERA STAFF AND THEIR WORK ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO AFFORDABLE DEVELOPMENTS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN SAN ANTONIO THAT ARE GONNA PROVIDE 127 UNITS OF SORELY NEEDED AFFORDABLE HOUSING, INCLUDING UNITS SERVING HOUSEHOLDS THAT ARE IN THE GREATEST NEED, UH, MAKING OUT OR BELOW 30% OF AREA MEDIA INCOME. AND AGAIN, WE JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING, UH, PROSPERS EFFORTS TO SERVE THE CITIZENS IN SAN ANTONIO. AND THIS CONCLUDES MY COMMENT. THANK YOU MI. MR. MCMURRAY. UM, SPEAKING ON ITEM 24 IS MICHAEL TAYLOR. UH, MR. TAYLOR, IF YOU'RE ON THE LINE, UM, I, I HOPE YOU DID NOTE THAT STAFF, UH, PULLED ITEM 24 FROM CONSIDERATION TODAY, SO IT'S NOT BEING HEARD. UH, YOU DO HAVE THE OPTION OF TAKING YOUR TIME THOUGH IF YOU'D LIKE. UM, SO GO AHEAD, MR. TAYLOR. YOU DO HAVE THE FLOOR. IT LOOKS MR. TAYLOR. OKAY. LOOKS LIKE IT DISCONNECTED. ALRIGHT. OKAY. UM, ANY COUNCIL DISCUSSION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA BEFORE WE, UH, CALL OR QUESTION? COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AS ALWAYS, THERE'S LOTS OF WONDERFUL THINGS TO HIGHLIGHT IN THE, IN THE CONSENT AGENDA, BUT THERE THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH TIME. SO, UH, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT ITEMS 13, 20, AND 14, ALL AS A BUNCH. THIS IS ALL GRANT FUNDING FOR OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S REALLY, REALLY CRITICAL, UM, TO RECEIVE GRANT FUNDING IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. AS YOU KNOW, OR AS YOU, YOU MAY RECALL, MORE THAN HALF OF THE FUNDING OF FOR OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS GRANTS. IT IS NOT LOCALLY FUNDED. THE MAJORITY OF THE, OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS NOT LOCALLY FUNDED. SO EVERY GRANT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL FOR US TO, TO RECEIVE. SO I, I THINK THE PANDEMIC HAS REALLY BROUGHT THE SPOTLIGHT ON THE IMPORTANT WORK OF LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND METRO HEALTH, UH, WORKS ON DISEASE PREVENTION, BUT OF COURSE, AS OF THIS FISCAL YEAR ALSO HAS TAKEN ON, UH, VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PROGRAMS. SO, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO, AND I AM GLAD TO SEE OUR CONTINUED EFFORTS TO, UH, MONITOR AND PROTECT, UH, AIR QUALITY AS WELL IN INCLUDED IN THAT AS ONE OF THE GRANTS TO T C E Q. UH, AND THE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS THE REAPPOINTMENT AND APPOINTMENT OF OUR VIA, [00:30:01] UH, BOARD MEMBERS OF OUR NEW VIA BOARD MEMBERS. UH, I AM JUST ABSOLUTELY THRILLED, UH, THAT WE HAD SUCH HIGH CALIBER, UH, INDIVIDUALS FROM THE COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER, UH, TO DO THIS WORK. AND I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO, TO THE IDEAS AND THE ENERGY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BRING. UH, LAURA, MELANIE, AND JAVIER, UH, I WISH YOU THE BEST AND THANK YOU TO BOB AND MS. MALONE FOR, UH, CONTINUING IN THEIR SERVICE. THANK YOU. YEAH, JUST, UH, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VIA GRAND PULLED ITEM 15, SO WE'LL BE HEARING THAT, UH, AND WE DO HAVE THE, UM, THE RECOMMENDATIONS HERE WITH US. OKAY. UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? ALRIGHT. HEARING NONE. UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA, THAT'S ALL ITEMS SAVED FOR, UH, 4 15, 16, 17, 19, AS WELL AS NINE AND 24, WHICH WERE PULLED. AYE, AYE, AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ALRIGHT. MOTION CARRIES. WE'LL START NOW [15. 20-3366 Ordinance reappointing Bob Comeaux (Union Representative) and Athalie Malone (Representative of Transportation Disadvantaged) to an expired term of office to end December 31, 2021 and appointing Laura Cabanilla, Javier Paredes, and Melanie Tawill to an unexpired term of office to end December 31, 2022 to the VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority Board of Trustees [Tina J. Flores, City Clerk]] WITH, UM, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHY DON'T WE, UM, SINCE WE DO HAVE GUESTS ON THE LINE HERE FIRST, UH, LET ME TAKE A ITEM OUTTA ORDER. LET ME GO TO ITEM 15 FIRST. UH, THAT WAY OUR FOLKS THAT ARE, ARE HERE DON'T HAVE TO, UH, WAIT TOO MUCH LONGER. UM, UNNECESSARILY, LET'S START WITH ITEM 15, THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO FOUR. ITEM NUMBER 15 IS AN ORDINANCE REAPPOINTING BOB CUOMO, UNION REPRESENTATIVE AND ASHLEY MALONE, REPRESENTATIVE OF TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED TO AN EXPIRED TERM OF OFFICE TO END DECEMBER 31ST, 2021. AND APPOINTING LAURA CABIA, ER, PEREZ, AND MELANIE TWILL TO AN UNEXPIRED TERM OF OFFICE TO END DECEMBER 31ST, 2022, TO THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES COUNCIL MEMBER VIA GRAND. THANK YOU MAYOR, VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THIS, UM, OUT OF ORDER. SO OUR APPLICANTS, UH, CAN SPEAK, UH, WELL, CAN HAVE SOME TIME BACK, THANK YOU TO THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE FOR DOING ALL OF THE REALLY HEAVY LIFTING OF GOING THROUGH ALL OF THE APPLICATIONS AND REVIEWING THEM, AND THE GREAT SLATE OF CANDIDATES THAT SHE DID HAVE, AS WELL AS, UM, DOING THE INTERVIEW PROCESS AND COMING OUT WITH THESE MOVING FORWARD. I WANT TO THANK BOB, WHO IS ON THE LINE AND ATHLETE WHO IS ALSO ON THE LINE, UM, FOR YOUR SERVICE. AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO CONTINUE YOUR SERVICE. UM, SO THANK YOU. I KNOW YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY INVESTED, AND I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS CONTINUITY OF LEADERSHIP. I, SO I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU'VE ALREADY ALL BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE. UM, BUT I DO HAVE QUESTIONS FOR OUR NEW, UH, VIA APPOINTEES. UM, MELANIE, LAURA, AND JAVIER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STEPPING UP, GOING THROUGH YOUR, UM, APPLICATIONS AND KNOWING ALL OF YOUR BREADTH OF VOLUNTEER AND WORK ON BOARDS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE. I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THOUGH, THAT WE HEAR YOU ALL, UM, AT A SESSION AND ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS SIMPLY BECAUSE, UM, THE VOTERS APPROVED, UH, SOME SALES TAX IN PERPETUITY, AND YOU ALL ARE GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. AND WE ALL ARE LOOKING AT ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ONE ANOTHER. SO MY QUESTION IS, NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS COMING FORWARD AND THIS NEW TAX COMING FORWARD, AND WITH THIS INTERIM IN BETWEEN, SO WHAT DO YOU ALL, EACH OF YOU, YOU CAN, I'LL START WITH, UM, LAURA CAN GO FIRST. JUST WHY YOUR, FOR YOUR SERVICE ON EZE VIA BOARD, AND WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE, UM, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE, ESPECIALLY IN THIS TIME OF PREPARATION FOR VIA BEFORE THE SALES TAX STARTS KICKING IN. AND, UM, WE'LL START WITH LAURA AND THEN MELANIE AND JAVIER, AND YOU ALL CAN JUST ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS FOR ME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN, AND GOOD MORNING TO, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF. UH, FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS, UH, YOU KNOW, AN HONOR TO BE CONSIDERED AND NOMINATED TO THIS BOARD. AND, AND SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THIS CONSIDERATION. UH, COUNCILWOMAN . TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, BEING PART OF AN ORGANIZATION AND HELPING, UH, DETERMINE, UH, THE FUTURE OF, OF TRANSPORTATION [00:35:01] IS GREATLY IMPORTANT. NOT ONLY BECAUSE, UH, TRANSPORTATION IS THE THREAD AND THE ARTERIES OF, OF ANY CITY, UM, BUT I, I WANNA ENSURE THAT, UH, WE CAN CONNECT INDIVIDUALS FAMILIES TO JOBS, EDUCATION, UH, PLACES. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AT, AT THE MOMENT, WE KNOW OUR, OUR, UM, UH, VIA IS UNDERFUNDED, UH, AS COMPARED TO OTHER TEXAS CITIES. UH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE, WITH THE VOTE IN NOVEMBER, I WAS EXCITED TO SEE THAT, UH, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY HERE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS COMING TO THE ORGANIZATION TO HELP PROVIDE THAT TRANSPORTATION OPPORTUNITY IN THE FUTURE FOR MANY MORE. SO, UH, CONNECTIVITY IS, IS VERY IMPORTANT. IT, IT'S, YOU KNOW, JOBS ARE IMPORTANT AND I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND HOW, UM, UH, NOT HAVING RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION CAN IMPACT FAMILIES, UH, ESPECIALLY NOW. UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO THROUGH AND REASSESS, UH, WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO INDIVIDUALS DURING THIS PANDEMIC. THANK YOU, MELANIE. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL. GOOD MORNING, COUNCILWOMAN VERAN, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE. MY NAME IS MELANIE HERANDA TWI. I AM SO EXCITED AND HONORED TO BE PART OF THIS WONDERFUL AND NEW INCOMING BOARD. FOR ME, PUBLIC SERVICE IS ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE. I AM A DAUGHTER OF SAN ANTONIO. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I'M A NATIVE. I'VE BEEN HERE FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. OBVIOUSLY, AS A CHILD, I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS 'CAUSE THIS IS HONESTLY A BIG DEAL FOR ME. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS THE LIFELINE OF SAN ANTONIO FOR PEOPLE OF VARIOUS ABILITIES. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A STRONG PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, THEN YOU DON'T HAVE A STRONG ECONOMY. AND AS A BUSINESS OWNER, I SEE ALL SIDES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. I SEE IT FROM NOT ONLY AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PIECE, BUT ALSO AS A THREAD THAT KEEPS PEOPLE CONNECTED DURING THESE TIMES OF COVID. OBVIOUSLY, WE'VE LOST SOME OF THE CONNECTION AS PEOPLE ARE NERVOUS TO GO OUT INTO SOCIETY AND INTO TO PLACES THAT THEY NORMALLY VISIT. BUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION HAS KEPT THIS HEARTBEAT GOING FOR OUR CITY THAT WE LOVE SO MUCH. WHERE DO I SEE US GOING IN THIS NEW TANDEM AS WE'RE WAITING FOR THINGS? WELL, OBVIOUSLY, LIKE LAURA SAID, WE ARE COMPLETELY UNDERFUNDED AS COMPARED TO OUR OTHER WONDERFUL CITIES IN OUR STATE AND IN OUR COUNTRY. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE CONNECTION WITH TECHNOLOGY THAT IS MY BACKGROUND. AND SO OBVIOUSLY I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US MOVING FORWARD INTO THE CITY OF OUR FUTURE THAT WE ALL HAVE FOR US. AND OBVIOUSLY, LEAVE THE LEGACY, MAKING IT EASIER, AND SIMPLIFYING THE PROCESS OF MAKING SURE THAT ALL CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE, WHERE THEY COME FROM, CAN ALWAYS BE CONNECTED BY THIS THREAD, BY THESE VEINS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JAVIER. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, YOU KNOW, LIKE MELANIE AND LARA SAID, IT'S A HUGE HONOR FOR ME. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I, UH, TO SECOND EVERYTHING THAT MELANIE AND LARA SAID, IT'S, UH, COMMUNITY CONNECTION AND ACCESS WOULD BE HUGE AND TECHNOLOGY. UH, AND THAT JUST, THAT'S A GIVEN, RIGHT? I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ALL COMMITTED TO, TO HELPING AND, AND, AND DISCOVERING WHAT ARE THE IMMEDIATE SOLUTIONS. BUT FOR ME, THERE'S A, A, A LARGER PICTURE, TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR SAN ANTONIO AND VIA, AND THAT'S LEVERAGING, UH, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS NEW ADMINISTRATION AND ITS PUSH FOR, FOR, UH, INNOVATION AND MAYBE THE, THE ACCESSING, UH, NEW LEVELS OF FEDERAL FUNDING, UH, THAT WOULD HELP SAN ANTONIO IN THE FUTURE. UH, ALSO, UH, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SOME OF THOSE, UH, DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO, TO WASHINGTON DC THAT SAN ANTONIO HAS, AND THAT'S HAS GOING FORWARD, HOW CAN SAN ANTONIO LEVERAGE THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS TO REALLY, UH, MAKE, UH, UH, BE A, UH, LARGER AND TAKE MORE CAPACITY THAN IT ALREADY HAS? IT'S JUST A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY THAT WE MIGHT NOT HAVE IN THE FUTURE. SO I THINK THIS IS CRITICAL, AND IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN THROUGH, UH, LOCAL FUNDING. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO OUT AND LEVERAGE STATE AND FEDERAL, UH, TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SO THAT'S WHAT MY FOCUS WOULD BE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORDS AND FOR, UH, BEING HERE AND PRESENTING YOUR, YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR VISIONS AND YOUR HOPES FOR VIA, I HAVE TO SAY I AM, UH, THIS IS A, THIS IS A GREAT GROUP THAT WE'RE PUTTING FORWARD, AND I'M VERY ENCOURAGED AND INSPIRED OF WHAT IS GOING TO COME WITH VIA. SO WITH THAT MAYOR, I MOVED TO APPROVE THE ORDINANCE REAPPOINTING BOB CUOMO AND A LIAM MALONE, AND TO, UM, TO AN EXPIRED TERM OF [00:40:01] OFFICE AND APPOINTING LAURA CAPELLA, JAVIER EZ, AND MELANIE TOVI TO AN UNEXPIRED TERM. SECOND. ALRIGHT, UM, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE SLATE, UH, FOR, UM, LET'S MOVE NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THANKS TO OUR GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE FOR NOMINATING THIS INCREDIBLY TALENTED GROUP TO SERVE ON THE VIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES. I KNOW LAURA, MELANIE, AND JAVI TO BE CONSCIENTIOUS AND DRIVEN TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. SO I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE IN THEM. I'M EXCITED TO HEAR THEIR ENTHUSIASM THIS MORNING TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR STRONG SAN ANTONIO ROOTS, AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. MELANIE SAID IT. WELL, THIS IS A BIG DEAL. UM, SO, AND THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU, JAVIER, MELANIE, AND LAURA, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE DIRECTION THAT YOU'RE GONNA HELP TAKE VIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BERTERA, HOWEVER, TO, UM, AND I'LL JUST, UM, ADD THAT, THAT THIS WAS A, A, A VERY VIGOROUS PROCESS, OBVIOUSLY, UH, VIA IS GOING THROUGH AN IMPORTANT TRANSITION RIGHT NOW WITH A NEW CHAIR, AS WELL AS, UH, GOING INTO A POST PANDEMIC RECOVERY. UH, I'M GONNA BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN, IN HOW, UH, THE NEW STIMULUS FUNDS WILL BE USED TO AUGMENT OPERATIONS, THE $61 MILLION NOW, UH, THAT WILL BE FLOWING THROUGH THE NEW, UH, COVID ACT. SO, UH, LOVE TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THAT. BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU TO OUR, OUR CANDIDATES WHO HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED. YOU WERE AMONG, UH, A, A GROUP OF EXTREMELY QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WHO ARE VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR SERVICE. AND AS WE WELCOME A NEW TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AS WELL, LOOKING FORWARD TO A, A RENEWED COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY AND VIA AS IT MOVES FORWARD. SO, UH, VERY PROUD OF Y'ALL, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. WITH THAT, WE HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 15, HEARING. NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. OKAY, [Items 16 & 17] LET'S MOVE NOW TO ITEM 16. ITEM NUMBER 16 IS A RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE REAPPOINTMENT OF JOHN TTE TO A TERM THROUGH JANUARY 31ST, 2026, AS A MEMBER OF THE C P S ENERGY BOARD OF TRUSTEES. AND ITEM 17 IS A RESOLUTION APPOINTING MAYOR RON NUREMBERG, JOHN STE, ED KELLY WILLIS MACKEY, JUANITA, JANIE GONZALEZ, PAULA GOLD WILLIAMS, AND GARY GOLD TO THE SAN ANTONIO ENERGY ACQUISITION PUBLIC FACILITY CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR A TERM THROUGH JANUARY 31ST, 2023, AND APPROVING AMENDMENTS TO THE P F C BYLAWS. ALL RIGHT, UM, BEFORE WE GET TO DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM, WE DO HAVE, UH, SEVERAL CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS. UH, SO LET ME CALL 'EM IN ORDER. WE'LL START WITH ISABELLA ZENIO, FOLLOWED BY TERRY BURNS. MS. MAYOR, EXCUSE ME FOR A SECOND. MAYOR. IS, IS THERE A STAFF PRESENTATION OR A STAFF OVERVIEW? UM, IS THERE A STAFF PRESENTATION? NO, SIR. NO, IT'S JUST OUR LIST OF APPLICANTS, OR EXCUSE ME, OUR, OUR, UH, NOMINATION. SO, UH, LET ME GO AHEAD AND TAKE, UM, IS BRILLA SENIO FOLLOWED BY TERRY BURNS? MS. SENIO, ARE YOU WITH US? YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE HEAR YOU NOW. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UM, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. I'M ISABELLA SENIO, AND I'M HERE TODAY TO URGE YOU TO NOT REAPPOINT JOHN STEIN AS A MEMBER OF THE C P S BOARD OF TRUSTEES. UM, IF WE HAVE, OR MAY AS WELL HAVE LOST THE THREAT TO PETITION, UM, AND HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO VOTE IN OR OUT BOARD MEMBERS FOR WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A PUBLIC UTILITY, UM, IT WOULD BE THE BARE MINIMUM FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WE CAN VOTE IN OR OUT TO HEAR AND LISTEN TO WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY ON THIS ISSUE. IT WOULD BE A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO SIGNED ONTO A PETITION, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT C P S NEEDS A MAJOR OVERHAUL TO REAPPOINT A MEMBER OF A BOARD THAT'S FLIPPED THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER ALL OF US, AND UNDERMINED A PROCESS THAT YOU SHOULD BE WORKING TO PROTECT. WHY WERE YOUR POINT SEEN WHEN WE COULD INSTEAD BUILD A BOARD THAT MORE ACCURATELY REFLECTS NOT ONLY THE WISHES OF SAN ANTONIO VOTERS AND RESIDENTS, BUT ALSO THE BEST INTERESTS OF OUR CITY AND PLANET. UM, PLEASE, IF YOU CARE ABOUT THIS CITY AT ALL, DO NOT REAPPOINT SOMEONE WHO IS BENT ON ACTING OUTSIDE OF THE BEST INTERESTS OF ITS AIR, WATER, AND RESIDENCE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MS. ZENIO. TERRY BURNS, FOLLOWED BY LEXI GARCIA. UH, GOOD MORNING. UH, MY NAME'S DR. TERRY BURNS, CHAIR OF [00:45:01] THE LOCAL SIERRA CLUB. I WISH TO COMMENT ALSO AGAINST THE REAPPOINTMENT OF JOHN DEAN. UH, TODAY'S C P S COMES TO YOU WITH MORE RUBBER STAMP MOTIONS. TO APPROVE A SECOND YEAR OF STALLING ON ADVANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS, APPROVE REAPPOINTMENTS TO THE ENERGY ACQUISITION P F C AND TO REAPPOINT CHAIRMAN JOHN STEIN, TO THEIR BOARD, THEY DO THIS ONE MONTH AFTER GOING TO COURT TO STEAL OUR CITIZEN'S. CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO PETITION FOR REDRESS. JUDGE AKS RULING PUTS YOUR OWN RIGHT TO CHANGE C P SS IN JEOPARDY. ALSO, MR. STEIN HAS PRESIDED OVER A DIFFICULT TIME AND FAILED TO DELIVER ENOUGH PROGRESS TO WARREN REAPPOINTMENT. I THANK HIM FOR, AND THE MAYOR FOR SOME MODEST CHANGES. FINALLY, ALLOWING CITIZEN INPUT AT THE BOARD MEETINGS AND FINALLY BEGINNING TO SET UP A CITIZENS RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. CP S'S, YEARS OF STALLING ON THESE AND OTHER CRITICAL ISSUES LIKE CLOSING OUR POLLUTING SPRUCE COAL PLANTS IS WHAT LED TO THESE PETITION ATTEMPTS. I PERSONALLY SPOKE TO THOUSANDS OF VOTERS AND HEARD ONLY IF SMALL MINORITY EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR C P S SUBURBAN VOTERS EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION THEIR SIGNATURE COULD NOT HELP THESE CITIZENS NEED TO BE HEARD. SUPPRESSING PETITION RIGHTS IS OUTRAGEOUS AND SHOWS THE CONTEMPT FOR CITIZENS WE KNOW FIRSTHAND. WE CONDEMN MR. STEEN, THE MAYOR AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, ALONG WITH C E O, TAKING HIS PROFOUNDLY ANTI-DEMOCRATIC ACTION. STEALING OUR PETITION RIGHTS WILL NOT SILENCE US. A VOTE FOR JOHN STEEN IS A VOTE AGAINST THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO AGAINST TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND AGAINST OUR VERY DEMOCRACY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU DR. BURNS. UH, LEXI GARCIA. I DON'T THINK, UH, LEXI HAS RECONNECTED WITH US. UH, BUT LET ME GO AHEAD AND GIVE A MINUTE. LEXIE GARCIA. ALRIGHT, MOVING TO MOVE NOW TO DIDI BELMAR. DEE BELMAR. YES, I'M HERE. OKAY. SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY ERIN AYO. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS DE VARS. I'M AN ORGANIZER WITH PUBLIC CITIZEN AND ALSO A VOLUNTEER WITH RECALL C P S ENERGY COALITION. I'M ASKING COUNSEL TO NOT REAPPOINT JOHN STE. TO THE C P S ENERGY BOARD OF TRUSTEES. AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD, HE HAS NOT WORKED, UH, TO GET THE UTILITY TO CREATE A PATHWAY TO CLOSE THE POLLUTING SPRUCE COAL PLANT. THE POLLUTION FROM THE COAL PLANT IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND AFFECTING THE HEALTH OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OUR BLACK AND BROWN RESIDENTS AND THE ELDERLY. ELDERLY. RECENTLY, C P S ENERGY TOOK LEGAL ACTION TO PREVENT THE RECALL C P S ENERGY PETITION DRIVE FROM ADVANCING THIS GRASSROOTS EFFORTS SOUGHT TO BRING TRANSPARENCY, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, FAIR RATES, AND FINALLY, AN END TO THE SPRUCE COAL PLANT. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SIGNED THIS PETITION. JOHN STEIN, AS PART OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, ESSENTIALLY SAID, THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE WHO SIGNED THE PETITION, THE RATE PAYERS SIMPLY DON'T MATTER. ONCE AGAIN, I ASK CITY COUNCIL TO RECONSIDER NOT REACQUAINTING. JOHN DEAN TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MS. BEL AARON, ARGUE GUO. HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE HEAR YOU. HELLO. OH, GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, SO GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS ERIN AR GUO, AND I AM THE SAN ANTONIO ADVOCACY ORGANIZER WITH MOVE TEXAS. I'M URGING CITY COUNCIL TO TABLE ALL DECISIONS REGARDING C P S ENERGY UNTIL ISSUES REGARDING GOVERNANCE AND THE CLOSURE OF THE SPRUCE COAL PLANT ARE DISCUSSED AND ADDRESSED PUBLICLY WITH RATE PAYERS, ESPECIALLY THE REAPPOINTMENT OF CHAIR STEEN, WHICH COMES DIRECTLY ON THE HEELS OF THE BOARD'S UNANIMOUS APPROVAL OF THE ANTI-DEMOCRATIC LEGAL ACTION THAT UNDERMINED THE VERY VALID CONCERNS OF OVER 14,000 RATE PAYERS WHO BRAVED THE PANDEMIC TO SIGN A PETITION RATE. PAYERS HAVE CALLED FOR THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF C P S, PUTTING SPRUCE ON A FAST TRACK TO RETIREMENT RATE STRUCTURE REFORM, AND THE PERMANENT ENDING OF FORCED UTILITY DISCONNECTIONS. THE RECENT LEGAL ACTION FROM C P S IS A BLATANT ANTI-DEMOCRATIC ACT THAT PRIORITIZES PROFIT OVER THE PEOPLE C P S SERVES AND FURTHER VALIDATES THE CONCERNS AND FRUSTRATIONS THAT LED TO THE CREATION OF THE PETITION. OUR PUBLIC UTILITY SHOULD BE ENCOURAGING PUBLIC INPUT RATHER THAN SHUTTING IT DOWN. WE CANNOT CLAIM TRANSPARENCY AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE WHILE PRACTICING COVERT [00:50:01] LEGAL ACTIONS TO SHUT DOWN COMMUNITY EFFORTS TO HAVE A VOICE AT THE TABLE. I ENCOURAGE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO TABLE ALL DECISIONS REGARDING C P SS UNTIL ISSUES AND NEEDS OF RATE PAYERS ARE ADDRESSED. NO REAPPOINTMENTS OR ACTIONS UNTIL C P S ENERGY COMMITS TO MEETING COMMUNITY NEEDS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MR. ARGUE. UM, LEMME GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. UH, AND, UH, I WANNA THANK ALL THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO, UH, SPEAK UP TODAY OR SUBMIT, UH, COMMENTS. UH, I, UH, WANT TO, UM, JUST SHARE WITH THE COUNCIL THAT OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, UH, I HAVE, UH, I'VE REACHED OUT TO INE AND HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN, UH, READY TO TAKE MY PHONE CALL, READY TO TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES, UH, OF CONCERN. AND I WILL, I WILL TELL YOU, BOTH OF US HAVE, HAVE, UH, TRIED VERY HARD, UH, TO SEE HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, UH, GIVEN SOME OF THE TURMOIL, UH, THAT, THAT WE'VE HEARD ABOUT. SO, UH, FIRST OF ALL, UH, MR. STEIN, IF I SEE THAT YOU'RE ON THE LINE, I'LL GO AHEAD AND LET YOU, UH, INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND THEN, AND THEN I'LL JUMP INTO SOME COMMENTS AND, AND QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. OKAY. JOHN, I THINK IT MIGHT BE MUTED. I THINK SOMEONE HAD TO HOLD THAT CLOCK FOR IT IS I IS RUNNING DOWN MY RUNNING DOWN MY TIME. GET THAT BACK. UH, MR. SCENE, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT HEARING ANY AUDIO. ONE SECOND. AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA TRY TO CONNECT HIM THROUGH A CELL PHONE. ONE SEC. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, IT'S, UH, JOHN, ARE YOU THERE? IF YOU'D LIKE FOR US TO, UH, MOVE FORWARD? UH, WE CAN COME BACK TO YOU. WE'RE HAVING SOME TROUBLE CONNECTING WITH JOHN. UH, SURE. THANK YOU. AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL COME BACK. WELL, BUT SHOULDN'T, I'M SORRY. WHEN YOU SAY MOVE FORWARD, YOU MEAN TO THE NEXT, YOU TO THE NEXT ITEM? NO, NO, NO. TO THE NEXT COUNCIL MEMBER. SHOULDN'T MR. STEEN HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENT? RIGHT. WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. WE'RE JUST NOT ABLE TO, TO HEAR HIS AUDIO RIGHT NOW. SO RATHER THAN SIT IN SILENCE, MAYBE WE CAN, IF THERE'S ANY OTHER DISCUSSION THAT WE DON'T NEED JOHN FOR. OKAY. OKAY. UM, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I JUST HOPE JOHN CAN HEAR EVERYTHING WE'RE SAYING. I THINK HE HAS, UH, A RIGHT TO HEAR IT. I DUNNO, THE CITY, THAT'S HIS SOMETHING IS CONNECTED, SO WE'RE JUST NOT GETTING THE AUDIO THROUGH. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, DO YOU WANT TO, UH, HOLD UNTIL MR. STEAM COMES ON? UH, NO. UH, I CAN, I CAN GO AHEAD AND GO THROUGH AND HOPEFULLY WE'RE ABLE, WE'RE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH, UM, MR. STEIN. UH, I JUST WANNA ADD, UH, MY COMMENTS TO WHAT, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE, UH, THE WAY I'VE BEEN ABLE TO CONNECT WITH JOHN STEIN AND TALK WITH HIM ABOUT ISSUES. AND I, I FEEL LIKE HE HAS BEEN A VERY LEVEL MILD, UH, FORCE ON THE, UH, THE C P S ENERGY [00:55:01] BOARD. UH, I BELIEVE HE HAS ONE OF THOSE IMPORTANT FEATURES IN THAT HE LISTENS. NOW. UH, I RECOGNIZE THERE HAVE BEEN, UH, PROPOSALS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT FORTH BY, UH, MEMBERS OF ORGANIZATIONS, UH, THAT HAVE NOT COME OUT, UH, FROM C P S WITH THE KIND OF RESPONSES THEY WOULD EXPECT, BUT I, I THINK JOHN TEAM WAS A, A STEADY MEMBER AND WOULD CONTINUE TO BE A STEADY MEMBER ON THAT BOARD. AND SO I WOULD SUPPORT THAT. UH, THE BIGGEST QUESTION I HAVE RELATED, NOT JUST TO JOHN DEAN'S APPOINTMENT TODAY, BUT TO, UH, THE NEXT ITEM, UH, ITEM NUMBER, UH, 17, WHICH IS ALSO FOR DISCUSSION HERE, WHICH IS THE APPOINTMENT FOR PEOPLE TO THEIR, UH, P F C. THAT QUESTION REVOLVES AROUND THE ACTION THAT THE COURTS TOOK RECENTLY, WHICH, UH, SAID THAT THE, UM, C P S ENERGY'S BONDS, UH, KIND OF PROTECT THEM FROM CHANGES IN THEIR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. NOW WE'RE LOOKING TO APPOINT JOHN TO CONTINUE SERVING. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO APPOINT HIM AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS TO THE P F C. MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS, AND I THINK IT'S SHARED BY THE PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN PETITIONING, DOES THAT COURT DECISION LIMIT WHAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CAN DO IN OVERSEEING OR RECOMMENDING CHANGES TO THE STRUCTURE OR MANAGEMENT OF C P S ENERGY? AND I'D LIKE OUR CITY ATTORNEY TO GIVE US, UH, HIS READING ON THAT, UH, COURT JUDGMENT AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE CITY'S AUTHORITY, FOR EXAMPLE, TO MAYBE EXPAND THE SIZE OF THE BOARD, ADD NEW MEMBERS, OR TO, UH, CHANGE THE LENGTH OF TIME THEY SERVE, OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE. YEAH. ANDY, CAN YOU GO AHEAD AND WEIGH IN AND ALSO GIVE US SOME GUIDEPOSTS FOR THIS, UH, FOR THIS DISCUSSION IN TERMS OF ITS GERMAN MADNESS? I SURE, I SURE CAN. MAYOR, UH, FIRST I'LL ANSWER THE COUNCILMAN'S QUESTION IS THE, AND YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE, UH, 1205 HEARING IN, IN AUSTIN, UH, THAT, UH, THAT FINDING BY THE COURT DOES NOT IMPACT THE CURRENT, UH, CITY COUNCIL'S ABILITY TO DO WHATEVER, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL WANTS TO DO IN TERMS OF THE, UH, BOND COVENANTS AND THE CURRENT STRUCTURE OF C P SS. SO, IN OTHER WORDS, WHATEVER OUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS THE CITY HAD BEFORE THE HEARING ARE THE SAME ONES THAT THE CITY HAS AFTER THE HEARING. UM, AND, UH, AND IT, IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS CONCERNING, YOU KNOW, LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO, UH, THAT HEARING, UH, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE HAVE A, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION DISCUSSION ON THAT. COUNCILMAN, UH, 'CAUSE THERE ARE, UH, CERTAIN LEGAL ISSUES OBVIOUSLY, THAT, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO RELAY TO COUNCIL IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, BUT WE WOULD DO THAT IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, RIGHT? WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US DO THAT, MAYOR, BUT GETTING BACK TO, UH, THESE TWO ITEMS, AS I SAID, I, I SUPPORT THE CONTINUATION OF JOHN SERVING ON THE BOARD. I'LL SUPPORT THE, UH, P F C APPOINTEES THAT ARE COMING ON HERE. BUT I DO IT WITH A LITTLE BIT OF TREPIDATION BECAUSE I DO FEEL THAT C P S ENERGY HASN'T BEEN AS FORTHCOMING AS IT SHOULD. AND SO, THROUGH THESE APPOINTMENTS, I HOPE THAT THE MEMBERS ARE LISTENING TO THE COMMENTS MADE BY THE PUBLIC AND MY COMMENTS ABOUT BETTER FORTHCOMING ON HOW WE CAN REDUCE, UH, OUR ENERGY RELIANCE ON COAL AND SEVERAL OTHER ISSUES THAT WERE BROUGHT FORWARD THROUGH THE PETITIONERS. AND, UH, THAT'S THE END OF MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, TWO THINGS. UM, I, I UNDERSTAND THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE BY THE, BY THE THREE, UH, FOLKS, UH, THAT, THAT, UM, THE THREE CITIZENS WHO SPOKE, UH, PRIOR TO THIS, THIS ROUND OF QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. UM, I BELIEVE THEY'RE FIRMLY AND SINCERELY HELD. UM, AND, UH, I, I DO THINK, HOWEVER, THAT IT'S, UH, IT'S UNFAIR TO THE RECORD. UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE SPIRIT OF COMPLETENESS, UH, IF WE DIDN'T MENTION THAT YOU GUYS DIDN'T MEET THE SIGNATURE THRESHOLD, SO, UH, IT'S, IT RINGS HOLLOW, UM, THAT YOU THINK THAT YOU WERE DENIED SOMETHING, UM, YOU DIDN'T GET ENOUGH SIGNATURE. AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHY, UH, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE COMPLAINTS WHILE INTERESTING ARE, UH, OR MOOT. UH, SO, UH, JOHN, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA DO A GREAT JOB. [01:00:01] UM, I THINK THAT, UM, YOUR, UH, YOUR WORK IN THE PAST HAS BEEN, UM, ABOVE BAR AND BEYOND QUESTION. I THINK THAT YOU'VE GOT A PASSION FOR THIS. UM, MY ONLY PROBLEM WITH YOUR, WITH YOUR CV IS THAT, UH, YOU COULDN'T GET INTO TRINITY UNIVERSITY LIKE RON NIERENBERG AND ERIC WALSH, AND I DID. UH, YOU HAD TO GO TO PRINCETON, UH, IN NEW JERSEY. UM, WHERE I'M WILLING TO OVERLOOK THAT, UH, I'VE, I'VE OVERLOOKED THE FACT THAT, UH, MY VERY SMART COUNCILWOMAN WENT TO, UH, M I T, UH, AND, UH, SHE DID ALL RIGHT. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, I, I ADMIRE YOU VERY MUCH, UH, DESPITE THAT. UH, BUT JOHN, SERIOUSLY, YOUR, YOUR WORK, UH, FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS AND YOUR WORK FOR, UH, FOR SAN ANTONIO, AND, UH, YOUR WORK FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, C P S AND THE RIGHT PAYERS IS, UM, IS, IS UNQUESTIONABLE. AND SO YOU, YOU'VE GOT MY SUPPORT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER S UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDA. AARON, I ACTUALLY HAD A QUESTION FOR MR. STEIN. UM, UH, I DON'T SUPPOSE WE'VE GOTTEN HIM ON THE CALL YET. WE'RE, WE'RE STILL TRYING. UH, HE IS CONNECTED. OKAY. UM, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE JUST NOT ABLE TO GET AUDIO THROUGH. JOHN, ARE YOU HEARING US? I'M GETTING TEXT. WE'RE WE'RE STILL TRYING. SO YOU WANT, I'LL COME BACK TO YOU AS WELL. OKAY. I'LL PUT MY HAND BACK UP. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, IN THE INTERIM, MAYOR, UH, MAY I INTERJECT REAL QUICKLY? IT'LL REMIND COUNSEL THAT, UH, AND COUNCILMAN PIA, YOU KNOW, MENTIONED IT, BUT I WANNA, I WANT TO CAUTION COUNSEL THAT, UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, AS FAR AS WE UNDERSTAND, THERE'S STILL ACTIVE, UH, PETITION GATHERING GOING ON. SO, UH, UNDER, UH, OUR ROLES, WE CANNOT, UH, AS EVERYONE KNOWS, ADVOCATE FOR OR AGAINST THE PETITIONS. UH, SO JUST A REMINDER OF THE COUNCIL OF THAT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, ANDY. UM, WE'LL GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. UM, , I, UH, I, I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR, UH, MR AS WELL. IN FACT, I'LL JUST, I'LL, HERE'S WHAT I'LL DO. I'LL JUST MAKE HIM A STATEMENTS AND HE CAN, HE CAN REPLY WHEN HE GETS A CHANCE. 'CAUSE WE, WE HAVE TALKED, AND I DO APPRECIATE MR. DEAN'S SERVICE. AND I, I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT HE'S BEEN INCREDIBLY RESPONSIVE TO ME IN MY OFFICE. UH, SO LET ME, LET ME JUST GO THROUGH THIS, UM, BECAUSE, BECAUSE I THINK THE, THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO, WANTS TO ASK SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS, BUT THEY ALSO DESERVE, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR HIM TO, TO, UH, ANSWER SOME OF THIS. UM, SO, UH, NUMBER ONE, I, I DO WANT TO THANK JOHN AND, AND HIS SERVICE. UH, LIKE I SAID, HE'S, HE'S WORKED, UH, CLOSELY WITH OUR OFFICE. I KNOW THAT, UH, THERE'S BEEN SOME QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'VE RESONATED WITH SOME IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND, UH, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. AND SO I, I THINK THAT, UH, IT, IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT WE, WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE AS WELL. AND WE KNOW THAT A FEW TIMES THAT MISS, UH, PAUL GOLD WILLIAMS HAS INDICATED THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL STAKEHOLDER GROUP DISENGAGED COMMUNICATIONS WITH C P SS, ENERGY, ENERGY, UH, AND I AGREE WITH PAUL THAT, THAT THIS IS DISAPPOINTING. AT THE SAME TIME, CHOOSING TO DISENGAGE IS COMMUNICATION. AND I FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT FOR C P SS ENERGY LEADERSHIP TO REBUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS GROUP. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO GIVE JOHN AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT HOW HE MIGHT USE HIS SECOND TERM TO REBUILD BRIDGE WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL STAKEHOLDER GROUP. UH, AND OF COURSE, IT'S APPARENT THAT, UH, THAT COVID TO 19 HAS DELAYED PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS, BUT GIVEN, UH, RATES IMPACT EVERY HOUSEHOLD, ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLD, THIS IS AN URGENCY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, WITH RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, LIKE TO ALSO GET US, ALLOW HIM TO MAKE, UH, SOME STATEMENTS REGARDING, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE WAYS THAT C P SS AND THE PUBLIC CAN, CAN, UH, MAKE UP FOR SOME OF THE LOST TIME OF 2020. AND, UH, SPEAKING OF VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS, UH, THERE'S MANY FAMILIES THAT ARE IN NEED AND PROGRAMS THAT REDUCE ENERGY DEMAND, BUT ALSO IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. AND SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH MR. STEIN ABOUT FOR A, UH, SEVERAL YEARS NOW, IS THE UNDER ONE ROOF PROGRAM, UH, THAT HAS PROVIDED OVER A THOUSAND AREA FAMILIES, UH, WITH A, WITH A HIGH REFLECTANCE ROOF, A WHITE ROOF THAT HAS PROVEN TO REDUCE ENERGY USAGE, WHICH HAS SAVED THEM, UH, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS PER YEAR. UH, AND OF COURSE, HE HAS HELPED OFFSET ENERGY USES USAGE. UH, SO I, I'D LIKE TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS, TO, TO TALK ABOUT HOW HE WILL USE HIS SECOND TERM TO GROW, UH, AND, AND CREATE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR THE UNDER ONE ROOF PROGRAM AND OTHER PROGRAMS [01:05:01] WHICH HAVE BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT. SO THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE MY, MY BASIC COMMENTS, UH, IN, IN, IN SUPPORT OF MR. STEIN. HE, UH, I, I DO APPRECIATE HIS WILLINGNESS TO SERVE AND HIS WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE WITH MY OFFICE. UM, I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE, UH, REPRESENTATION ON, ON THE BOARD THAT INCLUDES OUR MAYOR, UH, TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF ACCOUNTABILITY. AND SO, UH, I'LL, I WILL BE SUPPORTIVE TODAY AND LOOK FORWARD TO MR. STEIN'S COMMENTS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. ALRIGHT, I THINK WE HAVE A, UH, FAIL SAFE NOW, UH, WITH MR. STEIN ON THE LINE. SO LET ME GO BACK TO COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UM, AND WE CAN BEGIN IN THAT MANNER. SO, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. AND, AND, UH, MR. STEIN, CAN YOU HEAR US NOW, MAYOR? YES, I CAN. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE HEAR YOU. OKAY. ALRIGHT. I'M, I'M SORRY. I, I, I, UH, I DUNNO WHAT WENT WRONG. I WISH. NO, NO, NO. IT'S, IT'S NOT, WE'VE, WE'VE HAD THIS HAPPEN BEFORE, SO THANKFULLY YOU'RE ON THE LINE NOW AND YOU ARE GOING TO BE SPEAKING WITH COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU. HI, CHAIR TEAM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, FOR BEING WITH US TODAY AND FOR BEING SO AVAILABLE, UH, FOR MY QUESTIONS OVER THE, OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR, YOUR APPOINTMENT AND MY TIME ON COUNCIL. UH, I WANTED TO OFFER YOU A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR SERVICE, UH, ON C P S, JUST WHAT YOU THINK WE SHOULD KNOW. AND THEN I'LL JUMP INTO A FEW QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW. GO AHEAD. I'M GOOD, MAYOR. NO, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M, I'M SORRY FOR THE TECHNICAL GLITCH. I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS GOING ON. I WAS ABLE TO HEAR YOU AND WAS, WAS TRYING TO TALK AND APPARENTLY, APPARENTLY YOU, YOU ALL WEREN'T HEARING ME. NO, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY. UM, I'VE REALLY ENJOYED MY SERVICE, UH, THE PAST FIVE YEARS ON THE C P S ENERGY BOARD. UM, PEOPLE, UH, FREQUENTLY ASK ME WHY I DO IT, BECAUSE IT, IT, UH, IT, IT, IT REQUIRES, UH, LONG HOURS AND A LOT OF EFFORT AND, UH, IT, IT JUST, UH, VERY SIMPLY SERVICE TO, TO MY COMMUNITY. I BELIEVE IN THAT STRONGLY. UM, I'VE HELD MANY POSITIONS, UH, LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN THE COMMUNITY AND OTHER AREAS, AND I DON'T NEED TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THOSE. AND, AND ALSO AT THE STATE LEVEL, I'VE DONE, UH, UH, QUITE A LOT OF, UH, WORK AT THE STATE LEVEL. AND, UM, SO, UH, UH, COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL, IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC THAT YOU WANTED ME TO, TO ADDRESS, UH, AT THIS POINT OR, UH, YES, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SAY A FEW WORDS ON, ON YOUR OWN. SO, UH, FIRST OF ALL, UH, STEIN, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR A NUMBER OF THE CHANGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED UNDER YOUR TENURE, UH, AMONG THEM, THE CLOSURE OF THE D E POWER PLANT. UH, WHILE THAT WAS, UH, PROGRAMMED BEFORE, UH, I AM GLAD THAT YOU KEPT THE COURSE, AND I KNOW WE DIDN'T HAVE, HAVE A BIG CELEBRATION ABOUT IT. I PERSONALLY HAD A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE, UH, THAT DAY, BUT IT WAS CLOSED AT THE SIDE OF THE LAKE. UM, BUT, UH, BUT I KNOW THAT C P S DIDN'T GET THE, THE, I GUESS THE, THE CELEBRATION THAT WAS DESERVED. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR CONTINUING ON THAT. UM, I WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU FOR MAKING, UH, C P S NUMBER ONE IN SOLAR IN TEXAS FOR OPENING THE, YOUR PUBLIC MEETINGS TO CITIZENS TO BE HEARD AT THE BEGINNING. I THINK THAT IS, UH, A GREAT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR LIVE STREAMING YOUR MEETINGS. THAT'S A GREAT STEP IN THE LIVE, IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND ALSO FOR SUPPORTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UH, THIS IS A NEW ERA. UH, THERE IS A GREAT EXPECTATION FROM THE PUBLIC, UH, IN TERMS OF TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION. AND I THINK C P SS IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND, AND WE HOPE TO CONTINUE SEEING STRIDES IN THAT WAY. UH, I WANT TO GO TO, UM, THE, THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UM, IN ORDER FOR THIS GROUP TO DO THEIR WORK, THEY WILL PROBABLY NEED ACCESS TO A LOT OF INFORMATION, UH, AS DETERMINES YOUR RATES AND AS DETERMINES YOUR, YOUR PLANNING GENERATION. I WANNA KNOW WHAT IS, UH, ARE YOU COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS ACCESS TO ANY INFORMATION IT DEEMS NECESSARY TO DO ITS WORK. I, UH, COUNCILWOMAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND, AND I, AND I, I HAVE APPRECIATED THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH YOU OVER THE YEARS ON, ON THOSE ITEMS [01:10:01] THAT YOU, THAT YOU'VE MENTIONED. UH, THE SHORT ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS YES. UH, WE, WE'VE, UH, WE'VE, UH, UH, WE'VE STOOD UP THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IN THE SENSE THAT WE'VE APPROVED IT. WE, WE'VE YET TO APPOINT THE MEMBERS AND WE'RE WORKING OUT SOME OF THE OTHER DETAILS. BUT YES. UH, AND MAYOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR BEING, UH, SUCH A BIG PART OF THAT, OR, UH, I KNOW YOU MADE THE MOTION ON THE, ON THE RATE, ON THE CREATION OF THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UM, BUT YES, I, I THINK FOR IT TO, TO FUNCTION IN, IN THE WAY THAT WE'VE, THAT WE WANT IT TO FUNCTION, THERE'S GONNA BE, HAVE TO BE A LOT OF, UH, UH, UH, ACCESS TO INFORMATION. AND SO, UM, I, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT'S THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE, UH, THE SPIRIT OF IT IS, IS THAT WE WANNA SUPPLY WHATEVER INFORMATION THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE NEEDS IN ORDER TO MAKE, UH, UH, THEIR IN, IN ORDER TO CARRY ON THEIR DELIBERATIONS AND ADVISE US ON, ON RATES. SO, UM, IT, SO IN A VERY GENERAL WAY, I WANNA SAY YES. YEAH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT'S WHAT I WAS HOPING, UH, TO HEAR CHAIR TEAM. AND, UM, UH, I HAVE BEEN, UH, TOLD THAT I SHOULD CLARIFY, I DID NOT HAVE CHAMPAGNE. IT WAS SPARKLING WINE. IT DID NOT COME FROM FRANCE, UH, THE DAY THAT THAT DEAL OCCURRED, . OKAY. I REMEMBER WE TALKED ABOUT THAT AT THE TIME. THAT WAS, UH, THAT WAS, UH, I THINK DECEMBER OF 2018, WHEN, WHEN THAT OCCURRED. SO RIGHT, RIGHT THERE. WAS IT LIKE A NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATION? NO, IT WAS A CLOSING THE COAL PLANT CELEBRATION. . ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. AND I, AND I WAS NOT ALONE, SO, OKAY. UM, LET ME MOVE ON TO, UH, UH, ANOTHER QUESTION. DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, UH, BY THE CITY AND LOCAL GROUPS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A LOT OF, UH, WORKING GROUPS, UH, HELPING US WITH THAT. UH, WE HAD AT THE CITY AND THE GROUPS THAT PEOPLE WHO WERE WORKING WITH US MADE A REQUEST OF C P S TO HELP US MODEL SOME SCENARIOS FOR, UH, BASICALLY GETTING TO CARBON NEUTRALITY, UH, LOOKING AT DIFFERENT PATHWAYS AND HOW COULD WE, UH, ACCELERATE BASICALLY THE, THE REDUCTION OF COAL USE AND WHAT IMPLICATIONS THAT WOULD HAVE FOR, UH, FOR RACE AND FOR POWER GENERATION. UNFORTUNATELY, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS IN, UH, IN BRINGING FORTH THAT INFORMATION. AND, AND TO DATE, UH, WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT PROVIDED BY C P S. UH, WOULD, HOW SOON CAN WE GET THAT? WOULD YOU SUPPORT ENSURING THAT, UH, THE COMMUNITY IS PROVIDED WITH THAT TYPE OF INFORMATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE? WELL, THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF A CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD AND, AND, UH, AND I, I'VE, UH, I'VE CONFERRED WITH OUR C E O AND, UH, I, I BELIEVE WE'RE, WE'RE ON THE, AND BY THE WAY, SHE, SHE MET, UH, EARLIER THIS WEEK, UM, WITH, UM, WITH GREG HARMON AND, AND, AND, AND CYRUS REED OF THE SIERRA CLUB. AND I, I, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA, UH, BEGIN TO SEE, UM, UH, A ROLLOUT OF INFORMATION OF, OF THE, OF THE SORT THAT YOU'RE, UM, DESCRIBING. UM, UH, IN FACT, AS SOON AS OUR UPCOMING BOARD MEETING, WHICH I BELIEVE IS ON THE 25TH, THE BOARD'S GONNA BEGIN TO HEAR, UH, MORE OF THAT INFORMATION. SO I, I, I WANNA SAY, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE WELL ON OUR WAY, UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO COMPLYING WITH THAT. ALRIGHT. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND, AND, UM, JUST TO ASSURE EVERYONE WHO, WHO IS LISTENING, UH, I'VE HAD PLENTY OF CONVERSATIONS WITH, WITH MR. STEIN, AND I KNOW HE WANTS US, UH, ALL TO GET ALONG AND, AND BE MAKING PROGRESS, AND HE HAS PERSONALLY TOLD ME THAT, THAT HE HAS COMMITTED TO, TO DOING THAT. UM, SO I, I WANNA THANK YOU, UH, VERY MUCH FOR, FOR YOUR SERVICE, MR. STEIN. I KNOW IT HAS DEFINITELY NOT BEEN EASY, UH, THE THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT, BUT PROGRESS IS IS NEVER EASY. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL GOING OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBER CAB HA. MAYOR JUSTINE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR TALKING WITH US. I, I, I JUST, I I GUESS I'D LIKE TO GET KIND OF YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THINGS GOING ON HERE. YOU'VE HEARD TODAY, UM, OR MAYBE YOU DIDN'T HEAR, UH, SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, SOME TALK OF PUBLIC DISTRUST. UM, WHY DO YOU THINK THERE CONTINUES TO BE THIS, THIS ATMOSPHERE OF DISTANCE BETWEEN C P S AND SOME OF OUR CONSTITUENCIES LIKE THE SIERRA CLUB, BUT OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTALLY CONCERNED CITIZENS, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT CAN C P S DO TO BRING THESE GROUPS INTO THE FOLD? [01:15:01] WELL, I, I THINK THAT, THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH VERY IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THEIR ISSUES WHERE PEOPLE, UM, ARE PASSIONATE AND, UM, UH, AND SO I, I I, I, I'M NOT, IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME THAT SOMETIMES THE, THE CONVERSATIONS ARE TENSE AND, AND, UH, AND, UH, BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT I BELIEVE WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AND, AND, UH, BOARD, WE, FOR 10 YEARS NOW, AS WE'VE BEEN MEETING WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS GROUP, WE, WE'VE HAD A, A, A BREAK IN THAT. THAT'S DISAPPOINTED US. BUT, UH, IF, BELIEVE ME, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO TRY TO BRING PEOPLE BACK. UH, AND, UH, I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME DOING THAT, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO COME BACK TO THE TABLE. UH, IT ALL STARTS WITH, UH, UH, TALKING AND, UH, AND, AND ALSO, UM, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS GROUP, UH, THEY, THEY'VE HAD, UH, QUITE AN IMPACT ON THE ORGANIZATION, UH, AS, AS, AS I LOOK BACK, UH, AND, AND I'M THINKING OF, THAT WAS A REALLY SIGNIFICANT, THE CLOSING OF DELEY. UM, AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS, THAT CAME OUT OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAD, UH, WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS GROUP. AND IT PUT US ON THE PATH TO DO THAT, TO CLOSE THOSE PLANTS EARLY. UM, BUT I, I, I THINK, I THINK WE SHARE A LOT OF THE SAME GOALS, UH, AND, UM, THAT, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE TALKED ABOUT IS IT IS GETTING BACK TOGETHER AND TRYING TO SHIFT THE CONVERSATION, AT LEAST INITIALLY TO, TO THINGS THAT WE AGREE ON, IS I DO THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE AGREE ON IN TERMS OF, OF TRYING TO MOVE, UH, VERY DELIBERATELY, UH, IN THE DIRECTION OF, UM, SOME OF, SOME OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT THEY'VE BROUGHT UP. SO, UM, ALL, ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT I'M, UH, I'M DOING ALL I CAN, UH, IN THE POSITION I'M IN TO TRY TO, TO BRING PEOPLE BACK TOGETHER. AND I, I KNOW COUNCIL, COUNCIL COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL AND, AND MAYOR NUREMBERG, WHO'S ON, WHO'S DONE A WONDERFUL JOB ON OUR BOARD. UH, WE'RE ALL WORKING TOWARD THAT. AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL BE, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL BE MAKING PROGRESS, UH, RIGHT AWAY ON THAT. THANK YOU, MR. KEEN. I, I THINK YOU HIT A COUPLE OF POINTS THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE NEED TO FIND THAT COMMON GROUND, RIGHT? THE SHARED, SHARED GOALS AND, AND REALLY EXPAND ON THAT. AND, AND OF COURSE, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THESE GROUPS. UH, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU SAID THAT THEY'VE HAD AN IMPACT, UM, AND, AND I'M SURE THEY WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE AN IMPACT, AND WE WE'RE ALL BENEFITING FROM IT. UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, JUST IN, IN, IN EVERY WAY, WE CAN CONTINUE TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY SO THAT, UM, THAT WE CAN REBUILD THAT PUBLIC TRUST. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAD, MR. CHRISTINE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YES, MA'AM. AND JUST TO SAY, I JUST WANNA TO EMPHASIZE THAT, THAT I DO HEAR THE VOICES IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE ASKING FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY AND, UM, AND, AND MORE ACCOUNTABILITY AND, UH, AND MORE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. AND, UM, AS COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL HAS POINTED OUT, WE'VE MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN THE, IN THESE AREAS IN THE YEARS I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD. AND, AND, AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE, WE'RE GONNA MAKE, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DO THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BERDA, GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, MR. STEIN, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE A FEW OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS. I, UH, LOOKING AT YOUR SERVICE, NOT ONLY TO, UM, C P SS, BUT TO THE CITY AND TO THE STATE, UH, I WANNA, UH, COMMEND YOU ON THAT AND YOUR PAST PERFORMANCE. I THINK YOU'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN, UH, BUILDING TEAMS AND TEAMWORK HERE ON, ON THE BOARD. UM, YOU WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING DR, UH, MACKEY AND JANIE GONZALEZ TO THE BOARD, WHICH WERE TWO BIG PLUSES ON CP S'S BOARD. UM, YOU, YOU BROUGHT ON THIS RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. YEAH. THINGS SOMETIMES TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH BUREAUCRACIES. LOOK AT, LOOK AT THE CITY BUREAUCRACY. IT TAKES US FOREVER TO GET THINGS THROUGH THE SYSTEM. SO, UH, I, I REALLY WATCH YOU IN, IN GETTING THAT ESTABLISHED. UM, YOU ARE INCREASING THAT PUBLIC, UM, TRANSPARENCY AND, UM, PARTICIPATION AND THAT, THAT IS IMPORTANT. I THINK THAT'S WHAT EVERYBODY'S LOOKING FOR AT THIS POINT. YOU KNOW, ON BRINGING ON THAT WE ARE NUMBER ONE IN THE STATE AS COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL SAID, FOR SOLAR IS A BIG, BIG DEAL, NUMBER FOUR IN THE COUNTRY. SO THAT, THAT JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, AND THAT [01:20:01] DOESN'T HAPPEN WITH WEAK LEADERSHIP. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS YOUR LEADERSHIP, WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN THE PAST, AND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING TO DO HERE IN THE FUTURE. YOU KNOW, JUST CLOSING THE DEAL COAL UNITS AND DIDN'T LOSE A SINGLE JOB OUTTA THAT DEAL. THAT'S A BIG DEAL AS WELL. UM, THERE'S STILL CONCERNS ABOUT OUR OPERATIONAL COAL PLANTS. YOU CAN'T JUST CLOSE THOSE OVERNIGHT OR WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WITHOUT DOING WHAT WE ALL FEAR, AND THAT'S RAISING THE RATES. IT, IT JUST DOESN'T GO HAND IN HAND. IT DOESN'T HOPE HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. AND OUR TECHNOLOGY ISN'T THERE YET. UM, AND SPEAKING OF RATES, Y'ALL HAVEN'T LOOKED OR Y'ALL HAVEN'T INCREASED THE RATES OR RECOMMENDED A RATE CHANGE IN OVER FIVE YEARS NOW? THAT'S, THAT'S HUGE. WHAT HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED UNDER YOUR, UNDER YOUR TERM? UM, THE, UM, LET'S SEE, THE GREEN TARIFF, WE'VE TALKED, I DON'T LIKE THE WORD TARIFF BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE A COST. IT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT WILL, UH, INCREASE OUR USE OF GREEN ENERGY. I, I, I, THAT'S ANOTHER BIG THING. AND AS WELL AS THE FLEX POWER BUNDLE, R F P. UM, THERE'S, I CAN JUST GO ON AND ON AND ON. UH, AND I DON'T, I, AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE ANY PARTICULAR QUESTIONS FOR YOU. I DO HAVE, UH, SIR, WE, WE DID HAVE, UH, I WANTED TO HEAR FROM OUR CHAMBER ALSO. I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S ON, BUT, UH, COULD WE CALL RICHARD PEREZ ON TO SAY A FEW WORDS AS WELL? UH, I, GO AHEAD. UH, WE HAVE BOTH. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF, IF RICHARD CAN HEAR US, BUT, UH, JOHN CAN, AND HE HAS, HE'D LIKE TO RESPOND, UH, ANCY, IF THAT'S ALRIGHT. GO AHEAD, JOHN. YES, SIR. A COUPLE OF THINGS. UM, I, I KNOW THERE WAS SOME CONCERN ABOUT, UM, ABOUT THE, UH, THE TIME IT'S TAKEN AS WE'VE MOVED ALONG WITH THE IRAQ OR RAID ADVISORY COMMITTEE. AND I HAVE TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT, UH, WHILE THIS PANDEMIC IS GOING ON. AND I CAN'T OVEREMPHASIZE, UH, HOW THAT'S CHALLENGED OUR COMPANY IN EVERY WAY. AND, UH, PAULA GO, WILLIAMS IS HER C E O HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF MANAGING THROUGH THAT. AND I KNOW SHE'S GIVEN REPORTS TO A NUMBER OF YOU, BUT, UH, JUST THINK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS. IF WE HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE GRID WHILE THIS IS GOING ON, AND WE REALLY HAVEN'T HAD ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS, AND I GIVE PAUL ALL THE CREDIT IN THE WORLD, BUT IT IN A NUMBER OF AREAS, IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S CAUSED US TO HAVE TO GO SLOWER, UH, THAN, YOU KNOW, IN SOME OF THESE OTHER AREAS THAN WE'VE WANTED TO. BUT THE, THE POINT IS, WE'VE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS, AND THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS, IS, IS, UH, IS SOON TO BE UP AND RUNNING. UH, I WANTED TO MENTION ON COAL, UH, I'M SORRY, ON, ON SOLAR. UM, SO THE COUNCILMAN MENTIONED THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS SOMETHING IN TERMS OF, OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY, BUT WE'RE NUMBER ONE IN SOLAR IN THE STATE, AND WE'RE NUMBER, UH, FOUR OR FIVE IN THE COUNTRY. BUT, UH, PAULA GO WILLIAMS HAS, HAS LAUNCHED THIS FLEX POWER BUNDLE. AND, UM, SO, SO WHILE WE ALREADY HAVE ABOUT 500 MEGAWATTS OF SOLAR CAPACITY, UH, WE'RE LAUNCHING THIS EXCITING, UH, GLOBAL SEARCH FOR UP TO 900 MEGAWATTS, MORE SOLAR UP TO FIVE 50 MEGAWATTS OF NEW STORAGE, AND THEN, AND THEN 500 MEGAWATTS OF ADDITIONAL STABILIZING ENERGY. AND THIS IS WHAT WE CALL OUR FLEX POWER BUNDLE INITIATIVE. AND, AND THE MAYOR AND I ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS, AND, AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE HAD DISCUSSIONS AT THE LAST TWO MEETINGS, BUT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT WHEN WE, WHEN WE REALIZE THIS VISION, UH, AND, AND IT'S HARD TO SAY FOR SURE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, NOTHING STANDS STILL AND OTHER UTILITIES ARE TAKING STEPS IN THIS DIRECTION, BUT THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT C P S ENERGY COULD BE NUMBER ONE IN THE NATION IN SOLAR. PRETTY EXCITING. YEAH. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, I, I THINK WE HAVE, UH, RICHARD PEREZ ON THE LINE NOW. IF, UH, WE COULD GIVE HIM A MINUTE OR TWO. RICHARD, THE FLOOR IS YOURS, SIR. RICHARD, IF YOU CAN HEAR US, YOU'RE EITHER MUTED. HI, MAYOR, OR, OKAY, [01:25:01] I THINK WE GOT YOU NOW. GO AHEAD. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU, MAYOR NUREMBERG AND MEMBERS OF THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS RICHARD PETTI, I'M PRESIDENT, AND C E O OF A SMALL, UH, NOT-FOR-PROFIT, NON-PARTISAN, NOT-FOR-PROFIT IN SAN ANTONIO, CALLED THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. AND I SIGNED UP TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE REAPPOINTMENT OF JOHN STEEN. UH, AND I DO THAT BECAUSE JOHN STEEN, UH, HAS JUST LIKE EACH OF YOU, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS, UH, ON THIS CALL TODAY, UH, HAS A BRIGHT THREAD OF PUBLIC SERVICE THAT RUNS THROUGH HIM. AND HE HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB IN REPRESENTING NOT ONLY THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, BUT SAN ANTONIANS, UH, WRIT LARGE AS A MEMBER OF THE C P S ENERGY BOARD. UH, HE HAS VAST EXPERIENCE, HE HAS KNOWLEDGE THAT IS UNIQUE, AND IT HAS HELPED SHAPED, HELPED SHAPE THE BOARD IN A WAY THAT I BELIEVE HAS BROUGHT VALUE, UH, TO THE CITIZENS OF THIS COMMUNITY. AND SO THE SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS COMMUNITY WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORTS THE REAPPOINTMENT OF JOHN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. UM, I, I WENT THROUGH SOME HIGHLIGHTS THAT, UH, JOHN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR, AND, UM, AGAIN, I THINK HE'S THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THIS JOB, AND I FULLY SUPPORT HIM ON THIS, AND I'D LIKE TO MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER 16. SECOND. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. UM, WE ARE, THE FLOOR IS OPEN FOR, UH, ITEM 16 AND 17 AS WELL. WOULD YOU LIKE TO AMEND YOUR MOTION TO INCLUDE 17 AS WELL? YES, SIR. THAT, UH, TO APPROVE BOTH ITEMS 16 AND 17 SECOND. AND, AND I, I JUST WANTED TO GO ON AND SAY, I, I THINK WE HAVE, UM, AGREEMENT FROM THE NORTH SIDE, WHICH MR. STEIN DOES REPRESENT THE NORTH QUADRANT, INCLUDING EIGHT, NINE, AND 10 HERE. SO, UH, JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT, BUT YES, TO APPROVE ITEM 16 AND 17. GREAT. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION, UH, BY, BY PERRY AND A SECOND BY ON, UH, 16 AND 17. UH, LET'S GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ROCHE GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UH, THANK YOU, MR. DEAN. I, UM, WILL CONFESS THAT I HAD TO GOOGLE YOU TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOU, AND, UM, I DID MY, MY DUE DILIGENCE, AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE SERVICE THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I, UM, WAS, UH, HAPPY THAT YOU'RE A FELLOW LONGHORN, AND, UH, I APPRECIATE, UH, EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE CONTINUED TO DO. UM, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS, AND THIS IS REALLY JUST TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND, UM, YOUR, YOUR LEADERSHIP FROM, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF REPRESENTING EVERY RESIDENT IN SAN ANTONIO THAT USES C P S ENERGY. AND SO I'LL START OFF WITH THE D FOUR ONE. AND SO OUR NUMBER ONE CALL FOR SERVICE IN D FOUR IS FOR UTILITIES ASSISTANCE. I'M REALLY, UH, NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NOW THAT THERE'S, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF, UM, FINANCIAL BURDENS THAT OUR RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO FACE. AND SO AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS RECOVERY, UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE, I'D LIKE TO HEAR MAYBE YOUR THOUGHTS ON, UM, HOW WE CAN MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SERVICES THAT YOU ALL OFFER, OR, OR MAYBE, I'M SURE YOU'RE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION ALREADY WITH YOUR LEADERS, BUT CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT, WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR PLANNING? UH, UM, COUNCILWOMAN, I, I HAD, I HAD A, A DIFFICULT TIME. IT'S BECAUSE OF, UH, HAVING TO DO THIS DIFFERENT CONNECTION. I HAD A DIFFICULT TIME HEARING PART OF THAT. COULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION AGAIN? SURE. YOU DON'T, I, I, I HEARD SOME OF THE PRIVILEGE OF THE QUESTION, BUT WOULD YOU REPEAT IT AGAIN? SURE. UM, SO WHAT IS YOUR, YOUR PLAN, BASICALLY, OR, OR CAN TELL ME ABOUT SOME OF THE STRATEGIES THAT YOU ALL ARE USING TO CONTINUE ADDRESSING SOME OF THE, UM, NEED, THE CONTINUED NEED FOR UTILITY ASSISTANCE THAT A LOT OF RESIDENTS IN SAN ANTONIO WILL, WILL CONTINUE TO NEED TO HAVE. WELL, UM, AND IN TERMS OF RATES, UM, UM, I'VE BEEN, UH, VERY PLEASED AND, AND, AND, AND, AND WE'RE UNDERGOING STRESS NOW FINANCIALLY, OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT I'VE BEEN VERY PLEASED. AND, AND, AND, AND COUNCILMAN PERRY, UH, MENTIONED IT, UM, THAT WE, WE'VE AVOIDED A RATE INCREASE, RATE INCREASE FOR OVER FIVE YEARS. AND WHEN I CAME IN AS CHAIR, UH, THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED THE CHAIR'S PRIORITIES. IT'S, IT'S AT THE BEGINNING OF, OF OUR MEETING, AND I'VE REALLY, UH, PROBABLY HAD ONE, UH, THING THAT I'VE, UH, STRESSED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND THAT'S COST SAVINGS. AND WE'VE, WE, AT EVERY ONE OF OUR MEETINGS, WE'VE HAD A, UH, PRESENTATION, UH, ON, ON COST SAVINGS. AND SOME OF THEM, UH, REALLY ASTOUNDED US BECAUSE, [01:30:01] FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE BOND AREA AND OTHERS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF MONEY THAT WE'VE SAVED, UH, AS AN ORGANIZATION. AND I THINK IT'S CONTRIBUTED TO THAT. AND WE'RE, WE'RE VERY AWARE OF, UM, THE, THE IMPACT THAT OUR BILLS HAVE ON OUR CITIZENS. AND, UM, SO WE'VE MANAGED TO, TO STILL BE, WE'RE, WE'RE THE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF YOU TAKE OUT THE PROMOTIONAL THINGS THAT GO ON, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL, WE STILL HAVE THE LOWEST RATES OF ANY MAJOR CITY IN TEXAS. UM, AND WE WANNA, WE WANNA CONTINUE, UH, TO DO THAT. UH, IN TERMS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE HAVING A HARD TIME PAYING, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WONDERFUL PROGRAMS, AND YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF 'EM BECAUSE YOU'RE VERY INVOLVED IN IT. BUT TO HELP PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED, UM, UH, UM, AND, UH, AND SINCE, AND SINCE THE PANDEMIC IS, IS, AND THIS IS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF PAULA GO WILLIAMS. YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE NOT HAD ANY, UH, DISCONNECTIONS AND, UH, WE, WE'VE ACTUALLY PROACTIVELY CALLED, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE, I THINK IT'S APPROACHED, APPROACHING 50,000 FAMILIES THAT WE'VE CONTACTED TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT, UM, HOW ARE YOU DOING? HOW, HOW ARE THINGS IN TERMS OF PAYING YOUR BILLS? AND, UH, WITH, WITH A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF THOSE FAMILIES, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK OUT, UM, PROGRAMS TO ALLOW THEM TO, UH, CON, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE. OF COURSE WE'RE GONNA, THERE'S NO QUESTION WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE SUPPLYING THE LEC ELECTRICITY AND GAS TO, BUT WORK OUT PROGRAMS WHERE THEY CAN, UH, PAY OVER TIME AND THAT SORT OF THING. WE HAD A REALLY GOOD PRESENTATION FROM OUR, ONE OF OUR GREAT PEOPLE, RUDY GARZA ON THAT RECENTLY. AND, UH, I'VE TALKED TO SOME OF THE COUNCIL PEOPLE ABOUT THAT. 'CAUSE THEY'VE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR CONSTITUENTS. AND, UH, WE, WE GET VERY, VERY FAVORABLE COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE, UH, THAT ARE, THEY'RE ACTUALLY SURPRISED THAT C P S ENERGY, OTHER WORDS, RATHER THAN, UH, WHEN, WHEN THEY GET THE CALL, THEY, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. MAYBE IT'S A CALL TO, TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE NEED, NEED FOR YOU TO PAY OR WHATEVER. BUT IT'S A CALL TO SAY, HOW ARE YOU DOING? AND CAN WE HELP YOU? WE'RE TAKING THAT APPROACH, AND I THINK IT'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. I HOPE I'VE ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION. I HAD A HARD TIME HEARING, UH, SOME, SOME OF THE COMMENTS AND SO, SO, SO WE, IT, IT WAS A, A GOOD START. UM, AND SO I'D LOVE TO CONTINUE TO, UM, TALK ABOUT UTILITY ASSISTANCE, BUT ALSO CLOSELY RELATED. UM, OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, UH, HAVE BEEN HIT HARD DURING THE PANDEMIC AS WELL. AND SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU ALL IN, IN, IN THE WORKS OR IN YOUR LEADERSHIP THAT'S TALKING ABOUT MAYBE HOW WE CAN GIVE SOME ADDITIONAL LOCAL PREFERENCE. I KNOW THAT WITH C P SS ENERGY, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT'S A SPECIFIC MARKET, RIGHT? AND SO YOUR VENDORS ARE IN SPECIALTY, UM, IN, IN A VERY SPECIAL SPECIALTY AREA. RIGHT? BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU AS WELL. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THE CITY VEDA PROGRAM, WHICH WE GOT A BRIEFING ON AT B SESSION YESTERDAY, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT. UM, AND, AND I KNOW WE ONLY HAVE FOUR MINUTES, SO I, I, BUT I JUST WANNA PUT IT OUT THERE THAT I, I THINK THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD, UM, IF SOMEBODY, I'M SURE ON STAFF IS PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT IT, BUT WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT, I'D ALSO LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UM, YOUR, I I, I KNOW YOU SAID YOU HAVE SOME, UH, CHAIRMAN'S GOALS AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. AND, UM, I, I TOO, LIKE, I THINK IT WAS COUNCILWOMAN CAO HAVER I MENTIONED. UM, I, I THINK THAT THERE'S STILL AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER. I DO HAVE TO SAY THAT 14,000 PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN, AND TO ME, THAT IS HUGE. IT MIGHT NOT BE THE 20,000 THAT WAS NEEDED, BUT OBVIOUSLY THERE'S 14,000 PEOPLE, UM, THAT, UH, HAVE SOME CONCERNS, AND WE CAN'T JUST, UH, NOT ADDRESS THAT. SO THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT. UM, I ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE SOUTHWEST, UH, WORKERS UNION FOR WORKING SO HARD DURING THE PANDEMIC TO, UM, HAVE OUR RESIDENTS HEARD AS WELL. AND, UM, WITH THAT SAID, UM, UH, I'D LIKE TO ASK, UM, MR. STEIN, WHAT IS YOUR, WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR SUCCESSION PLANNING? SO, UH, HOW ARE YOU DEVELOPING BOARD LEADERS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC? SO IF, YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF YOU, UM, WERE, YOU KNOW, TAKEN FOR SOME REASON, I DON'T KNOW, A, A JOB OUT OF THE STATE OR SOMETHING HAPPENS, LIKE WHO, UH, HOW HAVE YOU PREPARED YOUR FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO STEP INTO THIS NEXT BIT, TO POTENTIALLY STEP INTO A LEADERSHIP ROLE AND REALLY CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO THE FOLKS THAT YOU'VE BEEN ENGAGING WITH? THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. UH, LET, BEFORE WE LEAVE THE SMALL BUSINESS, LET ME MENTION [01:35:01] JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS. AND AGAIN, I HAVE TO, TO TO, TO, UH, GIVE ACCOLADES TO OUR C E O. SHE DOES A WONDERFUL JOB OF, OF, UH, OF LEADING C P S ENERGY. WE'VE GOT A VERY SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS WOMAN ON OUR BOARD, UH, JANIE GONZALEZ, WHO MOST OF YOU KNOW, AND, AND, UH, AND WHEN WE'VE HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT, UH, ABOUT HARDSHIPS AND PAYING BILLS AND THAT SORT OF THING, SHE'S BEEN VERY OUTSPOKEN ABOUT, UH, THAT, THAT WE CAN'T OVERLOOK OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. AND SO, BELIEVE ME, WHERE WE'RE ALL FOCUSED ON THAT BECAUSE OF, UM, PRIMARILY, UH, BECAUSE OF JAN GONZALEZ. AND SO I, I, I COMPLIMENT, UM, HER FOR THAT. UM, WE HAVE A, A VERY, UH, ROBUST PROCESS FOR BRINGING ON NEW BOARD MEMBERS. UM, AND I, I, I, I PARTICIPATED THAT IN, IN, IN THAT, IN A MAJOR WAY. UH, A FORMER TRUSTEE, UH, DEREK HOWARD ACTUALLY LED THE EFFORT. AND, AND THAT ENDED UP IN THE SELECTION OF DR. MACKEY. AND, UH, BECAUSE HE WAS, HE WAS THE OUTGOING TRUSTEE IN THAT AREA. AND THEN DR. HOMER GAVAR THAT MANY OF YOU KNOW, HE, HE LED THE EFFORT THAT LED TO THE SELECTION OF JANIE GONZALEZ. BUT WE HAD A VERY THOROUGH, UH, AND, AND WE SPENT A LOT OF HOURS WORKING ON IT. AND, UM, UH, I KNOW SOME OF YOU THAT ARE, THAT ARE ON THE COUNCIL ARE FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT WE HAD, UH, WE HAD, UH, A NEW THING WE INSTITUTED WAS, UH, UH, SESSIONS, WE CALLED IT C P S ENERGY 1 0 1, WHERE WE CALLED IN MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WERE POSSIBLY INTERESTED IN SERVING AND WENT THROUGH, UH, BECAUSE IT REALLY IS COMPLICATED WHAT WE'RE INVOLVED IN AT, AT C P S ENERGY, BUT WENT THROUGH ALL THE STEPS AND ANSWERED EVERYBODY'S QUESTIONS. AND OUR, AND OUR APPROACH ON IT WAS THAT WE, THAT WE WERE GONNA FIND THE BEST PERSON BY HAVING A STRONG APPLICANT POOL. SO WE, WE REALLY WORKED, UH, ALL, ALL THE ANGLES IN TRYING TO GET AS MANY QUALIFIED PEOPLE, UH, AS AS POSSIBLE TO APPLY. AND, UH, AND, AND WE ENDED UP WITH STRONG A, UH, APPLICANT POOLS, AND WE, AND WE ENDED UP WITH, WITH, WITH SOME OUTSTANDING TRUSTEES AND, AND THAT, AND SO, UM, I, I THINK THAT WORKED, AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK ALONG THOSE LINES IN TERMS OF TRYING TO TRY GET THE BEST PEOPLE WE CAN FOR THESE IMPORTANT POSITION. THANK YOU, MR. DEAN. UH, MR. STEIN. THANKS, MAYOR. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, WE'LL GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THANK YOU, MR. STEIN, FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR STATE AND OUR COMMUNITY AND ON THE C P S BOARD. UM, I WANT TO ALSO THANK COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL FOR PULLING THIS OFF OF THE CONSENT AGENDA BECAUSE THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL, UH, BOARD THAT WE IMPACT OUR EVERYDAY LIFE AND SOMETHING THAT WE BUDGET FOR ALL OF OUR CONSTITUENTS BUDGET FOR EVERY DAY. SO WE HAVE TO, UM, MAKE THIS, UH, PROCESS AS CLEAR AND AS TRANSPARENT AND ACCOUNTABLE AS POSSIBLE. AND THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. UM, THANK YOU, MR. STEEN. I'M GONNA JUST HAVE SOME COMMENTS AND A LITTLE, UH, MAYBE ONE QUESTION. UM, I JUST WANNA AMPLIFY THE COMMENTS AND THE QUESTIONS BY MY COLLEAGUE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. I'M GLAD WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT. I KNOW WE HAVEN'T MADE APPOINTMENTS, BUT IT'S CRITICAL THAT THOSE, UM, THAT WE TAKE EQUITY INTO AS THE FOREFRONT AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS, BECAUSE EQUITY NEEDS ACTION. WE CAN'T JUST HAVE IT IN, IN WRITTEN FORM. WE HAVE TO TAKE ACTION STEPS WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. UM, ALSO, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER RICHARD GARCIA ABOUT SUCCESSION PLANNING. UM, ABSOLUTELY WITH THE BOARD. I KNOW THERE ARE MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE TO BE APPOINTED TO DIFFERENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, AND I KNOW C P S ENERGY STAFF PARTICIPATE AND SPEAK TO THOSE COMMITTEES. SO IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. UM, ALSO WITH THE VEDA, OR NOT EXACTLY VEDA, BUT LOOKING AT MINORITY CONTRACTING, UM, IN C P S ENERGY CONTRACTS, I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER AREA THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO BUILD WEALTH AND BUILD PROSPERITY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND GIVE OPPORTUNITY TO OUR, UM, CONTRACTORS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. UM, AND YES, I DO THINK THAT, UM, WE HAVE TO HAVE, WE HAD TO HAVE [01:40:01] THIS ON OUT OF CONSENT SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE DEMAND FROM THE PUBLIC IS ASKING THAT FROM US. AND SO THIS IS JUST ANOTHER, ANOTHER STEP. SO MANY, MANY OF THESE THINGS. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU, MY COLLEAGUES FOR ASKING THESE QUESTIONS. AND I JUST DO WANT TO AGREE AND PROMOTE ALSO, UM, THE, YOUR, YOUR BOARD MEETINGS, THE, THE C P S ENERGY BOARD MEETINGS, HOW ARE YOU ALL, UH, HOW ARE THEY TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW? ARE THEY ON WEBEX AND, UM, ONLINE, MR. STEAM? UM, NO. WHAT, WHAT, RIGHT NOW WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT DOING IT BY, BY WEBEX. IT'S, UH, IT'S, IT'S DONE TELEPHONICALLY, UH, OUR MEETINGS. AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT, UH, SINCE WE WERE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US WERE, WERE COMPELLED TO DO THAT WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT. UM, AND I'VE ACTUALLY HAD JUST RECENTLY SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH SOME, WITH SOME OF YOUR COLLEAGUES ABOUT THAT, AND THEY SAID, WELL, IS IS THAT WORKING OUT ALL RIGHT? AND WE KEEP OUR EAR PRETTY CLOSE TO THE GROUND IN TERMS OF, OF, OF PUBLIC FEEDBACK. AND, UM, THAT'S, IT SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED WELL. UH, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY, UH, UH, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANYBODY, UH, COMPLAIN ABOUT IT THAT I KNOW ABOUT. UH, AND I, AND POSSIBLY SOMEBODY'S COMPLAINED ABOUT IT, AND IT HASN'T WORKED ITS WAY TO ME, BUT I DON'T THINK SO. UM, ARE YOU SUGGESTING MAYBE WE SHOULD DO IT DIFFERENTLY? OH, YES. I, I MEAN, THE WAY WE ARE FUNCTIONING RIGHT NOW, AND I MEAN, FOR OUR UTILITY COMPANY, I WOULD HOPE THAT IT WOULD ALSO BE, UM, ONLINE. SO HOW DOES THE PUBLIC LISTEN IN ON THE, ON THE BOARD MEETING? UH, THEY, THEY JUST, UH, THEY, THEY CALL IN AND, UH, AS I SAID, WE, WE ACTUALLY, WE INSTITUTED, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT AND WE, IT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY ACTIVE. WE, WE USUALLY HAVE, UH, UH, OH, UM, UM, I DON'T KNOW, FOUR OR 5, 6, 7 PEOPLE THAT SIGN UP TO SPEAK AND, UM, UH, TWO MINUTES A PIECE. AND OKAY. IT'S, UH, IT SEEMS TO, TO GO WELL, AS I SAID, I, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANYBODY COMPLAIN, BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY WE'RE NOT, WE CAN'T DO IT BETTER, RIGHT. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, OUR MANTRA OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY KEY AND, UH, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND EXPECTATION OF OUR MUNICIPAL UTILITY. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO REACHING OUT TO, UH, C P S ENERGY STAFF TO, TO TALK TO THEM AND TALK THROUGH THAT WITH THEM. SO, THANK YOU, MR. STEIN. UM, ONE LAST THING I'D LIKE TO ASK MORE, UM, OF A COMMENT TO, UH, TO ERIC AND OUR CITY STAFF. YOU KNOW, UM, WITH THE NEW ADMINISTRATION COMING OUT AND COMING ONLINE WITH NEW GUIDELINES, I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR ALL OF US, FOR US TO HAVE JUST A MAYBE NEXT MONTH OR AT THE BEGINNING OF MARCH, HOW, UM, THE NEW GUIDELINES WILL COME OUT AND WHERE OUR MUNICIPAL AGENCIES ARE, AND, UM, HOW WE ALL ALIGN TOGETHER. SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO, TO SEE THAT AND GROW AND SEE WHERE ALL THIS ALIGNMENT HAPPENED. UM, THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS, AND I DO UNDERSTAND, AND, UM, I KNOW THAT MR. STEIN, YOU ARE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE C P S ENERGY LEVEL, AND I THINK IT IS, UM, IMPORTANT TO HEAR THE VOICES OF THE CITY COUNCIL ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THOSE AREAS WHEN MAKING THE APPOINTMENTS TO C P S ENERGY AND, UH, SEE WHERE THEY'RE ALSO MOVING ON THAT AND GIVE A LOT OF, UM, UH, DEFERENCE TO WHAT THEY'RE SAYING AND HOW THEY'RE, YOU'RE WORKING. SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT ON THERE BECAUSE IT'S ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO HAVE THE ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE IN THAT AREA MAKE THEIR VOICE HEARD. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. COUNCIL MEMBER TINO. THANKS, MAYOR. UM, JOHN, I, I JUST, I JUST HOP BACK ON BECAUSE, UH, I KNOW YOU HAD DIFFICULTY CONNECTING AND JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO HEAR SOME OF MY, MY COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS. UM, AGAIN, UH, I THINK YOU'VE ALREADY SPOKEN TO SOME OF THE CONCERNS ABOUT CONNECTING BACK TO, UM, TO THE COMMUNITY THAT, UH, HAS, HAS RAISED SOME CONCERNS AND FINDING A WAY TO BRIDGE, UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE QUESTIONS AND, UH, AND, AND FORMING A, FORMULATING A, A STRATEGY TO MOVE US FORWARD. BUT I WANNA GIVE YOU, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO ALSO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR YEARS. AND WE, AND WE RECENTLY SPOKE ABOUT THIS, UH, SPEAKING ABOUT SPEAKING AROUND VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS, UH, AND FAMILIES THAT, THAT NEED PROGRAMS [01:45:01] THAT, THAT DO REDUCE THE ENERGY DEMAND AS WELL, AND, AND IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. UH, YOU MENTIONED, WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT, UH, SOLAR, AND, UH, I TOLD YOU, I, I BELIEVE, UH, A HIGH ROOF IS A SOLAR PROGRAM TOO. AND, UH, AND AS YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROGRAM HAS PROVIDED OVER A THOUSAND AREA FAMILIES WITH, WITH A HIGH REFLECTIVE ROOF THAT IS PROVEN TO REDUCE ENERGY USAGE, WHICH HAS ALSO SAVING THEM THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN UTILITY COSTS A YEAR. UM, AGAIN, I, I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU HOW YOU'RE GONNA USE YOUR SECOND TERM TO GROW THE UNDER ONE ROOF, UH, PARTNERSHIP, UH, AND OTHER PROGRAMS WHICH HAVE BOTH AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT. UH, COUNCILMAN, THANK YOU FOR, AND I, AND, AND THAT WAS DURING THE PERIOD I WAS HAVING TROUBLE. I, I COULD HEAR YOU SPEAKING, BUT I COULDN'T HEAR EVERYTHING YOU SAID, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CONNECTION. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD OVER THE YEARS, REALLY, WE'VE HAD, UH, A NUMBER OF DISCUSSIONS, UH, ABOUT, ABOUT YOUR REALLY, I, I DESCRIBE IT AS WONDERFUL PROGRAM. UM, AND, UM, I, I, I WANNA SEE THAT, UH, MOVE FORWARD IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY. UM, HOW, TELL ME AGAIN, HOW MANY, UH, UH, NEW ROOFS YOU'VE, YOU'VE DONE, UH, SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM? IT WAS, IT'S PRETTY AMAZING. YEAH. IT'S, IT'S, WELL, IT'S WELL OVER A THOUSAND NOW. I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT NUMBER IN FRONT OF ME. UH, WE USUALLY ASK FOR A DASHBOARD, UH, BEFORE A COMMITTEE MEETING, BUT, UH, WE, WE PASSED A THOUSAND A FEW MONTHS AGO, AND IT IS REALLY QUITE REMARKABLE BECAUSE IT'S A PROGRAM THAT DOES HAVE A, A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL IN THAT WE KNOW, UH, THAT WE CAN QUANTIFY THE NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS AROUND 7,000 ROOFS. AND TO, TO KNOW THAT WE'RE ALREADY, JUST FROM THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM, UH, A LITTLE OVER A THOUSAND, A PARTNERSHIP WITH C P S, I THINK WOULD BE SO MEANINGFUL WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM, UH, THAT IS NOW CITYWIDE, AND ALSO, UH, POTENTIALLY, UH, EXPAND THE REACH IN TERMS OF HOW C P SS CONNECTS WITH ITS CUSTOMERS AND HOW IT, HOW IT IS, UH, AS WE MENTIONED, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL PROGRAM. NO, UH, UH, IT'S A, IT'S AN EXCITING, UH, THING THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND, AND IT'S ASTOUNDING THAT YOU'VE REACHED A THOUSAND, BUT IT'S ALSO ASTOUNDING TO THINK THAT THAT'S JUST ONE SEVENTH OF THE WAY. AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, UH, EXCITING WORK AHEAD. I KNOW, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE IN THIS PROGRAM, AND I WANNA WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH YOU. UH, AND, UH, OF COURSE, I, I ALWAYS AM QUICK TO SAY I'M, I'M, I'M, I'M JUST ONE BOARD MEMBER. UH, BUT NO, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'M, THAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT, AND I WANT TO SEE, UH, THAT PARTNERSHIP PROCEED. AND WE PROBABLY DON'T. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, SOME OF THE PARAMETERS OF HOW IT WOULD BE PUT TOGETHER IN TERMS OF MATERIAL VERSUS LABOR AND SHARING THAT, ALL OF THAT. AND I, I DON'T BELIEVE WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT TODAY, BUT JUST KNOW I'VE GOT THAT COMMITMENT, AND, AND I'M GONNA FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THAT, AND IT'S GONNA BE, BE GONNA BECOME ONE OF MY PRIORITIES TO, TO SEE THAT, THAT WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN. THANK YOU, MR. APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. AND I'LL, I'LL JUST, UM, ADD BY SAYING I ECHO, UH, THE COMMENTS OF MY COLLEAGUES. UM, UH, CHAIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE. UM, WE DIDN'T KNOW EACH OTHER VERY WELL UNTIL OUR SERVICE TOGETHER ON THE C P S BOARD. AND I, I DO HAVE TO SAY, I, I APPRECIATE YOUR THOROUGHNESS, UM, AND YOUR OPENNESS TO, UH, DIALOGUE ACROSS A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UM, CONCERN GROUPS THAT I THINK IS GOING TO BE, UH, THE ANTIDOTE TO SOME OF THE, UM, UH, ISSUES THAT WE'VE, WE'VE SEEN LATELY, UH, NOT JUST IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT EVERYWHERE. UH, I THINK YOUR, UM, YOUR LEVEL OF INCLUSION, UM, AND, AND FOCUS ON BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO THE TABLE TO FIGURE OUT COMPLEX PROBLEMS IS WHAT WE NEED TO GET THROUGH SOME OF THESE ISSUES. SO I'M GREATLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR, YOUR GREAT STEWARDSHIP OF THE BOARD, UH, AND TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, FROM THE C P S STAFF WHO ARE ON THE CALL AS WELL. I, I THINK THEY ALL ECHO THOSE SENTIMENTS, UH, AS WELL. AND I DO ENJOY, UH, THE DYNAMIC THAT WE HAVE AND, AND CONTINUE TO MOVE MOVES, UM, FORWARD IN, IN THESE PRETTY SIGNIFICANT ISSUES. SO THANK YOU, JOHN. LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE. AND WITH THAT, WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, UH, FOR ITEM 16 AND 17, HEARING, NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. MOTION, I BELIEVE [4. 21-1039 Briefing on the City's response and preparedness on COVID-19. [Colleen M. Bridger, MPH, PhD, Assistant City Manager, Interim Director, Health]] NOW WE WILL GO BACK TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR. [01:50:03] ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS A BRIEFING ON THE CITY'S RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS OF C OVID 19. MAYOR, I'LL, I'LL, UH, I'LL START US OFF AND THEN HAND IT OVER TO COLLEEN. UM, SO WE WANTED TO GIVE THE COUNCIL AN UPDATE, UM, UH, THIS MORNING, AND MOST OF THE UPDATE, UH, REVOLVES AROUND, UM, VACCINATION. UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT. UM, AS, AS THE PLANNING FOR VACCINATIONS HAPPENED ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UH, THROUGH THE GUIDANCE OF C D C, UM, THE PLAN FOR, UH, UH, BOTH AT THE FEDERAL AND THE STATE LEVEL, UH, WAS THAT, UH, IT WAS GOING TO PURSUE WHAT I WOULD CALL A FLU SHOT MODEL THAT RELIED, UH, LARGELY ON PRIVATE PROVIDERS AND PHARMACIES AND PHYSICIAN OFFICES TO VACCINATE THE PUBLIC. UM, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US HAVE WATCHED THE NEWS OVER THE LAST MONTH, UH, VACCINE SUPPLY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH THEIR, UH, OPERATION WARP SPEED, UM, HAS HAD A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES, UH, RESULTING, UM, ULTIMATELY IN, UH, A SMALLER AMOUNT OF VACCINATIONS BEING PRODUCED THAN I THINK ANTICIPATED. UH, THE STATE OF TEXAS IN LATE IN DECEMBER, UH, SAW THE UPTAKE OF THAT, OF THAT, UH, LIMITED SUPPLY OF VACCINE. UM, AND, UH, THEY, THE STATE OPENED UP ELIGIBILITY TO WHAT'S KNOWN AS TIER ONE B. AND, AND COLLEEN WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS, BUT, BUT A TIER ONE B IS ESSENTIALLY ANYBODY OVER THE AGE OF 65, UH, WITH A CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITION OF TIER ONE A, WERE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS. AND SO, WHEN THE STATE DID THAT, UM, RIGHT AROUND, UH, CHRISTMAS DAY, UH, THAT CREATED A MUCH DIFFERENT PARADIGM HERE, UH, WITHIN THE STATE, UH, HERE IN BEAR COUNTY. UH, WE HAD A LESS THAN, UM, 50,000 DOSES COMBINED WITHIN THE COUNTY, UM, THROUGH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROVIDERS TO COVER, UH, 145,000 HEALTHCARE WORKERS. AND, AND NOWHERE NEAR THE AMOUNT NEEDED FOR, UH, THIS CATEGORY ONE B. UM, THE, THE WEEK OF JANUARY 4TH, UH, THE STATE, UH, ADJUSTED, UM, AGAIN TO, UH, FROM THE ORIGINAL PLAN, UH, TO ASK FOR THE CREATION OF MASS VACCINATION SITES. UM, SO WE, UH, WE HAD TWO MAJOR CHANGES OVER THE HOLIDAY BREAK, UM, HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT MEANT THAT WE HAD, UH, RIGHT ABOUT LESS THAN A WEEK, UH, TO PLAN FOR THE ROLLOUT OF A MASS VACCINATION CLINIC. AND MOST OF YOU KNOW, THAT UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL SYSTEM, UH, OPENED UP ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, UH, A SIGN UP FOR ONE, THE OLD WONDERLAND MALL SITE, UM, UH, THE, UH, METRO HEALTH, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT 3 1 1, UH, OUR COLLABORATION WITH, UH, UNIVERSITY HEALTH AND, UH, STRAC, UH, BEGAN, UH, ORGANIZING QUICKLY, UM, MASS VACCINATION SITE THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AN OPERATION OVER THE ALAMO DOME. UM, WE ALSO WORKED, UH, OVER THE BREAK, UM, WITH, UM, REALLY WAS A VARIETY OF PROVIDERS. UM, AND, UH, IT, IT ENDED UP ONLY BEING, UH, WELLMED, UM, IN THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT THAT COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL AND AND GONZALEZ AND RICHARD GARCIA WERE INVOLVED, UM, WELLMED, UH, TO HAVE STEPPED UP TO PROVIDE, UH, ADDITIONAL SITES, UM, THAT ARE IN OPERATION THIS WEEK. BUT, BUT, UH, E EVERYBODY WORKED QUICKLY AND COLLABORATIVELY TO, UH, GET THAT SET UP AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AND, AND, UH, WITH NOT A LOT OF LEAD TIME, UH, A LOT OF LOGISTICS THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT. UM, BUT, UH, ALL THOSE SITES WERE OPENED UP, UH, THIS WEEK ON MONDAY. UM, WE SHOULD REMEMBER ALSO THAT, UH, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND ALL THE HOSPITAL SYSTEMS ARE CONTINUING TO DEAL WITH, UH, OUR, OUR CONTINUING, UH, SURGE IN COVID 19 CASES, UH, AND TRANSPORTS TO THE HOSPITAL AND, UH, HOSPITAL CAPACITY. ALL THOSE THINGS CONTINUE TO BE, WE HAVE LAYERED ON TOP OF THAT ENTIRE EFFORT, UH, THIS, UH, MASS VACCINATION. UM, AND AS COLLEEN WILL EXPLAIN, UM, WHAT WE DO AND WHAT, WHAT WE CAN DO IS TYPE VERY CLOSELY TO THE STATE. AND WHAT THE STATE CAN DO IS TYPE VERY CLOSELY TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND, AND THEY ARE ALL MOVING IN WEEKLY TEMPO. UM, THERE IS NOTHING PLANNED BEYOND SEVEN DAYS. UH, AND, AND MAYBE THAT'LL CHANGE AS, AS PRODUCT BECOMES MORE AVAILABLE [01:55:01] FOR THE MANUFACTURER IN, IN FACT, IT WILL CHANGE. UH, IT'LL JUST TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME. SO DR. BRIDGER'S GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THOSE ISSUES. UM, I, I DO WANT TO THANK, UM, DR. BRIDGER, DR. KON, UH, DR. WU AND THE METRO HEALTH TEAM, UH, CHIEF HOOD AND, AND DEPUTY CHIEF ESTRADA, BECAUSE, UH, WE PUT TOGETHER A PRETTY, UM, A PRETTY BIG, UH, LOGISTICAL EFFORT, UM, IN RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. AND, UM, I'VE GOTTEN GOOD FEEDBACK FROM, UM, UH, THE PUBLIC, UM, AS I'VE GONE OVER THERE TO THE, TO THE ALAMO DOME, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, SEMESTERS HERE IN THE OFFICE. THE OTHER THING THAT I JUST WANTED TO UPDATE THE COUNSEL ON, AND IT IS IMPORTANT, UM, AND YOU'VE SEEN IT PROBABLY IN THE DAILY EMAILS, BUT WE HAVE THE CITY EMPLOYEE STANDPOINT. UM, ALSO SAW, SEEN A, AN INCREASE IN CASES. WE HIT OUR ALL TIME HIGHS, UH, FOR BOTH CIVILIANS, POLICE OFFICERS, AND FIREFIGHTERS WE'RE DOWN, UH, BACK DOWN A LITTLE BIT SINCE MONDAY. UM, BUT, BUT, UH, WE, WE TRY TO PUSH THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE COUNCIL IN THE END OF DAY EMAIL, UM, TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK. UM, WE ARE CLOSELY MONITORING THAT. AND, UM, UM, HOPEFULLY THE, THE, THE TREND FROM THE LAST THREE OR FOUR DAYS, UH, IS INDICATIVE OF WHAT WE'LL START TO SEE GOING FORWARD HAS NOT, UH, HAD ANY IMPACT ON US OPERATIONALLY, BUT WE ARE MONITORING VERY CLOSELY. SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO, UH, COLLEEN TO GO THROUGH THE PRESENTATION. COLLEEN, THANK YOU. UM, GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. UM, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, AND JUST DO A QUICK UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THE PANDEMIC IN GENERAL. SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, AS OF YESTERDAY, UM, WE'VE HAD 138,000, UM, CASES OF C OVID 19 HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY. UM, OUR SEVEN DAY ROLLING AVERAGE IS ABOUT 1600 CASES PER DAY. OUR POSITIVITY RATE THIS WEEK DID COME DOWN A LITTLE BIT. UM, IT'S BEEN DOING A LOT OF KIND OF UP AND DOWN, UP AND DOWN, UP AND DOWN. SO UNTIL WE HAVE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS OF CONSISTENT DECLINE, I'M, I'M HOLDING OUT ANY SORT OF, UH, COMMENTARY ON WHAT THAT MEANS. UM, UNFORTUNATELY, WE'VE HAD, UM, ALMOST 17, ALMOST 1700, UH, PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES AS A RESULT OF C OVID 19. AND THIS WEEK WE ESTIMATE THAT THERE ARE, UH, ALMOST 18,000 PEOPLE IN BEXAR COUNTY RIGHT NOW WHO HAVE ACTIVE CASES OF COVID 19, AND THAT ALMOST 120,000 PEOPLE HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY HAVE RECOVERED. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, HERE'S OUR EPI CURVE AGAIN. UH, AND AGAIN, JUST TO, TO REITERATE WHAT I BELIEVE I'VE SAID BEFORE IS, UM, THE SURGE THAT WE HAD IN JULY WAS SHARPER AND FASTER MOVING THAN THE SURGE THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW. UM, THE SURGE THAT WE'RE IN NOW IS SLOWER, BUT IT'S MORE PROLONGED. UM, AND SO THAT IS, UH, CONTINUING TO PUT STRESS, ESPECIALLY ON THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM, UM, OVER LONGER PERIODS OF TIME. SO THIS IS, UM, I KNOW EVERYBODY IS VERY FOCUSED ON THE VACCINATION EFFORT, BUT, UM, WE ARE REALLY AT A CRITICAL POINT IN THE PANDEMIC ITSELF, UM, AND NEED FOR PEOPLE TO, TO CONTINUE TO, TO STICK WITH US AND WEAR THEIR MASKS AND STAY SIX FEET APART AND STAY HOME WHEN THEY'RE SICK AND WASH THEIR HANDS. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, UM, SWITCHING TO THE BULK OF THE PRESENTATION, WHICH IS ABOUT VACCINATION EFFORTS, UH, AS I MENTIONED IN MY EMAIL UPDATE TO YOU, OUR VACCINATION EFFORTS ARE, UM, FOCUSING ON THESE FOUR PRIORITIES. SO WE WANNA MONITOR THE AMOUNT OF VACCINE, UM, THAT IS COMING INTO BEXAR COUNTY, AND THAT HAS BEEN ADMINISTERED, UH, HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY. WE WANNA EXPAND ACCESS TO MASS VACCINATION CLINICS. THIS IS A NEW PRIORITY THAT CAME ABOUT LAST WEEK. UM, AND AS YOU'LL SEE, WE'VE, WE'VE PIVOTED, UM, PRETTY QUICKLY TO ADDRESS THAT. UM, AS ALWAYS, WE WANT TO ENSURE EQUITY IS AT THE HEART OF VACCINE DISTRIBUTION, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF NOISE AND CHAOS AND CONFUSION. UM, CONTINUING WITH THE PANDEMIC, WE WANT TO TRY TO CLEARLY COMMUNICATE WHERE VACCINE IS AVAILABLE AND WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE IT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, UNDER THAT FIRST PRIORITY OF, UH, MONITORING DOSES, WHAT WE KNOW RIGHT NOW IS THAT, [02:00:01] UM, FAIR COUNTY HAS RECEIVED 154,500 DOSES OF C OVID 19 VACCINE. UM, THAT REPRESENTS A FOUR WEEK PERIOD OF TIME AND AVERAGES TO ABOUT 30,000 DOSES A WEEK. SO FAR, UM, HOSPITAL PRIVATE PHARMACIES, PRIVATE DOCTOR'S OFFICES HAVE ADMINISTERED ABOUT 62,000 DOSES OF THAT. UM, AND WE ESTIMATE THAT BY THE END OF THIS WEEK, OUR MASS VACCINATION CLINIC WILL HAVE ADMINISTERED APPROXIMATELY 30,000 DOSES. UH, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE REPORTING SYSTEMS, AND SO, UH, WE KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN 22,000 DOSES GIVEN THAT HAVE NOT YET MADE IT ONTO THE STATE'S, UM, WEB PAGE OR DASHBOARD. UM, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE'S ABOUT 39,000 DOSES OF C OVID 19 VACCINE, UM, LARGELY STILL WITH THE FIRST RECIPIENTS OF VACCINE, WHICH, UM, ARE PRIMARILY OUR HOSPITAL SYSTEM. UH, SO THEY ARE CONTINUING TO VACCINATE THEIR STAFF, UM, AND WILL CONTINUE TO USE THAT 39,000, UH, DOSE ALLOTMENT IN ORDER TO DO THAT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, THE SECOND GOAL OF EXPANDING ACCESS TO MASS VACCINATION, UM, CLINICS. THIS WEEK WE OPENED, UM, THREE ADDITIONAL MASS VACCINATION CLINICS, UH, TO ADD TO UNIVERSITY HEALTH WONDERLAND MALL LOCATION. UM, YOU CAN SEE THE WONDERLAND MALL LOCATION, UM, IN ITS THIRD WEEK IS AVERAGING ABOUT 1600 DOSES PER DAY. THE ALAMO DOME IS AVERAGING ABOUT 1500 DOSES PER DAY, THOUGH I WILL SAY YESTERDAY THEY DID CLOSE TO 2000. UH, THE WELLMED, UH, CNE SITE, WHICH IS THEIR PRIMARY SITE, AND THEIR LARGER SITE IS, UM, AVERAGING OVER A THOUSAND DOSES PER DAY. AND THE WELLMED LOPEZ CENTER SITE IS AVERAGING OVER 500 DOSES PER DAY. UM, SO THIS IS DAY THREE OF EACH OF THOSE, UM, THREE ADDITIONAL MASS VACCINATION SITES. AND, UM, I, I AM REALLY IMPRESSED WITH HOW WELL EVERYBODY IS DOING AT THIS NEW, UH, WAY OF PROVIDING VACCINATIONS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. UH, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE HAVEN'T BEEN SOME GLITCHES. UM, WE, WE DEFINITELY EMBRACE THE BUILD IT WHILE YOU USE IT, UH, FRAMEWORK. AND SO, UM, WE'RE WORKING OUT KINKS, ESPECIALLY IN THE REGISTRATION PROCESS. UM, AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, THERE ARE, ARE, UM, OVER A MILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY ELIGIBLE TO BE VACCINATED IN BEX COUNTY, AND WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, HAVE A, YOU KNOW, AN OPENING FOR 7,500 PEOPLE A WEEK, UM, AT THE ALAMO DO, FOR EXAMPLE. AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIT A MILLION PEOPLE THROUGH THAT, THAT SMALL HOLE. SO DEFINITELY AS A CHALLENGE, UM, AS, AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, WE ALSO HAVE NO ABILITY TO PLAN AHEAD. UM, WE ARE NOTIFIED A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE WE GET OUR VACCINATION SHIPMENT OF HOW MANY DOSES WE WILL RECEIVE AND WHEN WE WILL RECEIVE IT. WHEN WE GET THAT INFORMATION, WE TURN EVERYTHING BACK ON AND, AND WE PREPARE FOR THE NEXT WEEK. I DO THINK THAT'S GONNA GET BETTER IN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE WEEKS. UM, THIS IS JUST THE MOST DIFFICULT PERIOD RIGHT NOW. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THIS SLIDE, UM, SHOWS YOU ON THE MAP THE LOCATION OF THE FOUR MASS VACCINATION CLINIC. SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE, UM, THE, OH, I, I AM SO SORRY, I MISLABELED IT. SO C IS THE WONDERLAND MALL B IS THE ALAMO DOME A IS THE WELLMED CI NARROW SITE, AND D IS, UH, THE WELLMED LOPEZ SITE. BUT YOU CAN SEE, UM, WHERE THOSE, UH, MASS VAC SITES ARE LOCATED, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AGAIN, WHAT WE EXPECT TO HAPPEN IS AS MORE VACCINE BECOMES AVAILABLE, JUST LIKE WHEN MORE COVID TESTS BECAME AVAILABLE, WE WILL EXPAND THE LOCATIONS FROM MASS SITES TO MICROSITE, AND THAT WILL PUT SITES CLOSER TO PEOPLE AND, AND MORE RESPONSIVE TO WHERE WE, UM, SEE THE GREATEST NEED. BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ENOUGH VACCINE TO OPERATE THESE FOUR SITES, AND, UM, THAT IS OUR FOCUS. THE OTHER THING I WANNA POINT OUT ABOUT THIS MAP IS THAT WE DID CREATE AN INDEX [02:05:01] TO IDENTIFY, UM, AREAS IN THE CITY THAT HAVE THE, THE HIGHEST NEED FOR VACCINATION. AND WE DEFINED THAT BY, UM, USING THREE LAYERS ON THIS MAP. THE FIRST LAYER IS OUR EXISTING, UM, MAP THAT LOOKS AT WHAT THE CITY'S EQUITY SCORE IS FOR EACH CENSUS TRACK. THE SECOND LAYER IS WHAT IS THE CASE RATE FOR EACH CENSUS TRACK FOR COVID INFECTIONS. AND THEN THE THIRD LAYER IS, UM, WHAT IS THE COVID MORTALITY RATE IN, IN, IN EACH OF THESE, UH, CENSUS TRACTS AS WELL. WHEN WE PUT THIS MAP TOGETHER, WE IDENTIFIED, UM, DISTRICTS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, AND SIX AS THE PRIORITIES RIGHT NOW BASED ON HAVING A LIMITED SUPPLY OF VACCINE AND REALLY WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE MOST AT NEED RECEIVED THE VACCINE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, IN ADDITION TO THE MAP THAT I SHOWED YOU ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, UM, WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING TO EMBED EQUITY IN ALL OF OUR VACCINATION EFFORTS. SO WE, UM, RIGHT NOW, UH, WE ARE PROVIDING ACCESS TO VACCINE, UM, IN THOSE, UH, DISTRICTS AT A HIGHER RATE THAN OTHER DISTRICTS. UM, BUT AGAIN, WE EXPECT THAT AS VACCINE SUPPLY INCREASES, WE'LL BE ABLE TO EXPAND ACCESS TO EVERYBODY. UH, WE ARE ALSO USING COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS AND OTHERS TO DEPLOY TO THESE CENSUS TRACKS AND PROVIDE NOT JUST INFORMATION ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING VACCINATED, BUT UM, ACTUALLY THE ABILITY TO REGISTER FOR APPOINTMENTS, UM, WHILE INTERACTING WITH THESE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS. UH, SO THAT SHOULD HELP WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, SENIORS WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, UM, WHO ARE UNSURE ABOUT HOW THEY MIGHT GET TO AN APPOINTMENT, UM, AND WHO AREN'T SURE HOW TO GET AN APPOINTMENT. SO WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY WORKING HARD IN THOSE CENSUS TRACKS TO HELP FACILITATE THAT. AND THEN, UM, YOU HEARD ME MENTION THE, UM, THE C R C AND THE, THE CVID 19 COMMUNITY RESPONSE COALITION. UM, WE ARE EXPANDING IT. WE ARE CHANGING ITS NAME. IT'S NOW GOING TO BE THE, THE, UM, C OVID 19 COMMUNITY RESPONSE AND EQUITY COMMITTEE, UM, FOCUSING ON, AGAIN, MORE INTENTIONALLY INCLUDING COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS ABOUT, UM, HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UM, THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING VACCINATED AND WHERE THEY CAN GET VACCINATED. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, UM, AS IS THE CASE WITH ALL THINGS PANDEMIC, UH, COMMUNICATIONS ARE REALLY CRITICAL TO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. UM, PEOPLE ARE SCARED, PEOPLE ARE TIRED, UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION OUT THERE. AND SO WE'VE REALLY BEEN FOCUSED ON, UH, GETTING A CONSISTENT MESSAGE OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, GETTING, UM, LOTS OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF COMMUNICATING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL, UM, WE FEEL LIKE EVERYBODY WHO WANTS TO BE VACCINATED HAS BEEN. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, AS THE MANAGER MENTIONED, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY, UM, ALLOWED BY THE STATE TO VACCINATE PHASE ONE, A FIRST TIER AND SECOND TIER IN THE ENTIRETY OF PHASE ONE B. SO, UM, YOU CAN SEE A MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF WHO FALLS INTO EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES. UM, BUT I'M SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE HEARD ME SAY OVER A MILLION PEOPLE IN BEX COUNTY ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE VACCINATED RIGHT NOW. UM, AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE AVERAGING UNDER 30,000 DOSES A WEEK. UM, AND REMEMBER, PEOPLE WHO ARE VACCINATED RIGHT NOW NEED TWO DOSES. UM, SO WE ARE A LONG WAY AWAY FROM HAVING ENOUGH VACCINE TO BE ABLE TO VACCINATE EVERYBODY WHO WANTS TO BE VACCINATED AS QUICKLY AS THEY'D LIKE TO BE. UM, AND FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VERY UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACT THAT WE DON'T CONTROL SUPPLY, WE JUST CONTROL DELIVERY. AND THE FEEDBACK ABOUT [02:10:01] THE DELIVERY HAS BEEN VERY, VERY POSITIVE. VERY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, UM, THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS IS WE WILL CONTINUE TO, UM, ITERATE IMPROVEMENTS IN VACCINE DELIVERY EVERY DAY. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE DO A HOT WASH. WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE LEARNED THAT DAY, WHAT IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEEDED THAT DAY, AND WE MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER FOR THE NEXT. UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR MORE VACCINES, UM, BOTH TO THE STATE, BUT ALSO TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THERE'S ACTUALLY NO REASON WHATSOEVER THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COULDN'T SHIP VACCINES DIRECTLY TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND ELIMINATE ANY SORT OF MIDDLEMAN, UH, SLOW DOWN. UM, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO, TO EXPAND THE C R C TO THE C R E C, UM, FOCUSING ON IMPROVING THE COMMUNITY REPRESENTATION ON THAT, UM, COMMITTEE. AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO USE OUR, UM, C H P TEAMS TO DO OUTREACH AND HOTSPOTS, BOTH FOR TESTING AND VACCINATION. THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED THAT, UM, THIS IS THE SAME TEAM THAT STOOD UP THESE MASS VACCINATION SITES THAT ALSO HAS BEEN WORKING OVER THE LAST NEARLY YEAR NOW ON RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC. AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, UM, IN HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHERE TO GO TO BE TESTED, DOING THE CASE INVESTIGATION, MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF COVID 19. UM, AND THEN AGAIN, WE'LL CONTINUE TO ITERATE IMPROVEMENT IN DATA AND COMMUNICATION. UH, NEXT SLIDE. WITH THAT, UM, I AM HAPPY TO ANSWER A QUESTION. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, DR. BRIDGER. UM, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF DISCUSSION, I BELIEVE, SO LET ME GET RIGHT TO IT. WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU DR. BRIDGER FOR THE PRESENTATION. AND, AND THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT THAT YOU'VE, UM, GIVEN US. AND, AND ERIC AND, AND MARIA HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL AS WELL. UM, AND, AND DR. CURIAN, THANK YOU FOR LOADING US. UH, DR. CURIAN ON OUR SOUTH SIDE SOUTHWEST, SOUTHWEST SIDE OPERATIONS. UM, I WANNA START OFF, UM, MAYOR BY, BY THANKING MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES. AND SO I'VE GOTTA SAY THAT, UM, UH, OUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUES STEPPED UP, UM, AND WE WORKED, UM, THROUGHOUT THE HOLIDAY BREAK, AND WE DIDN'T TAKE A BREAK. AND, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO GET A LOT OF PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT THIS. IN FACT, UM, I, I SAID THIS THE OTHER DAY, BUT DR. CURIAN SAID THAT SHE LOVES WORKING WITH US BECAUSE OF OUR CHILDLIKE EXCITEMENT, AND THAT'S WHAT IT WAS. AND SO IT, IT TOOK A LOT OF, UM, UM, WORKING TOGETHER WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE. AND SO, UM, I WANNA JUST TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW. DR. BRIDGER, THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, THINGS THAT, THAT WENT INTO THE PLANNING. UH, WELL NET ENDED UP BEING A TURNKEY OPERATION. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR, GRATEFUL FOR MAJOR GENERAL JIMMY KEENAN, WHO JUST CAME IN LITERALLY LAST MINUTE. I, I WANNA MENTION SOME OF THE PARTNERS THAT WERE READY TO STEP UP TO THE TABLE. I WANNA THANK THEM FOR TAKING OUR CALLS. I KNOW I WAS CALLING SOME OF THEM NEW YEAR'S EVE AND NEW YEAR'S DAY. I DID GIVE DR. BRIDGER NEW YEAR'S DAY OFF. I, I, I WAS VERY RESPECTFUL. TRIED NOT TO CONTACT HER, GIVE HER HER TIME UP. BUT THEN THE NEXT DAY, I CALLED HER AND WE HAD A, A SMALL PLANNING MEETING WITH COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL AND COUNCILMAN , AND I SAID, OH, IT'S IN FIVE MINUTES. AND SHE SAID, I'LL BE THERE. SAID THANK YOU, DR. BRIDGER, FOR STEPPING UP AND, AND, AND BEING JUST, JUST READY AND AVAILABLE. OUR FRIENDS AT PORT SAN ANTONIO, UM, I FOLLOW OUT THE COLLEGE SOUTH SAN I S D, UM, TEXAS A AND M, SAN ANTONIO NEW LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER, OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY, THEY WERE ALL READY AND OFFERED THEIR CAMPUSES, UH, TO HAVE A MASS VACCINATION SITE. AND SO WE, UH, WORKED OVER THE HOLIDAYS TO TOUR SOME OF THESE PLACES TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS, UM, IN, IN THE BEST INTEREST OF LOGISTICS. AND SO, UM, ULTIMATELY, LIKE I SAID, WELLMED LITERALLY ONE DAY BEFORE WE MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT, CAME IN AND HAD EVERYTHING THAT WE NEEDED. AND SO, UM, I CAN'T THANK THE WELLMED TEAM ENOUGH FOR EVERYTHING THAT THEY'VE DONE. I THINK THE, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THERE, UH, WITH WELLMED IS THAT IT WAS TRULY FOCUSED ON, UH, AN EQUITABLE APPROACH. AND SO IF WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS AS A BASEBALL GAME, YOU HAVE TWO TEAMS, ONE WITH GLOVES AND ONE WITHOUT. THAT'S NOT FAIR. SO WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THEIR, THEIR APPROACH TO JUST CALLING IN WAS FAIR. WE DIDN'T RUN OUT OF APPOINTMENTS UNTIL YESTERDAY. AND SO IT TOOK, UH, AN ENTIRE THREE DAYS. AND WE'RE STILL, WE CAN SAY THAT WE'VE HELPED BRING 5,000 VACCINES TO THE SOUTH SIDE WITHIN THESE LAST THREE [02:15:01] DAYS, AND THEY'RE STILL GOING STRONG. AND, UM, I ALSO WANNA THANK THE VOLUNTEERS WHO WERE READY TO MAKE CALLS WHO WERE READY TO STEP UP THE SAN ANTONIO PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, PROJECT QUEST, THE SAN ANTONIO MEDICAL ALLIANCE, UM, UH, SAFE CLINIC WITH DR. OCHOA SOUTHWEST GENERAL HOSPITAL, STR FOR COMMITTING TO EVEN GIVING US SOME ADDITIONAL, UH, UH, SUPPORT IN THE COMING WEEKS AS WELL. UM, THESE ARE ALL PARTNERS THAT YOU DON'T SEE RIGHT NOW. WE HEAR WELL MET, BUT THESE FOLKS WERE READY TO STEP IN AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET ACKNOWLEDGED. A T B WAS ALSO AT SOME OF OUR PLANNING MEETINGS AND READY TO STEP IN. AND SO, UM, ALTHOUGH THE, UH, ULTIMATELY THE SELECTION WAS, UH, WELL MET, I JUST WANNA LET THE SOUTH SIDE COMMUNITY KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF CHAMPIONS BEHIND YOU. WE KNEW THAT DISTRICTS THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE WERE THE MOST AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC, AND YOUR ENTIRE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY WAS NOT GONNA LEAVE YOU BEHIND. AND THEY STEPPED UP TO THE CALL AND THEY SAID, YES, WE NEED TO HELP, AND WE ARE READY TO HELP. UM, FOR THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT FOUR, MY STAFF MADE CALLS TO FOLKS THAT WE KNEW WERE VULNERABLE. WE WERE IN THESE, UM, DIFFERENT PHASES. WE ALSO HAD ROBOCALLS TO MORE THAN 17,000 OF OUR NEIGHBORS THAT WERE IN THE AGE GROUP, UM, SO THAT THEY COULD RETURN A PHONE CALL TO THE EIGHT THREE THREE NUMBER IMMEDIATELY. WE'RE, UM, ALSO, UH, STILL WORKING ON SENDING OUT POSTCARDS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT OUR FOLKS ARE NOT ALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WE'RE HOPING THAT WE DO CATCH SOME OF THEM THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, THROUGH THEIR GRANDCHILDREN, THROUGH THEIR CHILDREN WHO WILL REGISTER THEM, ET CETERA. BUT WE CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR EQUITY. WE, UM, HAVE RECEIVED 5.6 MILLION CALLS AS OF YESTERDAY TO THE 8 3 3 NUMBER. SO TO OUR RESIDENTS, THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT WITH US. THIS WAS TRULY THE MOST EQUITABLE WAY TO DO THIS. UM, AS YOU ALL RECEIVED MESSAGES THAT THE PHONE NUMBER WAS PERHAPS DISCONNECTED OR NOT A WORKING NUMBER, DEPENDING ON YOUR CARRIER, IT WASN'T BECAUSE THE NUMBER WAS DISCONNECTED, IT WAS BECAUSE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF CALL CALLS WERE COMING IN AT THE SAME TIME. I THINK ONE OF THE NUMBERS THAT I RECEIVED WAS 33,000 CALLS AT ONE TIME. SO IMAGINE OVER THE COURSE OF THE, OF THE DAYS THAT WE MADE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, 5.6 MILLION CALLS COMING INTO ONE NUMBER. I WANNA THINK, AGAIN, THE WELLMED TEAM WHO STARTED OFF WITH, UH, A, A NICE CHUNK OF OPERATORS AND INCREASED UP TO 150 OPERATORS. YOU ALL HAVE REALLY BROUGHT, UH, I, I JUST, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO SAY, BUT YES, A TRUE SENSE OF EQUITY TO THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDES OF SAN ANTONIO THAT, UM, NEEDED IT THE MOST. AND AGAIN, I CAN'T THANK MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES ENOUGH. UM, COUNCILWOMAN COUNCILMAN, UM, SANDOVAL, AND, UH, COUNCILING GONZALEZ AND THEIR TEAMS HAVE BEEN CRITICAL. THEY WERE ALSO WORKING, UM, THROUGHOUT THE, THE LAST FEW WEEKS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE BROUGHT SOUTH, UH, VACCINES TO THE SOUTH AND THE WEST SIDES OF TOWN. UM, AND MAYOR, THE, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR DR. BRIDGER. I THINK THEY'RE DOING A STELLAR JOB, BUT I DO WANNA SHOUT OUT, UH, UH, TO GEORGE HERNANDEZ FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE. HE'S JOINED US ON SOME OF THE CALLS AS WELL. HE SAID HE WOULD HELP AS MUCH AS HE CAN, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TO DR. CURIAN, WHO HAS NOT GIVEN UP ON US AND BELIEVES IN US, AND, UM, LISTENS TO OUR IDEAS AND IS, UH, VERY, UH, HELPFUL IN EVERYTHING THAT WE DO AND ALL THAT WE'RE DOING. AND ALWAYS KEEPS EQUITY AT, UM, AT, AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT SHE DOES. SO THANK YOU, DR. KIAN. THANK YOU, DR. BRIDGER, AND ERIC AND MARIA AND EVERYBODY WORKING ON THIS EFFORT. THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. UH, AND I APOLOGIZE, I NEGLECTED, UH, TO CALL A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAD SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. UH, SO LET ME GO REAL QUICK TO JACK FINGER. MR. FINGER, ARE YOU WITH US? YES, SIR. HE'S CONNECTED. HE'S UNMUTED. OKAY. YES. UM, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? HELLO? YES, WE DO. OKAY. YES. UM, MAYOR NURNBERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER. YES. EVERY, SEEMS LIKE EVERY DAY WE ARE SEEING A, A BIG SPIKE IN OUR CASES AND, UH, OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS AND SO FORTH REGARDING THE, UH, UH, THE VIRUS. AND WE KEEP WONDERING IF THERE'S EVER GOING TO BE AN END TO IT. UH, WE, WE WONDER IF, IF THE VACCINE AND THE VACCINATIONS WILL, WILL, UH, UH, TO TAKE OVER IN TIME TO, TO BE BEFORE WHERE WE ARE JUST COMPLETELY OVERRUN WITH IT. WE, WE FEAR ABOUT OUR, OUR HOSPITALS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS, UM, UH, JUST, UM, RUNNING OVER OVERBOARD WITH IT THERE. AND WE WONDER IF, IF THERE'LL EVER BE AN END TO IT. UM, BUT, [02:20:01] UH, I'M, WE'RE FINDING OUT THOUGH, THAT THERE IS SOME CAUSES FOR THIS THAT NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT, UH, SOME ARTICLES THAT HAVE JUST RECENTLY HAVE COME OUT IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS. BUT ONE OF 'EM IS BY THE, THE, THE NEW AMERICAN PUBLICATION. AND IT'S WHAT ONE OF US, SEVERAL ARTICLES THAT HAVE COME OUT SINCE THAT POINT. UH, IT'S, UH, IT'S BY MR. UH, MR. UH, MR. KIRKWOOD AND MR. COURT KIRKWOOD. AND, UH, THE TITLE OF IT IS YES, ILLEGALS CAUSING VIRUS SPIKE IN SOUTHWEST BORDER. AGENTS ARE QUARANTINED AND THE HOSPITALS ARE PACKED. MR. FINGER, I NEED TO KEEP YOUR, YOUR COMMENTS TO ITEM FOUR ON THE AGENDA, PLEASE. IT, IT IS, IT'S ABOUT THE VIRUS, SIR. AND THE REASON WHY WE WERE HAVING THE VIRUS BASICALLY IS BECAUSE OF THE ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE FLOODING OUR HOSPITALS WITH IT. AND WE NEED TO, MR. P I'M GONNA ASK YOU ONE MORE TIME TO KEEP YOUR COMMENTS GERMANE TO THE PRESENTATION, OTHERWISE, I'M GONNA CEDE YOUR TIME. WELL, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? IF YOU'RE WONDERING ABOUT THE CAUSE OF IT ALL, WHY, WHY AREN'T WE TAKING CARE OF THIS CAUSE AND DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF JUST LYING TO, TO CONTINUE? NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT THIS CAUSE AND WE NEED, NEED YOU TO TAKE ACTION UPON IT. UH, NOW, UH, I, WE, WE, WE, WE KIND, WE SAY WE'RE NOT A, A SANCTUARY CITY, BUT, BUT, UH, WE, WE, WE, WE ALLOW OUR, OUR, OUR POLICE DEPART DEPARTMENT TO, TO, TO, UH, LET PERSONS GET AWAY WITH THIS. AND THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. WE'LL GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER VIRON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I HAVE TO SAY, UM, DITTO TO EVERYTHING MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE, UH, DR. GARCIA SHARED. THANK YOU, COLLEEN, FOR THE PRESENTATION. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT BECAME VERY CLEAR AND EVIDENT WAS THAT SAN ANTONIO AND SAN ANTONIOS ARE HAVING EACH OTHER'S BACKS ON THIS. I THINK IT WAS, UM, IT HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED BY THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING AT THE ALAMO DOME. IT WAS THE WORK THAT WE SAW EVERY SINGLE DAY ON OUR 8:30 AM CALLS, UM, WITH THE COUNCILWOMEN AND OUR TEAM AND ALL OF THE PARTNERS. AND THEY CAME IN AND WERE READY TO STEP IN, AS WAS MENTIONED, BUT THEN WHEN WE COULD NOT UTILIZE THEM, THEY WERE HAPPY TO STEP BACK AND LET THE OTHER GROUPS MOVE FORWARD, BECAUSE THE END GOAL WAS TO GET OUR COMMUNITY THAT WAS THE MOST IMPACTED BY THIS DEADLY VIRUS THAT IS SPREAD BY PEOPLE NOT WEARING MASKS AND NOT, UM, WASHING THEIR HANDS OR KEEPING THEIR DISTANCE. UM, THEY WERE READY TO SERVE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER. UM, THANK YOU TO DR. CURIAN, WHO HAS BEEN, UH, A STALWART WITH US. AND I WANT TO ALSO MENTION THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT EVEN SINCE THE VACCINATION STARTED, UM, ON THE SOUTH SIDE, SO MANY MORE HAVE REACHED OUT AND SAID THAT THEY'RE WILLING TO SIGN UP AND USE THEIR LOCATIONS AS MAC VACCINATION SITES. AND WE APPRECIATE THEM, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADD YOU TO OUR LIST MOVING FORWARD. UM, BUT RIGHT NOW, WE STILL NEED TO WORK ON THE CONSISTENCY OF OUR SITES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, AND GET CONSISTENCY FROM THE STATE AND THE GUIDELINES, HOPEFULLY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMING OUT SOON OF WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE WITH OUR VACCINES. UM, JIMMY MAJOR GENERAL, JIMMY KEENAN AND HER ENTIRE TEAM, YOU KNOW, WE TOOK A TOUR OF THE FACILITY AND THAT DAY THEY WERE ALL READY TO GO, GIVING US A TOUR, LETTING US KNOW LOGISTICALLY OF WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND IT, HOW THE FLOW WAS GOING TO GO. AND THEY WERE ALL READY AND WILLING TO STEP UP AND ABSOLUTELY THRILLED THAT IT IS, THIS LOCATION IS IN DISTRICT THREE, AT LEAST THE CITO IS IN DISTRICT THREE, BUT WE WERE READY, AS WAS MENTIONED, TO HAVE IT AT PALO ALTO, TO HAVE IT AT PORT SAN ANTONIO, WHEREVER IT WAS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT NEEDED THE VACCINATION. BUT THE LV CITO CENTER IS SOMEWHERE THAT IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH OUR RESIDENTS. IT IS SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE. IT'S SOMEWHERE WHERE THERE'S PLENTY OF PARKING. AND THE WORKERS THERE, THE VOLUNTEERS AND THE STAFF THERE HAVE BEEN SO GREAT AND VERY ACCOMMODATING, AND WE'RE GETTING SO MANY GREAT POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM OUR COMMUNITY AFTER THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THIS WHOLE THING. SO [02:25:01] I AM ABSOLUTE, WE KNOW THAT EQUITY IS, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT IT'S A PRIORITY, UM, FOR EMBEDDING IN IT, AND IT'S A PART OF IT, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE IN ACTION STEPS, AND I'M THRILLED TO HAVE THIS, UH, SITE IN DISTRICT THREE. WE ALSO SAW ON SLIDE NUMBER SEVEN THAT THERE IS A, THAT THERE IS A WHOLE GAP, MULTIPLE GAPS THAT ARE STILL IN NEED OF VACCINATION SITES. ABSOLUTELY. IN DISTRICTS FOUR AND FIVE THAT HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF DEATH. WHEN IT COMES TO COVID, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK EITHER MASS VACCINATION OR THOSE MICROSITE OR MOBILE UNITS TO GET EMBEDDED IN THE COMMUNITY. I'M APPRE I APPRECIATE THE HEALTHCARE, THE HEALTH WORKERS THAT ARE GOING OUT AND SIGNING UP PEOPLE, UM, AT THEIR HOMES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN GET IN, IN ON VACCINES. AND THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS MAP AND THIS SLIDE TOGETHER. UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I HAD BEEN REQUESTING FOR SOME TIME. I ALSO WANNA SEE WHERE THE C OVID 19 TESTING SITES ARE. SO IF YOU CAN ALSO PUT THAT LAYER ON THERE, DR. BRIDGER, I'D APPRECIATE THAT. AND I ALSO HAVE TO SAY THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD. WE HAD TO MAKE A WAY, WE HAD TO MAKE A WAY, AND I'VE BEEN SO THRILLED WITH THE WORK AND THE COMMITMENT AND THE DEDICATION OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, BUT OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND TO THE CITY MANAGER, AND TO METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT WHO WAS READY TO STEP IN AND ASK QUESTIONS WHEN THEY NEEDED, WHEN THEY NEEDED TO. AND THAT WAS GOOD BECAUSE I'LL NEVER FORGET THE ONE QUESTION THAT CITY MANAGER SAID WAS, OKAY, WHO, WHO IS THE POINT OF CONTACT? WHO IS THE ONE PERSON IN CHARGE? AND LET ME TELL YOU, ERIC, I DID NOT GET WHAT YOU MEANT BY THAT QUESTION UNTIL WE WERE PUTTING IT UP OFF THE GROUND. SO THANK YOU FOR CHALLENGING US AND MAKING US MAKE THOSE DECISIONS AND COME TOGETHER AS COUNCIL MEMBERS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. I ALSO WANNA THANK OUR TEAM MEMBERS. OUR STAFF HAVE BEEN THERE WITH US ON THE CALLS. THEY'VE BEEN THERE FOLLOWING, THEY'VE BEEN THERE GOING ON, UH, SITE VISITS. THEY'VE BEEN THERE LOOKING AT THAT. SO I WANNA THANK ALL OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN NONSTOP. AND THIS IS WHAT I SAY, IT'S NON, IT'S BEEN NONSTOP. UM, WE ARE FINDING CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN THE PHONE LINE SYSTEM. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE. WE ASK YOU TO CONTINUE TO CALL WHEN IT COMES AVAILABLE. AND ONE, A QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU, DR. BRIDGER, THAT WE'VE DISCOVERED THROUGH THIS, IS PEOPLE ARE CALLING MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THEY'RE REGISTERING AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? AND I WANNA ENCOURAGE PEOPLE NOT TO DO THAT, TO MAKE, TO HAVE ONE APPOINTMENT AND KEEP IT AT ONE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT AND WHY THE NEED FOR JUST ONE? YEAH, WE'RE SEEING THAT AT THE ALAMO DUMP TOO. WE HAVE ABOUT A 10%, UH, DUPLICATE RATE. AND EVERY DAY AT THE BEGINNING OR AT THE END OF THE DAY LOOKING AT THE FOLLOWING DAY'S APPOINTMENTS, WE MANUALLY GO THROUGH AND PULL OUT PEOPLE WHO'VE REGISTERED AS MANY AS SIX, SEVEN TIMES. UM, AND SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE ONLY REGISTER ONE TIME BECAUSE THERE IS SUCH A LIMITED NUMBER OF APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE. UM, IF YOU FILL UP SIX, THAT'S FIVE OTHER PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS. SO, UM, THAT IS, THAT IS A CHALLENGE. AND, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT AN IT SOLUTION TO THAT CHALLENGE. BUT FOR NOW, I THINK THE PLEA IS, UM, TO PLEASE ONE, ONE APPOINTMENT AT ONE SITE IS ALL YOU NEED, UH, IN ORDER TO GET VACCINATED. THANK YOU, DR. BRIDGER. YES. ONE APPOINTMENT AT ONE SITE IS ALL YOU NEED, BECAUSE ONCE YOU MAKE THAT APPOINTMENT, YOU WILL GET THAT DOSE. SO JUST REST ASSURED THAT WAY. UM, AND THEN I HAVE TO, UH, AGAIN, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT BUILDING UP WITH MOBILE SITES OR BUILDING UP WITH MASS VACCINATION SITES, I WILL SAY IT NOW, I WILL CONTINUE TO SAY IT. UM, WE NEED TO GET ANOTHER SITE IN DISTRICTS FOUR IN DISTRICT FIVE SOMEWHERE, AND CONTINUE WITH THE PHONE CALLS, UH, WITH THE PHONE LINE FOR APPOINTMENTS. WE NEED TO DO THIS BECAUSE THIS IS THE COMMUNITY THAT'S BEEN MOST IMPACTED. BUT THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR LETTING US, UM, WORK TOGETHER WITH YOU AND EVERY DAY, IT'S VERY EXCITING SEEING THIS COME TO FRUITION. SO, THANK YOU, MAYOR. THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. [02:30:01] THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VERON. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, UH, TODAY. UM, I USED TO THINK THAT THE HARDEST PART OF MY JOB, UH, WAS WHEN, UH, PEOPLE WOULD ASK IF THEY COULD HAVE A SIDEWALK ON THEIR STREET. AND, UH, SINCE I STARTED IN 2017, I PROBABLY GOT THAT REQUEST MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK. AND, AND THE HARDEST PART WAS SAYING, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET TO IT THIS YEAR. BASICALLY SAYING NO. AND, UM, IT WEIGHED ON ME. UH, I THINK NOW THE HARDEST PART OF, OF MY JOB IS WHEN PEOPLE ASK, WHERE CAN I GET A VACCINE? CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME GET A VACCINE? AND THEY ARE DESPERATE. THEY ARE WORRIED. UH, THEY'VE HAD PEOPLE AROUND THEM DIE. THEY DON'T WANT TO MEET THE SAME FATE. UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CONCERNED EVERY TIME THEY GO TO WORK. AND MY ANSWER IS, CALL 1 8, 3 3, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. PLEASE KEEP TRYING. I KNOW ALL CIRCUITS ARE ARE BUSY, UH, BUT, UH, HAVING PEOPLE COME TO YOU AS SOMEONE WHO THEY EXPECT TO BE A LEADER AND NOT BEING ABLE TO, TO PROVIDE THAT IS, IS ALSO, UH, A VERY DIFFICULT, I'M SURE, UH, I'M SURE ALL MY COLLEAGUES CAN CAN RELATE TO, TO THAT FEELING. UM, I WANNA, UH, THANK YOU FOR, FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THAT MAP. AND, UH, LIKE THE OTHER TWO COUNCIL WOMEN, I'M, I'M JUST GONNA GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF, OF HISTORY OF, OF HOW WE GOT TO THE, UH, ADDITIONAL SITE IS, UH, AFTER THE WONDERLAND MALL ANNOUNCEMENT, UH, WE, WE KNEW THAT, UH, THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE STILL WAITING, MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT ABLE TO SIGN UP ONLINE, UH, EVEN IF THEY'D BEEN NOTIFIED. UH, SO WE STARTED HOBBLING TOGETHER, UH, BASICALLY DOCTORS' OFFICES THAT COULD DONATE, UH, SOME SUPPLIES TO A, A DRIVE WHERE WE COULD GET SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE AT A CLINIC. AND, UH, AND THEN WE GOT A CALL FROM DR. BRIDGER THAT SAID, CAN YOU DO A THOUSAND DOSES A DAY? OR HOW MANY WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO, TO DISTRIBUTE? AND, UH, AND THEN IT WAS, UH, WE JUST BUMPED IT UP TO, TO A DIFFERENT GEAR AT THAT, AT THAT POINT. UH, SO, SO THANK YOU DR. BRIDGER FOR, FOR HAVING SOME THAT FAITH IN US AND, UH, ALSO FOR, UH, LETTING US WORK WITH DR. CURIE. AND SHE'S AN, AN ABSOLUTE JOY, EVEN IF SHE DID CALL US CHILDREN, I THINK SHE MEANT IT IN THE KINDEST OF, OF WAYS. UM, I, I WANNA GO A LITTLE BIT TO, TO THE MAP. UH, I THINK IT IS, UH, FUNDAMENTAL THAT WE HAVE THAT AS A GUIDE, AS CONTEXT FOR THE WORK THAT, THAT WE'RE DOING. AND, UH, I JUST, I LOVE THAT YOU'VE DONE IT BY, UH, CENSUS TRACK. I THINK, UH, THE GRANULAR LEVEL IS ALWAYS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE, UH, EVEN THOUGH WE SOMETIMES THINK BY DIS BY DISTRICTS, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT, THE IMPACTS ARE HAPPENING LOCALLY. SO EVEN THOUGH DISTRICT SEVEN, IF YOU AVERAGE IT UP, MAYBE IT'S NOT THE WORST, BUT THE TRUTH IS, UH, IN THE 7 8 2 2 8 ZIP CODE, WE HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST CASE NUMBERS, UH, RIGHT NOW IN, IN THE SPIKE THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING. SO THE FACT THAT IT WASHES OUT IN THE AVERAGE DOESN'T HELP THE PEOPLE IN 7 8 2, 2 8. SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT AT THE GRANULAR LEVEL. UH, SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. ALSO, UH, WE KNOW OUR DISTRICT BOUNDARIES, BUT NOT ALL OF THE COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT, RIGHT? WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DISTRICT, UH, THREE, FOUR, UH, THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE. SO IT'S, WE HAVE TO REMIND OURSELVES THAT THERE'S A LANGUAGE WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH, WITH THE COMMUNITY. AND, AND THAT'S WHY I, I LOVE HEARING, UH, COUNCILMAN DIEGO AND ALWAYS SAYING SOUTH SIDE BY FLOW, SOUTH SIDE, SOUTH SIDE, SOUTH SIDE. PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THIS OUTSIDE IS. UM, BUT, UH, ALSO THE, THE NEAR WEST SIDE AS, AS YOU SAW, UH, AND PART OF THAT IS, UH, IS IN MY DISTRICT OR, OR ADJACENT TO IT. UM, I ALSO WANNA POINT OUT THAT, UH, WE HAVE A LOT TO CELEBRATE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. OH, WHERE THE SITE IS, DOES NOT NECESSARILY GUARANTEE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THOSE PEOPLE IN THAT AREA OR, OR GUARANTEE A VACCINE. UM, IT DEFINITELY HELPS WITH ACCESSIBILITY, IT DEFINITELY HELPS WITH, UH, WITH GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT. BUT I, I WANTED TO, UH, TO ASK, UM, DR. DR. BRIDGER IF, IF SHE KNOWS, UM, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM OUTSIDE OF BEXAR COUNTY RIGHT NOW TO GET SOME OF THESE, UH, APPOINTMENTS. WE ARE RUNNING THAT REPORT ONCE A WEEK, UM, SO I'LL HAVE THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU, UM, IN PROBABLY A WEEK. BUT, UM, RIGHT NOW [02:35:01] I'VE SEEN SOME PRELIMINARY MAPS, AND IT'S STILL PREDOMINANTLY BEXAR COUNTY RESIDENTS, UH, WHO ARE COMING HERE. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, SO WHAT WE SAW ON, UM, THE NUMBERS OR THE ANECDOTES I'VE HEARD ABOUT THE SITE ON THE SOUTH SIDE IS THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE COMING IN FROM THE VALLEY TO GET, UH, TO GET THEIR VACCINATIONS. AND THERE ARE PEOPLE COMING IN FROM ALL OVER TOWN. SO, UH, THEY'RE NOT JUST COMING IN FROM, FROM THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN, BUT BASICALLY, IF YOU CAN GET AN APPOINTMENT, IF YOU CAN CALL THAT NUMBER, UH, AND, AND GET THROUGH, YOU'LL GET THAT APPOINTMENT. SO IT'S NOT LIKE THERE'S ANY, ANY RESTRICTIONS ON ZIP CODES OR CENSUS TRACKS. UH, SO, SO LET'S KEEP THAT IN MIND. UH, THE GEOGRAPHY ALONE, UH, HELPS WITH EQUITY, BUT IT DOES NOT RESOLVE THE ACCESS ISSUE AND ENSURING THAT THE MOST VULNERABLE AND THE MOST NEEDED POPULATIONS ARE GETTING THAT VACCINATION. DR. MM-HMM. . YES, SIR. I WAS JUST GONNA ADD, I MEAN, THAT, I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THAT'S, THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT A LOCAL DECISION, THAT'S A REQUIREMENT OF THE STATE. IF, IF WE USE THESE MASS VACCINATION, THEN, UH, THEY HAVE, AS LONG AS THEY MEET THE ONE A OR ONE B, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY LIVE OR WHERE THEY'RE FROM, UH, WE HAVE TO MAKE THE VACCINATION AVAILABLE. THAT'S THE COMMITMENT THAT WE HAD TO MAKE TO THE STATE. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR MAKING THAT POINT, THAT THAT IS NOT A LOCAL DECISION OR A DECISION OF ANY, OF, ANY OF THE SITES THAT, THAT RESTS ENTIRELY IN THE HANDS OF, OF THE STATE, AS DOES THE SCHEDULING OF, OF, UH, DISTRIBUTING THE VACCINES, RIGHT? THIS, THIS WEEKLY, UH, EVERYONE'S ON PINS AND NEEDLES TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW, HOW MUCH WE GET. AND, AND THE TRUTH IS, UH, RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE ALSO NOT APPROVING OR ARE THEY APPROVING MOBILE SITES AT THIS POINT? NO, ONLY MASS VACCINATION SITES, RIGHT? AND, AND, AND THIS MODEL, WHILE IT MAY BE EFFICIENT, IT IS NOT, UM, IT IS NOT THE MOST CONDUCIVE TO EQUITY AT THIS POINT. SO IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT ON OUR PART TO, TO TRY TO MAKE THAT WORK. SO, UM, DR. BRIDGER, I JUST WANTED YOU TO REITERATE THE STEPS THAT, THAT, UH, YOU'RE TAKING, UH, AT THE ALAMO DOME SITE TO ASSIST WITH THAT EQUITY. I, I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL STORY AND A WONDERFUL APPROACH THAT YOU'RE TAKING. OH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO REITERATE IT RIGHT NOW. , , SORRY. UM, SO, SO, UH, UNFORTUNATELY THOUGH, WHAT WE'RE STILL SEEING, BECAUSE OF THE SMALL AMOUNT OF, UM, DOSES COMPARED TO THE DEMAND AND, AND THE POPULATION SIZE IS ALMOST A LEVEL OF, OF HYSTERIA, RIGHT? AND, AND REAL CONCERN AND PANIC IN THE PUBLIC THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET, UH, UH, THE VACCINE. SO A, A, A CON AND, AND THEN PEOPLE WILL, UH, UM, MAKING APPOINTMENTS AT MULTIPLE SITES. AND, AND I THINK THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE UNTIL WE ARE, ARE ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE MORE VACCINES. SO, SO THAT'S GOING TO BE A FEW, A FEW WEEKS. UM, I'M WONDERING IF ONCE THERE ARE MORE SITES, I I WOULD STILL EXPECT PEOPLE TO BE MAKING APPOINTMENT AT MULTIPLE SITES, AND FOR US TO HAVE THIS LOGISTICAL, UH, BIT OF CHAOS, UH, MAYBE EVEN MORE WIDESPREAD. AND I, I'D JUST LIKE TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT. UH, DR. BRIDGER, IS THAT A CONCERN? YOU, YOU SHARE IT? IT IS. AND I THINK AS WE GET MORE, UM, WEEKS UNDER OUR BELT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO ANTICIPATE A, A DUPLICATE RATE OR A NO SHOW RATE, AND THEN WE CAN OVERBOOK APPOINTMENTS TO COMPENSATE FOR THAT. BUT THREE DAYS IN, WE DON'T QUITE HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO BE ABLE TO, UM, TO, TO COME UP WITH WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. ALL RIGHT. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I THINK THERE'S A, THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT LOGISTICS. I KNOW MANY, SOME OF US WERE ADVOCATING FOR SOME SORT OF A CENTRALIZED SIGNUP DATABASE, AND THEN, UM, BEING ABLE TO, TO DIRECT THOSE, THOSE SIGNUPS WHERE YOU WOULD ONLY SIGN UP ONCE, RIGHT? YOU WOULDN'T SIGN UP IN MULTIPLE, UH, MULTIPLE TIMES. BUT DIRECTING THOSE TO THE ENTITIES THAT, THAT HAVE THE VACCINES, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY TO OVERCOME AND, AND LOGISTICS TO OVERCOME IN THAT. UM, BUT, BUT I DO THINK THAT WOULD BE, BE HELPFUL IN, UM, IN GIVING PEOPLE, UM, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF, OF SECURITY AND IN HELPING US, UH, ORGANIZE THE, THE MULTIPLE, UM, MULTIPLE REQUESTS THAT WE'RE GETTING. UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE REPORTS ON, ON, UH, DISTRIBUTION BY ZIP CODES OR, OR EQUITY. UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO MONITOR THAT. AND I ALSO WANNA BE CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT THIS SCIENCE OF ONLY GIVING ONE DOSE. AND I WAS READING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, AND I, I WANTED TO ASK DR. BRIDGER TO SHARE WITH US, YOU KNOW, WHAT, UH, WHAT IS THAT DR. FAUCI SAYING AT THIS POINT ABOUT THIS ONE DOSE APPROACH? AND, AND HOW SHOULD [02:40:01] WE MOVE FORWARD IN, IN THINKING ABOUT THAT? YEAH, I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP. COUNCILWOMAN. UM, THE ONE DOSE APPROACH WAS, UM, INITIATED. THEY'RE DOING THAT. UM, THE THOUGHT BEING THAT IF YOU CAN GET, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE'S STILL A LOT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS VACCINE. THERE'S A LOT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT EFFICACY AND HOW LONG THE EFFICACY LASTS. BUT THE THOUGHT IS THAT IF WE CAN GET, UM, MORE PEOPLE, UM, PARTIALLY VACCINATED, THAT WILL SLOW THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS FASTER THAN GETTING FEWER PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED. UM, AND SO I KNOW THAT, UM, THE BIDEN TRANSITION TEAM IS SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING THAT, UM, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS, HAS INDICATED THAT HE WOULD BE WILLING TO, TO MAKE THAT CHANGE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. I THINK ALL ROADS RUN THROUGH THE F D A, AND SO THE F D A HAS TO OFFICIALLY MAKE THAT CALL BEFORE IT CAN HAPPEN. UM, BUT I, I, I EXPECT TO HAVE A DECISION ABOUT THAT WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK. THANK YOU. BUT, BUT JUST TO, TO BE CLEAR, UM, THIS IS MORE AT A PUBLIC HEALTH LEVEL, BUT IN TERMS OF INDIVIDUAL, UH, PROTECTION LEVELS, UH, WE DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION FROM THE CLINICAL TRIALS, RIGHT? THEY, THEY WERE BASED ON TWO DOSES. WE ONLY HAVE INFORMATION FOR, FOR THE ONE DOSE? NO, WE HAVE BOTH. UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, MODERNA, WE KNOW THAT IT'S OVER 70% EFFECTIVE AFTER THE FIRST DOSE. UM, SO, AND THERE'S SOME QUESTION ABOUT PFIZER. I'VE HEARD, UM, PHYSICIANS ON BOTH SIDES, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE PFIZER IS FAIRLY CLOSE TO THAT AS WELL AFTER THE FIRST DOSE. UM, SO YEAH. UH, AND, AND AS I'VE SAID TO OTHERS, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD A, A FLU SHOT THAT MATCHED THE FLU STRAINS IN CIRCULATING BY 70%, WE'D CONSIDER THAT A GOOD FLU SHOT. YEAH. UM, SO MM-HMM. . YEAH. SO THANK, WE'LL HAVE MORE INFO NEXT WEEK. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, WE'RE GONNA ADD TO COUNCIL MEMBER PAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YOU KNOW, UH, WAS IT TWO MONTHS AGO, THREE MONTHS AGO? I, I SAID THAT, UM, 2026, UH, AND THAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO 2021 AND NEVER HAVING TO LOOK AT 2020 EVER AGAIN. BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, I, I'VE HAD 2021 FOR MY TWO WEEK TRIAL PERIOD, AND DR. BRIDGER, I'D LIKE TO CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION. NOW. UH, IT'S A, UM, THESE NUMBERS ARE REALLY DISTURBING, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S WORKING DOUBLE TIME, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO GO BACK AND REMIND PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, AFTER, YOU KNOW, THE HOLIDAYS IN THE SUMMER, WE WARNED FOLKS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL, WE'RE GONNA SEE A SPIKE. AND WE SAW A SPIKE, AND THERE WERE MORE FUNERALS, UM, THAT TOOK PLACE BECAUSE NO, PEOPLE DIDN'T TAKE THAT WARNING SERIOUSLY. AND THEN WE WARNED, HEY, YOU KNOW, HERE'S YOUR SECOND CHANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR'S HOLIDAYS, THERE'S GONNA BE ANOTHER SPIKE IF YOU DON'T TAKE THIS WARNING SERIOUSLY. AND WE'RE HITTING RECORD NUMBERS, UH, ACROSS THE NATION. AND, UM, IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOME DAYS, SOME DAYS I JUST WANNA BANG MY HEAD UP AGAINST THE WALL. 'CAUSE I, UH, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. UM, YOU KNOW, WHY IT IS THAT PEOPLE DON'T TAKE THIS STUFF SERIOUSLY. AND, AND DR. BRIDGER, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE REASONS I THINK IS BECAUSE, UM, OF HOW MUCH BAD INFORMATION THERE IS OUT THERE AND HOW A LOT OF THESE, UH, CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ALL THAT, REALLY JUST FUEL DOUBT AND MISTRUST. AND SO, UM, AFTER THE EVENT AT THE ALAMO DOME, UH, WHICH I THINK IS A, YOU KNOW, A, A VERY SUCCESSFUL SIGNUP, I MEAN, YOU IN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN A MATTER OF MINUTES, YOU MANAGED TO FIND 9,000 PEOPLE, UH, WHO TO RECEIVE THIS, THIS, UH, THIS VACCINE. THAT'S A REASON TO CELEBRATE. UM, INSTEAD MY, MY OFFICE WAS INUNDATED WITH QUESTIONS, UM, AND, AND LOTS OF COMPLAINTS, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, INQUIRIES FROM THE MEDIA. UH, SO I NEED YOUR HELP, DR. BRIDGER IN HELPING ME SWAT AWAY SOME OF THESE, UM, SOME OF THESE, SOME OF THIS REALLY BAD INFORMATION, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S NOT JUST OUR JOB TO PUT OUT ACCURATE INFORMATION AND TO, YOU KNOW, AND HELP PEOPLE GET THE VACCINE, BUT IT'S ALSO OUR JOB TO SAY, NO, NO, NO. THAT IS INCORRECT. THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE IS WRONG. SO, UM, DR. BRIDGER, HAVE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS BEEN GIVEN ALLOTMENTS OF THE VACCINE, UH, FOR US TO, UH, SIGN UP WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE VIPS OR SUPPORTERS? NO. OKAY. UM, HAVE YOU, DR. BRIDGER OFFERED EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER THE VACCINE ? NO. YEAH. AND SO, I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, WE SAW THE MAYOR ON, ON [02:45:01] FACEBOOK YESTERDAY AND ANNOUNCED THAT HE HASN'T RECEIVED THE VACCINE. I HAVEN'T EITHER. MY FAMILY AND I ALSO CALLED THE, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER. WE'RE ALL IN LINE. UH, I AM NOT, YOU KNOW, ONE B AND I'M NOT, YOU KNOW, NEITHER IS MY WIFE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE ALL GONNA WAIT THE WAY EVERYBODY ELSE WAITS. UM, DR. BRIDGER, I GOT CALL FROM A REPORTER ASKING ME IF, UM, WE ARE ALLOWING WEALTHY MEXICANS TO FLY IN ON THEIR PRIVATE JETS TO GET VACCINATED. DO YOU KNOW OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENING? NO. OKAY. NO, I DON'T KNOW OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENING. ALL RIGHT. AND I, I'VE GOTTEN, UM, LOTS OF COMPLAINTS FROM FOLKS SAYING THAT BECAUSE OF, UM, COUNCILWOMAN SANDALS AND NEGROS AND, UH, COUNCILWOMAN ROCHES, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, AND OUR OTHER COUNCILWOMAN WHO ORGANIZED THIS WONDERFUL EVENT WITH WELLMED, UM, THAT SOMEHOW THE CITY HAS NOW GOT A POLICY OF GIVING PREFERENCE TO ONE SIDE OF TOWN THAN OTHERS. , UM, DR. BRIDGER, IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THAT? SO, I, I MEAN, IT'S NOT, IT'S, IT'S NOT PREFERENCE WITHOUT REASON, RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S PREFERENCE THROUGH THE LENS OF EQUITY AND, UM, PEOPLE IN CENSUS TRACTS THAT ARE GETTING COVID MORE OFTEN AND DYING FROM COVID MORE OFTEN. AND SO PUBLIC HEALTH FROM HAS, FROM THE BEGINNING OF PUBLIC HEALTH, ALLOCATED SCARCE RESOURCES TO THOSE AREAS THAT NEED IT THE MOST. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE. SO I'LL ADD, I'LL ADD THE COUNCILMAN THAT THOSE ANYWHERE, WHETHER IT'S U H S, THE ALMO OR WELL MED CLINIC, ANYBODY THAT QUALIFIES REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY LIVE IS ELIGIBLE FOR THAT, THAT THAT IS A STATE RESTRICTION OR REQUIREMENT TO BE PART OF THIS, THIS MASS VACCINATION PROGRAM. UM, UM, AND, AND, AND THAT HAS TO BE APPLIED AND IS BEING APPLIED AS FAR AS WE KNOW IN ALL THOSE SITUATIONS. I, I KNOW IT'S BEING APPLIED AT THE ALMO DOME. YEAH. AND THEN, UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND, AND I'LL REMIND FOLKS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD, UH, YOU KNOW, THE VACCINATION EVENT OUT AT THE, UH, WONDERLAND AMERICA'S MALL, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S ON THE NORTH SIDE. AND WE ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF DR. BRIDGER, AM I RIGHT IN SAYING THAT, IF PEOPLE LOOK AT THE LINK WHERE WE HAVE A MAP OF PROVIDERS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, ADMINISTERING THESE VACCINES, MANY OF THEM ARE, UH, IN THE MEDICAL CENTER, UH, IN DISTRICT EIGHT ON THE NORTH SIDE. YES. UM, THEY DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE ANY VACCINE, BUT THEY WILL. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. LASTLY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, I, I, WE WERE ASKED IF THE PLAN WAS ALSO BY, UH, YOU KNOW, DOING, UH, INTERNET SIGNUP, IF THE PLAN WAS TO GET AS MANY MILLENNIALS SIGNED UP AS POSSIBLE, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AT THE EXCLUSION OF SENIOR CITIZENS, UM, DR. BRIDGER, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO? SO, JUST, JUST TO CLARIFY, UH, ONE B INCLUDES ANYBODY OVER THE AGE OF 16 WHO HAS A CHRONIC UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITION. IT ALSO INCLUDES EVERYBODY OVER THE AGE OF 65. UM, I'VE BEEN OUT AT THE ALAMO DOME, UH, A LOT. AND WHAT I SEE ARE PREDOMINANTLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF SIX FIVE. OKAY. SO IT, IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT WE'RE NOT GIVING PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TO MILLENNIALS VERSUS OTHER PEOPLE BECAUSE NO. FOR WHATEVER REASONS. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE, THE, I, I DO WANNA JUST SAY, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW PEOPLE SIGN UP FOR THESE APPOINTMENTS, UM, HALF OF THE APPOINTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE BY CALLING A PHONE NUMBER. HALF OF THE APPOINTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE BY GOING ONLINE AND REGISTERING. AND THE FEEDBACK I'VE GOTTEN IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE MY AGE ARE REGISTERING THEIR PARENTS ONLINE BECAUSE WE'RE MORE COMFORTABLE DOING IT THAT WAY. SO, OKAY. AND THEN, UM, LASTLY, AND, AND I'LL JUST, YOU KNOW, I'M HOPING THAT THE PUBLIC IS LISTENING TODAY. UM, YES. WE STILL HAVE TO WEAR OUR MASKS. YES. WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO SOCIAL DISTANCE WASH OUR HANDS AND ALL THAT. AND YES, IF YOU'VE RECEIVED THE VACCINE, YOU GOTTA CONTINUE TO WEAR YOUR MASK, UM, FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME. DR. BRIDGER, HOW, HOW LONG POST VACCINATION? YES. UH, UNTIL WE REACH HER IMMUNITY. SO IT'S MONTHS. GOT IT. AND, AND SO I, I, I, I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY, AND I HOPE THAT YOU JOIN ME IN THIS DR. BRIDGER, THAT WHAT WE ALSO WANT IS FOR THE PUBLIC WHEN THEY HEAR BAD INFORMATION, UH, LIKE THOSE EXAMPLES, I JUST, I JUST LAID OUT FOR YOU THAT THEY REJECT THEM, AND THAT THE ONE PLACE TO GET GOOD INFORMATION IS SAN ANTONIO GOV AND CDC DO YOU KNOW, UH, GOV. UM, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE INFORMATION THAT THEY CAN RELY ON IS [02:50:01] THE INFORMATION THEY'RE GETTING FROM THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, CAREPROVIDER. UM, IF, IF THEY SEE IT ON FACEBOOK, OR IF THEY SEE IT ON INSTAGRAM, OR, UM, YOU KNOW, ON THE, UH, PLATFORM OF THEIR CHOICE. JUST 'CAUSE THEY SEE IT IN WRITING DOESN'T MEAN IT'S TRUE. UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, I, IT'S IMPORTANT TO TRUST VIROLOGISTS AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS AND DOCTORS WHO'VE DEDICATED THEIR LIFE TO THIS, AS OPPOSED TO PEOPLE WHO'VE GOTTEN THEIR EPIDEMIOLOGY DEGREE IN 20 MINUTES ON YOUTUBE. AND SO, UM, I, I DO WANNA MENTION DR. BRIDGER, THAT, UM, THERE IS STAFF, YOUR STAFF WHO'S OUT THERE PUTTING THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE DOING THIS THE RIGHT WAY, AND THAT EVERYBODY GETS ADMINISTERED TO THEIR, THEIR VACCINE. AND, UM, THEY'RE THE UNSUNG HEROES IN, UH, IN MANY INSTANCES. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TO ALSO ENDURE LISTENING TO A LOT OF THESE CONSPIRACY THEORIES. AND I THINK THEY'RE EVEN MORE BRAVE FOR SHOWING UP TO WORK IN THE FACE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, OF ALL THAT MISINFORMATION. UM, AND STILL WANTING TO, TO DO THE GOOD STUFF AND, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR SAN ANTONIO. AND SO PLEASE PASS ALONG MY THANKS TO THEM. AND, UM, I, ERIC, I THINK WE'RE VERY, VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS TEAM WORKING FOR SAN ANTONIO, AND I'M, I'M, I'M PROUD TO SERVE ON A, ON A TEAM, UH, ALONGSIDE THEM. THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS, MAYORS. THANKS. I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A QUICK SHOUT OUT TO CHIEF HOOD AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ALSO. UM, THEY, THEY, WE COULDN'T DO THIS WITHOUT THEM, SO THAT'S, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHIEF HOOD. YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU'RE RIGHT. ANDY, PASS THE WITNESS. BRILLIANT DEPOSITION COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE'LL MOVE NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREWS SULLIVAN. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU, DR. BRIDGER. UM, SO I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING THE ALAMO DOME TO SERVE AS A MASS DISTRIBUTION LOCATION. WE KNOW THAT, UH, DEACON OSCAR VICKS WAS ACTUALLY PICKING UP SENIORS FROM OUR DISTRICT TWO AREA, DRIVING THEM OUT TO THE WONDERLAND, DRIVING THEM OUT TO UNIVERSITY. UM, TO GET THESE AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS INDUSTRY TO REALLY SPEAK TO THE EQUITY THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING OF, TO CHIEF HOOD, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTINUING TO USE YOUR DEPARTMENT AND THOSE WHO ARE SERVING OUR COMMUNITY TO SPEAK TO ADDRESSING THE CONCERNS OF MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL HAVING SKEPTICISM ABOUT THIS VACCINE. BUT I HAVE HEARD OUR FIREFIGHTERS SPEAK UP TO SAY HOW IT IS EFFECTIVE AND HOW IT IS GOING TO SAVE LIVES. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING. UM, DR. BRIDGER, THE ONE THING THAT I HAVE, UM, AS A QUESTION, AND IT'S A CONTINUOUS QUESTION, IS ABOUT THE EDUCATION OF MESSAGING. AS WE ARE SPEAKING ABOUT THE VACCINE, AND WE ARE SPEAKING TO SOME OF THOSE WHO STILL HAVE THE HESITANCY ABOUT TAKING THE VACCINE, WE KNOW THAT THE VACCINE IS SOMETHING THAT IS NEEDED, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE 65 AND OLDER AND HAVE UNDERLINING HEALTH CONDITIONS. TO SPEAK TO COUNCILMAN PIAS, UM, MESSAGING ABOUT US AS COUNCIL, HAVING DIRECT ACCESS, I CAN HONESTLY SAY I HAVE NOT EVEN ATTEMPTED TO PUT MYSELF, UM, IN, IN A POSITION TO GET THE VACCINE, BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES IT FIRST. AND I THINK THAT THAT IS THE PRIORITY THAT WE HAVE DESIGNED, DESIGNED IN THIS PROCESS. SO JUST SPEAK TO OUR COMMUNITY A FEW MOMENTS ABOUT HOW WE'RE SPEAKING TO THE MESSAGING OF GETTING OVER THE SKEPTICISM OF TAKING THE VACCINE. YEAH, THIS IS AN INTERESTING, UM, PROBLEM TO HAVE BECAUSE ON ONE HAND WE HAVE THE SCARCITY MENTALITY THAT'S DRIVING PEOPLE'S BEHAVIOR. AND THEN ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE THE FEAR OF THE PROCESS OF CREATING THE VACCINE THAT'S DRIVING PEOPLE'S BEHAVIOR. AND SO WE'RE, UH, SIMULTANEOUSLY HAVING TO MESSAGE TO TWO GROUPS, KIND OF TWO DIFFERENT, UM, MESSAGES, WHICH IS AN INTERESTING, UM, CONUNDRUM FOR US RIGHT NOW. UM, BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THE, THE VACCINE THAT WE HAVE FOR COVID 19 IS SAFE. UH, IT IS DEVELOPED SIMILAR IN THE SIMILAR FASHION TO OTHER VACCINES. SO WE DIDN'T START FROM SCRATCH AND GET TO WHERE WE ARE AS QUICKLY AS WE DID. WE TOOK A FRAME THAT WE ALREADY HAD THAT WE KNEW WORKED, AND WE MADE IT WORK FOR COVID. UM, IT'S BEEN THROUGH A NUMBER OF CLINICAL TRIALS, UM, EXPERT REVIEWS ACROSS THE WORLD. AND IN OUR EXPERIENCE GIVING THE VACCINE, WE'VE HAD JUST A SMALL NUMBER OF MINOR, UM, REACTIONS TO THE, THE VACCINE, UM, THAT TYPICALLY RESOLVE ON THEIR OWN. AND, UM, PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, EXCITED TO COME BACK TO THE SECOND DOSE. SO IT IS SAYING IT'S DEVELOPED ON [02:55:01] A MODEL THAT WE'VE USED FOR DECADES TO SAFELY VACCINATE PEOPLE, UM, AND ANYBODY WHO'S WORRIED ABOUT THE SAFETY, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION OUT THERE THAT SHOWS HOW SAFE IT'S, THANK YOU, DR. BRIDGER, UM, CHIEF HOOD, SINCE WE HAVE YOU ON THE LINE. UM, AND, AND DR. BRIDGER, THIS IS A TWO PART QUESTION. WHEN IT COMES TO THE M I H TEAM, ARE THEY ABLE TO ADMINISTER VACCINES TO THOSE WHO ARE HOME BOUND AND HOME WRITTEN? AND THEN FOR THOSE CARE FACILITIES SUCH AS HOME CARE, UM, UH, DISABLED HOMES, AND THOSE WHO ARE, ARE STAYING WITHIN THE, THE DISABLED HOMES, HOW ARE WE ADDRESSING GETTING THOSE SENIORS WHO ARE HOME BOUND? ARE THOSE WITH DISABILITIES, THESE VACCINES, UM, OUT INTO THAT COMMUNITY? UH, COUNCILWOMAN, IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO HEAR YOUR VOICE AND GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY. UM, I, I'D LIKE TO JUMP BACK FOR A SECOND AND INVITE ANY OF YOU THAT HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO THE ALAMO DOME AND, UH, WITNESS PEOPLE GETTING VACCINATED. I, UM, HAD A GENTLEMAN COME THROUGH YESTERDAY WITH A, UH, 30 YEAR OLD SON WHO HAS DOWN SYNDROME. AND, UM, THE, THE DAD BASICALLY WAS IN TEARS WHEN HE, UH, SAW HIS SON GET THAT VACCINATION. AND SO WE HAVE HAD SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE SO EXCITED TO GET A NEEDLE PUT INTO THEIR ARM. AND, UM, THE THING THAT'S AMAZING TO ME IS THAT, UM, MY FIREFIGHTERS AND PARAMEDICS, UM, THEY SIGNED UP TO FIGHT FIRES AND SAVE LIVES. AND SO THEY'RE SAVING LIVES NOW IN SPACESUITS, JAMMING NEEDLES IN PEOPLE'S ARMS. AND, UH, WE, WE, UH, VACCINATE OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE YESTERDAY. AND TO, UH, GO BACK AGAIN, WE PROBABLY ONLY HAD MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE REACTIONS IN THE THREE DAYS THAT WE'VE BEEN OPEN. NONE OF THEM REQUIRED MEDICATIONS AS FAR AS AN ANAPHYLAXIS TREATMENT. NONE OF THEM, UH, REQUIRE TRANSPORTATION. SO, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, AS FAR AS M I H, UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FRONT LINES AS FAR AS GOING OUT, TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE SICK. UH, SOME OF OUR M I H FOLKS ARE INVOLVED IN THE VACCINATION PROGRAM AT THE DOME. WE'RE UTILIZING ABOUT 24 STAFF EVERY SINGLE DAY. UH, OUR PLAN IS, AND OUR HOPE IS THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO GO OUT AND DO SOME OF THESE SMALLER AREAS, UH, WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF. SO ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS STAFFING. UM, ANOTHER CHALLENGE IS THAT WE HAVE, UH, LACK OF VACCINES FOR, UM, SMALLER VENUES LIKE THIS. SO I DO SEE THAT, UM, BEING A ENHANCEMENT IN, IN OUR DELIVERY FROM M I H, UH, TO THE PUBLIC IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, AND THEN MY, MY NEXT SELECTION, OR WHAT I THINK THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP GET IT INTO THE INNER CORE OF OUR CITY IS TO START LOOKING AT SOME OF OUR PARKS. WE HAVE SOME OF OUR PARKS THAT ARE OPEN AND, AND ABLE TO TAKE ON SOME OF THESE MASS DISTRIBUTION SITES, SUCH AS THE WEELEY HIGH SPORTS COMPLEX, UM, AND SUCH AS THE TOYOTA FIELD. UM, WE HAVE THE CLARK BLACK CENTER AS WELL, TO GET THIS INTO THE INNER PART OF OUR COMMUNITIES. UM, FOR THOSE SENIORS AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE, UH, WITHIN THE TRANSPORTATION DEVICE, THEY CANNOT GET ON A BUS OR DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A CAR, UM, AND CAN WALK TO THESE, UM, FACILITIES. I THINK THAT THIS IS ANOTHER WAY THAT WE SPEAK TO EQUITY, ANOTHER WAY THAT WE SPEAK TO GETTING THE VACCINE INTO THE ARMS OF THOSE WHO ARE NEEDING THEM THE MOST. UM, AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO STEP UP AND START USING THESE CITY FACILITIES TO REALLY START SPEAKING, UM, AND, AND USING OUR CITY PARKS, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE SPACE, UM, IT'S OUTDOORS. WE CAN SET UP THE TENTS TO GET THE PEOPLE IN THAT NEED TO BE BROUGHT IN FOR, UH, THE VACCINE. UM, BUT DR. BRIDGER UP ON THE SYSTEM THAT WE ARE USING TO REGISTER. IS THERE A COMPONENT THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO LOOK, IF I T S D CAN ADD TO WHERE WE CAN START COLLECTING THE NAME AND MAYBE ADDRESS OF INDIVIDUALS REGISTERING TO PULL THAT NAME AND, AND ADDRESS TO WHERE IT CAPTURES IT? SO WE DO NOT HAVE THE CONTINUOUS OVERLAPPING OF APPOINTMENTS OR DOUBLING OF APPOINTMENTS. UM, IS THERE SOMETHING THAT I T S D MIGHT BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THROUGH THIS SYSTEM TO SEE HOW WE CAN CAPTURE THAT TO, TO HELP ELIMINATE THIS PROCESS? YES. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, WITH OUR VENDOR AND IT. OKAY. AND SO DO WE KNOW WHAT TIMEFRAME, OR IS THIS JUST SOMETHING THAT WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY AS WE, AS WE GET GOING AND, AND KNOW THAT WE MIGHT GET MORE VACCINES? YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S DAY THREE AND SO WE'LL, WE'LL CONTINUE TO, UM, MAKE IT BETTER EVERY DAY. OKAY. WELL, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH. I KNOW THAT WE HAD FAMILY THAT REACHED OUT TO ME, I PROVIDED THEM [03:00:01] WITH OUR SOUTH SIDE, UH, LOCATIONS, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO GET IN. AND SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES FOR DOING THE WORK THAT YOU DO TO BRING LIGHT TO THOSE THAT NEED THIS, UM, VACCINE IN SUCH A DARK TIME. I REALLY AM EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT THE STATE, WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GONNA DO TO REALLY ROLL OUT MORE ACTIVE, UM, MEASUREMENTS TO GET THE VACCINE IN THE ARMS OF THOSE THAT NEED IT MOST. THANK YOU, MAYOR, THOUGH, TO ALL MY COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREAS SULLIVAN, COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR. AND, UM, IT'S REALLY LOUD. WE'RE HERE AT MY HOUSE TODAY, SO I'LL, I'LL TRY TO BE BRIEF. AND I ALSO JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO PUBLICLY THANK EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THEIR WORK. UM, AND I, I JUST, I, I, I WANTED TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS, UM, REGARDING THE ROLLOUT, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IT'S CHANGED A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT YOU KNOW, WE HEARD, WE KNOW THAT WE DID HAVE SOME PHARMACIES GET IT ON THE FIRST ROUND. NOW THEY WENT BACK TO MASS, MASS VACCINATIONS, BUT THEN I ALSO HEARD THAT H E B WAS GETTING MORE, AND I'VE HEARD OF SOME OF OUR SMALL PHARMACIES THAT ARE STILL GETTING 'EM. SO COULD YOU JUST CLARIFY WHAT THAT IS THAT IS NOT TRUE AFTER ALL, OR, UM, TO CLARIFY THAT, PLEASE, DR. BRIDGES. SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD IS THAT FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, THE VACCINE IS, UM, INCREDIBLY SCARCE. AND SO THE STATE IS FOCUSING 80% OF THEIR VACCINE SUPPLY ON MASS VACCINATION EVENTS AND 20% TO THOSE PRIVATE PHARMACIES AND SMALLER VENUES. UM, SO WHAT YOU SAID IS TRUE, THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF PLACES THAT ARE STILL GETTING SHIPMENTS OF, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED DOSES, UM, THAT WILL INCREASE AS VACCINE BECOMES MORE AVAILABLE. SO I THINK IN ABOUT THREE WEEKS FROM NOW, UM, YOU'LL SEE MORE VACCINES GOING TO THE PRIVATE PHARMACIES OF PRIVATE PROVIDERS, UM, WHICH WILL TAKE A LOT OF THE STRESS OFF OF THE MASS VACCINATION. COLLEEN, DO YOU WANT TO ADD, UH, FOR THE COUNCIL, THE, THE, THE STATE ALLOTMENT THAT'S GOING TOWARDS NURSING HOMES AND HOW IS THEY COMPLETE THAT? THAT'LL FREE UP ADDITIONAL VACCINES, I THINK FROM THE STATE PERSPECTIVE. SO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS, UM, CONTRACTING DIRECTLY WITH PRIVATE PHARMACY TO VACCINATE RESIDENTS AND STAFF AT, UM, SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES, LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES. UH, THEY TAKE THE AMOUNT OF, UH, DOSES TO DO THAT FROM THE STATE'S ALLOTMENT BEFORE SENDING THE ALLOTMENT TO THE STATE. UM, THIS STARTED THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS, AND SO WE ARE GETTING VERY CLOSE. WE HAVE LIKE A WEEK TO 10 DAYS LEFT OF FINISHING UP VACCINATING STAFF AND RESIDENTS AT THESE LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES. UM, WHEN THAT'S DONE, THAT PUTS ANOTHER SEVERAL HUNDRED DOSES OF VACCINES INTO THE STATE TO BE REDISTRIBUTED OUT TO THE LOCAL. AND, AND IT HAS TO BE, IT HAS TO BE NURSING HOMES, NOT SENIOR HOUSING FACILITIES. THAT IS THE, THAT IS THE CONTRACT THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS WITH THOSE PRIVATE PHARMACIES. UM, ONCE, ONCE WE GET THEM DONE, UH, AND WE HAVE MORE VACCINES, THAT WILL DEFINITELY BE A PRIORITY. UH, OKAY. OKAY. SO, UM, UH, I JUST, I, I REALLY, OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW WE'VE BEEN GETTING A TON OF CALLS. WE, WE, UH, ARE TRYING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, GET AS MANY PEOPLE CONNECTED AS WE CAN, UH, TO ALL OF THE SITES. BUT WHAT I HAVE HEARD, WHEN PEOPLE DO CONNECT, UH, AND THEY ACTUALLY GET TO THE LOCATION, WHETHER IT'S BEEN WONDERLAND OR THE ALMO DOM OR THE WELLMED SITES, THEY'RE ALL VERY WELL RUN THAT EVERYBODY'S VERY RESPECTFUL, UM, THAT PEOPLE ARE VERY KIND, UH, AND, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY ARE VERY GRATEFUL. SO WE ALL KNOW THAT IT'S A, IT'S A SCARCITY, UM, THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH. BUT I DO FEEL LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE, ARE, ARE BEING AS PATIENT AS THEY CAN AND WHEN THEY DO GET IT, ARE REALLY, ARE VERY GRATEFUL. SO, UH, AS AM I, AND THANK YOU TO, UH, EVERYBODY WHO IS WORKING, UM, TO GET THEM ALL OVER, UM, THE DISTRICT. I KNOW WE HAVE A, A NEW, WELL MED CLINIC OVER HERE OFF OF COUPLES, UM, BUT APPARENTLY THAT LOCATION WAS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO DO A, A MASS, UM, VACCINATION. AND THAT'S OF COURSE RIGHT HERE, UM, IN THE HEART OF, OF SOME OF THE POOREST NEIGHBORHOODS. SO, UH, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT DISTRIBUTION HAPPENING AT OTHER WELL MED SITES, UH, AROUND THE CITY. AND, UM, JUST CONTINUING TO GET EVERYONE I KNOW I DID HEAR, UM, WELL, JUST DISCUSSIONS. [03:05:01] UM, I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE PRIORITY PEOPLE, THE, THE, THE SENIORS, UM, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE VULNERA MOST VULNERABLE. BUT I'VE ALSO HEARD FAMILY MEMBERS WHO GO WITH THEIR PARENT, UH, AND THEY'RE OFFERED A VACCINE, WHICH I THINK THEY SHOULD GET IT TO. I MEAN, AS MUCH AS WE CAN, WE NEED TO VACCINATE EVERYONE BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SPREAD. UM, I HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE VACCINE MYSELF, BUT IF IT WERE OFFERED, I WOULD TAKE IT. UH, AND I THINK WE ALL SHOULD TAKE IT IF WE'RE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, BECAUSE WE CAN ALL SPREAD IT. UH, AND, AND WE ALL, UM, ARE, ARE, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A V A VULNERABLE TIME. AND WHEN WE SEE THOSE NUMBERS SPIKE THE WAY THAT THEY'VE BEEN TODAY, AND I MEAN, EVERY DAY I TALK TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST FAMILY MEMBERS. UM, AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT CATEGORY WERE THE ONES WHO TRANSMITTED IT TO THEIR FAMILIES. SO, UM, EVERYBODY THAT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY, I THINK SHOULD GET THE VACCINE. SO THANK YOU FOR E EVERYBODY FOR ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YOU KNOW, I, I REALLY DO WANNA COMMEND THE WORK THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DONE THROUGH METRO HEALTH AND ALL OF THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT THEY'VE HAD FOR THE LAST NINE, 10 MONTHS ON TRYING TO HELP US, UH, IDENTIFY WHERE THE VIRUS IS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, FOLLOW UP AND, AND TRY AND LIMIT IT SPREAD. UH, BUT IT'S, IT'S ALMOST OVERWHELMING AND IT, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE, UH, GETTING TOO MUCH BETTER VERY QUICKLY. I, I'D SAY, THANK GOD WE'VE GOT A VACCINE, BUT YOU KNOW, SOMETHING CONCEPTUALLY OR SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE THAT'S IN A WAREHOUSE OR THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED IN A, A FACTORY SOMEWHERE, DOESN'T HELP US GET THROUGH THE PROBLEMS THAT WE, WE FACE EVERY DAY WITH THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN. UM, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE DONE SOONER, AND YOU KNOW, I DON'T MEAN TO BE CRITICAL, BUT WE'VE SEEN THIS COMING. WE KNEW THERE WERE OVER A MILLION PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY THAT WILL NEED TO BE VACCINATED SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE. AND WHY WE DIDN'T DEVELOP SOME KIND OF CENTRAL REGISTRY SIX MONTHS AGO, OR THREE MONTHS AGO, OR A MONTH AGO, SO THAT TODAY PEOPLE CAN REGISTER AND KNOW, OKAY, I'M REGISTERED NOW, I KNOW I'M GONNA GET A SHOT. THEY'LL CALL ME AND TELL ME WHERE TO GO AND WHEN TO GO, AND THEY CAN HELP ME WITH TRANSPORTATION IF I DON'T HAVE IT. AND SO I JUST NEED TO WAIT MY TURN. WELL, THAT, THAT SECURITY DOESN'T EXIST FOR ANYBODY IN THE CITY RIGHT NOW. AND I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE IT A PRIORITY THROUGH OUR I T S D DEPARTMENT OR THROUGH ALL THESE WONDERFUL TECH COMPANIES, OR HAVE IN THE CITY TO DEVELOP A CENTRAL REGISTRY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND HELP PEOPLE SIGN UP AND KNOW THAT THEY ARE GONNA GET A SHOT AND WE'LL DIRECT THEM TO WHERE THEY CAN GET IT THE SOONEST AND HELP THEM WITH TRANSPORTATION IF THEY NEED IT TO GET THERE. AND UNTIL WE DO THAT, I'M GONNA HEAR FROM PEOPLE EVERY DAY, EVERY WEEK ABOUT WHERE, WHERE AND WHEN AND HOW, AND WILL I GET A VACCINE? AND WHY DON'T WE HAVE A CENTER IN OUR PART OF TOWN? WHY ARE THEY SERVICING THIS PART OF TOWN OR THAT PART OF TOWN? UH, AND AND I HEAR THAT AND, AND I THINK ALL OF US CAN UNDERSTAND WHY WE HEAR THAT. SO LET'S GET A REGISTRY SET UP. LET'S LET PEOPLE KNOW IT'S, IT'S IN LINE. YOU'RE IN LINE, YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT. NOW SOME PEOPLE MAY HAVE TO WAIT THREE MONTHS, SOME PEOPLE MAY WAIT THREE WEEKS. BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S THAT UNKNOWING THAT I THINK IS CREATING SO MUCH PROBLEM. AND, AND SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL EVER GET A SHOT. WHY SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT GOING TO A RESTAURANT OR DOING SOMETHING ELSE? WE'VE GOT TO OFFER MORE SURETY TO PEOPLE THAT AT LEAST THEY'VE GOT A GUARANTEED PLACE IN LINE. UH, AND SO REGARDLESS OF EVERYTHING ELSE, WHEN WE GET VACCINES, HOW MANY VACCINES WE GET, WHO GETS TO DISTRIBUTE THEM, WE'VE GOTTA PROVIDE MORE ASSURITY TO THE POPULATION THAT THEIR TURN IS COMING. SO THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I CAN SAY. COUNCILMAN, IF I COULD JUST MENTION SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR, YOUR COMMENT. UM, WE, WE DID NOT KNOW UNTIL THE WEEK OF JANUARY 4TH JANUARY 4TH THAT THE STATE WAS CHANGING ITS DECENTRALIZED DISTRIBUTION PLAN TO A MASS DISTRIBUTION [03:10:01] PLAN. SO, UM, THAT, THAT'S WHY WE DIDN'T HAVE A CENTRAL REGISTRY. WE WERE TOLD IT WAS GONNA WORK LIKE FLU, FLU SHOTS. YOU COULD GO TO YOUR LOCAL PHARMACY AND GET YOUR SHOT. UM, SO I HEAR YOU, I AM GETTING ALL OF THOSE CALLS TOO. I UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION, BUT IF YOU CAN HELP ME HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS NOT THE CITY DROPPING THE BALL, THIS WAS THE STATE CHANGING THE GAME PLAN 10 DAYS AGO, AND US PIVOTING TO BE ABLE TO ADAPT TO THAT CHANGE. AND, AND, AND I'LL JUST ADD, COUNCILMAN, I'VE, I, I'VE ALSO GOTTEN THOSE PHONE CALLS AND I KNOW, I KNOW WE ALL ARE, AND WE'RE TRYING TO, TO COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC, THERE IS A LOT OF BANKS. UM, IT, IT IS, UH, AS COLLEEN SAID, SOMETHING THAT CHANGED ON OUR END. AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS BEING DEALT WITH FROM ONE SIDE OF THE COUNTRY TO THE OTHER. YOU SAW YESTERDAY IN THE NEWS THAT THE C D C IS NOW OPENING UP THE VACCINE TO OVER 65 AS WELL, THAT IS GONNA CREATE ADDITIONAL PRESSURE EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE STATE. SO WHAT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE, AS RESPONSIVE AS POSSIBLE, BUT I ALSO THINK IT'S INCUMBENT UPON THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO BE REALISTIC. WE HAVE, THERE ARE OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY THAT ARE CREATED WAITING LISTS. UM, AND, AND THAT HAS NOT SOLVED THE ISSUE BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH GETTING A WEEKLY ALLOTMENT FROM THE STATE AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, I, AS I SIT HERE RIGHT NOW, AS DR. BRIDGER AND I ARE ON THIS CALL, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT WEEK OR THE FOLLOWING WEEK. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, UH, I I I, I WANNA MAKE SURE I, WE WE'RE TRYING TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE STATE. WE ARE SUBJECT TO THEIR, TO THEIR DECISIONS. BUT, BUT THIS GOES BACK TO HAVING A NATIONAL OR STATEWIDE STRATEGY AND ROLLOUT AND STICKING BY IT, UH, AND NOT MAKING CHANGES AT THE LAST MINUTE. BUT WHEN CHANGES ARE MADE, UH, PLEASE REST ASSURED THAT WE ARE TRYING TO BE, UM, QUICK IN OUR MOVEMENT, UH, AND, AND GET THE VACCINE OUT THERE, UH, WHERE IT COUNTS. WELL, I, I APPRECIATE THAT. I UNDERSTAND WE HAD TO PIVOT AT A SHORT, AT A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE ANTICIPATED THAT WE'D NEED TO HAVE SOME KIND OF A REGISTRY SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, EVEN IF IT'S DISTRIBUTED TO DOCTOR'S OFFICES OR PHARMACIES OR CLINICS OR HOSPITALS, THEY'D WANNA KNOW, HEY, WHO CAN WE GIVE IT TO? AND I, I THINK IT'S, IT WAS JUST SHORTSIGHTED ON OUR PART, BUT I HEAR WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT THE CHANGE THAT KEEPS COMING UP. BUT I ALSO WILL ADD ONE MORE THING, AND THAT IS I THINK THAT WE NEED TO OFFER, UH, SURETY TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE NORTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO. YOU KNOW, THE POPULATION OF THIS CITY. WHEN I FIRST MOVED HERE, THE CENTER OF THE POPULATION WAS DOWNTOWN, AND THEN 20 YEARS LATER IT WAS AROUND, UH, HILDEBRAND. AND THEN 20 YEARS LATER, IT WAS NOW LUKE FOUR 10, YOU KNOW, UH, AROUND, UH, NORTH STAR MALL. THE POPULATION OF THIS CITY HAS GROWN MORE AND MORE FURTHER SPREAD OUT NORTH, NORTHWEST, NORTHEAST. UH, AND I THINK THAT RIGHT NOW ALL THE CENTERS WE HAVE SET UP ARE IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CITY, AND PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CITY ARE FEELING LIKE WE'RE NOT GIVEN THE CONSIDERATION. AND I KNOW WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HERE, BUT I STILL THINK IT WOULD BE WISE FOR US TO ARRANGE TO HAVE, UH, A CENTER SET UP FOR SHOTS, LITERALLY ON THE NORTH SIDE, NORTH CENTRAL PART OF SAN ANTONIO. AS WE'VE SAID, ANYBODY CAN GO THERE FROM ANYBODY, ANY PLACE IN THE CITY, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO BE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT IN EVERY PART OF THE CITY. SO I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT INTO, THAT'S ALL. MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER TINO. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, YEAH, I, I ACTUALLY, I WANNA THANK EVERYBODY THAT'S BEEN WORKING HARD ON THIS. I KNOW. IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT AND IN FACT, UH, IT'S, IT'S YOU, WHICH YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR IS, UM, YOU KNOW, MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKING. AND I, I, I, I APPRECIATE THAT, THAT WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN. UH, I DO AGREE WITH, WITH, WITH COUNCILMAN KERS THAT THE, THE COMMUNITY'S REALLY FRUSTRATED AND THEY'RE FEELING, UH, VERY WORRIED BECAUSE THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. AND I HAD, YOU KNOW, VERY SIMILAR QUESTIONS AROUND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, OUR APPROACH IN TERMS OF MASS VACCINATIONS VERSUS DECENTRALIZING THE EFFORT. AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT I, AND MAYBE YOU HAVE SAID THIS, BUT WHAT IS THE CITY'S POSITION, [03:15:01] UH, ON THOSE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES? AND ARE WE, ARE WE, UH, ADVOCATING THAT AT THE STATE THAT, THAT THAT ONE MIGHT, MIGHT ACTUALLY BE, UM, MIGHT SERVE OUR COMMUNITY BETTER? OR, OR, OR A COMBINATION OF, OF, OF THE TWO? SO THE ORIGINAL PLAN THAT WE ADVOCATED FOR, AND THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT, WAS PRIMARILY DECENTRALIZED. LIKE WE DO FLU SHOTS WITH A FOCUS BY PUBLIC HEALTH ON, UM, UH, VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AND DISENFRANCHISED POPULATION. UM, THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. UM, THE PROBLEM WAS NOT ENOUGH VACCINE VACCINE WAS BEING DELIVERED TO THE DECENTRALIZED LOCATION, AND THE STATE CHANGED ITS MIND. SO, UM, WE, WE HAD TO PULL TOGETHER THESE CLINICS VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE IF WE DIDN'T HAVE A SITE AND WE DIDN'T HAVE THESE CLINICS, THEN OUR VACCINE WOULD BE GIVEN TO SOMEBODY ELSE. YEAH. UM, AND SO YEAH, IT'S, IT'S NOT IDEAL. AND YOU'RE RIGHT, WE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE TEAM IS DOING THE BEST THAT THEY CAN DO, UM, WORKING AN UNGODLY NUMBER OF HOURS. UH, AND SO ONE OF THE, IT'S YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE WHERE FEDERAL AND STATE POLICY, UM, IS, IS CHANGED AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS LEFT TO HELP THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON AND HELP TRY TO KEEP TOGETHER SOME SEMBLANCE OF A PLAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT CHAOS. COUNCILMAN, IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE EARLY DAYS OF TESTING LAST APRIL WHEN THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TESTING CAPACITY. RIGHT? IT, IT IS, IT'S KIND, IT KIND OF FEELS LIKE THAT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE. UM, AND, AND, AND JUST LIKE, UM, WITH TESTING, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU, YOU HAD, YOU HAD CVSS DOING IT, NOW YOU'VE GOT, YOU'VE GOT THE AVAILABILITY OF ADDITIONAL SITES. UM, I'M, I, I, HOPEFULLY IT DOESN'T TAKE AS LONG TO RAMP UP, BUT REALLY IT'S RELIED UPON THE MANUFACTURERS. UM, BUT, BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE SEEING. NO, AND, AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT'S A GREAT ANALOGY. 'CAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF CONCERN DURING THAT ROLLOUT AS WELL. AND, AND, AND AGAIN, I, I KNOW THE CITY'S DOING EVERYTHING THAT IT CAN. UM, BUT I GUESS WHAT I'M ALSO HEARING IS THAT, IS THAT, UH, WE'RE ALSO NOT SURE, UH, WHETHER THE, THE STATE WILL CONTINUE WITH THAT APPROACH OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THEY'LL, THEY'LL GO BACK TO A, A DECENTRALIZED APPROACH. IS THAT CORRECT? YEP. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I I THINK THAT, UH, MOST IMPORTANTLY, UH, FOLKS ARE SIMPLY WANTING TO, TO FEEL LIKE THEY, THEY KNOW, UH, WHAT'S HAPPENING ALMOST IN REAL TIME. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I DO LIKE, UH, I LIKE ALL THE SUGGESTIONS THAT WERE MADE BY MY COLLEAGUES, UH, SPECIFICALLY THE ONE ABOUT INCLUDING OUR IT S D DEPARTMENT TO, TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO CREATE A DASHBOARD, UM, THAT, THAT, THAT CAN BE UPDATED ON THE, ON, IN REAL TIME, UH, THAT FOLKS CAN GO TO AND, AND HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S AVAILABLE, WHERE, WHERE, WHERE ALL, WHERE, WHERE ALL THE SHOTS THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT PEOPLE CAN, CAN, CAN BE, UH, CAN BE ACCESSED. UM, YOU KNOW, MY, MY BIGGEST WORRY IS THAT IRONICALLY, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT OUR, OUR NEW VIA BOARD, UH, MEMBERS EARLIER TODAY. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE MASS VACCINATION LOCATIONS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU GOTTA THINK ABOUT IS, WELL, WHO CAN ACTUALLY GET THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE? UM, AND THEN EVEN THOSE THAT HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET THERE ARE WORRIED OF THE SORT OF, THE, THE FACT THAT IT'S A MASS GATHERING AND, AND THEY'RE JUST, THEY THEMSELVES GET THEMSELVES WORRIED ABOUT BEING VUL BEING, UH, SO VULNERABLE THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, IT, IT'S A KIND OF A SCARY PROPOSITION FOR THEM. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO, TO HEAR IF THERE'S ANY EFFORT TO, TO CREATE A, A, A DASHBOARD FOR THE, THE, THE VACCINE, UH, ROLLOUT. UH, THAT, THAT IS, THAT IS REAL TIME. THERE IS, THE STATE DEVELOPED A DASHBOARD THAT SHOWED WHERE VACCINE DOSES WERE SHIPPED IN EVERY CITY AND COUNTY. UM, THE, THE, THE PROBLEM IS THERE ISN'T ENOUGH VACCINES. SO, UM, THEY WOULD SHOW YOUR LOCAL H E B, FOR EXAMPLE, IS HAVING RECEIVED COVID VACCINE. WELL, THEY GOT A HUNDRED DOSES, AND THAT'S NOT EVEN ENOUGH FOR THEM TO VACCINATE THEIR STAFF. UM, SO I WOULD SAY SIX WEEKS FROM NOW, THAT DASHBOARD'S GOING TO BE VERY USEFUL BECAUSE [03:20:01] THERE WILL BE MORE VACCINE AVAILABLE, AND PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE JUST LIKE BLUE FINDER.GOV, THEY CAN GO ON THAT WEBSITE AND SEE WHERE VACCINE IS AVAILABLE AND HOW TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AND, AND GO AHEAD AND GET IT. AND, AND AGAIN, THIS IS ALL BEING OFFERED AT NO COST TO PEOPLE. UM, SO IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE OR NOT, YOU CAN GO INTO ANY PRIVATE PHARMACY AND GET THE COVID VACCINATION AT NO COST ONCE THAT SUPPLY HAS BEEN DELIVERED TO THOSE PRIVATE PHARMACIES. UM, THE OTHER THING I DO WANNA MENTION IS, UH, VIA IS PROVIDING FREE TRANSPORTATION TO ANYBODY WHO HAS AN APPOINTMENT FOR A COVID VACCINATION. SO, UM, THEY HAVE REALLY STEPPED UP AND ARE HELPING OUT WITH ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION. YEAH, AND I'M, I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. I THINK YOU IS DOING A GREAT JOB HELPING US WITH, WITH THOSE EFFORTS. UH, WELL, LASTLY, I JUST, YOU KNOW, WANNA TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT I THINK IS OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION, WHICH IS OUR HOMELESS. UM, ARE WE DEVELOPING A STRATEGIES, UH, ANY STRATEGIES, UH, FOR, FOR, FOR THOSE, UH, IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT, THAT, UH, THAT, THAT ARE HOMELESS? AS SOON AS THE STATE ALLOWS US TO MOVE AWAY FROM EXCLUSIVELY USING THE VACCINE THE CITY GETS IN MASS VACCINATION SITES, UM, THE, THE HOMELESS POPULATION IS AT THE TOP OF THE KIND OF PRIORITY LIST THAT WE CAN USE OUR MOBILE UNITS TO GO VACCINATE. SO THAT, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT, THAT THESE MASSIVE VACCINATION EFFORTS, UH, CAN LEAVE OUT A LOT OF PEOPLE, UH, INCLUDING OUR HOMELESS. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THOSE WHO SIMPLY, UH, DON'T WANNA LEAVE THEIR HOMES EITHER. AND, AND SO I THINK WE JUST NEED TO KEEP ADVOCATING AND, UH, HOPE FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, A MORE FLEXIBLE ROLLOUT. AND, UH, AGAIN, JUST, JUST, UH, APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK, UH, UH, BEHIND, UH, UH, BEHIND THE SCENES TO, TO GET THE VACCINE OUT. UM, BUT IF AS LONG IF WE CAN GET SOME OF THAT INFORMATION, UH, TO OUR OFFICES, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL DO THE BEST WE CAN TO ROLL IT OUT AS WELL. WE'RE ALL GETTING THE PHONE CALLS. SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK, COUNCILOR. WOO. WE DID SEND OUT, UM, AN F A Q TO YOUR EVERY DISTRICT OFFICE'S CHIEF OF STAFF, AND IT WAS SENT OUT IN THE END OF DAY EMAIL YESTERDAY AS WELL. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEND YOU THOSE, UM, FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, UH, BECAUSE WE APPRECIATE HOW MANY PHONE CALLS YOU ARE GETTING TOO, AND, AND WE WANNA BE AS HELPFUL AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU, DOCTOR. IN, IN TODAY'S EMAIL, WE'LL INCLUDE A LINK TO THAT STATE DASHBOARD ALSO. THANKS. THANKS, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TRAVINO, COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO, UH, REITERATE WELL THANK YOU TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY'RE BRINGING UP AND THE CONCERNS. AND THOSE ARE MANY OF THE SAME QUESTIONS THAT WE AS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS. WE HAD THOSE SAME QUESTIONS AND WE WORKED ALL WEEK LAST WEEK FINDING ANSWERS AND DISCOVERING ANSWERS AND ASKING STAFF AND OUR PRIVATE DOCTORS AND PHYSICIANS, THOSE SAME QUESTIONS. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE TRIED TO EVEN DO IT AT SOUTH PARK MALL AND SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS WERE GOING ON. AND I DO WANT TO, UM, ASSURE REST ASSURED TO SOME OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES THAT WE DID TAKE MANY OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU ALL ARE DISCUSSING INTO ACCOUNT WHEN IT COMES TO OUR, OUR A MASS VACCINATION SITE. AND ONE THING THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IS THAT, UM, WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT ASKING FOR INSURANCE WAS NOT GOING TO BE DONE. BECAUSE SPECIFICALLY IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF SAN ANTONIO, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S ALREADY A LACK OF ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, AND MANY IN THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGES OF NO HEALTHCARE AVAILABILITY. A REMINDER, WE ONLY HAVE TWO HOSPITALS IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF SAN ANTONIO. AND BY THE WAY, MISSION TRAIL BAPTIST HOSPITALS DIDN'T EVEN GET A FIRST SHIPMENT OF DOSES FOR THEIR FRONTLINE WORKERS. THEY HAD TO WORK WITH OTHER ENTITIES TO HELP THEM GET THEM, GET THEM FOR THEIR ONE A. SO THERE WAS ALREADY, WE WERE BEHIND THE CURVE IN THAT, IN THAT AREA. AND, UM, SO WE DID TAKE ALL OF THESE INTO CONSIDERATION. YOU JUST HAVE TO SHOW UP AND MAKE SURE YOU MAKE THAT APPOINTMENT VIA PHONE. AND WE DO, THAT WAS ONE OF THE MAIN ISSUES AND CONCERNS THAT EVERYONE HAD ACCESS [03:25:01] AND CONVENIENCE TO GET THERE. SO WE'RE PROUD OF VIA STEPPING UP, AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE NEAR VIA BUS STOPS IN THAT AREA. AND THE LOOPER IS ON MILITARY DRIVE, SO WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE THAT THERE. AND I ALSO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT MAP, THAT MAP IN THIS DISTRICT, UH, THAT MAP. NUMBER SEVEN, SLIDE NUMBER SEVEN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY ONE THAT'S THE ALMO DOME, AND THEN THERE'S ROS, AND THEN THERE ARE SITES AT FOUR 10 LOOP FOUR 10 NORTH OF THE CITY. SO GEOGRAPHY ALSO DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE GETTING THE VACCINATION IN THAT AREA, BUT THE SOUTHERN SECTOR NEEDS AT LEAST THREE MORE MASS VACCINATION SITES. AND I HAVE TO POINT OUT THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND THE JUDGE AND, UM, AND OUR STATE SENATORS, BECAUSE WHEN WE WERE NEEDING SOME MORE PUSH AT THE STATE LEVEL FOR VACCINES, YOU ALL STEPPED IN, SENT A LETTER AND MADE PHONE CALLS, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER IRAN, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. THIS, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC, AND MANY, MANY PEOPLE WITH EV WITHIN EVERYBODY'S DISTRICTS ARE CALLING. I KNOW WE FEEL THEM EVERY DAY, EVERY MINUTE OF PEOPLE ASKING QUESTIONS. AND, AND DR. BRIDGER, THANK YOU FOR SENDING OUT THOSE Q AND AS THAT, UH, I'M, I'M SENDING OUT IN EVERY MEDIA SOURCE THAT I HAVE TO GET INFORMATION OUT TO PEOPLE. BUT LET'S GO BACK TO SLIDE NUMBER FIVE. SO LOOKING AT THIS SLIDE, AND I, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THE THING ABOUT PIVOTING AND, YOU KNOW, CHANGING AT THE END OF THE DAY, BUT IT, JUST, LOOKING AT THIS, THE DOSES RECEIVED 154,000, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ABOUT WHAT, 10% OF WHAT OUR, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A MILLION MILLION PEOPLE HERE THAT NEED IT. UM, WE GOT THAT ON THE 13TH, AND WE'RE, WE ARE ADMINISTERING, UM, BUT, UH, WE STILL HAVE ABOUT 39,000 ONCE THOSE ARE GONE. DO I, I, IS THERE ANY EXPECTATION ON HOW MANY MORE WE'RE GONNA GET? AND WOULD IT HELP IF WE GOT THOSE DISTRIBUTED FASTER THAN WHAT WE'RE DOING AT THIS PARTICULAR RATE? SO, I, I DO WANNA CLARIFY THE, UM, THE DOSES RECEIVED THAT 154,000 NUMBER IS, UH, SINCE DECEMBER 22ND, I THINK. AH, OKAY. DOSES RECEIVED OVER THE LAST FOUR WEEKS. UM, AND AGAIN, REMEMBER THAT THE FIRST ROUND OF SHIPMENTS WENT, UM, TO PRIMARILY . AND SO THESE TOTAL DOSES REMAINING THAT 39,000 ARE OF THE INITIAL SHIPMENT. UM, AND HOSPITALS ARE USING THOSE TO VACCINATE THEIR EMPLOYEES OTHERS DOSE, WE GOT ON ONE 13, THE 30,000 DOSES WE GOT ON ONE 13 WILL BE COMPLETELY ADMINISTERED BY SATURDAY. OKAY. SO IT, IT'S TAKEN US SEVERAL DAYS TO GET THOSE ADMINISTERED. AND I GET, AGAIN, DO WE HAVE ANY EXPECTATION ON WHAT WE MIGHT BE GETTING AND WHEN, AND, UH, THE AMOUNT, DO WE HAVE ANY INDICATION AT ALL? WE, WE, WE ARE GIVEN A COUPLE OF DAY NOTICE. UM, OKAY. SO YEAH, EVEN WITH A COUPLE OF DAYS NOTICE, AND I, I, I TEND, OR I, I DO AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN COURAGES, UH, COMMENTS. UM, I, WE, WE HAVE PIVOTED. WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO DO. AND I, I THINK FOR US TO GET OUT THERE AND ESTABLISH ADDITIONAL SITES TO INCLUDE THE NORTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, UM, THAT, THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND I, AND I THINK I'LL START WORKING TO ESTABLISH SOMETHING UP IN THE NORTHEAST SIDE, AND I'LL WORK WITH WHOMEVER TO GET THAT DONE AND BE PREPARED FOR WHENEVER, UH, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES COME IN. AND I, I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD BE DOING THAT AT THIS POINT. AND LET'S, LET'S HAVE 'EM IDENTIFIED NOW AND HAVE THE, THE, UH, ADMINISTRATORS, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA BE WORKING ON EACH [03:30:01] ONE OF THOSE SITES IDENTIFIED NOW SO THAT WE'RE PREPARED. WHO KNOWS HOW MANY WE'RE GONNA GET, BUT LET'S SAY WE GET ANOTHER 200,000 OR WHATEVER, WE SHOULD HAVE A PLAN LAID OUT TO EXECUTE WHATEVER COMES IN. AND, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDITIONAL SITES SET UP WITH THE RESOURCES IDENTIFIED, THE PEOPLE REACHING OUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PLENTY OF RETIRED MIL, UH, MILITARY CIVILIANS, UH, OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT'S WILLING TO STEP UP AND MAN THOSE SITES AND ADMINISTER THOSE, THOSE VACCINES. SO HAVE, HAVE WE EVEN REACHED OUT TO ANY OF THOSE YET TO SEE IF THOSE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE AND HAVE A SIGNUP LIST FOR FOLKS TO COME IN AND HELP? WE DO, WE HAVE THE MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS THAT IS ACTIVELY RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS TO HELP AT ALL MASS VACCINATION LOCATIONS. AND THEN THE OTHER THING I WANNA CLARIFY IS THAT, UM, THE DECISION ABOUT HOW MANY DOSES ARE GONNA, WHOM IS MADE AT THE STATE LEVEL. SO WE ARE COMING UP WITH A LOT OF CONTINGENCY PLANS FOR WHAT THIS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, BUT THE THAT THE STATE TWO WEEKS FROM NOW GONNA GO BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL PLAN AND PUT A LOT OF VACCINE IN PRIVATE PHARMACIES, JUST REMOVING THE NEED TO HAVE MASS VACCINATION LOCATION. SO AGAIN, WE'RE THREE DAYS INTO OUR FIRST SET OF MASS VACCINATION CLINICS, UM, BUT WE ARE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT WHERE WE NEED TO OPEN OTHERS, OTHERS. WELL, I LOOK, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT THE NEXT STEP IS, AND WHEN YOU, UM, GET YOUR PLANS TOGETHER, I HOPE THAT YOU SHARE IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN GET IT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND AVOID A LOT OF THESE, UH, CONCERNS AND PROBLEMS FROM FOLKS THAT WE'RE GETTING ON A DAILY BASIS, AN HOURLY BASIS WITH THESE CALLS. BUT THANK YOU AGAIN FOR WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING, UH, DOING A TREMENDOUS JOB OUT THERE, UM, WITH THE RESOURCES THAT YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN SO FAR. UM, I, I, BUT I, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN COURAGE, UM, THAT, UH, I THINK WE CAN ALL PITCH IN TOGETHER AND DO, DO A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, TO SETTLE DOWN PEOPLE'S NERVES OUT HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. WITH THAT, THAT'S ALL I HAVE, SIR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. BYE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. HI. UM, THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, DR. BRIDGER, OR ERIC, COULD YOU REMIND ME WHEN WE WERE THREE DAYS INTO TESTING FOR CORONAVIRUS, UH, ONCE, ONCE WE KNEW WE HAD COMMUNITY SPREAD, WHERE, WHERE WERE THOSE SITES LOCATED? SO WE HAD THE FIRST SITE AT THE, UH, COLISEUM ANNEX, THAT WAS OUR PRIMARY SITE FOR A MONTH. UM, AND THEN WE EXPANDED TO, UM, AND RAMIREZ AS OUR NEXT TWO PRIMARY SITES. THOSE THREE SITES CONTINUED TO BE OUR LARGEST SITES, AND NOW WE HAVE 15 ADDITIONAL SITES SCATTERED THROUGHOUT, UM, THE CITY IN, IN HOTSPOTS. BUT THERE WAS TESTING AVAILABLE BEFORE THOSE SITES BECAME OPEN, RIGHT? FOR COVID TO 19. SO IT WAS PRIVATE TESTING, RIGHT? THE CITY SITES WERE THE DRIVE THROUGH AND THE COLISEUM, AND THEN QUAY AND RAMIREZ. SO I, I JUST WANNA, I'M MAKING JUST A QUICK REMINDER THAT BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO PUT UP THOSE SITES IN THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE CITY, THE TESTING SITES, WHICH I THINK TOOK MONTHS INTO THE PANDEMIC BEFORE THOSE OPENED UP, RIGHT? IT WASN'T UNTIL THE SUMMER, I THINK THAT THEY WERE THERE, THE PANDEMIC BEGAN IN MARCH. UH, THERE WERE PLENTY OF, OF PRIVATE TESTING SITES, THEY WERE PRIVATE, UM, BUT THEY WEREN'T PRIMARILY ON, ON THE SOUTH SIDE, THEY WERE ON OTHER PARTS OF TOWN. UM, AND I, UH, I, I THINK IT, I CAN IMAGINE SOMEONE IN THE SOUTH SIDE SAYING, COUNCILMAN COURAGE, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'LL TRADE YOU A MASS VACCINATION SITE. WHY DON'T Y'ALL GIVE ME THE, THE MEDICAL CENTER AND WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE IT ON THE, ON THE SOUTH SIDE. UM, BUT, BUT I, THE ONE THING I DON'T WANT US TO FORGET IS LONG BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, UM, WE KNEW ABOUT THE HEALTH DISPARITIES IN IN THE CITY, MY, MY DISTRICT HAPPENS TO BE RIGHT, RIGHT ON THE, ON THAT BORDER OF THAT DISPARITY LINE. SO A FEW YEARS AGO BEFORE I CAME ON COUNCIL, THE BEXAR COUNTY HEALTH COLLABORATIVE CONDUCTED A STUDY OF, UH, HEALTH OUTCOMES THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. AND ONE OF THEIR HEALTH OUTCOMES THAT THEY LOOKED AT WAS, UH, LIFE EXPECTANCY. THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE IN LIFE EXPECTANCY IN OUR OWN CITY AND OUR OWN, SORRY, COUNTY OF ALMOST TWO DECADES. THAT IS A GENERATION THAT IS SOMEONE [03:35:01] WHO DOES NOT LIVE TO SEE THEIR GRANDCHILD OR THEIR GREAT-GRANDCHILD. THAT DISPARITY EXISTS BETWEEN SOME OF THE MORE AFFLUENT PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY AND SOME OF THE POOR PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY. AND IF YOU WERE TO DRAW A DIVIDING LINE THAT WOULD BE ALONG A LONG HILL, THE BRAND. SO I THINK, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EQUITY AND WHAT WE WANNA ACCOMPLISH, I, WE WANT EVERYONE TO GET THE VACCINE, EVERYONE. WE JUST WANT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DYING SOONER NOT TO DIE ANY SOONER THAN THEY ALREADY ARE RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA MAYOR. AND I WANNA, UM, SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR COLLEAGUES. I KNOW WE'RE ALL VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR DISTRICTS, AND, UM, I WAS NOT ON THE CITY COUNCIL WHEN YOU ALL, UH, PASSED THE EQUITY LENS, BUT I'D IMAGINE THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS CONVERSATION CAME UP. AND I DO REMEMBER A PICTURE, UM, OF THREE KIDS. I THINK IT WAS AT A BASEBALL PARK. UM, AND, UM, THE DIFFERENCE IN TRYING TO GET EVERYBODY, UM, THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO WATCH THE BASEBALL GAME, UM, WAS SOMETHING THAT RESONATED WITH ME. AND IT, IT STILL, I, I MEAN, THAT PICTURE HAS, IS PROBABLY THE BEST EXAMPLE, UM, THAT I, THAT I COULD THINK OF, OF HOW WE CAN EXPLAIN TO OUR RESIDENTS WHO MIGHT FEEL, UM, A LITTLE BIT, UM, LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN LEFT OUT. IN FACT, WE HAVE ASKED FOR A ZIP CODE LIST. IN FACT, I WANNA TELL MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES THAT EVEN ON THE NORTH SIDE OF TOWN, I'VE HAD RESIDENTS FROM YOUR AREAS REACH OUT TO ME. AND I PERSONALLY TRY TO HELP EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. I DIDN'T ASK THEM, WHAT ZIP CODE ARE YOU FROM? I DIDN'T ASK THEM, WHAT DISTRICT ARE YOU FROM? I JUST TRY TO HELP. AND I THINK THAT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TODAY, UM, IS JUST RE REMIND EVERYONE, THE, THE AUDIENCE THAT'S WATCHING US, THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYBODY WE WERE TRYING TO GET ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN, BECAUSE IT'S EASIER FOR THE 87 YEAR OLD, LIKE MS. CARTER, WHO'S PROBABLY WATCHING AT HOME RIGHT NOW, TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE DOWN ONE STREET, LITERALLY MAKE TWO TURNS TO GET TO THIS VACCINE SITE. THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO GET AT. THE EQUITY, SHE CAN'T GET ON A HIGHWAY AND DRIVE, UM, FURTHER, YOU KNOW, THAT THAN SHE HAS TO. AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO REACH OUT. WE'RE TRYING TO REACH OUT TO MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS AS WELL, THAT WE KNOW THAT IN DISTRICTS THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE, THERE ARE GENERATIONAL, MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS WITH LOTS OF ESSENTIAL WORKERS, BY THE WAY, WORKING IN THEM. SO I JUST WANTED TO, UM, ALSO JUST POINT OUT THAT THERE'S ALREADY A LACK OF ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE IN THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDES. AND I'M PROUD OF OUR FEMALE COLLEAGUES. AND I KEEP SAYING THIS, IT WAS A BUNCH OF WOMEN THAT GOT TOGETHER TO DO THIS, AND I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT ON MY FIRST GO AROUND. BUT WE WORKED TOGETHER TO BRING SOME FORM OF EQUITY, UH, IN VACCINE DISTRIBUTION TO THE SOUTH AND THE WEST SIDE. AND I WANNA, UH, JUST REMIND ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES SAID, WE, UM, REPRESENT AN ENTIRE CITY. WE DON'T JUST REPRESENT OUR AREAS. AND SO WE FOUGHT A LITTLE BIT HARD. WE HAD TO DO OUR OWN WORK TO GET TO, UM, THE POINT THAT WE ARE AT RIGHT NOW BY HAVING, UM, UH, THESE SITES IN THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDE. AND IT WAS WHEN WE WERE READY AND WE WERE BASICALLY ABLE TO, TO, UM, DEVELOP A TURNKEY OPERATION THAT THEN, UM, OTHERS STARTED STEPPING UP AND HELPING US CHAMPION. AND SO, SO AGAIN, JUST I ASK YOU THAT IT'S, IT'S ALL OF US. WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. UM, WE'LL GET YOU THAT LIST OF ZIP CODES AS SOON AS WE GET IT, AND WE'LL LET YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WE'VE ALSO HELPED ON THE NORTH SIDE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO ADD. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN. UM, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, AND THANK YOU TO COUNCILMAN PERRY. COUNCILMAN COURAGE. UM, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE MANY AREAS WITHIN THE NORTHEAST AREA AND THE NORTH SIDE OF TOWN, UM, BUT DR. BRIDGER, ONE QUESTION I WANTED TO ASK YOU. ARE WE WORKING WITH THE NURSING SCHOOLS SUCH AS THE GALEN SCHOOL OF NURSING OR WITH THE, UH, ST. PHILIPS SCHOOL NURSING TO HELP THE VOLUNTEERS THAT WE WILL NEED WHEN THE VACCINES, UH, BECOME MORE READILY AVAILABLE, UM, TO REALLY START HELPING TO GET THE INJECTIONS IN THE ARMS OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE REQUESTING AND NEEDING THEM? UM, AND, AND WITH COUNCILMAN COURAGE AND WITH COUNCILMAN PERRY, UM, SOME OTHER PLACES THAT I THINK WE CAN LOOK, UH, DR. BRIDGER TO ASSIST IN THE EQUITY AND HOW WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS ACCESS IS LOOKING EVEN AT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH THE STADIUMS THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE, IF IT'S ALAMO STADIUM, IF IT'S BLOSSOM STADIUM, IF IT'S NORTHEAST STADIUM, NORTH SIDE STADIUM, UM, TO USE THOSE AS ACTUAL, UH, [03:40:01] DISTRIBUTION SITES, MASS DISTRIBUTION SITES. UM, SO I WANTED TO JUST ASK IF WE ARE WORKING WITH THE NURSING SCHOOLS AND IF SOME OF THOSE, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UM, CAN BE USED AS MASS DISTRIBUTION SITES WITH THEIR SAVINGS. SO YES, WE ARE WORKING WITH ALL OF THE AREA, UH, NURSING AND MEDICAL SCHOOLS, UM, TO HAVE THEM BE PART OF THE VACCINATION PROCESS. AND, UM, YES, WHEN THERE IS ENOUGH VACCINE AVAILABLE TO OPEN BOARD MASS VACCINATION SITES, UM, THOSE ARE ON THE LIST OF POTENTIAL LOCATIONS. WE JUST, WE JUST NEED MORE VACCINES. IS THAT THE PROBLEM IS NOT THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SITES, THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH VACCINE. YES, MA'AM. UM, AND SO I'D LIKE, I'D LIKE TO REITERATE THAT ALSO, UM, LOGISTICALLY WE COULD SET UP ANYWHERE IN THE CITY, UH, WITHIN A DAY, WE DON'T HAVE THE VACCINATIONS AVAILABLE. WE COULD SET UP ANYWHERE WE NEED TO, AND WE'LL GET IT DONE EFFICIENTLY. WE PROVED THAT THIS WEEK, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE VACCINES. OKAY. SO, UM, I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A PLAN, A STRATEGIC PLAN IN PLACE, UM, FOR THOSE AREAS THAT I HEAR MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES VERY CONCERNED ABOUT A STRATEGIC PLAN IN PLACE AND MAKING SURE THAT THE AREA CODES AND THE ZIP CODES ARE THE ZIP CODES, EXCUSE ME, IN OUR AREAS ARE TRULY SPOKEN TO WITH COUNCILWOMAN, UH, ROCHA GARCIA'S POINT IS THAT WE ARE HERE TO ASSIST EVERY PERSON HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. WE DO NOT WANT TO EXCLUDE ANYONE. SO IF THERE IS A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WE AS A COUNCIL MAY BE ABLE TO LOOK AT TO SAY, WELL, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO TO ASSIST YOU, DR. BRIDGER, PLEASE KNOW THAT WE AS A CITY COUNCIL ARE HERE TO HELP YOU. AND AS THESE VACCINES BECOME MORE AVAILABLE, WE ARE WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT. THANK YOU, MEREDITH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN. I'M SORRY, MAYOR. I'M JUST GONNA POINT OUT ONE THING THAT, UM, AND WE'LL SEND THIS LINK OUT TODAY TOO, BUT IF YOU GO TO THE STATE'S WEBSITE AND YOU LOOK AT, UM, COUNTIES THAT HAVE DISTRIBUTED THE MOST COVID 19 VACCINE, UM, FAIR COUNTY AND HARRIS COUNTY ARE BASICALLY NECK AND NECK, AND THEY'RE FIVE TIMES BIGGER THAN WE ARE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, BUT I KNOW THIS IS NOT A PERFECT OPERATION. UM, BUT GIVEN WHERE WE STARTED 10 DAYS AGO AND WHERE WE ARE NOW, I THINK THERE'S A LOT FOR ALL OF US TO BE PROUD OF. AGREED. THANK YOU, DR. BRIDGER. POSITIVE, UH, NO, AND, AND, UH, THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR, UH, A GREAT CONVERSATION. I, I, I WAS, UM, I THINK ANYONE WHO'S BEEN OUT TO THE ALAMO DOME OR SEEN ANY OF THE MASS VACCINATION SITES HAVE BEEN SET UP, UM, VERY QUICKLY WOULD BE IMPRESSED WITH THE LEVEL OF, UH, COORDINATION INVOLVED. AND I DO WANNA REITERATE, UH, IT IS FRUSTRATING FOR EVERYBODY, UH, AND ESPECIALLY, UH, METRO HEALTH STAFF, I WOULD IMAGINE THAT HAVE HAD TO PIVOT ON SOME DRAMATICALLY CHANGING GUIDANCE FROM THE STATE. SO, UH, WE'RE MOVING THOSE OUT AS FAST AS WE CAN. I THINK THE MESSAGE FOR OUR COMMUNITY IS THAT THE, THE MOTOR IS RUNNING, WE JUST NEED TO CONTINUE TO PUT FUEL IN IT WITH THOSE VACCINE DOSES. UM, I DO ALSO WANT TO JUST, UM, THANK, UM, OUR CITY COUNCIL. WE DID PASS, UH, OUR FIRST BUDGET WITH AN EQUITY LENS BACK IN 2017, AND WE HAVE STAYED THE COURSE. WE'LL HAVE TO STAY THE COURSE FOR A FULL GENERATION, UH, FOR US TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. AND WHILE THE NAMES AND FACES ON THIS DIOCESE MIGHT CHANGE, UH, WE'VE STAYED TRUE TO THE PURPOSE, UM, AND THE CAUSE OF EQUITY. AND THAT'S RESULTED IN, I THINK, IN, IN WHAT WE'RE SEEING, UH, WHICH IS THAT SAN ANTONIO IS BEING SINGLED OUT. BEX COUNTY IS BEING SINGLED OUT, UH, FOR ITS EQUITABLE, EQUITABLE APPROACH, UM, TO THE RESPONSE TO THIS PANDEMIC. AND THAT INCLUDES THE VACCINATION PROCESS. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY, UM, ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, UH, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT BEXAR COUNTY AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ARE DOING RELATIVE TO OUR PEERS, THE DIFFERENCE IS STARK. UH, I JUST SAW A, A TRIBUNE ARTICLE THAT THAT MADE SOME COMPARISON TO THE MAJOR METROS IN TEXAS. AND WE STAND TALL AMONG OUR PEERS WITH REGARD TO AN EQUITY APPROACH. AND I WOULD, I WOULD SAY THAT IN OUR COMMUNITY, IT'S, IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY, UH, GIVEN OUR POPULATION. SO, UM, WE WILL GET THESE OUT TO EVERYBODY THAT WANTS 'EM. UH, I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S PATIENCE AND, AND AGAIN, THE GREAT WORK OF METRO HEALTH FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN GENERAL. SO, UM, THIS ITEM WAS JUST FOR BRIEFING, SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO, UH, AN ITEM I FORGOT ABOUT, [03:45:01] UH, ITEM 19, WHICH IS JUST FOR REFUSAL PURPOSES. UH, SO LET, LET ME TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE CLERK FOR ITEM 19. AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA WILL BE RECUSED FROM THIS ITEM. ITEM [19. 20-7280 Ordinance approving a renewal and amendment of an agreement with Communities in Schools of San Antonio for the continuation of behavioral mental health counseling services for teens and/or their families affected by domestic violence for a term ending June 30, 2021 for an amount up to $150,000.00. [Colleen M. Bridger, MPH, PhD, Assistant City Manager, Interim Director, Health]] 19 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING A RENEWAL AND AMENDMENT WITH AN AGREEMENT WITH COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF SAN ANTONIO FOR THE CONTINUATION OF BEHAVIORAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING SERVICES FOR TEENS AND OR THEIR FAMILIES AFFECTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FOR A TERM ENDING JUNE 30TH, 2021 FOR AN AMOUNT OF TO $150,000. OKAY. UM, CAN I ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 19 TO APPROVE? YEAH, I SECOND. OKAY. UH, I DON'T KNOW IF I GOT THAT RIGHT. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN WITH A MOTION WHO HAD THE SECOND COURAGE, UH, SECOND BY COURAGE. AND, UM, ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ALRIGHT. MOTION CARRIES. THAT'S THE BALANCE OF OUR AGENDA TODAY. LEMME TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY [28. 21-1035 City Manager's Report] MANAGER FOR CITY MANAGER'S REPORT. THANKS, MAYOR. JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK ITEMS. UH, ONE, UH, THIS PAST MONDAY WAS A NATIONAL HUMAN, UH, TRAFFICKING AWARENESS DAY. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IN A, IN A NORMAL YEAR, WE WOULD'VE GATHERED, UH, AND HAD A LARGE PRESS CONFERENCE. UM, AND WE DID NOT DO THAT THIS YEAR. I DID WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, THAT, THAT, UH, THAT DAY, UH, AND MAKE IT, AND MAKE YOU AWARE OF IT, OBVIOUSLY, THAT THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING CONTINUES TO BE A, A PRIORITY, BOTH IN OUR, UH, METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT, HUMAN SERVICES, AND OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO, UH, THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, UH, WE WILL HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO GATHER TO HAVE OUR, OUR LARGE PRESS EVENT, UH, WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS. UM, THE SECOND THING, UH, THAT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU IS THAT, UM, OUR OWN, UH, UH, ENGINEER, CHIEF ENGINEER, UH, RAZZIE HUSSEINI, UM, UH, HAS BEEN SELECTED AS THE ENGINEER OF THE YEAR, UH, , UH, OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS. UH, UH, COUNCILMAN COURAGE, YOU'LL BE HAPPY TO NOTE THAT, UH, I DID REINFORCE TO RAZZI THAT THAT MEANT, UH, ON TIME AND ON BUDGET, UH, AND VERY STRAIGHT WHERE NECESSARY. BUT, UM, RAZZI HAS, UM, CONTINUES TO DO AN EXCELLENT JOB. AND AS WE'VE DEALT WITH, UM, UH, THE PANDEMIC AND THE FINANCIAL CRISIS, UH, PUBLIC WORKS HAS CONTINUED TO, UM, TO, UH, CHUG ALONG. AND I'M THANKFUL, UH, FOR HIS LEADERSHIP OVER THERE. HE'S GOT OVER 30 YEARS IN THIS ORGANIZATION, AND I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE HIM AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ALL AWARE OF THAT AS WELL. AND THEN, UH, LASTLY, UH, LASTLY, UH, AND COUNCILWOMAN SULLIVAN, UH, SHARED THE PREVIEW VIDEO, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE COUNCIL MEETING THAT WILL RUN ON W A I AS WELL AS CHANNEL 21. UH, I HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE VIDEO. IT IS A, UH, A EXTREMELY, VERY WELL DONE, UH, VIDEO TRIBUTE. UM, THERE'S NO REPLACING OF THE, THE MASS GATHERING OF ANNUAL MARCH, UH, THAT WE DO HERE IN, IN TOWN, AND THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE. BUT, UH, THE M L K COMMISSION, UH, HAS, UH, PRODUCED A, A VERY HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT. AND I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE COUNCILWOMAN SULLIVAN AND, AND THE M L K COMMISSION FOR THEIR WORK THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN PREVIOUS YEARS. UM, THE, THE, UH, UH, CHIEF HOOD, DAVID MCCAREY, CHIEF MCMANUS, OTHERS ARE PART OF THAT VIDEO PRESENTATION. UM, AND I WANTED TO THANK ALL OF THE STAFF BECAUSE, UH, ALL, ALTHOUGH THE WORK HAS BEEN DIFFERENT, UH, THIS YEAR, THERE HAS BEEN JUST AS MUCH PLANNING AND COORDINATING DONE, UM, WITH PARKS NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES, POLICE AND FIRE ARTS AND CULTURAL, UH, PUBLIC WORKS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, UM, AND THE VIRTUAL, UH, MARCHES AS POSSIBLE TO CONTINUE TO HONOR, UH, DR. KING'S LEGACY, UH, IN CHOOSING COURAGE AND DETERMINATION, UH, FOR THE, UH, NOBLE FIGHT OF CIVIL RIGHTS. SO, UM, PLEASE, UM, TAKE TIME TO, TO SEE THAT, TO WATCH THAT VIDEO NEXT WEEK. IT IS, UH, IT IS A MOVING TRIBUTE AND, UH, UH, UH, VERY WELL DONE. THAT'S IT, MAYOR. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ERIC. AND, UM, ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US, UH, RAZZY, CONGRATULATIONS, WE'VE, UH, ENJOYED, UH, YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE AND, UM, GREAT TO SEE OTHER PEOPLE RECOGNIZING IT AS WELL. SO, CONGRATULATIONS, RAZZI, THAT'S A HECK OF A WAY TO START 2021, TOO. [03:50:01] ALRIGHT, I DON'T SEE ANY, UH, DISCUSSION. SO LET'S MOVE INTO EXEC AND, AND I, I WOULD SUGGEST LET'S TAKE A, A FIVE MINUTE BREAK AND START AT, UH, RIGHT AT ONE O'CLOCK. UH, BUT LET ME GO AHEAD AND READ THAT THE TIME IS NOW 12:55 PM ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 14TH, 2021. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WILL NOW MEET IN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO CONSULT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 1, AND DELIBERATE, OR DISCUSS THE ITEMS THAT WERE POSTED ON CITY COUNCIL AGENDA FOR JANUARY 13TH, 2021, BUT NOT REACHED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0 8 7, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PURCHASE EXCHANGE, LEASE, OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 7 2, REAL PROPERTY SECURITY ASSESSMENTS OR DEPLOYMENTS RELATED TO INFORMATION RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY NETWORK OR SECURITY INFORMATION OR EMPLOYMENT OR SPECIFIC OCCASIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SECURITY PERSONNEL, CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OR SECURITY DEVICES PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.089, SECURITY DEVICES AND AUDITS, THE 2020 EVALUATION TIMELINE AND PROCESS FOR THE CITY MANAGER, CITY AUDITOR, CITY CLERK, AND A PRESIDING MUNICIPAL JUDGE PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.074 PERSONNEL MATTERS AND CONSULTATION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING LITIGATION INVOLVING THE CITY'S COVID 19 PREPAREDNESS AND SECURITY DEVICES AND AUDITS, AND PERSONNEL MATTERS. WE'RE, I THINK WE'RE LEGAL. THE TIME IS NOW 4:00 PM ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 14TH, 2021. THE CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS NOW RECONVENED AN OPEN SESSION. NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. BYE, Y'ALL. HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.